Dual Booting

So finding an OS-less notebook or a pre-installed Ubuntu is next to impossible, I even contacted my local LUG and they were unable to help me. So how does dual booting work? Am I limiting something by dual booting? I would be using the Ubuntu only, the windows would just be wasting away. What notebooks/specs work best for dual booting?

I would have gone with System76 but in the end with the shipping they cost too much. I can't find the link to the Dell Ubuntu notebooks either, the Canadian site only lists minis. ETA: I'd be going for something with the Win 7 upgrade, if I'm already paying, might as well get something that works. I really dislike Vista.

Thanks!

 

dual booting is when you have the option to boot into one os or the other. if you're not going to be using windows, there's no need to dual boot. you can just wipe windows off (i'd keep windows backup discs just in case) and install ubuntu.

as for the notebook specs, i'm sure the more knowledgeable members in this forum will give you recommendations (ie. nvidia vs. ati). from my personal experience, i have no issues with my thinkpad. pretty much everything works with a few tweaks that were easy enough to find on the internet.

 

Most popular modern laptops work fine with Ubuntu. When you've found one you like I suggest you check for any potential problems on a Linux/Ubuntu forum.

If you are really determined not to use Windows there may be a way to avoid paying for it. This has worked in the UK and I think the US, but I don't know about Canada. It requires a great deal of perserverance, so most people give up, but if you are really pushy you can decline the Windows licence when you first switch your machine on and demand a refund. Often it takes a letter from a Small Claims Court, though I think Dell can be easier to deal with. Google for deatails if you're interested.

 

I found a computer store that has a techie that knows about Linux except he says and I quote "Nobody likes to learn to use linux, its a pain in the butt to work with". He's not against it, he just thinks that it is not for everyone. I will probably head down there at some point after July 11 (Windows 7 update release). I'll dual boot for a while (have to check if FirstClass runs in Ubuntu) and then, if possible remove the Windows. I'll have to figure out how to do paritations so that the bulk goes to Ubuntu. Thanks for all the help!

 

a lot of times, like Dell, laptops preinstalled with ubuntu costs more eventually vs getting one with windows, because Dell doesn't give that many discounts or special configs/pricing

i agree that linux isnt for everyone... i'm a CS major in college and have ubuntu+windows 7 dual boot(laptop came with vista)...

for partitioning... just play around with it... you probably have to reinstall windows 7 to repartition the HDD(or you could shrink the existing windows 7 partition which ussally takes up the whole HDD)... have fun with it

 

I believe that System 76 will sell you an Ubuntu laptop. It can cost slightly more than a normal supplier though. There are also places like www.powernotebooks.com (where I got my lappy, I'm just a happy customer, not an employee ) that will sell you a laptop without an OS installed if you ask nicely.

 

Some points to note:

If Vista is pre-installed, the partition will need to be shrunk. Vista really doesn't like that, and it's unwilling to give up too much space generally.

If you dual boot, when the time comes to install windows 7, you will need to rebuild your boot loader. Windows likes to believe it's the only OS around when installing and will destroy the ability to boot into Ubuntu, but the data will be preserved.

As for hardware support, please post the exact model you are looking to buy, and what type of work you will be doing with the laptop. Some particular combinations (i.e. 3d gaming on an older ATI card) are impossible.

 

A lot of the Sager resellers sell without OS's. I will likely buy from them next time because I use Linux 90% of the time nowadays.

 

My advice is not to buy a laptop with anything preinstalled. Instead, look for OS-less laptops that have linux-compatible software. Linux is free, so you save money!

I can tell you from experience that the Compal JHL90 (a.k.a. Sager NP2096) is fully compatible except for the fingerprint reader (not a showstopper). Sager does not sell OS-less laptops, but its resellers XoticPC and PowerNotebooks do. (It's about $150 off that way.)

The link to PowerNotebooks is in my sig. I bought my Sager NP2096 from them and am well pleased. In addition, I've found both Sager and PowerNotebook's Customer Service to be nothing less than excellent. I even got a phone call from Donald Stratton, owner of PNB, the morning after I placed my order, making sure I got everything I wanted.

OS-less Sager NP2096:
XoticPC: http://www.xoticpc.com/sager-np2096-custom-laptop-built-compal-jhl90-p-2409.html
PowerNotebooks: http://www.powernotebooks.com/viewsystem.php?sysId=2397

 

So just deleting Windows is not good enough? I'm not sure which laptop yet. Shipping from the US for system76 costs an extreme amount (in excess of $200, which is money that I could use for other things). I'll look into the links posted.

ETA- Does Powernotebooks ship to Canada, their shipping page has no information on that. In fact neither does XoticPC. The prices are really good though. I'm just not going to type them into the exchange rate right now and happily sit here thinking I found the perfect lappy .

 

if you are clear you want linux and windows dual boot...

i suggest 3 partitions... ubuntu, windows, shared partition for documents/stuff

//windows 7 is actually usable... much better than vista

when you try to install windows 7 on an unpartioned drive, it'll create another partition for its bootloader... if you want to avoid this, then prepartition it or install ubuntu first

1) install ubuntu, partition everything correctly
2) install windows 7
3) reinstall grub using ubuntu live cd

1) prepartition using gpart
2) install windows 7
3) install ubuntu... grub here should auto detect windows 7 and give you boot options automatically

 

Deleting windows is the easiest way to install linux. Just make sure you won't miss it.

There are a bunch of people from Canada here who have XoticPC laptops, it's just that the linux section isn't exactly the best way to contact them. First off, I would suggest emailing or calling XoticPC so they can help you work something out. Also, posting in the Sager/Clevo section might not be a bad idea.

 

You will learn also alot by messing wit ubuntu and it it worth it. I have it running nicely on my laptop. Right now i am in the middle of reinstalling all the operating systems. xp, vista, 7, ubuntu.

 

give powernotebooks a call. talk to donald, he's great. tell 'em we sent ya.

I've bought two laptops from them recently and they've done a really solid job.

 

Hi,
You don't need to use dual boot, just install Virtual Box and run your windows (or any OS) from under the linux. You only need more RAM and VGA (not shared) for this to run both systems simultaneously smoothly.
I just installed my CentOS, and using LVM i dedicated one logical volume to Virtual Box where install all other OS that i need (i run there windows xp x64, windows 7 and fedora).
Works good.
New Virtual Box v. 3.x already supports directx so even the gaming is possible - but of course, this is more HW dependent.
As for notebook type, i really like big brands, because of reliability of parts, so IBM (lenovo), HP, Dell. The specs really depends on what you need your notebook to use for.

 

I found the lappy I want. Fits everything (I think). How's the hardware?

http://www.canadacomputers.com/index.php?do=ShowProduct&cmd=pd&pid=023679&cid=896.500

I like this brand and the specs are great. The shipping costs won't kill me either. I'll just remove the Vista.

 

Looks good. Does it come with the Vista Installation CD, though? Contrary to popular opinion, I believe you should have the Vista CD just in case of... who knows?

If you need any help at all with the installation, chime back. And ignore what the techie guy said about Linux (he sounded really biased, too). It's not any harder, it just different. For example, in Linux, Firefox's Options are under Edit > Options whereas the Windows one is Tools > Options. Both make sense because you are editing the options AND the options is a tool. It's a superficial example, but it'll do for now

 

Intel chipset should be OK. That particular nvidia card doesn't seem to have official support, but there are reports on google that the standard nvidia driver works on it. I suggest you search teh Ubuntu Forums to see if others have had success. Worst case, you use the open source drivers.

Super Hybrid engine wont work in Linux. I can't ID the wireless chipset. Check Asus web site to see what type of windows driver it is. Generally, Intel, Broadcom, ralink and Realtek are well supported.

 

Looks good to me also. That's a pretty good laptop for the money or even regardless of money. I don't think you'll have a problem with Ubuntu and the vid card, sans the hybrid thing which for now probably won't matter to you anyway. I like asus, have bought 3 of them.

 

I'm allowed to order it (no credit card of my own, so have to ask the 'rents)! Happy dance! It's smaller than I planned but 14" should be good to carry around to class.

 

So I researched it, and found the following code in the INF.

Code:

Signature   = "$Windows NT$"
Class       = Net
ClassGUID   = {4d36e972-e325-11ce-bfc1-08002be10318}
Provider    = %ATHEROS%
LoutFiles   = layout.inf
CatalogFile = athrext.cat
DriverVer   = 02/17/2009,7.7.0.232


[Manufacturer]
%ATHEROS%     = Atheros, NTX86
%Gigabyte%     = GIGABYTE, NTX86

So it's definitely an Atheros chipset. How good is Ubuntu with madwifi?

 

Madwifi works ok, ath9k is better but still has some issues, there's a recent thread here and coincidentally I'm working on tweaks for 2.6.30.1 and I made a post about tweaking the ath9k module here just a short while ago.

Hope this helps

 

It will, once I get to that point (newbie so I will be back, you can count it lol). According to the web it ships in 1-2 biz days so it should be here next week, in time for the biggest 4H show of the year. Ordering as soon as dad gets in from the barns. (I think I'm driving my sis nuts with my happy dances LOL)

 

Post up some farm pics....

 

Where? I don't have many, but I could flood you easily. Goats, pigs, goats, heifers, horse, goats, pigs....

 

I believe you can set up a gallery on this very forum !!

 

photobucket.com, its free.

 

(^I got Webshots, just as good. lol)

Next question, how do I remove the Vista operating system, so that I can run the lappy on just Ubuntu? I'm getting the Asus K40IN w/ Vista. I plan on playing around on with Vista to make sure everything works, pop in a Live CD, check that everything works and then convert to Ubuntu. What do you think of this idea? Thanks!

 

Just reformat the drive when you install Ubuntu. The installer will ask you if you want to keep your current partitions, just say no.

 

If you don't get Vista on disc, at least make a backup of the restore partition for any future use, before installing Ubuntu on the whole HDD.

 

Yes, that's good advice....you never know.

 

Ok, how do I make the backup? On a CD?

 

Alternatively, you can remove the useless programs in Vista and then use the built in Vista tool to compress the partition to it's minimum, usually 2xthe size of the install. You can then install Ubuntu in the recliamed space. It's a far leaner OS than Vista.