Linux dual boot on my eee pc?

Ok here is what I would like to do. I have windows xp installed onto a 75gig partition. There is one more 75 gig partition and I would Like to install linux to it. I have a few questions though as I am use to using wubi for installations but I am fed up with it and now am doing my first regular install.

Can I do this without touching my HD partitions as they already have 2 equal partitions, one blank one and one windows?

Will I be able to upgrade to newer versions of Linux easily? (for example If I choose UNR 9.10 will I be able to upgrade to UNR 10.04 easily when it comes out?)

Will I be able to get rid of linux off my computer completely if I wanted to?

Which edition would be the best for my asus eee pc 1005ha?
I have been looking at
- Ubuntu 9.10
- Ubuntu Netbook Remix 9.10
- Linux Mint 8

Keep in mind that I also am going to need to create USB drive that I can boot off one of these editions so I can install it on the netbook as I don't have a cd drive.

Also I understand that in order to dual boot I need to download a program in linux like "startup manager or grub or something" ? Can anybody explain this more please?

Thanks. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

Yes, you can leave your partitions as is. Basically, you will want to choose custom partitioning and install into the remaining 75gb. The installer will probably want to reformat that partition and that is OK. Make sure to set it to mount "/" there too. You may even want to think about setting up a third fat32 partition for sharing data between the two OSs as well although Ubuntu's NTFS manager works wonders and you can make windows read ext2 and ext3 filesystems with special drivers. You can not mount ext4 in windows so keep that in mind because it is now the default filesystem during installation. You have to choose ext3 or ext2 during the custom partitioning.

Upgrading to a new release does not always work and is especially tricky on a dual boot system. I recommend installing each new release from scratch but you might back up your data and give it a try. Who knows? Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.

You can always fire up a live session of ubuntu and nuke the linux partition and extend windows over the remaining space if Linux doesn't suit you.

You can use a program called unetbootin to prepare a bootable usb stick. It is sometimes tricky to get an eeepc to boot it. eee user forums have lots of helpful information. My guess is that the 10" models have updated bios for this sort of thing.

You have to remember to clear any u3 software and then reformat the usb each and every time you load it up. What worked well for me is repartitioning the stick to a fat16 drive that is under 1gb and then using unetbootin.

A much, much easier option is to prepare the stick with Ubuntu usb creator (which will work with any ubuntu-based distros), assuming you have ubuntu installed on another computer. I've never had a stick prepared with Ubuntu usb creator not boot on my eee pc.

Once you learn how to prepare and boot a live session using a usb stick, I'd say give all of the distros that you're interested in a test run. Personally, I can't stand the Ubuntu NBR gui. Mint is a nice option but it's biggest selling point, Mint Menu, is kind of big on a netbook screen. My ubuntu of choice is xubuntu because the xfce desktop is lighter and snappier on the atom platform. Mint XFCE is even faster and should be out sometime soon.

Lastly, during the installation process Ubuntu will install and automatically configure grub which will allow you to choose between windows and ubuntu at boot. In Ubuntu, install startup-manager which will allow you to manage the basic characteristics of grub.

Hope that helps. I really enjoy Xubuntu on my 900a eee pc.

 

Rep + 1
Thank you very much.


I may do a quick wubi install of ubuntu on my main asus g50 to make that boot usb drive in ubuntu.
However I still am at odds at which desktop interface I like better.
I hate the NBR Gui, but the reason I am considering it still is due to the fact that it is specially designed to work on netbooks. And I have heard that I can get rid of the gui later on.

I have absolutely no Idea what you were talking about when you were telling me about the ext2, ext3, and ext4. I don't know what any of that means. Nor do I know the difference between NTFS or Fat32.

I like the eyecandy that is in ubuntu 9.10 and I have heard that linux mint 8 is ubuntu but with many bugfixes and I think it has a sleeker look. Xubuntu looks like a slimmer version of ubuntu, meaning less eyecandy...is this true?

Thank you again for your help.

I am not too worried about updating anymore as that will give me a chance to pick a new desktop environment again if I wish too.

 

If you don't like NBR gui then I don't think there is a need to install NBR because 9.10 has the same kernel under the hood from what I understand.

Here's wikipedia's take on filesystems: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File_system

Basically, as you learn to work with a program called gparted or gnome partition manager, to create your usb stick and/or install your system, you will learn that you have to format your partitions to some particular filesystem before you can install the OS. Linux is usually installed across the ext family (as well as a few others) while Windows is installed across ntfs and makes use of fat16 and fat32, all of which Linux can mount and manage too.

Yeah, Xubuntu comes without compiz installed by default but you can install and enable it all the same. Most of the bug fixes in Mint 8 will be solved by updating your Ubuntu system anyway, so don't let that deter you. Also, the same codecs and such that are available by default in Mint can be had in Ubuntu by installing Ubuntu restricted extras and enabling medibuntu repositories.

Once you are familiar with how things work, it comes down to a question of whether you prefer brown or green. Furthermore, once you have compiz, emerald and learn how to play with the themes, even the brown/green question is irrelevant.

Really, you can install ubuntu or mint and then install various desktop environments. At start up you can select which one you want to session into. For example, I installed openbox and lxde which are both lighter than xfce because it helps to free up resources when watching flash videos. I could as easily install kde and gnome or whatever I wanted.

Hope that helps. When you first install Linux, you have to kind of learn as you go and experiment a bit. I recently installed Mint on my girlfriend's HP mini and she loved it so much that she began to teach herself the ins and outs of ubuntu. It took her a few weeks for her to become as comfortable in Ubuntu as she is in windows.

Hope that helps.

 

thanks for the respond.

I kinda need a little more help before I complete the installation. I managed to use unetbootin to create a linux mint 8 usb boot and I am attempting to install it now. I have made it to the point where I have to choose/make a partition.

I have an ntfs 75 gig partition that I want to install it on but it won't let me. When I go into the advanced options. It gives me a list of filesystems

I chose "Ext4 journaling file system"

The next option that it gives me is "Format the partition" then a check box. Should I check this box in?

the next and final option it gives me is the mount point mine is at "/" . What is the mount point and which one should I select?

Thank you. I have my netbook with this screen up right next to me as I am typing this.

and what is swap space?