Should I keep a Vista partition? (Thinkpad)

Just recently got my new Thinkpad X200, and am preparing to do an install of Kubuntu, but am wondering if its worth keeping a vista partition for anything? I don't game, have never really used windows for anything, and can't think of anything I would use it for. If i was to use windows i think that i'd prefer to be using windows 7, from my experience of the two at my job.

Does anyone have any insight into this, any compelling reasons to keep a Vista partition? What is the minimum i could scale the Vista partition back to? Also can i boot straight into kubuntu automatically rather than having to select it, and then have the option of a boot interrupt to get to vista?

Any arguments to tip me over the edge and get rid of windows completely?

 

If this is your first time using Kubuntu as your main OS I'd suggest leaving Vista on your hard drive for a few months. Only time will tell whether you need it, and it's preferable to have it available if a need should arise. After some time passes without it being needed, you can format the Vista partition and remove its entry from GRUB.

My personal rule of thumb for partition sizes is to leave 10GB available beyond what's used.

GRUB should be configured as you describe automatically during the Kubuntu installation.

 

Did you burn your Vista Recovery Disk set? You should do so before you wipe your Windows partition.

 

I would just minimize it and keep in around until you feel comfy in Linux.

I still keep a windows partition running on my primary laptop in case I need it. My excuses for keeping it around are dwindling however.

Actually, I can think of one really good reason. If you ever have to return your computer for a warranty, it is a good idea to have some version of windows installed. I've heard of a number of horror stories where Best Buy and others have claimed that installing Linux voids your warranty.

Anyway, you can edit grub so that it boots right into Kubuntu. Just set the default OS to Kubuntu and knock the menu delay down to 1-2 seconds. You can do this easily in Kubuntu with a program called start-up manager.

 

yes..voiding your warranty is a big one..so its always nice to keep the vista on there for that reason..i had ubuntu on a ol compaq from a few years ago..installed it..well i started having mobo problems ..when i called into hp they coudn't do anything..they just told me to reinstall windows and call back..lol..had it fixed then..
but i'd have to agree..linux is not windows so make sure you are comfortable using linux first before diving into it! have fun with linux!

 

Sure, I'd leave a partition. You can always have that to fall back on if you screw something up or can't do a certain task in Linux or want to run some Windows programs/games.

 

I believe Lenovo requests that you remove your hard drive when you send a machine in for warranty repair, so the OS shouldn't matter for that... but I would definitely keep the set of factory restore disks just in case - if you ever want to sell your laptop, you're going to want to supply it with Windows.

 

Hi,
it depends, i use dual boot and keep windows xp 64, because sometimes, i game on my ntb - if i wouldn't i'd have gone the way of virtualisation (linux native host system and windows as the guest system.

 

In the end, after burning the recovery discs, i just reformatted the hd and did a 100GB partition for Kubuntu, and then installed windows 7 on the other 50gb partition. Not sure at the moment if i'll use windows at all (never have in the past on my own machine) and have been using various linux distros for the last year on my other laptop without any back-up. So not worried about it in that way. Will see if i ever have any use for windows, and then see if it should be re-installed if i replace the HD.

 

If you're at home in Linux that's good, however i have found myself always reverting to Uncle Bill's OS, because of my very diverse use of the computer, but mainly the lack of a proper DAW (digital audio workstation) for Linux, in fact the lack of proper sound at all.

 

you'll use windows on battery power. ubuntu kills the battery life by about 1.5-2 hours on my t500

 

There is a drop in the battery life, but i'll implement the suggestions made here: http://www.thinkwiki.org/wiki/Extending_battery_life_on_X200 and see how it goes. I'm typically plugged in anyway, whether at home, work or uni. The battery life at the moment is still longer than i'd need to use it before plugging in, so i'm not too worried about it.

 

Install Powertop and run it from the terminal and look at it's suggestions for power savings. Great program.

 

Actually i found battery life better in Ubuntu on my DV5, when playing video. The GPU acceleration is very good in MPlayer. Unfortunately that's about the only thing that worked well for me, but still it's good to know.

I did do a lot of battery tweaks however, so i can't exactly remember how it was in its stock config.