dual boot with linux

[runequest2]

i am going to try and install linux on my second hard drive(it has win 98se on it but i guess i will need to reformat it unless linux installation will do it automatically).this hard drive is the slave drive to my maxtor with windows 98 se on it.i know i will need to dual boot the system and get a new modem(i have one of those win modems http://www.aliensoup.com/ubb/smilies/frown.gif ).any advice? are there any programs i should make sure to download or buy to make it easier? which linux version should i use redhat, mandrake,corel,slackware... i was given these links to read up on linux by someone
http://www.linuxnewbie.org
http://www.kernel.org
http://www.linuxrouter.org
http://www.linux.org
http://www.debian.org
http://www.kde.org
http://www.linuxdoc.org
thank you in advance for any advice you can give me.
my system specs:
466 celeron
128 MB ram
20 GB UDMA66 maxtor with win 98se
10 GB UDMA66 ibm will use for linux
voodoo 3 3000 agp video card
need new modem!
sb live value sound card
optiquest Q71 17" monitor
toshiba dvd rom drive sd-m1212 ide -software decoding
hp cdrw 9100 ide



----------------------------

[Diesel]

For Linux, I generally recommend an external modem, since they're pretty much guaranteed to work with any virtually any OS. US Robotics modems are generally the best performers, but they cost more than most other brands.

As for distribution, any will do. It's a matter of personal preference. Go to www.cheapbytes.com (http://www.cheapbytes.com) and pick a distro. $1.99 a disk. I prefer Slackware, since it's pretty much bare bones and truer to the nature of Linux than any other distro, IMHO. Not too many extra customizations added, whereas distros like Red Hat use proprietary packaging formats and customized GUIs.

As far as what software you should have before getting started, I would say Partition Magic should be in your toolbox.
The only other URL I would look at is www.xfree86.org (http://www.xfree86.org) if you plan on using X Windows at all.

----------------------------
On an long enough timeline, everyone's survival rate drops to zero.

[runequest2]

i decided to go retail with mandrake 7.1.the version has partition magic(not complete version but enough to do what you need supposedly),star office 5.2, boot magic for dual booting and even technical support if i get really stuck http://www.aliensoup.com/ubb/smilies/smile.gif . i know this may be linux lite but as i get more comfortable with linux i assume it will be easy to migrate to another version that is less windowized.the commands for linux seem to take some getting use to from what i read in the manual. i will next get a new modem and then the install.

<font color="#000000">[Edited by runequest2 on August 27, 2000 (edited 1 time)]</font>

[zmifwaf]

What kind of winmodem? I've never owned one myself (thank god!) but my understanding is there are drivers available for lucent winmodems. You may want to do some checking on that. Start with laptop sites as laptops are where people typically get stuck with winmodems.

Also, mandrake seems reasonable for a beginner. Don't worry if it's a "lite" version. Just about anything worthwhile could be downloaded if not from their site, from somewhere else. The only difference between lite and non-lite should be the inclusion of commercial apps. Maybe wordperfect? I dunno, I'm poor so I only go for the free software. http://www.aliensoup.com/ubb/smilies/wink.gif

[Diesel]

Regardless if there are drivers or not, winmodems suck major ass!
If I had the opportunity to replace one with a hardware modem (ANY opportunity), I'd take it.

----------------------------
On an long enough timeline, everyone's survival rate drops to zero.

[zmifwaf]

Definitely. I'm not going to argue that it's probably not worth keeping. Just trying to give rune some options. Let him/her decide what to do, just keep all options open. (Like me, I'm poor, so I'd probably have to keep it for at least a while.)

[runequest2]

i am going to put together a computer for my mother. her old computer has a 28.8 us robotics hardware modem in it. i will get this one for free since she can use a winmodem in the new system with win 98. Since my phone line sucks and i can not connect faster than 28k anyway this will not hurt me much.