On Saturday 27 December 2003 05:31 am, Dean Kiley wrote: > My question is this. Can WXP and Linux effectively be run on the same box > > in a dual boot configuration? Is it feasible and are there any advantages/ > > disadvantages in doing so? > > Sys: > ECS K7SOM+ mobo > AMD Duron 1200 processor > 512 DDR RAM > 30 GB Seagate Master hdd > 20 GB WD slave hdd > AOpen Just Link 32x12x48 CD RW > WXP SP1 > > Any advice would be appreciated, and TIA > > Dean Kiley Dean: Yes, it is a common configuration. Most Linux distributions will automagically recognize your Windows installation and handle the ugly details of partitioning, formatting and setting up the dual boot. Before starting the installation, you'll need to clear some HD space for Linux -- 10 gb is more than enough. One thing to consider is that while Linux can read any windows filesystem, it can only reliably write to FAT partitions. My advice would be to use Partition Magic (or equivalent) to modify your existing Microsoft partitions and formatting, but let Linux handle the Linux side. You should also consider creating a separate FAT32 partition for data that you may wish to access from either OS. (This will also make it easier to do backups.) You should also verify that your other hardware is compatible with Linux. While hardware compatibility is much less of a problem than it was a few years ago, there are still some devices that are designed to only run under Windows. The biggest single problem seems to be with modems. The Linux community has succeeded in developing drivers for many of them, there are still some modems for which there is no known cure. The best source of information is http://linmodems.org; another useful source is http://www.idir.net/~gromitkc/winmodem.html. You should also verify that your video and sound cards are supported by going to the home page of the distribution that you are considering and checking their hardware compatibility list. Regards, Carroll Grigsby PCBUILD maintains hundreds of useful files for download visit our download web page at: http://freepctech.com/downloads.shtml