Searching But Can't Find!

[snowmanst21]

:mellow
Ok well i've been searching for a web site to download linux but i've been having no luck finding and well im looking for a free version so can any give me some websites that i can download from, Thanks in advance.

[AceMan]

try here:

http://www.linuxiso.org

[snowmanst21]

i have windows so can use both on my pc.

[Tryst]

Originally posted by snowmanst21
i have windows so can use both on my pc.

How easy is it for a newbie to set up a dual boot to Linux and Windoze? I am considering Mandrake but have so far hesitated because I know what is available for Windoze and there are many programs in it that I use a lot.

[tecker]

Originally posted by Tryst
How easy is it for a newbie to set up a dual boot to Linux and Windoze?

Ok what windows are you running Tryst? There are programs that can piont you in both directions. Mandrake has an option called Lin4Win it puts a rather large image on your hard drive and you start the Lin4Win and will shutdown linux and send you to a linux environment.
I run linux natively and if you want to there is a way to do this.
Note! I have not tried this so do this if you are risk taking. Note!
What you do is run a program called FIPS. This will only work if you have fat or fat32 partitions. Read the documentation on how to use it. IT IS VERY IMPORTANT to read the documentation otherwise, well no windows. Then install lilo to the partion linux is housed on. Make a boot disk for linux and make sure it works. Running a program called smart boot manager [http://www.gnuchina.org/~suzhe/] from windows or linux. Save the mbr (Windows probably is using it for its boot loader) then if it finds the linux lilo in the partition boot the old mbr that it saved (there is an optinon to do this) and in therory this should boot windows and the linux option will give you lilo and will boot linux normally. This is all asuming you have a single standard ata/ide drive. Search these options and see what you can do.

[tecker]

Anybody heard of Lindows. Windows and Linux at the same time. You can pay 99 dollars or you can get it off edonkey2000.

[HeadHolio]

Originally posted by tecker
Anybody heard of Lindows. Windows and Linux at the same time. You can pay 99 dollars or you can get it off edonkey2000.

Don't bother with Lindows. It's a waste of time. It's not the best of both worlds. It's basically a dumbed down version of Debian Linux with a modified version of Wine to emulate Windows. You could easily set up the same thing on any other Linux distribution for free.
If you want something that is easy to install, then I suggest using Mandrake. I would think that any newbie could install Mandrake and setup a dual boot with Windows. However, if you feel ambitious, and are good at following readme docs, I would recommend you install Gentoo 1.2 or wait for Gentoo to release 1.4 (version 1.4 is supposed to have an easier installation method along with GCC 3.2). It is one of the fastest distros around and is easy as a snap to keep updated.
The same goes for Debian, except you won't have bleeding edge packages, and it's not quite as fast. Debian is a quicker install and quicker to update because you don't have to do any compiling. Both Debian, and Gentoo install nothing by default, where Mandrake might setup a default installation which would include programs and services you probably wouldn't need (and a newbie wouldn't know to disable).