Making the move to Ubuntu Linux - help!

[monton]

I am going to try and install Ubuntu 6.10 on a spare machine (PC). I downloaded the .ISO file but don't know how to proceed in setting up a bootable CD. I don't think I will need to dual boot so will be Linux only PC. The PC is a PII 700 with 192MB RAM. It is very basic with just a CDROM and floppy. I don't know much about the Linux OS flavors but have Ubuntu in my hand so would like to use that. How do I make a bootable CD from/with the .ISO file

 

[Nodsu]

The .iso file is already bootable. Just burn it using the "burn image" feature of your favourite CD-burning program.

 

[monton]

Not working... yet

Thanks for your response.

I have set the BIOS to boot from CD. I have a 8gig hard drive with a primary dos partition, 224MB ram, on a P3-533.
When I boot the computer searches for the OS but doesn't see it on the CD with the ISO image

I downloaded Ubuntu 6.10 and burned it with nero 6 to create the disk. I did not, however, ask it to be a bootable disk. I thought it would make it a XP bootable. Should I recreate the ISO image and make it bootable?

I am a rank beginner with Linux. I've read in some of the forums that v6.10 may not be the best version to start with as it is so new.

This computer is just to familiarize my self Linux so I am not "married" to any particular flavor of Linux - except, of course, the free kind, nor is it one I need to be completely functional immediately.

Any help or direction is greatly appreciated and hopefully useful to others.

Thanks again, monton

 

[Mictlantecuhtli]

When I boot the computer searches for the OS but doesn't see it on the CD with the ISO image

Did you verify the disc? What files / directories do you see in it?

I downloaded Ubuntu 6.10 and burned it with nero 6 to create the disk. I did not, however, ask it to be a bootable disk. I thought it would make it a XP bootable. Should I recreate the ISO image and make it bootable?

No, you burn an image as is, there should be no need to do anything else.

You should check that the image itself is ok.

 

[SNGX1275]

How did you burn the disk? If you did it like any other file that is why it doesn't work. You need to open up Nero and close any popup asking you what type of disk you want to create. Then go to the file menu and select Open, then find the iso. It will burn correctly that way.

 

[monton]

I used Nero to reburn the .ISO file and make the disk bootable. It now boots to DR-DOS and as best as I can tell as the screen scrolls by the installer says it can't find a valid FAT32 or NTSF file system.

How should the hard drive be partitioned? Should the drive then be formatted? Are there any command line switches or commands I could/should use to initiate the install?

Sorry that these are pretty basic questions. I will revisit the burning issue too.

Thanks for the help and guidence.
Monton

 

[Nodsu]

You don't make the disk bootable in any way in Nero! Please. The .iso file already contains all the boot information.

Open up Nero, do not create a new project. In the Recorder menu you have an item called "Burn image". Navigate to your .iso file and select it. Nero will burn the CD.

 

[twite]

Btw, i think xbuntu would be better for your system. It is better for systems with lower specs like yours. Also if you do decide yo use ubuntu, v. 6.06 is easier to familiarize your self to Linux, because with edgy 6.10 you have to compile files on your own, with dapper 6.06lts you don't have to compile, and it has long term support.

 

[Nodsu]

Umm.. What files do you need to compile in Edgy?

 

[twite]

Well, i guess you don't necessarily need to, but if you really want to optimize it, you will "need" to

 

[Nodsu]

And Dapper is already "optimised"? Maybe we should call the Ubuntu people and complain about them not "optimising" their releases any more?

 

[twite]

Its not but if you wanted to it would be easier to do then edgy.

 

[monton]

Thanks to all for your help and suggestions. Here is an update.

I copied the .iso file to disk - nice coaster
I made a "bootable" disk with the .iso file - made a nice set of coasters
Finally, burned image file - A keeper!

First attempt, well many, to install on P3 533 system with 256MB RAM and 8.5gig HD would lock at 24%. Would run from disk but not install.

Next, AMD 1200 Thunderbird, 256MB, 60gig HD ATI AIW Radeon. Seems to install but gargled video. Even in "video safe mode".

Next, P3 800 256MB RAM 8.5gig HD. Installs flawlessly. Remove 60gig from T-Bird and install to hard drive and again installs flawlessly. I'm sure it is a video driver issue but haven't had the time to investigate that further. Tomorrow I will be back at it.

While I haven't actually done anything productive I have to say I am impressed with Ubuntu. It is way more polished than I thought it would be.
On bootup it checked for updates and downloaded/installed them. I downloaded FireFox 2.0 and installed that. No glitches or problems other than my ineptness.

The amount and quality of the included software is impressive. I'm looking forward to educating myself on the OS. Rest assured I will be asking for help and guidance along the way and sharing what I learn.

Thanks to all that replied
Monton

Sorry if I sound overly polite but I live really close to Canada.......

 

[Sasquatch]

I run 6.10 on an antique (it's powered by a waterwheel) HP Pavilion with only 600MHz, 192MB RAM, and a 15GB HD with no problem. I found it worked better for me to install 6.06 then upgrade to 6.10.

I tried Xubuntu for the very reasons twite mentioned, but quickly realized that once I finished installing all the "extras" I wanted I would basically end up building Ubuntu from scratch, so I just went ahead and installed Ubuntu instead.

I've been running Ubuntu for a couple months now and I'm very happy with it. There are still some problems to sort out, but nothing life-threatening.

 

[SNGX1275]

There are a few of us toying with ubuntu now. I've got it on 2 different systems:
Athlon 64 2800 (1.83Ghz)
1Gig RAM
nVidia 6200

Blue & White Powermac G3 (450Mhz)
256 Megs of RAM (may bump that to 512)
ATi Rage Pro (no idea the ram)

I don't really know what I'm doing in it, I managed to get Beryl set up and working pretty good on the Athlon 64 machine. I'm having some problems with video playback though, VLC plays all my video formats but seems to struggle some playing it, the video isn't perfectly smooth. Other programs that don't use their own codecs don't play much of anything (no xvid). So I have an idea what the problem is, but haven't fixed it.

The G3 system runs, but its pretty slow, but my goal here was to get everything set up with ubuntu, and then switch to a lighter desktop manager, like the one in xubuntu. Not sure if that is even a logical way to approach the problem.

 

[Sasquatch]

The G3 system runs, but its pretty slow, but my goal here was to get everything set up with ubuntu, and then switch to a lighter desktop manager, like the one in xubuntu. Not sure if that is even a logical way to approach the problem.

My experience with the difference between Ubuntu and Xubuntu leads me to think you'd be spinning your wheels. So many things are integral parts of the desktop that you have to eliminate the whole thing to switch over to a "lighter" version. Then you lose all sorts of lib files that you may need for other programs you've installed. That's why I switched from Xubuntu to Ubuntu, I got tired of chasing layer after layer of packages just to get a couple programs to run. You get a whole list of packages you need to install, and every time you try to install one of those you get another list of missing packages you need in order to install the first missing one. To make it even more complicated, some of the programs wouldn't recognize newer versions of the packages they required. If you only want the slower machine for playing solitaire or typing letters to the family Xubuntu is fine. If you want to try and run some of the more complicated programs you're going to get frustrated quick, at least I did.

Whether there's enough difference between the Gnome and KDE desktops to make any performance difference, I have no idea.

 

[SNGX1275]

I put xubuntu on the G3 before Ubuntu (had suse on before that) and I had problems figureing out how to get certain things accomplished, in theory everything is done the same between ubuntu and xubuntu, but in practice following those ubuntu guides doesn't really work in xubuntu. I was thinking that when you switch desktop managers that improves the responsiveness feel, but perhaps its not that simple.

I feel pretty helpless in linux, I've got that A64 system up and aside from the video issues everything is fine, but now its like "now what?". Also networking is kind of screwy..

 

[Sasquatch]

Join the club. I'm not some savvy IT guy, just a joe who likes to tinker. I can do a lot more in Ubuntu than I ever did in Windows, but I've got a long way to go before I'll be content with my skills. The biggest problem I've found so far is that a bunch of the programs I've installed just don't work. This antique computer is to blame for some of the trouble, not all of it. On top of learning a new OS you almost have to learn some programming so you can debug the stuff.

 

[SNGX1275]

I can do more in Windows, but I really like being able to get all my software in 1 location. If I can get my video issues resolved, and be able to see the linux comp on a windows network I'd be pretty content.

 

[embooy]

What do mean buy "an image file" I have both NERO and Ashampoo for burning CDs. I am trying to get a bootable CD for Unbuntu. Just tried again burning an Image CD using Ashampoo. No joy.
Thanks...

 

[SNGX1275]

Nobody is telling anyone to buy an image file.

If you go to www.ubuntu.com right there on the page they have a download link. Or just click here: http://www.ubuntu.com/products/GetUbuntu/download?action=show&redirect=download

Get the .iso file. Open up Nero, go to Recorder menu, burn image, find the iso you downloaded and choose it. Insert disk, burn.

 

[twite]

You download the file, then go here

http://www.nullriver.com/index/products/winmd5sum

Download that to verify the iso file

Then download this freeware

http://infrarecorder.sourceforge.net/

Then open the program and go to burn image

Then select the image file and then click open

It is recommended that you burn it at a lower speed so it will be error free

Open up Nero, go to Recorder menu, burn image,

I recommended infrarecorder because i had problems with nero, as it wouldn't boot correctly. Just my experience but you can go head and try to use it.