[NTLUG:Discuss] kind of OT, but not really

[Tom Adelstein]

Fred, you're covered for the issue. Your Laptop will dual boot easily 
with Red Hat.

I would consider a couple of issues which include 1) size of partitions 
2) backing up data 3) the bootloader

I suggest that you always install Windows first in the first partition. 
Instal Red Hat second and use GRUB as the bootloader.

If you can get Red Hat 9.0, you'll find a signifiant difference in 
quality. Did you buy Red Hat commercially? If so, be sure and register 
and use up2date to download the many updates and patches.

Another consideration, obtain an entitlement. This allows you to logon 
to their maintenance site and get updates and patches for a year.

I used to do all the updates myself and watched for annoucements etc. 
Since you're using Red Hat instead of Slackware or Debian, I would guess 
you don't want to do you own maintenance.

Tom



fredjame at concentric.net wrote:
> Thank you for your thoughts - Yes, I understand they do that sneaky 
> little thing.  But this Gateway, as the last one did also, comes with 
> install CDs for XP, etc.  On the last one, which I just returned because 
> it wasn't capible of 1400x1050 screen resolution, I reinstalled XP from 
> the CD before I sent it back.  I cannot promise there was not going to 
> be a problem running it that way, but it seemed to work and I did want 
> to wipe off my copy of Linux because I didn't buy it from them.
> 
> So, on this machine, I have the install CDs, and I already own W2K, and 
> of course Linux.  Do you think that should cover me for this issue, or 
> am I missing something?
> 
> Steve Baker wrote:
> 
>> Fred James wrote:
>>
>>> New machine (Gateway laptop) coming with XP Home edition
>>> Was thinking of either:
>>> (1) dual boot XP and Linux (RH 7.3 or 9)
>>> (2) dual boot W2K and Linux
>>> (3) triple boot XP, W2K, and Linux
>>> Last I remember - partition for MS, and install MS, first, then do 
>>> Linux.
>>> Any thoughts, cautions, suggestion, etc., would be appreciated.
>>
>>
>>
>> Beware of repartitioning.  Some laptops use a hidden (or improperly 
>> labelled)
>> partition to store a backup of the OS.  When you need to re-install 
>> Windoze,
>> you may regret blowing that away by installing Linux over the top of it.
>>
>> (I speak from painful experience!)
> 
> 


-- 

Tom Adelstein
adelste at netscape.net
-------------------------------------
The problems that exist in the world today
  cannot be solved by the level of thinking that created them.

Insanity: doing the same thing over and
over again and expecting different results.

--Albert Einstein