Guide to Install Linux without deleting Windows

[agarza]

Hi. I'm selling my E7K100 (bye bye heat), so I'll be fitting my OEM HDD with the Recovery CD's (hopefully those will work) since I don't have the Predesktop Area anymore.

I'm thinking on dual botting using Windows and Linux (Ubuntu or Kubuntu) I really don't know. I received those free CD's a while now.

I've never used Linux, but I could give it a try. Any suggestions between the Ubuntu or Kubuntu (which is better)

And please could someone post a guide or something to install Linux after installing Windows, without deleting the Windows boot loader.

Thanks

[Antioch]

Ubuntu has the gnome desktop environment. Kubuntu has the KDE environement. KDE is more similar to windows. It's really your choice though.

If you install windows first, then linux the bootloader will be overwritten, but it should automatically detect that windows is there and add it to the list during the ubuntu install (I believe). If you install windows second, it will over-write the linux bootloader with the windows one and you will be unable to boot into linux. I dont believe the windows loader can handle linux.

In either event, if you somehow mess up the loader and want to just get windows back, you can boot off of the XP cd, go into the repair console, and type fixmbr .

I don't have a guide on hand for installing and I won't make one either.

Check the OS section of the forums here, I'm sure you can find a guide. Either there or look on ubuntuforums.org and ubuntuwiki.

Good luck.

[carbon_unit]

This all depends on whether the restore partition is intact and if you want access to it. If you let Ubuntu/Kubuntu write over the MBR you will lose access to the restore partition. Getting it back requires the use of this http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site. ... MIGR-65038 .
If the restore partition is gone then the above instructions will work fine.

Why not just try the Live CD of Ubuntu/Kubuntu? It does not install on the Hard drive at all. Then as you learn Linux and you break something, all you do is reboot and it is fixed.

[K0LO]

Agreed. Try out the LiveCD first. This will also help you decide whether you prefer the Gnome (Ubuntu) or the KDE (Kubuntu) desktop environment (although you can have them both).

If and when you decide to permanently install Linux, here are some recommendations for maintaining the IBM service partition and maintaining the ability to boot directly into Windows without going through GRUB:

1. For more flexibility when installing K/Ubuntu, don't install from the LiveCD. Instead, download and use the Alternate CD. The partitioner on the Alternate CD is more flexible and powerful.

2. When you are given the choice of locations for installing the bootloader (GRUB), install it to your Linux partition and NOT to the Master Boot Record. Then you won't write over the IBM bootloader which contains the code to make the "Access IBM" button work.

3. Set the partition containing your Linux installation as Active.

By doing this you can still press the "Access IBM" button on startup to enter the Recovery Partition. Since the Linux partition is the active one, the GRUB bootloader will then start and you can choose which OS to boot from the GRUB menu.

If you later want to remove Linux and go back to directly booting Windows, just use partitioning software to set the Windows partition as active and nuke the Linux partition(s).

[dfumento]

Suggest that instead you use the Novell SLED Linux that IBM uses for their laptops. Thus you have the neccessary drivers already done for you and this should minimize install hassle as well as giving you a "standard" platform.

Check out this link.
http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.php?t=30988

[GoyoNeuff]

Hope this helps!!

http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.ph ... ght=ubuntu


K.

[christopher_wolf]

I recommend either Ubuntu or SuSE 10.1 as either are great Linux distros that work exceptionally well with Thinkpads.