help me get started

after much reading im going to choose mandrake. what is the best place to download? I am very new to linux. the main worry is setting up my cable modem. in windows all i have to do is put in my computer id and use winipcfg to get my ip address setup. here is a list for some of my hardware, I want to know if mandrake has built in support or if i will need special drivers

samsung syncmaster 753df monitor
sy-k7vta-b with duron 700
16 meg voodoo banshee pci
sound blaster live
I also have a cdrw drive I hope i can use in linux.

I think it would be a good idea for me to dual boot until I understand linux enough. I have a 20 gig seagate hard drive. how should i partition it? i was thinking c for linux, d for windows and maybe e for my backup stuff. i think i remember reading i should install windows first and then when i install linux it gives me the option for dual boot. is this correct? its been a while since i did this. any other tips to get me started? remember I'm just a normal guy and like to hear stuff in english.

I've heard that Mandrake is a little more stable than the later Redhat versions. Personally, I've been pretty happy with Mandrake in general. However, I still cannot find a program that will allow me to connect to the internet via Linux yet. Maybe there's a dial-up option I have yet to locate. I'll have to keep working on it I guess...

Charles

Go to www.linux-mandrake.com

When you install linux, just select dhcp and it'll automatically detect the right settings... You may have to turn off PnP OS in your BIOS to load your eth0 module at startup. I know I did.

As for partitioning, you should have the first few gigs of your drive for windows and programs (c, the next 2 gigs for linux (/), a 250 meg linux swap file, and then the rest of your space for data/mp3s/files/etc (d

hi there,

it's definitally a good idea to have windows on c: . This is because if you really screw up Linux all you have to do is type "fdisk /mbr" when you boot DOS (from a boot disk) to get rid of lilo. Then you have zero problem getting Windows working.

When it come to partitioning for Linux:
/ : 150-200mb
/swap : 32-64mb
/tmp: aprox 50mb
/home: about 30mb per user (ex: 3 users ---> 90mb)
/var: aprox 40-50mb
/usr: 850+++ mb since it's where all the apps are stored

you can make another partition for all the data like mp3's and docs, etc but use Windows format FAT32 for this. That way for can reach the data on both Win and Linux, Windows doesn't recognize ext2 Linux file system.

all the best, ciao