new setup??

[alltaken]

ok i have decided to go with Mandrake 9.0 on a 7Gb partition.
my data will be stored on 100Gb worth of Fat32!!! (40Gb and 60Gb partition)

i am Very new so i have some questions.

what file system is it becst to install linux on (there are a few in the options, i think things like SWAP, NT, FAT32 and stuff like that, there are more but which one should i use??)

Gnome or KDE (my dad just had KDE give him problems a few hours ago when we installed it on his computer HA HA HA hes my gunnie pig LOL)

should i download all the linux drivers that i need before i install (because i can save them in the fat32 partitions)

i have a
gigabyte 8PE667 ultra 2
--onboard sound
--onboard gigabit lan
--usb 2.0
geforce 4 ti4200 128Mb (leadtek A250 LE MyVIVO)
cd burner
dvd drive

(no modem i use a network, p.s. can linux connect to the net through the XP home network)

will the dvd drive and cd writter need drivers (because they didn't under windows??)



ok thanks in advance for any info.


Alltaken

 

[Stick_e_Mouse]

Most begginners stick to the default selection when installing linux, which is ext3 for Mandrake, I believe. But my personal choice is ReiserFS for linux. If you want to share data with windows, stick to FAT32 for your 40gb and 60gb partitions. Use some kind of Journaling file system for your 7gb linux partition (like ext3 or ReiserFS). SWAP is just used for your swap partition, basically a virtual memory for when your real memory gets used up (512mb of SWAP is usually good enough, but since you are doing heavy graphics rendering, you might gophor a 1GB or 2GB SWAP).

Gnome or KDE?
ummm...that's really a personal choice. I use <A HREF="http://blackboxwm.sourceforge.net/" target="_new">Blackbox</A>. Though, both Gnome and KDE has vastly improved over the years. Use whatever you like, it really doesn't matter since you can use programs form both desktop environments (provided you installed the necessary libraries to run them).

The only driver you'll need to install is the latest Nvidia drivers. Everything else should be fine. No, the DVD and CD-RW will not need special drivers. However, the CD-RW will have to emulate SCSI if you want to do some burning.

Yes, Linux will connect to the net through a windows server. You just need to specifiy the gateway IP.



Disregard my previous post.
<font color=blue>
Men don't use Viagra because they're impotent, but because some women are just butt-ugly.

 

[silverpig]

Yeah, I go with reiserFS myself as well...

I'm a gnome guy myself, and I'm really comfortable with it, so that's my vote... But feel free to play around. If you really want performance, then try out a lean environment like IceWM.

Other than that, mouse said it right when you won't need drivers for anything other than 3d drivers for your video card. They're fairly easy to set up now, and nvidia.com has all the literature you need.

Some day I'll be rich and famous for inventing a device that allows you to stab people in the face over the internet.

 

[alltaken]

cool thanks guys