Another step towards Open Source Operating System

I have been using personal computers since early eighties. I was using office computer till mid nineties and was happy using MS Windows, the only Operating System (OS) I knew that time. Later, when I bought a PC for personal use and wanted to upgrade to the latest version of Windows, I got a shock of my life. The upgrade cost me a fortune. I had no other option, but to shell out a good chunk of my savings. From then on, I was on the look out for an alternative OS, which was less costly, if not free. I wanted to switch to Linux few years back, but Linux was not good enough in supporting all my hardware and peripherals. I also did not want to jeopardize the use of my only PC that was productive to me.

I kept updating myself on Linux distros. When Live CD of many distros came into the market, I started testing them. Please click the following link to know my first experience on Live CD of Slax.

http://mohand71.blogspot.com/2007/04/my-foray-into-linux.html

Later, I tried Knoppix and then Ubuntu. Once happy with the performances of different distros, I decided that it was time to actually install a Linux OS in my PC. I did not want to overwrite Windows with Linux for two reasons. One, my DSL modem was not recognized by Linux and internet connection through Linux OS was not possible. Though Ubuntu was found stable, I still wanted to have an alternative to Ubuntu, if something goes wrong. So, the best option for me was to go in for dual boot arrangement and I took it.

I did a search in the net for documents relating to dual boot system with WindowsXP and Ubuntu. The following links really helped me to understand how to install and what precautions I need to take.

http://users.bigpond.net.au/hermanzone/
http://www.psychocats.net/ubuntu/installing

After gaining confidence, I embarked on installation of Ubuntu. My PC had a 160 Gb hard disk with four partitions. The first partition was fully dedicated to Windows. This made my task much easier. I did not have to resize or use Windows partition. My Windows XP was secured without disturbance. I used second partition for Windows applications. I transfered all my data to third partition. I reserved the last partition for Ubuntu and its applications. The size of the last partition was 37 Gb and that was good enough.

I started the installation with Ubuntu Live CD 7.04. I selected and sized “/ (root)”, “/swap” and “/home” mount points. Everything went smooth until the point of installation of GRUB boot loader. It failed with a “fatal error” message. I checked up internet for possible solutions. The default device for boot loader installation was hd(0). I could figure out that this is causing the problem. This could be accessed through advanced options button on a screen after partition selections. I changed this device designation many times and tried installation. Every time, the same error message. It was frustrating. The two links given in third paragraph of this blog did not provide a positive answer. After a few hours of search in the net with Google (my favorite search engine), I landed in a forum site that gave me a solution. Though not sure whether it would work, I tried it. The suggestion was to create another device named “/boot” with 200 Mb size. As suggested, I created one and I directed boot loader installation to this device. The installation went smooth.

Hurrah! it worked and the installation was complete!

Following are synopsis of what to do while making a Ubuntu dual boot installation with Windows already installed:

• If you do not have a separate partition for Windows, back up all your data and be prepared to reinstall Windows, if something goes wrong.

• If a separate partition is already available for Windows, do not touch it, It will make installation easy.

• For Ubuntu installation, you need at least four devices, namely “/”, “/swap”, “/boot” and “/usr or /home”. I sized the devices at 10Gb, 1Gb, 200Mb and 26Gb respectively.
  

My installation was as easy as a windows installation, but for the hick-up with GRUB boot loader. Now, I am a happy owner of a system that can allow me try Open Source software and at the same time not lose any of my previous activities. It is a win-win for me.

PS: I am showing above a screen shot of my Ubuntu desktop. The design in the wall paper was created using Inkscape in Ubuntu. Inkscape was the first application loaded into my Ubuntu other than basic applications loaded from Ubuntu CD. My internet connection in Ubuntu still does not work. My DSL modem works with Windows only. I work around by using windows to download files from internet.