Linux USB Dual Booting

[Bill_Hancoc]

I am new to linux and a considering installing it. I dont want to mess with my internal HD just because i dont want to. I dont need to access linux when i am away from my desk i mainly want to use it to learn and just mess around with. I have a DELL Inspiron 6000 with XP home on the internal HD. I recently got a very cheap HD and made it external through USB. i have a 60GB NFTS partition on it for windows file storage and the remaing 20GB are unallocated. Is it possible to install Fedora Core 3 on the 20GB partition and Boot from it when i feel like using linux. I have no intention of trying to boot on another computer only this one.

[Greg Marra]

Have you considered a Linux LiveCD?

You just boot from the CD and it throws you right into a completely set up Linux environment. It's good for when Windows breaks itself, or if you want to get your feet wet in Linux.

[Bill_Hancoc]

Originally Posted by Greg Marra

Have you considered a Linux LiveCD?

You just boot from the CD and it throws you right into a completely set up Linux environment. It's good for when Windows breaks itself, or if you want to get your feet wet in Linux.

Yup knoppix is fun but i want to go a little further and install it and learn about some of the different ways of doing things.

And knoppix doesnt let me really install all the drivers i need like for my wireless card and other things that i want to do.

[MattD]

I also have a Dell Inspiron 6000. I installed Ubuntu 6.06 last weekend on my internal HD (I partitioned it so that I could have a dual-boot with XP Pro and Ubuntu). To my amazement nearly everything worked "out of the box" including the scrolling on the touchpad and even the wireless. I have an Intel PRO 2915 ABG card. The NetworkManager app makes it really easy to configure wireless connections. Ubuntu's Live CD allows you to play around with it for a bit, and then install right from there. The installer probably has the best GUI installer for any Linux distribution that I've seen. It only asks a couple of simple questions and then pretty much does everything on its own, including the set up of the GRUB boot loader. The part I like the most is that only one single CD is ever needed.

I don't know anything about Fedora, but I do know that Ubuntu truely lives up to its claim of being "linux for human beings" in its latest 6.06 "Dapper Drake" release (June 1).

[Bill_Hancoc]

I have tried knoppix before and im pretty sure that the touch pad worked fine but it would not recoginze my intel pro 2200 card for some reason. I didnt really want to play around with it at the time but i did find drivers on the intel site for linux so i plan to use those.

I also posted this on linuxforums.com but posted again here since i figured i would get a quicker response. They reply i got on there was

Originally Posted by Linux Forums

if the laptop can boot from the usb yes. but you may need to make a grub boot disc. if that's the case the laptop may not even need to boot from usb because it's possible i've heard to configure grub to do it. i've never tried it, but in theory it should work but as i said you'll probably need a grub boot disc

im not very familier with grub but from what i understand i can install to an external HD and when i want to boot linux from that i put in the grub cd and it boots linux. when i want to boot XP i just boot normally with out the cd in the drive...
is this correct?


ps. The reason i want to use Fedora is because i already have the dvd that came with a book.

[Michelle Celio]

What don't you just dual boot the hard drive? Do a small enough partition just enough for the OS, save everything to the other partition and you don't lose as much storage space.

[Bill_Hancoc]

I want to keep my internal hard drive the way it is just because...i have no real reason to it except that i want to and i need a use for the recently unallocated 20gb on my new external

[Michelle Celio]

Originally Posted by Bill_Hancoc

I want to keep my internal hard drive the way it is just because...i have no real reason to it except that i want to and i need a use for the recently unallocated 20gb on my new external

Well some bios' have the ability to boot from USB, you should look into if yours can. Then if it can install it on on the external drive and set the bios to boot from USB.

[Bill_Hancoc]

I am pretty sure i can boot from a USB (99%) but i read somewhere i would have to do more than this.

[Bill_Hancoc]

Ok so i just tried to install fedora core and when i got to the partitioning setup it did not list my external HD as one of the options to partition.
I do have USB booting in my BIOS and when it was loading the installer i remember it saying it loaded the USB something it flashed by too fast but does anybody have any suggestions?

[MattD]

Originally Posted by Bill_Hancoc

Ok so i just tried to install fedora core and when i got to the partitioning setup it did not list my external HD as one of the options to partition.
I do have USB booting in my BIOS and when it was loading the installer i remember it saying it loaded the USB something it flashed by too fast but does anybody have any suggestions?

I haven't read through it too much, but I think this guide may be what you are looking for.

[Bill_Hancoc]

I read through the first few sections and that looks about like what i want...Thank you very much

[Tom Bottiglieri]

I have to agree with Matt. Dapper Drake (Ubuntu 6.06) has really set the bar for what a Linux distribution should be.

[Mazin]

Originally Posted by Bill_Hancoc

I am new to linux and a considering installing it. I dont want to mess with my internal HD just because i dont want to. I dont need to access linux when i am away from my desk i mainly want to use it to learn and just mess around with. I have a DELL Inspiron 6000 with XP home on the internal HD. I recently got a very cheap HD and made it external through USB. i have a 60GB NFTS partition on it for windows file storage and the remaing 20GB are unallocated. Is it possible to install Fedora Core 3 on the 20GB partition and Boot from it when i feel like using linux. I have no intention of trying to boot on another computer only this one.

I have to comment. Fedora Core is at version 5, in case you were wondering, and as they say, Ubuntu Dapper Drake (I personally prefer Kubuntu, same thing) is much more user friendly. I have had a horrendous experience with FC4 (4 discs???!!!). Ubuntu's partitioner works great too and the new theme doesn't suck like Breezy's did.

You have to set your BIOS settings, to list USB external hard drive /before/ the internal one in the boot order. This way, your bios checks the usb for a boot record before your internal, and you can just disconnect the drive before you boot to use Windoze.

[Bill_Hancoc]

I actually got it to work thanks to the pdf that MattD sent me but now im working on getting it to connect to the internet...my problem is i dont know how to use linux so that will be a work in progress