Ubuntu 13.10

[martyn]

Hi..... I am thinking of installing Ubuntu 13.10 but have a few questions i need answering first please. Only used Windoze to date apart from a few occasions of using an Apple OS at college on a software course in Quark/Adobe Illustrator/InDesign. As such i would install and try on USB stick first, perhaps then later installing alongside Windoze 7 Ultimate 64gb.

7 Ultimate is on my c drive SSD Samsung 830 approx 500gb - 166gb free. If i was to install Ubuntu 13.10 to this would i cause any issues by doing so? I do not wish to do a clean install of 7 Ultimate first. I may wish to purchase Windoze 8.1 later, could i also install that to this drive having all three os on there?

My CPU is cooled by a Thermaltake Water 2.0 Extreme - it has windoze software for it (im guessing that wont work in Ubuntu) but will it still cool my CPU correctly? Preferably some monitoring for it too would be nice.

My hardware is listed at the bottom i hope it will all work and have drivers installed by Ubuntu itself as i doubt any of the discs contain drivers for the OS. Advice here too please.

Obviously i have software installed on my rig that i use daily currently, is it likely Ubuntu will see and display these for use? or is this a case of i will have no software in effect. I am guessing that my other drives which contain music files and images will allow access also?

Sorry for being a total noob at this, but, we all have to start somewhere in this i guess. Please don't guess at amswers but instead give imformative advice as you see things, help appreciated but i really need to be sure it's right to benefit the most. In anticipation, thanks

[haihane]

i don't generally recommend installing ubuntu on a SSD which already had windows installed on it, reasons being:
- ubuntu-windows dualboot, assuming windows occupies the HDD space first; ubuntu (installed later) will replace your windows MBR (master boot record) with its own Grub bootloader. windows doesn't like to play nice with other non-windows OS.
- ubuntu itself maynot take that much space, but the partitioning has to be done right (will get more to it later). basically you may need to squeeze 3 or more extra partition (linux-swap, / , /boot, /home) on a single drive. there are other ways, like getting the ubuntu setup wizard to do it for you, but i generally avoid using that option.
- call it superstition maybe, once a long time ago, during the fdisk.exe age, i remember you could not have more than 4 partitions. i'm no longer sure if such restriction still applied to current HDDs and their partitioning, i'd rather play it safe and put ubuntu on another HDD.
- ubuntu doesn't need the insane speed of SSDs, it felt like slight of a waste (personal opinion).

martyn wrote:
if i was to install Ubuntu 13.10 to this would i cause any issues by doing so? I do not wish to do a clean install of 7 Ultimate first. I may wish to purchase Windoze 8.1 later, could i also install that to this drive having all three os on there?

ubuntu's bootloader will replace the current windows MBR. you don't need to do a clean install. however be careful when setting up the partition, don't erase the partition containing windows (when you're in ubuntu's partition manager, it doesn't show up like C:\ , D:\, instead you have /dev/sda, /dev/sdb. remember the windows partition's size. if you need to shrink the partition, grub partition manager can do it for you. however most of these problems go away if you just choose to install ubuntu on another drive.

also, should you mess up with the ubuntu-windows dualboot setup, it's relatively easier to revert back (since the original drive maintained its original size and most of its partition - except the mbr). my hunch tells me to generally avoid resizing the windows partition, and just create another partition on another drive instead.

martyn wrote:
My CPU is cooled by a Thermaltake Water 2.0 Extreme - it has windoze software for it (im guessing that wont work in Ubuntu) but will it still cool my CPU correctly? Preferably some monitoring for it too would be nice.

it still should be able to cool your cpu correctly. i'm still fairly beginner-ish to ubuntu myself, and for things i don't know i just consult Google about it. i did a search for pwm control software in ubuntu earlier, and found out that in order to setup the software, i may need to use sudo commands quite a lot, i generally avoid those.

but yeah, it should still work fine without. don't expect to be able to tune things like fan speed on the fly like it was on windows however.

My hardware is listed at the bottom i hope it will all work and have drivers installed by Ubuntu itself as i doubt any of the discs contain drivers for the OS. Advice here too please.

ubuntu can search their drivers database for most of the drivers. not all may work like the way you expected it to be, but it's good enough for most.
if you want CCC (catalyst control center) functionality, you can download the driver from AMD website. it's more user friendly, double click-extract-install method familiar to most windows users. remember to choose the proper architecture for it (x86 for 32bit os and processor, x64 for 64bit OS).

Obviously i have software installed on my rig that i use daily currently, is it likely Ubuntu will see and display these for use? or is this a case of i will have no software in effect. I am guessing that my other drives which contain music files and images will allow access also?

windows programs for windows. ubuntu programs for ubuntu. they generally don't mix with each other well. ubuntu can see windows files and partition, windows cannot see ubuntu files and partition unless you install drivers for it (really, it's fine this way, windows unable to see what's inside ubuntu, less chance for accidental mistakes)

ubuntu however has WineHQ to help bridge the gap. it doesn't always work with all programs, so it's more like a hit or miss scenario. you can however access and use windows' popular file formats (.mp3, .mkv, .jpg, and so on) easily on ubuntu.

when i started fiddling around with ubuntu (8.04 hardy heron), for most things i needed, i had to get it with sudo get-apt command. thankfully those times are over. nowdays you can get pretty much most stuff with Ubuntu software center. if you can't find an app, go to there and search for it. click, click, insert superuser password, install, ready to use.



one may ask himself, why bring all that much hassle when windows is far easier and user friendly?
well, for one, linux is famous for its security and stability (when properly setup) lol. and you don't have to burn through your wallet to get a server running.

or simply try linux for the fun of trying new things 🙂

[billyray520]

Excellent advice from haihane! 😄

I have Ubuntu 12.04 LTS dual booting on my Asus MVE along with Windows 7 Pro.

Here's my own recommendation:

• Get a big fat hdd that's good and fast (or even a cheap as possible SSD with at least 100GB)
  
• 
  
• Remove your Windows SSD from your computer completely.
  
• 
  
• Install the new drive in the SATA port it will ultimately stay.
  
• 
  
• Reboot your machine with a Ubuntu CD/DVD whatever and install to the new hdd/ssd whatevere
  
• 
  
• Your new Linux OS will boot from THAT disk only now.
  
• 
  
• Replace your Windows drive back where it was (SATA port wise)
  
• 
  
• Reboot system
  
• 
  
• Now only Windows will Boot. I call this stealth Ubuntu mode 😉
  
• 
  
• In order to boot Linux spam the F8 key at boot time (or whatever your mobo needs to bring up the boot menu.)
  
• 
  
• Select the added hdd/ssd to boot and VOILA! you will be booting Ubuntu!
  
• 
  
• Now, whenever Ubuntu updates the boot manager, it will have NO effect on Windows booting or system.
  
• 
  

Neat eh?! 😮

While you are in the Ubuntu system, you will have full access to your Windows SSD. But while you are in Windows you will have no access to your Ubuntu hdd/ssd. But that's Windows, not the setup. 😛

One final Ubuntu note. If you install Ubuntu on a SSD, you will have some things to do in Ubuntu to optimize your SSD. It's automatic in Windows, but manual in Ubuntu. 😞

[martyn]

Installed to USB thumb drive - Sandisk Cruiser Blade 32gb - 10gb free before install which seemed go fine. Mainly photographs, few mp3 albums and other bits and bobs in folders on drive already.

On boot from USB Ubuntu loading screen displays fine and then faced with a window with white noise in colour and icons down left side on either my screens. No icon opens any useable feature wondow that can be read, all distorted.

Ideas please.

[haihane]

martyn wrote:
Installed to USB thumb drive - Sandisk Cruiser Blade 32gb - 10gb free before install which seemed go fine. Mainly photographs, few mp3 albums and other bits and bobs in folders on drive already.

On boot from USB Ubuntu loading screen displays fine and then faced with a window with white noise in colour and icons down left side on either my screens. No icon opens any useable feature wondow that can be read, all distorted.

Ideas please.

screenshot please

[martyn]

Screenshot - hmmmmm how? as in ubuntu unable access any capture program to do so, dont think logitech keyboard capture will work either will it?

[martyn]

Ok, really sorry about quality, taken with my iphone5 - first the LG Plasma connected as screen one according to Catalyst Centre and then my Dell monitor which is screen 2 but my main desktop - extended displays

[haihane]

I've not seen sucha thing before when fiddling with ubuntu. 😮


Could you please redownload ubuntu live cd or dvd x64 iso? The LTS version preferred. Don't go for the latest version, they're using that as testbed. Stick to the stable version.

Next, after you're done downloading, please do a MD5 checksum (file integrity test).
When all checks out correctly, burn to a usb or dvd.
Run the setup again. This time follow billyray's neat trick of unplugging your windows ssd and slot in a cheap hdd/ssdfor ubuntu. Even if you mess up, it's super easy cleanup. Simple, ingenious, brilliant solution.

Please update.

[Zygomorphic]

@haihane, if he is on an NVidia GPU, then I have seen that before with LINUX Mint (an Ubuntu derivative), whenever I wake from sleep or hibernate.

[Myk_SilentShado]

Zygomorphic wrote:
@haihane, if he is on an NVidia GPU, then I have seen that before with LINUX Mint (an Ubuntu derivative), whenever I wake from sleep or hibernate.

7970 crossfired lol