Which 2 OS to Use

[speedyguy]

Hello frnds,

Its good to see this forum in all new colours... i was out of touch as my papers were on but now im back home for vacations so will have some better participation.

OK, currently i have 2 os, win98 SE and XP SP2 (prof)... i guess ive not even logged on to 98 since last 1 yr so why keep it as waste... now we got tons of new options like vista, linux etc.

so can u plz suggest me any two os which i shud keep in my desktop.... i recon one shud be xp as im into latest games, internet surfing n chatting, downloading, n other applications like burning, mobile connectivity etc.

my rig is-

p4 1.8ghz,
intel 845GV chipset (gigabyte),
40gb hdd (4 partitions),
128mb ATi radeon 9200 series (AGP),
dvd-rom+cd-writer.

waiting for response....i will be formatting my hdd within next 3 days so want some good advice....thanx

cheers

 

[mehulved]

You haven't given how much RAM you posses. If you have RAM lesser than 512 MB. It will be worthless to even think of Vista.
If you want to try out vista, you can go for it, but it hardly makes sense if you want to use it regularly as it is still in beta phase and does have many bugs.
You can try out linux as it is flexible enough to run on whatever hardware specification you have. Which distro to install depends on your experience. Search for more on that in Open Source section.
Besides you can try out DesktopBSD or PC-BSD. Their latest versions are based on FreeBSD 6.0. They are really easy to install and use. And you have thousands of softwares available through FreeBSD ports. You can have a look at this thread where I have posted some info on PC-BSD *forum.techspot.in/showthread.php?t=2502

 

[speedyguy]

sry....well i got 512mb ddr266
n will hunt for this bsd...didnt heard of it....thanx...ne more advice

cheers

 

[mehulved]

Hmm so Vista will be usable on your system. Maybe you can add a RAM module when you want to use Vista.
For the time being you can try out one one of those and have some experience. If you have any queries about them, they have their own forums and there are lot of members in Open Source section here that can help you too.

 

[MysticHalo]

Choice 1=Windows XP/media Center (dont ask me where to get it )
Choice 2=Linux/FreeBSD/Windows Server 2003

Windows Vista will manage on 512 MB ram, but will only just(that too @ 266 Mhz). Do u have Video mem separate or onboard? If onboard, then consider increasing the RAM .

 

[mehulved]

@ mystichalo look at his first post he's mentioned 128mb ATi radeon 9200 series (AGP), I think that's a graphics card. Ain't it?

 

[santu_29]

xp and linux........ wont say vista...

 

[prashharry@yahoo.com]

If i would b u then, my choice...............
XP Pro SP2/Fedora Core

 

[speedyguy]

ok guys thanx for all ur response...(and yes i do have an external agp card)

well im finding here vista has some compatibility issues...i dun wanna take chances if my pc wud suffer even a little wit those higher versions....i want a stable n fast system...

so i guess i will be sticking wit xp sp2 + linux....

sp2 is confirmed but im still not 100% abt 2nd os....will it be good wit linux or shud i see more options?

cheers

 

[praka123]

Linux is the Future...GRAB it Yaara

 

[gary4gar]

i suggest u to use windows sp2

 

[mehulved]

i suggest u to use windows sp2

Now what is Windows SP2? I have never heard of it? There is SP2 for every version of windows that has come out.
If you mean Windows XP SP2 then he already has it and he wants to have another OS to dual boot with Windows XP SP2.
As I said earlier try out PC-BSd or DesktopBSD. They are really simple to use and learn. Besides if you want to try out linux you can go for Ubuntu or OpenSuse. They are very good for newbies IMO. I don't see any advantage of having two installations of windows unless you want to have one for testing purposes and other for production purposes or have some reason to use 2 differrent versions of windows.

 

[alienspiesu]

hey dude tis is a perfect combo
Windows XP SP2
and any linux OS like GNOME or FEDORA..
try'em out..
gud luk~~

 

[Techinator]

try xp sp2 with SuSe. if u r new to linux i think the installation an understanding of suse is a little easier than that of Fedora.

 

[mehulved]

Also if you are apprehensive, you can try live cd's first. But, the performance of live cd won't be the same as when you install because live cd work from your RAM so the performace on live cd is a bit sluggish but with your 512MB of RAM it won't be a problem unles you open too many apps or some resource hogging app. Also, you cannot install anything permanantly to a live cd.
For linux you can order ubuntu from shipit.ubuntu.com for totally free. You can isntall ubuntu straight from the live cd if you like it. Also, if you can get a Knoppix live cd. Knoppix is the king of live cd's, it is considered a must have for linux users, specially in case of repairing a distro. It can even be used to save data from corrupt windows installation.
For BSD's, you can try FreeSBIE. it is a nice live cd. I haven't used it extensively so can't say much on it.

 

[MysticHalo]

and any linux OS like GNOME

GNOME is a distro ????

Yeah, its better to try out LiveCDs thangoing for an install. BUT IMO, get either Ubuntu or Gentoo..dont get FC5...its a big installation file and comes with lots of apps., most of which a newbie wouldnt need at all.

 

[eagle_y2j]

In my case with same rig(almost)Windows XP SP2 and SUSE works well !
So u can also try this combination.

 

[gary4gar]

Now what is Windows SP2? I have never heard of it? There is SP2 for every version of windows that has come out.
If you mean Windows XP SP2 then he already has it and he wants to have another OS to dual boot with Windows XP SP2.
As I said earlier try out PC-BSd or DesktopBSD. They are really simple to use and learn. Besides if you want to try out linux you can go for Ubuntu or OpenSuse. They are very good for newbies IMO. I don't see any advantage of having two installations of windows unless you want to have one for testing purposes and other for production purposes or have some reason to use 2 differrent versions of windows.

thanx for correcting me.yes if he wants another he can opt for linux.he will get edge over many who do not know linux at all.including me

 

[speedyguy]

well quite frankly im new to live cds n linux....

so can neone plz explain me abt Fedora, SuSe or GNome etc.
and how abt this DSL (Damn Small Linux) supplied wit diGit last mnth... can i try it wit my flash drive...its around 60mb

thanx
cheers

 

[mehulved]

well quite frankly im new to live cds n linux....

so can neone plz explain me abt Fedora, SuSe or GNome etc.
and how abt this DSL (Damn Small Linux) supplied wit diGit last mnth... can i try it wit my flash drive...its around 60mb

thanx
cheers

You can try out puppy linux for your flash drive. It is really good distro and it will be fast as it runs XFCE, which is very low on resource consumption.
You can also try out Ubuntu live cd and install ubuntu if you like it. IMO it is the best distro for newbies. and latest version, 6.06, which was released on 1st June, seems to be very good.