Replacing your Operating System
-
linuxmint7 last edited by
Ah!/oh!, It's a netbook, and does not have a CD drive.
Do you have a 4GB USB flash drive/Memory stick that is empty/blank joshl ?.
-
-
joshl last edited by
Most of those take SD cards ...
That's true.
So, will I need to throw away/move gigabytes of files to make it for a second OS? Cards and sticks are not tidily enough incorporated to the hard body of the PC. Then - move?..
-
linuxmint7 last edited by
You could use a USB flash drive/memory stick just for testing Linux and (if you like it) installing it to the computers internal hard drive (as dual boot) then format/wipe/blank the USB flash drive/memory stick, as it would not be needed any more.
-
joshl last edited by
Linux, to give it a try, shall I have a totally empty drive?
(It is irrelevant if it'll be a USB or SD, isn't it?) -
linuxmint7 last edited by
Yes, it is best if it is empty. Do you have an empty SD card or USB flash drive/memory stick ?.
-
joshl last edited by
Yes, it is best if it is empty.
What if it's just bought, for example - should I better format it still? Or will it be not necessary?
-
linuxmint7 last edited by
Does it have anything on it when you look inside it on the computer ?, I'm asking because a lot of new flash drives come with software on them already, such as 'Back-up' software or 'Encryption' software. If it does have anything on it (such as the above), then yes, it is best to format it first.
-
joshl last edited by
You are talking about reformatting it, there had better be nothing you can't lose there.
Steve, what if that disc is more-than-half empty (btw, there's a fair uninterrupted space on the disc - as long as my defragmentation analysis has shown)?
Is formatting truly necessary? Am I to lose those stored files if I try to put a Linux there as it is now? -
joshl last edited by
Does it have anything on it when you look inside it on the computer ?,
What's wrong with your punctuating skills?
No, such new drives are not usually void. I guess I won't lose anything if I lose those... <_< -
linuxmint7 last edited by
Does it have anything on it when you look inside it on the computer ?,
What's wrong with your punctuating skills?
I was putting/typing it in simple terms, so as not to sound confusing.
No, nothing of value will be lost if you format the drive.
-
joshl last edited by
There perhaps is another possibility (people are talking about): what is a virtual box?
-
sgunhouse Moderator Volunteer last edited by
You know that Windows now uses NTFS, while it used to use something else? You know that Mac systems use something completely different - if you were to take a drive actually formatted for OSX and plug it into Windows you won't be able to read it? Linux uses its own completely different file system. The Linux installer can chop a piece off of an existing partition to reformat for its own use, but Windows had better not have anything in that piece because a low-level reformat can not be undone.
While Linux can read a Windows-formatted disk. Linux uses a different set of file properties that Windows just doesn't track. Linux files have an owner and a group, they track when they were created and not just last modified ... stuff like that.
Virtualbox is a virtual machine (aka VM), it can allow you to run two different systems at the same time - not merely on the same hardware, but actually both running. I've never really had a use for that.
-
joshl last edited by
You know that Windows now uses NTFS..?
Have no idea. Even don't know what it is... :rolleyes:
The Linux installer can chop a piece off of an existing partition to reformat for its own use, but Windows had better not have anything in that piece because a low-level reformat can not be undone.
You mean once it's installed, it won't be messing badly with my own private files should I place them into that partition?
Linux files have an owner and a group, they track when they were created and not just last modified ... stuff like that.
(In my Windows though, I sorta have a "Created" property, too.)Virtualbox is a virtual machine (aka VM), it can allow you to run two different systems at the same time - not merely on the same hardware, but actually both running.
Is it that the CPU and such things should be more powerful for that?
-
sgunhouse Moderator Volunteer last edited by
Is it that the CPU and such things should be more powerful for that?
It helps, certainly.
You mean once it's installed, it won't be messing badly with my own private files should I place them into that partition?
It won't even be using that partition - but the partition will be smaller.
-
joshl last edited by
It won't even be using that partition - but the partition will be smaller.
Would you explain, please?
Like Kelly had two partitions. Then came Polly, and... What did Polly do? -
sgunhouse Moderator Volunteer last edited by
Polly cut off a piece of the partition (whichever one you told her to) and reformatted it ... actually making several partitions from that piece - a swap file (Linux uses a dedicated partition for a swap file) and one for the Linux OS itself. So Kelly still has two partitions, but one is smaller than it used to be.
-
joshl last edited by
So, Kelly's apples were 200g each. Let's say they were green and red.
He said Polly could use the green one. Polly took that, cut a piece (say, 50g) off and returned that to Kelly. The other 150 green grams Polly used for her own purposes.
Right? -
joshl last edited by
Will ANY new OS proceed with formatting certain space?
What's there with the existing partition(s)? Will the new OS consider it/them upon installing and what (if) does it depend on/is it determined by?
-
joshl last edited by admin
Imagine that!
Just phoned Microsoft* - they said I can't update my XP to anything any more*:doh:*
They said I'm gonna buy anything microscopic&soft for this machine now*:XP:*
Or else - "reserve-recovery". But it'll leave me with a ~4-year-old system status - no SP3, no any-all more or less fresh malware definitions, even I guess there won't be any patches/system updates that I've received during my use of the system...I guess I'm left with an imminent Linux anyway, so...
A question: can Windows partition a USB-drive?
