one of those you can skip directly to Chapter 4 and dive into the Linux world. If you have a spare computer that’s only going to run Linux and nothing else, you’re in luck! You can skip the “Preparing to Use Linux and Microsoft Windows Together” section. In fact, if you’re feeling brave, you may want to skip right to Chapter 3 and start your installation. There’s troubleshooting information in Chapter 22 as well.
Of course, many people don't have the luxury of having more than one computer to dedicate for Linux use. To install Linux permanently on an existing PC, you need to have a hard disk area set up for it. There are three common solutions to this:
Completely replace the existing operating system on the hard drive
Install Linux on a second hard drive
Partition an existing hard drive to include Linux
BACKING UP WINDOWS
The term back up means different things to different people. A full backup copies all the operating system, programs, and data files on the system. That usually requires special software that can copy all of the files as your PC is running. A data backup just copies the individual personal files that you've created. You can usually do that yourself by just copying files commonly found in your Documents, Music, Pictures, and Videos folders to an external device such as a DVD or USB drive. Most likely for your Linux transition you can do just a data backup. These days most modern PCs include a separate partition with the Windows operating system files so you can easily restore the operating system by itself. All you need to worry about is making sure your personal files are safe.
The first solution is the easiest way to installing Linux on a PC. Most Linux installations even include an automatic process that guides you through converting a PC entirely to Linux. However, this is an all-or-nothing approach — you'll be replacing your existing operating system entirely with Linux!
The other two methods require a dual boot scenario. In a dual boot scenario, both Linux and Microsoft Windows reside on hard drives in the same computer. When you boot the computer, a menu appears, asking you which operating system you want to use. This allows you to keep your original Windows applications and files, plus use Linux — all on the same computer!
If you're using a desktop PC you may be able to add a second, fresh hard drive to install Linux on. This is by far the easiest solution for a dual boot system, and should be used if at all possible. Unfortunately, most laptops don't have the ability to add a second hard drive, so you'll have to resort to partitioning the existing hard drive as explained in the next section.
If you do add a second hard drive, just make a note of which drive is which as far as the computer sees them: You want to make sure that you leave your Microsoft Windows installation untouched. All you need to know is which drive (Windows or Linux) is first and second as far as the computer is concerned. When you are sure you know which drive is which, proceed to the section “Double-Checking Hardware Compatibility” later in this chapter.
Those who can't spare an entire hard drive for Linux and already have Microsoft Windows installed will have to resize their current Windows installation and create a second partition on the hard drive. The partition allows a single hard drive to have separate logical sections that the computer sees as individual hard drives. If this is your situation, you will most likely need to work through this entire chapter.
If you absolutely don't want to dual boot using your hard drive, you have three other options — I know I said that there were three approaches in total and adding three more here brings it up to six, but give me a moment to explain.
You can use virtualization software, such as VMware or Oracle's VirtualBox (see Chapter 20) to install a “virtual” Linux machine that lives in a window inside your existing Windows installation. You keep your Windows disk as-is without any modifications. You just install Linux within the virtual area created by the VMware or VirtualBox software.
You can also do the opposite — install only Linux on the computer and then use VMware or VirtualBox to install a virtual Windows machine that lives in a window within your Linux installation. If you do this, remember to backup your original Windows files before installing Linux, and then restore them in the new Windows area.
Finally, if the thought of changing anything on your computer gives you hives, you can just use a Live distribution (see Chapter 1) to boot your computer into Linux without installing anything. By running Linux from the DVD drive or USB stick it'll be slower (perhaps even painfully slow on older PCs), but nonetheless it'll work, and give you an idea of just what Linux is all about.
So give some thought to which of the options detailed here you prefer, and then read on.
Preparing to Use Linux and Microsoft Windows Together
If you’re planning to run Linux and Microsoft Windows in a dual boot environment on the same machine, the odds are that you already have Windows installed and have been using it for some time. Because I hate to hear screams of anguish from new Linux users, take a moment to assess what you have and what you need to do.
