Ubuntu just pleasantly surprised me

[struggle4progress]

The box has Windows. Added another HD, set the BIOS to treat it as the boot, then installed Ubuntu. The boot menu shows the expected Ubuntu and memtest options -- and also the windows installation on the first HD

[Occulus]

1. Ubuntu plays nicely with Windows, even Windows 7.

Windows, on the other hand, absolutely refuses to acknowledge Ubuntu's existence.

It's so rude.

[struggle4progress]

4. I think Windows has a policy of not playing well with others

I just formatted a 4gb flash for Windows (but did it stupidly on my Mac), then copied some files over from the Mac, and went to the Windows to machine to copy the files there

:grr:

The Mac leaves a 200 mb partition at the front of the flash. And Windows? Well, dumbfugg Windows can't see anything EXCEPT that 200 mb partition ... so my 500 mb of files on the REST of the drive are completely nonexistent to Windows

Ubuntu, of course, has NO problem with this: insert the flash and Ubuntu sees BOTH partitions on the flash

[pokerfan]

2. thumb drive

I keep a Linux Live "CD" on my keychain flash drive because it's so useful for rescuing files from a borked Windows system. Say I'm at someone's home and they tell me that their computer is messed up. I can boot Linux from the thumb drive and barring any hardware issues, they can then access their files before beginning to repair or reinstall their system. It's also a terrific way to demo Linux to people on their own hardware.

Too often, people just write off their old systems blaming their problems on the age of the hardware. They are pleasantly surprised to find that their hardware is just fine once a proper operating system is installed. Before anyone I know runs out and buys a new computer, I always ask them to give Linux a try. After all, they have nothing to lose.

[struggle4progress]

3. I put several of your recovery suggestion links into the "Some Recovery Tools"

section of the "Computer Security" thread in the Research Forum: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_oet&address=358x5240

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

5. You can do the same thing even if you don't have a spare HD.

The Ubuntu installer can non-destructively shrink the Windows partition to make space for itself. The end result is a dual-boot just like the one you have.

It's SOP for me whenever I get a new computer that came with Windows. Although I prefer Fedora, but the end result is pretty much the same.

[struggle4progress]

6. Yeah, I installed Ubuntu as a dual boot on my XP machine last summer

The this-really-sux aspect was trying to compact the old XP installation onto the front of the hard disk so there was room for Ubuntu. I'd start to run the Ubuntu installer and it would see hardly any space on the disk. I finally found a little tiny file towards the end of the disk, put there by Norton. I uninstalled Norton

How da F! does I git my Windows files more together earlier on my disk?
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