Ton 't Lam wrote:
> Dear all,
>
> I'm bringing up a new Acer Aspire 5630 (2 Gb mem) for my daughter. She
> worked effortlessly with Linux the last 6 years, and she prefers to use
> this OS. However the Acer comes with a Vista image on the HD. Acer (and
> other manufacturers) don't deliver installation disks, unless bought.
> So, if you want/need these, you have payed twice for the same MicroSoft
> stuff. What a sad situation.
>
> The issue is that starting the new PC will force to install Vista. After
> browsing for some hours, it brought me me to the next options:
>
> 1) Install Vista, and from there load Cygwin to have the desired Linux
> tools, and OpenOffice. This is just a matter of installing. Should be
> straightforward.
>
> 2) Do a partitioning of the HD. I understand partitioning tools comes
> with Vista. Then install Fedora, or Ubuntu on the second partion. What
> are the experiences with this approach ? Thus have Vista dormant
> available, and just use Linux.
>
> 3) Following (2), install VMWare, and have the possibility to launch
> Vista from the first partion, if desired. Or do an image copy to the
> Linux HD, and consider Vista on the first section as the golden image.
> What are the experiences here ? What are the do-s and particularly the
> don't-s.
>
> Thanks in advance
> Ton
>

Thanks for all replies.

We installed Vista along with tools like OO, thunderbird, firefox.
RealVNC via Putty. Gimp, and Cygwin ahead.

Vista is just a lot of graphics (switch off all those stupid visual and
sound effects). Furthermore you have to buy additional S/W. The ongoing
confirmations are annoying. Eating up a lot of memory. Vista is nothing
more then to force people to spend money.

Indeed I will buy an additional 7200 rpm disk, and insert that. From
there install a nice Linux distro. If required Vista can be started from
an 'external' disk with SATA (or USB).

Regards,
Ton

Remark: I like Puppy Linux. Less then 100 Mb ...

Ton 't Lam wrote:
> Ton 't Lam wrote:
>> Dear all,
>>
>> I'm bringing up a new Acer Aspire 5630 (2 Gb mem) for my daughter. She
>> worked effortlessly with Linux the last 6 years, and she prefers to
>> use this OS. However the Acer comes with a Vista image on the HD. Acer
>> (and other manufacturers) don't deliver installation disks, unless
>> bought. So, if you want/need these, you have payed twice for the same
>> MicroSoft stuff. What a sad situation.
>>
>> The issue is that starting the new PC will force to install Vista.
>> After browsing for some hours, it brought me me to the next options:
>>
>> 1) Install Vista, and from there load Cygwin to have the desired Linux
>> tools, and OpenOffice. This is just a matter of installing. Should be
>> straightforward.
>>
>> 2) Do a partitioning of the HD. I understand partitioning tools comes
>> with Vista. Then install Fedora, or Ubuntu on the second partion.
>> What are the experiences with this approach ? Thus have Vista dormant
>> available, and just use Linux.
>>
>> 3) Following (2), install VMWare, and have the possibility to launch
>> Vista from the first partion, if desired. Or do an image copy to the
>> Linux HD, and consider Vista on the first section as the golden image.
>> What are the experiences here ? What are the do-s and particularly the
>> don't-s.
>>
>> Thanks in advance
>> Ton
>>
>
> Thanks for all replies.
>
> We installed Vista along with tools like OO, thunderbird, firefox.
> RealVNC via Putty. Gimp, and Cygwin ahead.
>
> Vista is just a lot of graphics (switch off all those stupid visual and
> sound effects). Furthermore you have to buy additional S/W. The ongoing
> confirmations are annoying. Eating up a lot of memory. Vista is nothing
> more then to force people to spend money.
>
> Indeed I will buy an additional 7200 rpm disk, and insert that. From
> there install a nice Linux distro. If required Vista can be started from
> an 'external' disk with SATA (or USB).

And you are aware you can buy external drive cases and even just the power and
converter cables even cheaper? I have a SATA drive without a case that just sets
on top the computer. Cooler than in a case.

--
If foreign troops were running loose in the US Americans would be killing
them. I have no idea why Americans are pissed when Iraqis do the same thing.
-- The Iron Webmaster, 3857
nizkor http://www.giwersworld.org/nizkook/nizkook.phtml
Yes Virginia http://www.giwersworld.org/holo3/vir...olocaust.phtml a14

On Tue, 04 Sep 2007 11:20:10 -0400, Daniel Ganek wrote:

>>>> I'm bringing up a new Acer Aspire 5630 (2 Gb mem) for my daughter.
>>>> She worked effortlessly with Linux the last 6 years, and she prefers
>>>> to use this OS. However the Acer comes with a Vista image on the HD.
>>>
>>> Zap the image, reinstall, ask for refunds.
>>
>> Remove the disk, install new one. Install Linux.
>>
>
> I like this idea plus spend the extra money for a 7200 rpm disk
> it's well worth it. You don't need a large disk since you'll be running
> Linux.

I don't understand this: can't fdisk clear that? Hidden, primary,
extended, who cares? Delete them all and repartition, minus the new
Microjunk phone-home trojan. This machine was gummed up with Windows
Xp(loitable) when I got it, and this is what I did. Boot off a Linux
device, in my case a floppy, and repartition, make a filesystem, load
software. Make sure to tell the BIOS to boot first off your Linux device
and Windows will never see its death coming.

Worst-case is if you got roped into buying a system with no external
device, eg, just a hard disk and nothing to boot off of. The salesman
wanted to sell me a 3.5-floppyless system, and I told him no way. Even in
this case, you can take hardware from an old box to grant you the install
device, then remove it later, if desired.




--
[** America, the police state **]
Whoooose! What's that noise? Why, it's US citizen's
rights, going down the toilet with Bush flushing.
http://www.wired.com/politics/securi...007/08/wiretap
http://www.hermes-press.com/police_state.htm

On 2007-09-03, Ton 't Lam <ton.tlam@casema.nospam.nl> wrote:
> Davide Bianchi wrote:
>> On 2007-09-03, Ton 't Lam <ton.tlam@casema.nospam.nl> wrote:
>>> I'm bringing up a new Acer Aspire 5630 (2 Gb mem) for my daughter. She
>>> worked effortlessly with Linux the last 6 years, and she prefers to use
>>> this OS. However the Acer comes with a Vista image on the HD.
>>
>> Zap the image, reinstall, ask for refunds.
>>
>>> The issue is that starting the new PC will force to install Vista.
>>
>> Why? You just boot from the DVD/CD and blast the partition.
>>
>> Davide
>>
>
> This is of course the best idea. Although almost everything runs fine on
> Linux, sometimes there are situations you need to start Windows, such a
> educational S/W that is tied to Windows. Wine won't save the day all the
> time.
>
> Refund is about impossible in the Netherlands. This has been discussed
> locally in length. It ends up you have to do a *lot* of efforts (e.g.
> prove you didn't install/use Windows), and get a minimal refund. It
> won't cover the costs. For this reason Linux addicts "accept" this
> situation.
>
> This so called chain-sell is actually forbidden in the Netherlands, but
> apparently manufacturers have found ways to bypass this.
>
> Strange this whole situation isn't dealt with by some European committee
> for once and all.
>
> Ton
>

Have you tried VMWare? You can install it on your Vista box and
download various appliances (Xubuntu Tribe for example) and use it the
same way you would if you are actually running Linux.

--
What were you? A jock or a brain?" http://blinkynet.net/comp/uip5.html
"I was a ghost." PSK - RLU 452647
Warrick Brown and Gil Grissom (Bully for You)

Pseudo Silk Kimono <Pseudo_Silk_Kimono@marillion.com> writes:

>On 2007-09-03, Ton 't Lam <ton.tlam@casema.nospam.nl> wrote:
>> Davide Bianchi wrote:
>>> On 2007-09-03, Ton 't Lam <ton.tlam@casema.nospam.nl> wrote:
>>>> I'm bringing up a new Acer Aspire 5630 (2 Gb mem) for my daughter. She
>>>> worked effortlessly with Linux the last 6 years, and she prefers to use
>>>> this OS. However the Acer comes with a Vista image on the HD.
>>>
>>> Zap the image, reinstall, ask for refunds.
>>>
>>>> The issue is that starting the new PC will force to install Vista.
>>>
>>> Why? You just boot from the DVD/CD and blast the partition.
>>>
>>> Davide
>>>
>>
>> This is of course the best idea. Although almost everything runs fine on
>> Linux, sometimes there are situations you need to start Windows, such a
>> educational S/W that is tied to Windows. Wine won't save the day all the
>> time.
>>
>> Refund is about impossible in the Netherlands. This has been discussed
>> locally in length. It ends up you have to do a *lot* of efforts (e.g.
>> prove you didn't install/use Windows), and get a minimal refund. It
>> won't cover the costs. For this reason Linux addicts "accept" this
>> situation.
>>
>> This so called chain-sell is actually forbidden in the Netherlands, but
>> apparently manufacturers have found ways to bypass this.
>>
>> Strange this whole situation isn't dealt with by some European committee
>> for once and all.
>>
>> Ton
>>

>Have you tried VMWare? You can install it on your Vista box and
>download various appliances (Xubuntu Tribe for example) and use it the
>same way you would if you are actually running Linux.

Why in the world would you want to do that? It means you are open to all
of the vista system bugs and security holes, all of the VMWare bugs AND all
of the Linux bugs.
Vista now has an option to resize the disk, so you can shring the vista
partition and install Linux. That way you do not have to worry about the
Linux repartitioning software messing up vista. On the other hand just
using the Linux installation software to wipe vista is certainly another
option.


>--
>What were you? A jock or a brain?" http://blinkynet.net/comp/uip5.html
> "I was a ghost." PSK - RLU 452647
> Warrick Brown and Gil Grissom (Bully for You)

If you give your daughter a computer with Vista installed on it, you are
guilty of child abuse.


I'd nuke the entire disk and do a fresh Linux install. If windows is
really needed for some reason, get WinXP Pro and dual boot the system.

I dual boot with WinXP because all the good games require windows.

Ton 't Lam wrote:
> Dear all,
>
> I'm bringing up a new Acer Aspire 5630 (2 Gb mem) for my daughter. She
> worked effortlessly with Linux the last 6 years, and she prefers to use
> this OS. However the Acer comes with a Vista image on the HD. Acer (and
> other manufacturers) don't deliver installation disks, unless bought.
> So, if you want/need these, you have payed twice for the same MicroSoft
> stuff. What a sad situation.
>
> The issue is that starting the new PC will force to install Vista. After
> browsing for some hours, it brought me me to the next options:
>
> 1) Install Vista, and from there load Cygwin to have the desired Linux
> tools, and OpenOffice. This is just a matter of installing. Should be
> straightforward.
>
> 2) Do a partitioning of the HD. I understand partitioning tools comes
> with Vista. Then install Fedora, or Ubuntu on the second partion. What
> are the experiences with this approach ? Thus have Vista dormant
> available, and just use Linux.
>
> 3) Following (2), install VMWare, and have the possibility to launch
> Vista from the first partion, if desired. Or do an image copy to the
> Linux HD, and consider Vista on the first section as the golden image.
> What are the experiences here ? What are the do-s and particularly the
> don't-s.
>
> Thanks in advance
> Ton
>

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Hash: SHA1

Ogre wrote:

> If you give your daughter a computer with Vista installed on it, you are
> guilty of child abuse.
>
>
> I'd nuke the entire disk and do a fresh Linux install. If windows is
> really needed for some reason, get WinXP Pro and dual boot the system.
>
> I dual boot with WinXP because all the good games require windows.

I must agree, bin the `Vista` and install some good old GNU/Linux
distribution on there, later on ( if you really need to ) you can run `XP`
on a virtual machine.

Cheers

- --
Guillermo Antonio Amaral Bastidas (gamaral)
# Free & Open-source Software Advocate
# KDE Developer: gamaral
@ http://blog.guillermoamaral.com/
$ irc: gamaral@freenode pgp: 0x5D297B74

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"Rubyxx" <rubyxx@chessxtra.co.uk> writes:

>Maybe the best option is to just install a 2nd hard drive, and put Linux on
>that. if you don't have the Windows Vista disk, I wouldn't mess with the
>pre-installed drive at all.

>Removing Windows Vista entirely is a damned expensive way to install to
>Linux.

In what way is tht expensive? The "cost" of vista is a sunk cost. You
cannot retrieve it. To base bad decisions on sunk costs is one of the great
fallacy of economics.


>Rubyxx


>"Ton 't Lam" <ton.tlam@casema.nospam.nl> wrote in message
>news:70fa9$46dbcf7e$5352f129$8590@cache100.multik abel.net...
>> Dear all,
>>
>> I'm bringing up a new Acer Aspire 5630 (2 Gb mem) for my daughter. She
>> worked effortlessly with Linux the last 6 years, and she prefers to use
>> this OS. However the Acer comes with a Vista image on the HD. Acer (and
>> other manufacturers) don't deliver installation disks, unless bought. So,
>> if you want/need these, you have payed twice for the same MicroSoft stuff.
>> What a sad situation.

Uh, no, they should give you an installation disk
nyway Vista now has a "resize partition" function which you can use to
reduce the size of the vista paration and then you can use Linux to put it
into the now emptied space on the hard drive.


>>
>> The issue is that starting the new PC will force to install Vista. After
>> browsing for some hours, it brought me me to the next options:
>>
>> 1) Install Vista, and from there load Cygwin to have the desired Linux
>> tools, and OpenOffice. This is just a matter of installing. Should be
>> straightforward.
>>
>> 2) Do a partitioning of the HD. I understand partitioning tools comes with
>> Vista. Then install Fedora, or Ubuntu on the second partion. What are the
>> experiences with this approach ? Thus have Vista dormant available, and
>> just use Linux.

Vista now has a partition shrinking tool.
Use that.

>>
>> 3) Following (2), install VMWare, and have the possibility to launch Vista
>> from the first partion, if desired. Or do an image copy to the Linux HD,
>> and consider Vista on the first section as the golden image. What are the
>> experiences here ? What are the do-s and particularly the don't-s.

Bad idea.

>>
>> Thanks in advance
>> Ton
>>

Guillermo Antonio Amaral Bastidas wrote:
> -----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
> Hash: SHA1
>
> Ogre wrote:
>
>> If you give your daughter a computer with Vista installed on it, you are
>> guilty of child abuse.
>>
>>
>> I'd nuke the entire disk and do a fresh Linux install. If windows is
>> really needed for some reason, get WinXP Pro and dual boot the system.
>>
>> I dual boot with WinXP because all the good games require windows.
>
> I must agree, bin the `Vista` and install some good old GNU/Linux
> distribution on there, later on ( if you really need to ) you can run `XP`
> on a virtual machine.

Games that use 3d hardware acceleration won't work in a virtual
environment. Dual booting is the best option.

--
Ogre

Ogre wrote:

> Games that use 3d hardware acceleration won't work in a virtual
> environment. Dual booting is the best option.
>

That might hold true, if she wanted to play games. He didn't mention
anything about games in his original post.

Anyways, if it's games you want I agree with `Ogre`, if not I'd go the
virtual route or even better no Windows at all.

Cheers.

--
Guillermo Antonio Amaral Bastidas (gamaral)
# Free & Open-source Software Advocate
# KDE Developer: gamaral
@ http://blog.guillermoamaral.com/
$ irc: gamaral@freenode pgp: 0x5D297B74