Sunday, November 29, 2009

Windows 7 & GNU/Linux -- Part 2

Wouldn't you know it? The adventures in Windows 7 and Linux continued today. The system I thought would be a cinch to upgrade turned out to be just as interesting as the two older machines. But it really was not all that bad. Windows 7 installed flawlessly except it would not allow me to set the partition size to the desired amount from the installer. No big deal, as I just did it later on through Drive Manager. However, I could never get it to go to the 60 Gb that i had originally planned. I may be able to force the issue later. However, I do not have the same document sharing issues that my kids have. First, I intend to work mostly out of my Linux partition. Windows 7 will be used for work-related activities. Second, I have access to two large external drives that I use for storage and backups.

Linux installed OK except for a temporary problem with the video driver. By default Ubuntu does not use the Nvidia proprietary drivers needed to drive the GeForce 6150 LE that came built-in with this machine. I also ran into a bad wireless dongle that was making things difficult. Fortunately I had a spare and that seems to be working fine. Once I ran all the updates I was able to (rather easily) install the correct drivers for my video card. I have been working in Linux for several hours now. All is good. So far it appears that Ubuntu is considerably faster than Windows in most things I have done, but that is a subjective assessment. I am definitely glad not to have to worry about viruses and miscellaneous malware that affects Windows users. And you cannot beat the price for Linux and all the fantastic software out there. And speaking of such, I love the fact that I can use WINE to run some of the Windows applications that I love and depend on (and for which I have not found a Linux alternative). It is the best of both worlds.

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