Ultimate Edition Forum

I've tried doing a dual-drive/dual-boot with Ultimate and XP and wound up having nothing but trouble. Supposedly, if you know what you're doing, it's possible (easy even, I'm told!).

What GRUB error are you getting, by the way? I'm guessing either 15 or 22? Once I know that, I'll split this topic and give it it's own thread.

Not knowing what GRUB error you're getting, I can tell you I had to physically un-install my main hard drive (disconnected the power cable) and do a clean install to get around the GRUB errors when wanting to use dual drives. Unplugging the main drive AFTER installing Ultimate to the slave drive wouldn't do it... HAD to be a fresh install without the main drive connected from the get-go.

You have a few options, at least, as I see it:

1. Dual boot Ultimate and XP off of ONE drive. Very simple, very easy.

2. Install Ultimate, wiping your XP install entirely, and run XP in a Virtual Box (my preferred solution).

3. Install Ultimate, wiping your XP install (freeing yourself from Microsoft) and use the free, open-source alternative application called Base (part of the OpenOffice Suite of applications) instead of MS Access. I use OpenOffice at home and for consulting work that I do, and I have found that my spreadsheets, word-processor documents and presentation slides integrate flawlessly with Office XP.

4. Wait for someone who can actually help you dual-boot from dual-drives.

Baphomet, thanks for the reply. Ultimate Edition 1.8 is now installed (I don't know how or where Grub is living, but it works) with only one SATA drive attached. I had done it in the manner you described, by disconnecting the 2nd drive BEFORE doing a clean install. I'm not comfortable enough with linux yet to completely let go of a XP install yet, but if the linux gods look favorably upon my learnings - it's in my future. Would I use Qemulator for VM'ing XP? Another noob example: reading about Ultimate Edition, finding it interesting, seeing the images and really liking the tiled windows that are curved, yet not finding that they are part of the default install and no instructino as to how I get my Compiz there. Hmmmph.

History: I don't know if you've heard or considered this, but what I was doing before was trying to follow a performance suggestion from a Moderator I'd had picked up on another forum. What you do is create about 7 partitions and select what they are used for based on the frequency something is accessed...something like that. The outside diameter of a hard drive spins fastest, so you put /Home and Swap there. Just a tad more difficult than a vanilla install, but it's just a matter of a few more mouse clicks. I wrote down the chart and have followed it. For example:

/dev/sda1 5Gb /
/dev/sda5 5Gb /usr
/dev/sda6 3Gb /opt
/dev/sda7 4Gb /srv
/dev/sda8 3Gb /var
/dev/sda9 xGb /home
/dev/sda10 3Gb /swap
with Grub writing to the MBR of bootable drive.

--- Dunno. The above has worked in the past.

I'm a big fan of LinuxMint but find it still a bit too sluggish for my likes on this quick PC, so I've continued to distro-jump. Ultimate Edition seems promising. Kudos to TheeMan for the visual aspect of its design; I can't comment on much else yet.

The only way I got Ultimate Edition to install happily with Grub working was to just let it handle the drive and do it automatically. Not my preference, and I still haven't figured out how to view just what those partitioning results were, but Ultimate Edition seems happy enough.

More later once I've plugged up both SATA's. I've been in front of this PC all day since morning and need to get off and let blood flow to the lower extremities. ha

JT

EisBlade wrote:Baphomet, thanks for the reply. Ultimate Edition 1.8 is now installed (I don't know how or where Grub is living, but it works) with only one SATA drive attached. I had done it in the manner you described, by disconnecting the 2nd drive BEFORE doing a clean install. I'm not comfortable enough with linux yet to completely let go of a XP install yet, but if the linux gods look favorably upon my learnings - it's in my future.

My pleasure. The yearning to let go of XP will come in time, trust me. The awesomeness of Ultimate will, slowly, and in ways you can not currently fathom, crystalize in your consciousness. A shift so subtle you are unaware of it is already taking place.

EisBlade wrote:Would I use Qemulator for VM'ing XP?

I find Virtual Box (available via synaptic) to be easy-peasy to use and runs XP so seamlessly that I could put an XP user behind it and they would have no idea they were in a Virtual install. There's also this great install tutorial for it.

EisBlade wrote:Another noob example: reading about Ultimate Edition, finding it interesting, seeing the images and really liking the tiled windows that are curved, yet not finding that they are part of the default install and no instructions as to how I get my Compiz there. Hmmmph.

Really... "Hmmmmph" you say?? Allow me to retort: Have you seen ANY OTHER DISTRO that so completely pushes the proverbial envelope and succeeds with such elegant and total, undeniable supremacy? What you are seeing are Compiz effects so bleeding edge that no other distro DARES even approach them! Installing them as part of the "default" install of Ultimate would be to potentially subject new users to an Ubuntu/Compiz experience beyond their ability to comprehend. ONE, just one user-head exploding would be enough to plunge TheeMahn into a fit of depression so deep, so compelling, that no ordinary human consciousness could completely identify with it. The skies would darken and fallow fields would fall barren for the duration!!!

However... If this is something you wish to try, these... ADVANCED effects, you may (MAY!) be found worthy and then maybe... Just maybe, will the veils that shroud this arcane knowledge be drawn aside for your benefit.

EisBlade wrote:What you do is create about 7 partitions and select what they are used for based on the frequency something is accessed...something like that. ... For example:

/dev/sda1 5Gb /
/dev/sda5 5Gb /usr
/dev/sda6 3Gb /opt
/dev/sda7 4Gb /srv
/dev/sda8 3Gb /var
/dev/sda9 xGb /home
/dev/sda10 3Gb /swap

Seen it. I've just never bothered with it. Not saying it's not a good idea, just a little... I dunno... "Anal" perhaps. I mean I can understand having a separate partiton for, say, / and home... but beyond that? <snicker> Sure, why not? <snicker>

EisBlade wrote:The only way I got Ultimate Edition to install happily with Grub working was to just let it handle the drive and do it automatically.

Good idea.

EisBlade wrote:I'm a big fan of LinuxMint but ...

Did...

Did you just say "Linux Mint"?? DID YOU???? No... I didnt' THINK so.

mrmond wrote:I'm just slightly confused after reading this thread.
In my software sources I have recommended & important checked. proposed & unsupported is unchecked.
Yet after installing I had a load of updates to install & my kernel on reboot now says 1.7 kernel installed.

Does this mean it's now considered ok ?

MrMond

Yep that kernel is official now, no longer backported. Does not mean backported repos are not going to drop a 18 and bork your system, cutting edge has it's costs. Sure flys and a update and you are re-installing. Don't use back port repo unless you are willing to accept that. I want to let you know what is involved, lets say as I did in Ultimate Edition 1.8 32 bit git built compiz, did not do so for 64bit of the same, sure they beat the trash out of the servers to get their hands on it... repercussions are in order, not a show stopper(I will not drop a hammer on anyone), I will fix all shortly, and in a big way, debian does not matter. I am here for *nix not Ultimate Edition.

Watch the outcome when I drop it. It will not remove stability from your O/S, only allow you to see the future.

Enjoy,

TheeMahn

TheeMahn wrote:

mrmond wrote:I'm just slightly confused after reading this thread.
In my software sources I have recommended & important checked. proposed & unsupported is unchecked.
Yet after installing I had a load of updates to install & my kernel on reboot now says 1.7 kernel installed.

Does this mean it's now considered ok ?

MrMond

Yep that kernel is official now, no longer backported. Does not mean backported repos are not going to drop a 18 and bork your system, cutting edge has it's costs. Sure flys and a update and you are re-installing. Don't use back port repo unless you are willing to accept that.

Enjoy,

TheeMahn

that update does not show up in my manager even after refreshing, though I did upgrade to the kernel before it was released. Am i still okay if i download all of the updates available, or am I still using the beta kernel?

You should be safe..if you did the update it updated everything that works correctly with the kernel..including the kernel itself..

Baphomet, I appreciate you're response, and knowing that I'm getting an absolute unbiased opinion is especially appealing as well.

When I've had time to toss Ultimate around some more I'll be able to lean one way or another concerning how and where it rates against other distros. At this point, however, my first impression is a good one based on the experience of installation and hardware detection of the basic box. Additionally, I'll be looking to add functionality to webcam with my son, and hope I can narrow down which way to go concerning eMail and iPAQ compatibility. Kudos to TheeMan thus far.

Is Automatix2 to be left out of the picture now? I found it in Synaptic and attempted an install, but that resulted in errors about 2 packages being unavailable.

Need to do:
-figure out webcam (Creative WebCam Live, USB) - untested
-add functionality to view DVD video/movies - failed
-play MP3's, YouTube and other online video - YouTube playback failed
-synch eMail and Calendar with my iPAQ, allow backups, and be transferable. (possibly...Evolution for this?) I have two large Outlook PST files that contain messages back to the late 90's that I continue to use and store messages in. How best to transfer these to something in linux?
edit: -get the curved cube/window effect going.

EisBlade wrote:Need to do:
-figure out webcam (Creative WebCam Live, USB) - untested
-add functionality to view DVD video/movies - failed
-play MP3's, YouTube and other online video - YouTube playback failed
-synch eMail and Calendar with my iPAQ, allow backups, and be transferable. (possibly...Evolution for this?) I have two large Outlook PST files that contain messages back to the late 90's that I continue to use and store messages in. How best to transfer these to something in linux?
edit: -get the curved cube/window effect going.

A quick visit to Synaptic should knock some of these items off your list:

1. Open Synaptic, search for and install "ubuntu-restricted-extras".
2. Open Synaptic, search for and REMOVE any and all "gnash" packages.

The unbuntu-restricted-extras package should help resolve your issues with viewing DVD movies and the problem with .mp3 playback.

Since Gnash seems to conflict with the Adobe flash-player plugin for Firefox, removing it will leave the Adobe plugin behind, all by it's lonesome, which is what you want. I'm assuming you already have the Adobe flash-player-plugin installed, by the way... If not, you'll want to do that. This should take care of the YouTube / online-video playback issues.

Hope that helps a little... Not to sure 'bout your iPAQ or your Outlook .pst file. I'm thinking that last one could well be a sticky wicket. I wonder if that .pst could be converted into a less... proprietary... format??

Baphomet wrote:

EisBlade wrote:Need to do:
-figure out webcam (Creative WebCam Live, USB) - untested
-add functionality to view DVD video/movies - failed
-play MP3's, YouTube and other online video - YouTube playback failed
-synch eMail and Calendar with my iPAQ, allow backups, and be transferable. (possibly...Evolution for this?) I have two large Outlook PST files that contain messages back to the late 90's that I continue to use and store messages in. How best to transfer these to something in linux?
edit: -get the curved cube/window effect going.

A quick visit to Synaptic should knock some of these items off your list:

1. Open Synaptic, search for and install "ubuntu-restricted-extras".
2. Open Synaptic, search for and REMOVE any and all "gnash" packages.

The unbuntu-restricted-extras package should help resolve your issues with viewing DVD movies and the problem with .mp3 playback.

Since Gnash seems to conflict with the Adobe flash-player plugin for Firefox, removing it will leave the Adobe plugin behind, all by it's lonesome, which is what you want. I'm assuming you already have the Adobe flash-player-plugin installed, by the way... If not, you'll want to do that. This should take care of the YouTube / online-video playback issues.

Hope that helps a little... Not to sure 'bout your iPAQ or your Outlook .pst file. I'm thinking that last one could well be a sticky wicket. I wonder if that .pst could be converted into a less... proprietary... format??

Outlook files: Export a file from Outlook as an Outlook .csv or .tab file. You can then IMPORT the file into Evolution.
DVD Movies:Open Applications/Add-Remove, make sure 'ALL' is selected in left pane, search for 'restricted', install 'Ubuntu Restricted Extras'; if that still doesn't quite get you going, then go to https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Medibuntu and add Repo & GPG Key, then you can follow the list down and add the rest of the Restricted packages. This should also help you to play .mp3's
Hope this helps ... S'Tramp

Great. I'll work on this following the next reboot. I just ran through TheeMan's 1.8 tweak document. Well written, and slam full of great info. Going through it, however, prompts a couple of questions...

When you minimize windows in linux to access the windows behind it, where does the one you minimized go to? Is there a way to actually see what has been minimized and allow mouse-click selection other than ALT TAB'ing?

Per the 1.8 tweak document: I opened Terminal, pasted the following sudo line, and hit ENTER. I was prompted to authorize with a password, and a little some'thun some'thun happened. That was it. I don't see anything in Applications or System showing a new 'bootchart' application. Where do new applications install to?
sudo apt-get install -y --force-yes bootchart

And lastly, in the final portion of TheeMan's tweaking document concerning the tweaking of EXT3 formatted filesystems, the following command is given as being the final thing needed to tie everything in:
sudo tune2fs -o journal_data_writeback /dev/yourdrive
- My question here is, would anyone know the terminal command to type in to determine what 'yourdrive' is?


It sucks being a nOOb. Mucho grassyass..
JT