[Discuss] linux install on windows 8.1 laptop

[gaf at blu.org (Jerry Feldman)]

Install VirtualBox on Windows 8
https://www.virtualbox.org/wiki/Downloads

Ubuntu, Fedora, SuSe and other Linux distros work very well.


On 05/02/2014 04:41 PM, Laura Conrad wrote:
>>>>>> "Tom" == Tom Metro <tmetro+blu at gmail.com> writes:
>     Tom> Laura Conrad wrote:
>     >> Does anyone run linux...as a guest in a Windows 8.1 VPN?
>
>     Tom> I'm confused. Either "VPN" was a typo, or I'm unfamiliar with what it
>     Tom> means in the context you are referring to. It sounds like you are
>     Tom> talking about virtualization.
>
> Yes.  I did type what I thought was the right alphabet soup, but I
> likely thought wrong.
>
>     Tom> If so, does that mean you are looking for a guide on how to install
>     Tom> Ubuntu to run inside a virtualization system like VirtualBox? 
>
> Yes.   Also, does this get really hairy in real-use cases in ways that
> don't show up in the guides?  For instance, in olden days, I know
> virtualization sometimes had problems using the sound card.
>
>     >> ...I'm wondering if instead of the dual boot I've always used before...
>     >> It looks like the machine won't boot from the SD card reader...
>
>     Tom> It sounds like your first approach was to install Ubuntu onto an SD
>     Tom> card, and use that to dual-boot the machine, but your BIOS refused to
>     Tom> boot from it.
>
> Actually, I put the Ubuntu install system on the SD card, expecting it
> to boot and offer me a chance to install Ubuntu in a partition on the
> laptop's hard drive. 
>
>     Tom> I gather you're using an SD card because you don't want to repartition
>     Tom> the drive that holds Windows?
>
> I have repartitioned the drive that holds windows.  I've never done an
> install that way -- I suppose I make a small partition for the install
> disk and tell a usb drive creator to use that?  The dual boot install
> guide I found said that repartitioning the drive in Windows sometimes
> worked better than relying on the install program to do it.  And I have
> had problems with the drive partitioning on my last couple of installs.
> They stopped using gparted, which works, and use something else, which
> frequently doesn't.
>
>     Tom> Is a USB Flash drive an option for you?
>
> Yes, but I can't find one of those, either.  I do very little sneakernet
> -- so what I have are SD cards that I use with cameras and digital
> recorders and such.  In a day or two I will have something I can
> continue down that route on.
>
>     Tom> Did you accomplish this setup using Ubuntu's installer running
>     Tom> on the Windows 8.1 machine?
>
> No, I made the SD card installer on my Ubuntu desktop.  Not without
> problems, but it does boot on my old creaky laptop, so I believe it's a
> bootable drive, if the hardware would cooperate.
>
> The guides I've found say that the Ubuntu installer that runs on windows
> doesn't work on 8.1 or UEFI or something.
>
>     Tom> I think if you use the installer, it'll put a boot loader onto
>     Tom> the Windows 8.1 disk, which will prompt you to select the boot
>     Tom> OS. That boot loader might be able to hand-off to your SD card,
>     Tom> and let you avoid buying additional hardware. (I've rarely done
>     Tom> dual-boot setups, and am not up on the current details, such as
>     Tom> complications resulting from UEFI.)
>
> Google has found me some stuff on that.  Ubuntu has allegedly tried to
> get around as many of the complications as they could.  It isn't really
> encouraging about getting it right on the first try, but it sounds like
> people manage it eventually.  I've been doing dual-boot since 1995, so
> I'm sure I can too.
>
> I'm currently thinking I'll just return this particular laptop.  Even
> running windows, it doesn't seem to solve any of the problems I was
> thinking about when I bought it.  Printing is at least as flaky as linux
> printing, and the sound doesn't seem to get through the (admittedly old)
> HDMI cable.  It does boot up faster than the creaky old laptops, and the
> screen is better, and I kind of like the touch screen, but I'm not sure
> that's worth $600 if it doesn't do something useful.  Like play videos
> on my tv and print giant PDF files in one shot and run linux for editing
> and music publishing.
>

-- 
Jerry Feldman <gaf at blu.org>
Boston Linux and Unix
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