Help With First Linux Install

[WhiteFlame0]

My PC currently runs Windows from an SSD with an HDD storing all my files. My friend recently gave me a 320 GB WD HDD that he bought brand new and never used, and I'm considering installing Linux on it just for fun. I know nothing about Linux, so I need to know which flavor I should install, how to boot a computer with multiple operating systems, and so on. I'll be mainly using it just to learn Linux, and once I've accomplished that I'll try to run a game server from it (I do this all the time on Windows.) Is there any advice I need to hear before I put the new drive in my PC and try to install Linux?

 

Just to clarify, I want Windows to use the two drives already in my PC exclusively, and I want Linux to use the third drive I'm going to add soon exclusively. Windows gets two drives, and Linux gets one. I want to avoid any overlap between the two.

 

Thanks!

[ChalkChalkson]

Ubuntu is a very noob friendly distribution. It even allows itself to be installed alongside windows and it is ridiculously small.

Just go to this page and create a bootable USB drive with a tool like this. Boot up the USB drive, use all the standard settings, select the new drive. 60GB is plenty if you do not plan to install many AAA games on the boot drive. After that you are done. Ubuntu even comes with some software and some libraries. Python and LaTeX for example are already installed.

[paddy-stone]

Make sure you choose the correct drive during installation... this is the thing that trips up most noobs. If you have to, partition it to like 20GB or whatever so that you remember that size for the partition.

[Master Disaster]

19 minutes ago, WhiteFlame0 said:

My PC currently runs Windows from an SSD with an HDD storing all my files. My friend recently gave me a 320 GB WD HDD that he bought brand new and never used, and I'm considering installing Linux on it just for fun. I know nothing about Linux, so I need to know which flavor I should install, how to boot a computer with multiple operating systems, and so on. I'll be mainly using it just to learn Linux, and once I've accomplished that I'll try to run a game server from it (I do this all the time on Windows.) Is there any advice I need to hear before I put the new drive in my PC and try to install Linux?

 

Just to clarify, I want Windows to use the two drives already in my PC exclusively, and I want Linux to use the third drive I'm going to add soon exclusively. Windows gets two drives, and Linux gets one. I want to avoid any overlap between the two.

 

Thanks!

Start with Ubuntu or Mint, both are great starters.

 

To dual boot just boot from the Linux media and install onto the blank drive, GRUB will detect Windows and add it to the boot list automatically. Just make sure you set boot priority in bios to boot from the 320gb drive.

 

Oh and expect to destroy a fair few installs before you get a stable one.

[WhiteFlame0]

So how to I choose which OS to use at startup? Do I always have to set the boot priority in the BIOS, or is that first install only?

[Master Disaster]

6 minutes ago, WhiteFlame0 said:

So how to I choose which OS to use at startup? Do I always have to set the boot priority in the BIOS, or is that first install only?

Set it to the 320 and use GRUB (Linux's bootloader) as this will let you choose between Linux & Windows.

[WhiteFlame0]

Thank you everyone!

[Master Disaster]

6 minutes ago, WhiteFlame0 said:

Thank you everyone!

Good luck