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Linux Upgrade

Computer memory

I recommend a minimum of 256 MBytes of RAM on your computer to effectively run Linux.  While it is possible to run with less memory, modern Graphical User Interfaces require considerable memory in order to run smoothly.  This is especially true if you like to keep many windows open.

Hard disk space

Before we can install Linux, we need to have space on your hard drive for it. We will need about five to ten Gigabytes (GB) for Linux and other open source software, plus the space needed for your data. There are several options:
  1. Partition your existing hard drive.  If you choose this option, we will need to leave enough free space for Windows, too.
  2. Replace your existing hard drive with a larger drive and partition it to make room for Linux
  3. Add a second drive
  4. Erase Windows and use your existing hard drive
The first option has very little risk, but there is some. While the tools used to resize your Windows partition are quite reliable, it is possible for something to go wrong during the partitioning process, causing your hard drive to become unusable. Therefore, your data should be backed up before the drive is partitioned.  We will use an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) to safeguard against a power failure.

In addition to the space required for Linux and your Linux applications, we will create a partition that can be read and written my both Linux and Windows.  The FAT32 format is not optimal for either Windows or Linux, but this will allow you to access and update some of your data from either operating system.

I recommend adding a second hard drive to your computer. This is the least risky option and it will provide you with plenty of disk space to store your data. There are many hard drives available for $100 or less. I prefer drives made by Seagate or Hitachi. Seagate drives have a five year warranty. Hitachi has acquired IBM's disk technology, which has always been the industry leader.  If you plan to replace the existing hard drive in your notebook computer, the Hitachi Travelstar drive is an excellent choice.  It comes with a USB enclosure that makes it easy to copy your old drive's partitions to the new drive.

Caution

If you decide to buy a disk drive that is bigger than 137 GB, you must have 48-bit LBA support in your BIOS and in all your operating systems. If not, you can expect to have your data corrupted.  Linux has the needed support.  So does Windows XP with Service Pack 1 (SP1) installed.  There is no support available from Microsoft for Windows 98 or Windows ME.  Beware that if you should ever have to reinstall Windows XP from a CD, you will need a CD that is at the SP1 level.  In addition, any floppy disk based utilities that you might use must have 48-bit LBA support.

Some disk drive vendors provide a Dynamic Disk Overlay (DDO) program to allow their hard drive to work in systems that do not have BIOS support.  These do not work properly with Linux, and it is best to avoid them.

For these reasons, I do not recommend the installation of a disk drive larger than 120 GB.

There is a good overview of the disk size thresholds that can cause problems with computers made in the last several years at the Seagate web site.  Another page there delves more into some of the history of BIOS limitations.


tom@linux-upgrade.com Copyright © 2006 Tom Marchant (248) 467-0024