Making the Leap

[Ned Slider]

In this forum, from this thread, it looks like support for 965 is in the 2.6.18 kernel, which is pretty mainstream now. I don't know where Jmicron support comes from.

I've been sort of collecting a few links in the second post of that thread for my own purposes for when I get around to trying it.

I was also thinking of taking the chicken route and picking up a cheap promise or adaptec pci card for IDE/SATA. I figured I could just disable the Jmicron and i965 controllers completely if they're still causing grief

Anyway, I'm following this with interest to see how you make out

[10-Swords]

Accidentally installed GRUB to the MBR....time to start all over again LoL. Thank god for backed up data.

I've been sort of collecting a few links in the second post of that thread for my own purposes for when I get around to trying it.

I was also thinking of taking the chicken route and picking up a cheap promise or adaptec pci card for IDE/SATA. I figured I could just disable the Jmicron and i965 controllers completely if they're still causing grief

Anyway, I'm following this with interest to see how you make out

Well I've learned something else kind of funny about the Gigabyte board...I have an extra PCI based IDE/raid controller in there so I can use 2 legacy drives for backup purposes. Its better to leave the jMicron controller on even with the extra PCI based controller and just not use it cause the jMicron controller will start doing weird things to the SATA functionality too on the board, even though it only controls 2 of the SATA slots.

[Captain_Stormy]

Were here to help, also whatever Distro you pick. Its user forums will have alot of help as well.

I know windows will only partion up to a certain size for FAT32, however Linux will partition any size (I have a 300GB FAT32 partition). You wont be able to store anything over 4GB on there, but is that really a problem?

For linux you should use the EXT3 file system, as far as its limitations with SATA, I dont know what they are but I havnt had a problem with it.

I wouldnt waste your time with Wine/Cedega. Just dual boot and use XP for games only, thats what I do. Ive spent so much time trying to get it to work in linux its not funny. TBH I think that those are most likely some of the most important linux programs in theory. Because if you could game on linux as well as you can on windows tons more people would switch, I doubt it will ever happen with any degree of serious success.

[10-Swords]

Yeah I'm having to dual boot but sadly I first have to go pick up a new DVD burner this morning cause my old CDRW is finally crapped out on me.

Edit: Was lucky to find some old tech CDRW's that aren't much older than the refurb I used so long (it was a good little Asus drive). Crazy enough its a USB CDRW and I don't mean its USB interface....its a CDRW made by the people that pioneered the USB format. Anyway novelties aside hopefully this will fix my probs I've been having at getting a clean install of windoze and linux down.

2nd Edit: I think Windows knows I'm installing Linux...

[10-Swords]

Well the leap is successful, cept I made one big change. I have completely left WinXP behind. While I know not dual booting could potentially create some troubles until I get my feet firmly back into Linux, I've decided to keep my laptop the way it is for the forseeable future or at least until I'm able to do some of the more complex things.

I'm currently running Kubuntu 6.10 (Edgy) which I installed pretty much without a flaw on an Intel 965 chipset using the alternative cd (non-Live cd) that Shadco and others suggested I try. Actually going to distro watch and looking down the list you can see which distros are using a new enough kernel (2.6.18) to have support for the jmicron drivers used on many Intel 965's.

[Captain_Stormy]

I just wanna point out that some of the troubles you get from linux might come from the fact that you are using 6.10 of ubuntu. Its not an official release version yet. 6.06 is much more stable. I tried out 6.10 but quickly went back to 6.06. 6.10 does not park SATA drives correctly on shutdowns, and it has alot of problems steaming from the fact that it uses DASH instead of BASH.

I also think they are doing something weird for the Kernal in 6.10. 6.10 did not detect my hardware correctly even thou 6.06 does.

[Captain_Stormy]

Or maybe 6.10 is final now, atleast according to distrowatch it is. I know I tried it not that long ago (maybe a month or two at most ago) and it was horrid in comparasion to 6.06 at the time.

[StompinRound]

you might find this thread helpful

one of the guys there has the same mobo you do

http://www.pclinuxos.com/forum/index.php?topic=15146.0

[10-Swords]

Know checking out the normal Ubuntu distro and see if I like Gnome better nowadays (or just this distro in general).

[10-Swords]

Wow....I'm sticking with Ubuntu. I'm stable at 500 FSB comfortably. Okay now onto downloading and setting up the beta smp folding client.

[Ned Slider]

Wow....I'm sticking with Ubuntu. I'm stable at 500 FSB comfortably. Okay now onto downloading and setting up the beta smp folding client.

Stable is when you've been running folding at that speed for 6 months without a reboot

[10-Swords]

Stable is when you've been running folding at that speed for 6 months without a reboot

Well I'm impressed none the less over some instability with other distros I tried this morning.

[Shadco]

Stable is when you've been running folding at that speed for 6 months without a reboot

Shoot I'm only at 30 days but so far so good. ;-)

[Spankin Partier]

You wont be able to store anything over 4GB on there, but is that really a problem?

The biggest problem with that limitation is when you're trying to download a DVD ISO image of your favorite distro, as they can be up to 4.1GB (aka Knoppix 5 DVD).

[Spankin Partier]

I have completely left WinXP behind. . . . . I've decided to keep my laptop the way it is for the forseeable future or at least until I'm able to do some of the more complex things.

Leaving your laptop as a Windows machine is probably a good idea. Even though you'd probably would have had less trouble getting your laptop to work then your main PC. But at least you won't be without a computer if something comes up that you can't handle right away. This should also relieve you of some of the pressure of 'having to' get it back up and running as you can always resort to your laptop if need be. Hopefully this will give you a freer mind to sort out any problems you come across.