Want to install with or over a PCLINUXOS install

[zenobiaflex]

I have WinXP on the primary drive with Grub loading PCLinuxOS2007 which is located on part of the slave drive. I started with PCLinuxOS2007 since I couldn't get Ubuntu to see my wireless card using the Live CD while PCLOS setup the ndiswrapper during the boot.

I just discovered Mint and would like to consider installing either along with the existing WinXP and PCLOS install or over PCLOS. Since Grub was installed by PCLOS, if I overwrite PCLOS during the install (hoping this is obvious to do) will it then install a new grub? Otherwise, if I install Mint in some extra space (repartition the PCLOS partition) will it see PCLOS and add a new grub with all 3 OS represented?

Now that I think of it... do I need to degragment PCLOS somehow before repartitioning (if I go that route?). I'm new to Linux and don't know whether there is or needs to be a defragment utility...

Thanks!

Chuck

[mikpap]

If you want to use linux mint 3.0 over pclinuxos 2007, run the mint livecd, start install, during the installation you will be asked how you want to partition the hard disk(s). You can resize an existing partition and use the free space to install mint or you can format pclinux's partition and use that. During installation the grub boot editor will be overwritten by a new one with the added options (if you remove pclinux you have mint and xp, if not you will have pclinuxos, mint and xp). I would prefer to install mint over pclinuxos. Remeber that when asked you have to choose manual partitioning (be careful not to mess things up). No defragmentation needed in linux as far as I know (I'm nooby too - I use linux the last 2 months, have tried about 10 distros so far).

[blogger]

Hello mikpap, Yassou

I had a problem installing PCLinuxOS together with Mint Cassandra in two separate partitions.
I installed PCLos first, and then Mint Cassandra. The boot loader was of course
installed in the MBR, and Cassandra was entered in the boot menu automatically.
But selecting Cassandra, I would get a message: ' Error 15. File not found.'

Now I have Cassandra running in my first partition.
If I do install PCLOS again, I wonder where PClos is going to install its Boot Loader?
BTW, I have used this scheme before, but again, there was a problem starting Cassandra.

I don't know what I'm doing wrong here.

Greetings,
Blogger

[gabhla]

About my only complaint with PCLOS is the way grub handles other distros. All was fine until I did a fresh install of PCLOS 2007, after which I could only boot into PCLOS and unable to boot into Mint. Following many vain and frustrating attempts to edit grub I simply reinstalled Biance (since I'll have to do a fresh install for Cassandra anyway - which I still haven't done). Mint's mbr picked up all my installed distros.

[mikpap]

Hello mikpap, Yassou

I had a problem installing PCLinuxOS together with Mint Cassandra in two separate partitions.
I installed PCLos first, and then Mint Cassandra. The boot loader was of course
installed in the MBR, and Cassandra was entered in the boot menu automatically.
But selecting Cassandra, I would get a message: ' Error 15. File not found.'

Now I have Cassandra running in my first partition.
If I do install PCLOS again, I wonder where PClos is going to install its Boot Loader?
BTW, I have used this scheme before, but again, there was a problem starting Cassandra.

I don't know what I'm doing wrong here.

Greetings,
Blogger

Can't really say cause I have never try to install two different distros in my pc (desktop or laptop). The only thing that I know comes from reading stuff in forums. Personally I don't have such a good experience with pclinuxos 2007 (couldn't really setup the distro in my two laptops (I had the feeling that it was buggier than ubuntu or mint but certainly a way better in comparison with kubuntu - KDE Bianca gives a better desktop os to a newbie or an average pc user). I would recommend either linux mint 3.0 Cassandra or Ubuntu 7.04 (with a little help using Automatix2 for the missing stuff) for someone who likes gnome. As far as for KDE the best out there is OpeSuse but it's difficult to setup right for a new guy in linux. KDE Bianca is the best desktop KDE linux though. Maybe I'll try to reproduce what you mentionned above (installing mint with pclinuxos).

[zenobiaflex]

Thanks for the advice... I still haven't tried the LiveCD in my PC, only in my laptop and in a VM on my PC. Mine main issue with Ubuntu was that it seemed to be lacking ndiswrapper... so when you install in a computer, you can't download it without net access... the proverbial "catch-22".

Mint seems to have it installed (as did PCLOS which is why I opted to start with it)... but I don't like the cluttered menu and too many programs that do the same thing. I've also had it drop my net connection after being on for a while and even crash out once... I can get the same from XP so I want to try mint!

[newW2]

Take a look at this post.

Scorpe123 wrote:
So once you got your "missing" other Linux partitions mounted, it's very easy: Just find their "menu.lst" files and copy and paste their relevant sections into the "menu.lst" of PCLinuxOS. Voila, problem solved. This has happened to me to long time ago when I gave PCLinuxOS a try ... Wink

This is what I did with my Mint, PCLOS, XP triple boot.

[blogger]

Thanks Mikpap for your fast reply.

I just wanted to get some confirmation about my suspicions about PCLOS.
I have been searching the forums on the subject, and I see that many fellows
have had this problem with PCLOS. It seems that it doesn't like to co-exist with other Linux distributions.
I believe that you can't beat Mint Bianca and Cassandra for a newbie-friendly distribution; especially with the Mint Software Portal.

Gabhla describes exactly what I have experienced myself. And the solution seems to be to tweak the PCLOS boot loader, as NewW2 suggests.

Now how simple can that be for a Newbie in a Linux distribution that boasts about its simplicity?
BTW, there is no problem installing Mepis with Linux Mint in a dual boot system, as long as Mepis is installed first.

Greetings,
Blogger

[Husse]

PCLOS is newbie friendly to the degree it supposes that the person installing it may have Windows but no other Linux.
If you end up with a useless grub - i.e you don't find your favorite Linux distro any more - but it's there here's a link:
http://www.linuxmint.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2788
Last post describes how to repair grub - no need to reinstall

[blogger]

Hello Husse,
Thanks for your information on the tweaking of the PCLOS boot-loader problem.

As far as I am concerned, there is no problem. I decided to ditch it.
I have a 20 GB disk where I do my testing, and I decided to install Cassandra in the first partition. The second partition is waiting for Mint E17 and XFCE version.

Cheers,
and thanks,
Blogger

[zenobiaflex]

well.. just tried the mint liveCD and even though the ndiswrapper gui is present it doesn't let me load the wireless card windows drivers. I point to the .inf file but it never shows up in the list of drivers... frustrating! I actuallygot that far with Ubuntu (after going to many lenths to put ndiswrapper and all the required packes onto a USB drive using PCLOS Live CD).

I really want to install mint, but it will drive me nuts if I can't get a wireless card to work that works with ndiswrapper in PCLOS Live CD and the installed PCLOS. It is a trend net card with a driver called MV8000c.

I also have a USB wireless that I have never even bothered to attempt. I think that wireless issues seems to be an achilles heal for many Linux distros with newbies. I am fairly savvy... but c'mon!!

I saw that clem was making some comparisons to Fedora and PCLOS... pointing out things that mint could use. The wireless setup during LiveCD boot is definitely one of them... there must be something getting in the way with Ubuntu once everything is all loaded up.

[newW2]

Sorry I don't use wireless, but have read here (believe it was clem's response to mayku regarding KDE) that suggested KDE has different sets of drivers than gnome. That may be what you are dealing with. Have looked at the Wireless sub-forum here?

Best of luck to you.