Will my system be compatible?

Ahhh man I feel so stupid.

I ment Fedora Core 2. Sorry =(

Quick checked some of more crucial requirements & would say,
yes, it is compatibel in all aspects.
Checked it though with general Linux compatibility & won't give
my hand for guarantee with fedora in special since missing expereince
with it, anyway
main question left .  .  . what to intend to do with your XP ?
Want to install dual boot or Linux only ?
In dual boot case you need to install boot loader
when performing installation & even prior . . .
make sure there is enough place left on your hdd for a Linux partition.
Else, simply put a second harddisk for your Linux which I'd prefer
against sueezing space in competition with an existing Windows installation.

You can check the compatibility of your hardware with the Mandrakelinux operating system at the following url :

http://www.linux-mandrake.com/en/fhard.php3

I don't believe a similar database exists for Fedora but there is a general linux hardware compatibility list at the following url :

http://www.linuxforum.com/linux-hardware.php

Good luck!

Great, thanks for you help. I do want to do a duel boot. I never thought about getting another hdd. What is the cheapest external one? I will look around at sites to see what the pricing is.

Does it have to be linux compatible? Or are there ways to work around that?

I am looking at a 20gb external hdd for 80 bucks. Here is the link http://www.compgeeks.com/details.asp?invtid=PEERLESS20&cat=HDD

It doesn't say whether it works with linux or not.

Why do you want an external? you can find hdd's at from 4X to 8X as big for the same price

Okay, I just don't know how to put the hdd in there, and I think that if I monkey with the inside, it can void my warrenty. I might just get PC Club to install it for me.

Thanks for the heads up with the internal/external thing.

How about this hdd??

http://www.compgeeks.com/details.asp?invtid=LC20A&cat=HDD

Why not ?

It is a plain standard IDE, so no trouble with that.

Reminds me of my first hdd, which was of same brand (QF) only smaller at that time : )

OKay, so assuming I have this hdd installed, how do I install linux to it?

Okay, so I stepped it up quite a bit and got this one...

http://www.compgeeks.com/details.asp?invtid=0A30210-N

I figured I didn't want it to go to hell 2 months after I installed it.

> how do I install linux to it ?

Each different Linux distribution has it's own odds & twists as far as installation going,
trying to recall what was most helpful for my own start with it some years ago:
2000 or so I bought a pack of Redhat 6.2 CD's with instruction manual & carefully
went through the installation instructions, before I put my first CD into the drive.
I soon found that with Linux there is not only an alternative to Windows but also a
nice chance to become more causative & responsible about one's own system.
(Windows is simply the car with closed bonnet & no access to the motor, in case
you like to learn & become survival on your own things instead of being only
the dependent user - so far some philosophy to it : ))

These days all more commercial orientated Linuxes are built so Windows-userfriendly,
that with halfway modern hardware ( which you obviously call your own ) there
should be no real trouble. Simply get the Cd's (in one of our kiosks I regularily find magazines of fedora or mandrake with installation help) & start.
At any case create a boot disk during installation, since installaton of the boot manager
seems to be a often reported point where Linux beginners need help.

As I mentioned before, i cannot spare you reading yourself Linux documentations
if you really want to have fun with the system.

Regarding the harddisks:

I am not aware of any harddisk, following IDE specification that should not work with
Linux. Also SCSI is supported if you intend to go that way at some time.

 
 

Great. Thank you guys so much!! My harddrive comes today!

Have lots of fun with it !