Linux Installation Help

[Gnome]

Hey everyone,

I need some help deciding on a Linux distro to install on my PC, my specs are as follows:

Asus M2N32 SLI Wireless Deluxe Motherboard
AMD XP 6000+
2Gig DDR2 Ram
Geforce 8800GTS 320mb
LG H44N DVD-Writer (PATA)
I have a 80Gig SATA hard-drive on which I will exclusively install Linux (I disconnect my Windows Hard-Drive). Allowing me to switch between Linux and windows simply by switching the Hard-Drives. MULTI-BOOT IS NOT AN OPTION!

If possible I'd like to see my 4x320Gig + 2x250Gig SATA HD's with NTFS Filesystems in Linux also (Not a must seeing as NTFS is such a bitch with Linux)

The reason I post my specs is simply because SUSE Linux 10.2 didn't seem to want to work on my PC, and I have a inkling it's got something to do with my hardware.

More importantly I HAVE TO HAVE the following:

G++ , GTK, QT3!!! (NOT QT4), KDevelop,KWrite,Kate, and KDE desktop environment, latest Java SE JDK wouldn't hurt either. Most KDE distro's what I listed anyway but just posted it to be sure....

I need it that way because the place I'm studying at INSIST that we develop in C++ on Linux (sometimes Java is ok), and seeing as we need GUI's most of the time I need QT3 and GTK installed. Has to be QT3 because the programs need to run in the labs and that's what they have (QT4 is also installed but it's a mission to get it ready to work when you need to demo your programs), and anyway there seems to be issues concerning QT4 and KDevelop (I know it's awful but I need some kind of IDE, with some debugging, any suggestions?)

So now the game is afoot, what distro to get and install? We have Gentoo in our labs which is what I'm considering at this point...

I had SUSE 10.2 on a old AMD1800+ (which I had to sell) that had all the requirements and worked perfectly but as I stated installing SUSE 10.2 from the CD's doesn't seem to work on my current PC.

Thanks to whomever helps

 

[stepper]

Maybe try a (K)Ubuntu Live CD to see if it will work with your PC and go on from there.....

 

[Ratsalad]

I've had excellent results with Mandriva One (there's a new version out).

 

[milomak]

ntfs-3g works very well with NTFS drives. I have NTFS drives I've been using between windows and multiple linux distros for some time now.

Why is multi-boot not an option?

Would also be useful if you actually included any error messages you get if you want people to give you an idea as to why SUSE 10.2 is not working on your machine.

 

[Gnome]

ntfs-3g works very well with NTFS drives. I have NTFS drives I've been using between windows and multiple linux distros for some time now.

K will try it thanks...

Why is multi-boot not an option?

Because it ALWAYS causes problems, sooner or later...
Some of the Phd/Msc students that only work on Linux say this and that (do this do that, don't do this etc.), but truthfully I don't have the time to waste trying to fix Linux, or Windows for that matter, if it breaks. Therefore I opt the easy way which is to simply unplug my Linux HD and plug in my Windows HD when I want to use Windows and Vice-Versa. Hard-drives is the one thing I don't have a shortage of (having 7 of them )

Would also be useful if you actually included any error messages you get if you want people to give you an idea as to why SUSE 10.2 is not working on your machine.

Well I'd love to but seeing as I don't get ANY messages, the PC just freezes (as soon as it supposed to display the Login window) at which point pressing the reset button is the only option to get the PC to reboot (Control-Alt-Delete and all other combinations are futile). No kernel panic or anything. The boot messages are exactly the same as the other PC that worked (well almost, seeing as the hardware is different). I might try it again later but I don't really like Linux (no offense) that much so I would prefer to use a distro that just installs and works

I'm going to try Kubuntu now, I tried Gentoo but it's got some crappy bug with AMD64 systems where any hard-drive IO makes the PC look like a 386SX (in terms of performance). Just installing OpenOffice takes days, and looking on the Gentoo forums it seems to be a bug that they can't fix (only improve slightly), so it's not a option for now.


Thanks for all the input everyone.

 

[Mzala]

Since you do programming it might be worth it to develop your Linux skills.
Install it, It will prolly work, if it does not you figure out what the problem is and you fix it.
It does not take that long, mailing lists and forums will give answers quickly.

I have been multi-booting for years now, no problems. Except the ones I create

 

[nihilist]

Try Ubuntu, I booted it and it detects my Geforce 8800gtx just fine on the LiveCD side, so I'm sure the propriety drivers will be fine too.

NTFS works in Ubuntu and you should see all your drives auto mounted (read only of course) otherwise add them in /etc/fstab

I'm sure you won't have any problems with *.Ubuntu