Newbie questions about first install!

[lillumultipass]

Hi to all

I am new to the forum I have just recently discovered sabayon. I am also quite new to Linux as a whole (so, please forgive me if some of my questions are dumb!), since I only started using Ubuntu last year. Anyhow, I would like to try Sabayon, but I have a few questions:

1. first, I have downloaded the 3.4 dvd edition, and I was wondering what size I should use for the main partition. Can I choose what I want to install during ithe installation with the liveDVD? For instance, I don't think I want all the games installed. Moreover, my HD is rather small, and since I already have XP and Ubuntu, it is a bit crowded. Here is my fdisk-l:

Périphérique Amorce Début Fin Blocs Id Système
/dev/sda1 2 6185 5120000 1c Hidden W95 FAT32 (LBA)
/dev/sda2 * 6185 30799 20379883 7 HPFS/NTFS
/dev/sda3 30800 71974 34092900 b W95 FAT32
/dev/sda4 71975 94384 18555480 5 Extended
/dev/sda5 74571 94384 16405992 83 Linux


Basically, sda3 is my data partition to share between Windows and Linux, sda1 is a hidden recovery partition that I would prefer keeping, sda2 is my windows partition and sda5 is my ubuntu partition.
I would like to shrink my windows one and my ubuntu one (where there 's 9.5 Go left) in order to create a new one with sabayon. Could I do that with the installer?

2. second, I tried the live dvd and my wireless wouldn't work. I have a rather recent laptop (Asus U1F) with an intel 3945 wifi card. It seems that there are some conflicting issues between sabayon and this wifi card. I suppose there is a way to make it work right? (maybe I should post that in another forum)

3. finally, I have got quite fond of the sudo apt-get install XXX of Ubuntu, wherease I have read that installing new programs is rather more involved with Sabayon. Is that true? Is that really more complicated?

Thanks for reading my rather long prose, and for any answers

[mauri.omissoni]

hi

to point 1) you can try to shrink sda5 with gparted gui but its suggested, to use 10gb for the sabayon installation. why you have no swap partition?

to point 2) i have made bad experiences with asus and linux, but try to google with "intel 3945 linux" or so

to point 3) gentoo (which sabayon is based on) manages applications with portage. a nice gui is kuroo that remembers a little bit to synaptics. the symbol should be on the desktop (on sabayon 3.3 was like this)

[lillumultipass]

Thanks for these answers.

1. I don't have a swap partition, since I forgot to create one when I installed Ubuntu. However, I later created a swap file on my hard drive.
10 Gb is quite a lot. I will indeed have to shrink my windows partiion. But, is there any restrictions to the creation of new partitions when one gains more space by shrinking another partition. I think I recall I once had a problem with this...

2. Well, the wireless works with ubuntu, although it tends to switch off after resuming from hibernation or sleep. The only things that don't work properly are the webcam and the fingerprint reader. I have to admit however that never tried hard to make them since I don't really care.

3. Ok, I am reading some stuff about Portage and Kuroo. It does nos look that much more complicated than synaptics/apt.

[mauri.omissoni]

you wrote: I will indeed have to shrink my windows partiion

take care: sda1 to sda4 are four primary partitions, the maximum allowd. if you shrink sda2 you get a hole between sda2 and sda3 and there you cannot create neither a (fifth) primary neither a logical partition (as its outside the extended partition). in this case you need to move sda3 to fill the hole then to resize the extended partition to the left (sda4) to fill the new hole that is between sda3 and sda4 and then move sda5 to the beginning of the extended partition.
these operations are not possible with gparted as a resizing with gparted is only possible if the beginning cylinder will not be moved!
i think with partition magic (if you do not use reiserfs) or acronis should be possible.
if you can reinstall ubuntu, than the best thing is to delete sda5 and sda4 save the content of sda3 and than delete sda3 also, resize sda2 with gparted, pm, acronis or whatever, and than recreate the new partitions sda3, sda4 (extended part.), sda5 (to create while reinstalling ubuntu), sda6 (swap, to create while installing ubuntu) and in the remaining space create sda7 (while you install sabayon).

sorry, i did not invented this awful restrictions, maybe somebody has a easier way?

if 10 gb is too much, wait to the mini-edition of sabayon and than add all apps you need with kuroo.

[darkscot]

3. Ok, I am reading some stuff about Portage and Kuroo. It does nos look that much more complicated than synaptics/apt.

Don't bother reading too much about Kuroo as it has been replaced with Portato!

http://www.sabayonlinux.org/forum/viewt ... ht=portato

[lillumultipass]

Ok, that's what I thought. The thing is, I don't want to erase my ubuntu partition just yet, I want to test sabayon first.
I will try to make some room in my Data partition (there is around 10 Gb left) and create one from there.

Nobody answered to that question yet: can I choose what I install with the live DVD? I think I read somewhere that it is possible.

Finally, I will have a look at Portato. But my first priority is to make the wifi work.

[darkscot]

Nobody answered to that question yet: can I choose what I install with the live DVD? I think I read somewhere that it is possible.

You can choose what groups of programmes to install. For example office packages, network packages, other desktops, games etc.
However, you cannot choose which individual packages to install.

[lillumultipass]

Nobody answered to that question yet: can I choose what I install with the live DVD? I think I read somewhere that it is possible.

You can choose what groups of programmes to install. For example office packages, network packages, other desktops, games etc.
However, you cannot choose which individual packages to install.

Ok, thanks. That's a bit unfortunate, but it is better than nothing. I guess that by removing games, and the other desktops I can reduce the size of the installation.