Booooo Windows.

[cfranzen]

boo

[ChadV]

Well, you never know what someone is going to try.

I heard someone say something about trying Windows 7 RC on their LINK, so this forum seemed like a good idea.

[thebeancounter41]

  That was me.And i DID install win7 on my SSD as i could NOT get the link os installed onto a SSD without a butt load of manual editing of key sys files which a newbie such as I should NOT attempt unguided.
 Win7 was a simple and exceedingly PAINLESS install on the link.I simply plugged an external usb cd drive in and choose it as my boot drive.Follow the onscreen prompts, a click click here, a click click there and in about 15-20 minutes i had a fully functional media center.INCLUDING streaming Netflix support WITHOUT the need for a 2nd pc running the Playon server software.Also including audio outputted thru the HDMI cable AUTOMAGICALLY.(which was my BIGGEST problem using any ubuntu OS OTHER than the specialized link config on the thumbdrive sent with the unit.)I STILL can't get audio out HDMI  with the Jaunty ubuntu I installed on the 2nd partition of my SSD for dual booting.
I have tried all the tutorials you recommend here and NOTHING works.I have completely disabled pulse audio like the step by step guide listed here and get ZERO benefits.NO sound EXCEPT from the standard mini-plug analog jack in front or back.NO SPDIF and NO freaking HDMI audio.

Win7 on the other hand works beautifully with zero input or tweaks from me the user.It JUST WORKS.sadly ubuntu has not reached that level of usability just yet.And the link OS hasn't reached the level of point and click installation onto a permanent internal HDD either.It CAN be done, but requires more than a newbie knowledge of linux and commandline usage to migrate over to fixed disk.

lastly, full screen video on win7 is actually FULL screen.Too many full screen vids on the Link OS weren't true full screen.They would have a definite window border all around which would cut your full screen view down by a an inch or 3.Also overall vid quality was better under win7.Not sure why but it was.

to anyone thinking of installing windows on their link to solve sound issues or video output issues for owners of certain tv's (like my dad's hitachi) DO IT!! I don't like windows anymore than any avg linux user, but dog gone it, it DOES work without endless tweaking and troubleshooting, something that cannot be said of most if not ALL linux distros.Of course using windows DOES increase the overall cost of the link,but frankly, it was worth 100.00 bucks for the license to get a working media center without giving myself an ulcer trying to tweak it to a fully functional unit.

You
1:install a HDD or SSD
2pop in a windows cd (either in a usb cd drive or install a slimline drive internally)
3:boot from the cd and follow the super simple onscreen prompts
4: ENJOY a seamlessly functional media center

Or alternately,you can
1:install a HDD
2:DD your link OS to that HDD
3: muck about with expanding partitions manually
4: edit grub and various OTHER system files by hand.
5: HOPE you didn't muff something up and that your system boots to a working desktop.

[quagga]

Or, ya know, install Ubuntu from a CD or USB key without any issues. 

I don't understand the dd advice.  That's a horrible way of installing anything.  It doesn't factor in a bunch of other issues. 

I'm told Neuros is working on a conventional installer for their software.  I imagine that will work around the dd issue. 

[thebeancounter41]

I'm one of the many who have requested an ISO of the link os that can be installed as easy as any other live ubuntu distro.I'm still waiting for them to say it's done and available for download.So far DD is the easiest way they have of doing it.And as you said DD is actually HORRIBLE for this.

i installed ubuntu with a usb live image (also did it with a live cd and the usb cd drive)No MATTER, no freaking sound from HDMI.So NO you CANNOT install ubuntu from usb or cd with no issues.UNLESS the OS you install is the LINK's version of ubuntu which at this time CANNOT be simply installed to HDD.THAT'S where the DD option comes in, it happens to be the way this forum tells people to get the link os on a fixed disk.NOT MY preference but the manner the link's staff recommend.If they had an easier way and a guide to DO SO, I would have already DONE so.DD WAS the easy way they gave.
Of course you CAN just run your audio out the analog port (on front OR back) but then you have FEEDBACK HUM issues to deal with.And the humming is pretty darn loud and irritating to my delicate ears.If I crank volume up enough to discern  soft spoken dialog, the humming is loud enough to worry about damaging my speakers from it.So you cannot just install ubuntu from a live cd and experience a seamless media experience with NO issues.At least  not with ANY high percentages.Maybe 1 or 2 percent get that lucky, but most will experience the SAME sound issues i had with  vanilla ubuntu installs.Seeing as how I tried at least 6 (six) different flavors of Ubuntu and the BEST i got was no sound and the worst i got was no sound and no net connection AND a buggy flgrx driver.NONE were trouble free to put it mildly.And most were FULL of trouble and headaches.
No matter how much i dislike windows and bill gates greedy ass, windows7 did what ubuntu could not do, work fresh out of the box with nothing but a default install with ZERO issues (other than needing to download a comprehensive codec pack to handle all major media formats)no sound issues, no netflix streaming issues no problems AT ALL save needing to download codecs (which you have to do with a fresh ubuntu install ALSO)
Even WITH the link running the custom ubuntu they ship on the usb stick, you CANNOT get netflix streaming unless you have a 2nd pc running windows as well as media server software like playon media server.(or running windows under WINE which is a pain in the butt for me.Long and short of it for netflix streaming ....you HAVE to use windows in some manner.Might as well just run it on the link and save the need for a 2nd pc and a home network to be set up.

[JawsThemeSwimming428]

Isn't the Windows 7 RC going to explode in a year?

[frankd14321]

Yes it will "explode" in June 2010, but if you buy a copy of Win7 when it releases in 8 months you will be able to just upgrade and not loose anything.  And it will upgrade flawlessly as when I installed build 7000 and than upgraded to 7100 it did without ANY issues..

I myself am thinking of doing this as well.  If it doesn't work, no biggy i'll just plug the USB drive back into the link and run ubuntu again.

[JoeBorn]

I've actually got winXP installed on a link here for testing, mainly to see how video performance compares since clearly ATIs drivers are not exactly the same for windows and linux.  I tried to install win 7 but the install choked, maybe I had a bad disc, I don't know.

I've personally had a heck of a time getting up to speed with the HDD install on the link.  I ultimately got it working by doing it with partimage on the link itself, but it took me a while to understand what was going on.  It was easy for crweb, but if you don't know Linux, there's a serious learning curve.

I have no problem with people installing Windows on the LINK, whatever works for you, I'm interested in hearing results, myself.

[flatcurve]

I want to see if I can get a dual boot hdd working on a LINK.

[HDRaptor]

I've personally had a heck of a time getting up to speed with the HDD install on the link.  I ultimately got it working by doing it with partimage on the link itself, but it took me a while to understand what was going on.  It was easy for crweb, but if you don't know Linux, there's a serious learning curve.

I'm surprised nobody else has ever tried this...  I got mine onto my hard drive this way, and it was just about sleepwalking.

I just booted from the stick as usual, ran gparted, and used it to copy the root & boot partitions from the link.  I then made 'em a bit bigger, mounted the boot partition from the hard drive & edited the menu.lst on there to be pointing at the hard drive.  Last but not least I ran grub-install to get grub into the mbr on the hard drive, and then changed the BIOS order.  It was that easy!

I have, once or twice, even installed XP on the link.   We used to have an NTFS partition and it needed chkdsking.  ;}   (And for whatever reason it gave me mucho grief trying to run chkdsk under recovery console - I made a "magic XP install stick"...)