Need Advice For a Smooth Install

[GoodFoodHunting]

I have just recieved the notice from the postal service that they have a "package" waiting for me at the managers office and I know what that is, that is my recently purchased Vector Linux 6 CD's!! 

Life can definately be a sweet thang from time to time and not many times are sweeter than when you install a new distro on an older computer just to see how much life you can breath back into her...

So let me cut to the chase, what I want to know is based on the kind of computer I have, the kind of peripherals I have available and the type of desktop I am using what would be the best applications to start out with? 

Are there any I should avoid? 

I am not a Linux newbie but I am no expert either and I'm certainly new to Vector Linux so please, have patience with me.... 

I will be using Vector Linux 6 with the XFCE desktop environment.

I have a Hercules Dualpix HD webcam, a Logitech Quickcam Express and a Uni-brain fire-wire webcamera at my disposal. 

I have some speakers externally attatched to the computer as well as an almost-new-Dell monitor.  I will post the specific make and model of those when I get home from work tonight as I don't know the specifics of them right now.

I have a Brother MFC665CW Printer/Scanner/Copier/Fax machine.

Finally, I have an old HP Pavilion 754n. It has been slightly altered in that my Ram is now 2 GB (two 1 GB sticks of ram memory) and besides the original 80 GB hard drive I just installed a 160 GB Seagate hard drive.

Now I've sort of introduced all this information earlier in some previous posts of mine.  But at that time I had no Vector Linux to be able to install and I had not recieved my fire-wire webcamer from uni-brain as of yet so I was not asking very specific questions about them.  If I've somehow violated a double-posting rule, my apologies.  It was not intended.

But now I do have all that I need (well, I'll have the actual Vector Linux 6 when I get to the managers officer tommorrow) and I do wish to get this installation just right.  Or as close to it as I can.

By the way, I will be dual-booting with Windows XP.

The specific speaker and monitor information will be posted later tonight (much later, like after midnight...) as well as the information on what kind of sound and video card I'm running with.

Thanks for the helpful advice folks!  Ya' all are quite welcome to post any and all advice that you feel like. 

a.)  What are the best applications considering that I am using XFCE?

b.)  Best method of dual-booting?  I already had someone say that Windows XP should be installed first and it is.

c.)  Any big no-no's to avoid?

[overthere]

brown paper packages tied up with string....

looks like your ready to go...good luck and have fun..

most of the best applications are already included but you may search gslapt package manager after install if you are missing something..remember to update it first. or tools are available to add what you like

I never dual boot anything..they stand or fall on there own.

cheers

[nightflier]

Dual booting with WXP should be automagically handled by LILO installation.

Here is a good place to start for your Brother device:
http://solutions.brother.com/linux/en_us/index.html

[GoodFoodHunting]

Sweet folks!     Thank you!

I was perusing the Linux sites for various Linux Slackware Applications that are useful to add...

http://markhill.me.uk/articles/slackware_applications_links/

And I am not really familiar with any of them so I am very glad that most of all the applications I will really need are included with the main install. 

Thanks folks!  I'll keep you posted as to my progress.  Latest news, my Vector Linux is still enroute, damn...   I detest waiting for something I really want...

[GoodFoodHunting]

Here it is, the rest of my Computer set up.  Nothing fancy but it works for me.

My Audio Set Up:

Speakers

OG-5000 True Surrounding System  (don't worry, I can't find them anymore on Google either...) - Basically four small speakers and a power-woofer?

AUDIO CODEC:

Realtek's ALC650 AC'97 audio CODEC which offers 5.1 channel outputs.


My Video Set Up:

My Monitor:

2007 19" Dell Monitor that I can utilize in a horizontal or Vertical position.


My Video Card:

NVIDIA GeForce FX 5200


Other stuff:

Modem:

Lucent Win Modem


Network Adaptor:

Realtek RTL8139 Family PCI Fast Ethernet NIC


Processor:

Intel Pentium 4 CPU 2.53 Ghz

[GrannyGeek]

VL 6 Deluxe comes with a pretty complete set of applications. OpenOffice 3 is included on the second CD. If you want something that isn't installed already or on the CD, just use Gslapt to look around the repos and add what you want. It's best to use the VectorLinux repos rather than linuxpackages.net or slacky.eu.

Your sound card will dictate what you do about your speakers. Is your monitor a CRT or an LCD? If it's an LCD, you'll want the native resolution of the monitor. You can set this up with VASM or hand editing xorg.conf.

For dual booting with XP, I prefer to use the XP boot loader rather than having LILO mess with the Master Boot Record. It's very easy to do. See my HowTo at http://forum.vectorlinux.com/index.php?topic=1073.msg6559#msg6559 .

You may have trouble with the Winmodem. Some are supported; many are not. Any possibility you can move to broadband (cable or DSL)? Once you have broadband, going back to dialup is the stuff of nightmares.

XFce puts no limits on the applications you can install. You can use any KDE or Gnome programs you like as long as their dependencies and necessary libraries are installed. Those should be in the repos. KDE 4.2 is on the Deluxe CDs .

Chances are very good that you will have no problems installing VL, but if you do, don't hesitate to ask for help in the forum.

I hope you enjoy your computer as never before when you get VectorLinux installed. I love it!
--GrannyGeek

[GoodFoodHunting]

You may have trouble with the Winmodem. Some are supported; many are not. Any possibility you can move to broadband (cable or DSL)? Once you have broadband, going back to dialup is the stuff of nightmares.

Actually, I have access to DSL and Wireless.  I don't remember what they are specifically but I have them.  I just listed the modem type just in case that would influential towards anything in the installation.  But, you have kindly set aside my worries in that matter.

Your sound card will dictate what you do about your speakers. Is your monitor a CRT or an LCD? If it's an LCD, you'll want the native resolution of the monitor. You can set this up with VASM or hand editing xorg.conf.

Actually, I have Dell 1908 WFP Flat Panel Monitor. http://www.epinions.com/review/Dell_UltraSharp_1908WFP_Monitor/content_456406175364

And when you said,

XFce puts no limits on the applications you can install.

  That really made my day, thanks for assuring me on that front.

I still have not received my Vector Linux 6 CD and am expecting it shortly... 
 


P.S.~ I just discovered the nicely polished "how-to's" and feel a little foolish for asking many of these questions when I should have just researched the site a little more than I did and I would have found a how-to for damn near everything I have asked.  So, for those whose patience I have tested with these questions, sorry, I'll read the manual first from now on...    And will ask only when I need clarification... 

[GrannyGeek]

It can take a while to find all the rich resources of this forum, especially when you haven't yet installed VL. So don't feel bad about that.

Anyway, we don't mind if people ask questions that have already been more or less answered somewhere. Sometimes hearing it in another way makes it easier to understand.

I hope your CDs get there soon. When I buy the Deluxe CD, I always order the online-download version because I could *never* stand to wait for media to be shipped.
--GrannyGeek