[TriLUG] Building a Linux notebook

[Mike Mueller]

Any feedback on my gameplan and questions below would be appreciated. TIA. 

I have a new Toshiba notebook that is moderately useful even though it's only 
running XP.  It would be better if it ran Linux with Wine.  I'd like to 
maintain the notebook's XP functionality while I learn how to get Debian with 
Wine working.

At first I'll setup dual booting.  This way the XP partion keeps the notebook 
useful while I work through the issues related to getting Debian installed 
and working. Is Partion Magic the best tool for this?

I'll get the Debian partion working for all the functions I want (internal 
display, external display, NIC, modem, sound, CD-RW, DVD, USB, digital 
camera, scanner, external mouse and keyboard).

Then I can set up Wine in Linux partion.  The XP version shipped with the 
notebook is unique to Toshiba.  I don't know enough about the Wine program to 
understand how Wine accesses XP and if this Toshiba recovery CD containing XP 
will work with Wine.  If the Toshiba distro of XP is incompatible with Wine 
then I'll stay with the dual boot configuration.  I am not about to buy 
another version of XP so I can run Wine.

Once everything works with the dual boot system and the Toshiba XP distro 
works with Wine, I'll wipe down the hard disk and install Debian only and use 
Wine for XP hosted programs.

Is this a reasonable approach given my requirements?

Again, TIA for any feedback.  
-- 
Mike Mueller
324881 (08/20/2003)
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