Chris Moffa wrote:
Whatever the protocol, once the OS is removed will the computer boot from the Debian CD and allow me to install it?
If you can't currently boot off the CD, wiping Windows won't solve that problem. If you were asking if you need Windows to boot the CD, the answer is "no; you boot from the CD and Windows doesn't come into the equation at all at this point".
Agustin wrote:
That partitioning effectively takes care of any remnants of your MS system, particularly as the original partion will be trashed and replaced by several new ones - mine put in /root /home /tmp /var /dev/shm and /usr all on different partitions. I understand that the theory behind this is that if my kernel goes into a panic I should be able to restitute the system without having to touch my other partitions (maybe).
Other advantages of multiple partitions:* If a partition fills up (say, a logging process starts spewing out log entries by the millions), it only fills up that partition, rather than "all" partitions, which provides less chance of file system corruption/damage/lockups/etc.
* You can mount certain partitions read-only, such as / and /etc, which helps to prevent tinkering or accidental changes to system files.
* During system maintenance, it's typically safer to mount only the partitions you need to maintain/work with.
* It's easier to reconfigure a single partition or two than an entire filesystem.
* There may be some slight enhancement of security from hackers to have multiple partitions.
About the only disadvantages of multiple platforms:* If you size them wrong to begin with (too small, and they'll fill up; too large, and it's wasted disk space), it can be problematic to resize them.
* It's a little more complex to set up (plan the sizes, names, make sure /etc/fstab is correct, etc).
-- Kent West westk@acu.edu