I can’t seem to get off this subject of computers. The weekend was spent on the usual chores like grass cutting. I busted up my foot pretty well last weekend when I slipped on the floor in the kitchen. It looks like I broke a couple of toes and who knows what inside my foot. In any case the foot has been sore so the grass cutting was about as physical as I needed to do.
I spent Sunday trying to stay off the foot and well, the computers were so handy. The new box I have been boasting about using Linux got partitioned. Its Justification for existence is to be one of my CNC computers. So I installed MS XP Professional (I already owned) on a 100 G partition and reinstalled Linux on the remaining 200 G partition. Now I can start up in either system. For any reader who hasn’t tried multiple systems on one computer, it is a completely normal and acceptable process.
What’s interesting is the MS XP Pro is a 32 bit operating system and the Linux is a 64 Bit system. I am actually doing the same thing on my home office box with both 32 and 64 bit Vista installed. No sweat.
I stripped down the XP Pro to the bare essentials. All it needs to do is run the MACH3 CNC controller software which I also installed the newest version. All background programs are removed. This makes for a lean, mean XP machine, hmmm… kind of rhymes.
If I want to dabble in Linux, I now have both my CNC computers dual booting the system. Like I have been saying, Linux is now a very easy system (I like KDE desktop the best) to install and get running. I am too heavily involved with Windows software to make Linux my permanent start up system. I just like to stay current in this very capable, professional, and free operating system. I can play around in this OS, write software and do all sorts experimental things that might cause problems with my expensive system. Life is good when there are options…