Thread: Which Linux to use on Windows 7 64-bit as dual boot?
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kureyon is offline kureyon
2011-09-04 , 15:41
Posts: 992 | Thanked: 738 times | Joined on Jun 2010 @ Low Earth Orbit
#31
Originally Posted by monkeyman View Post
I cannot allow viruses to bleed over from the Linux version to the unprotected Windows. (if Windows isn't running neither is my Windows Antivirus suite).
Ubuntu has CLAM which could do.
CLAM's main purpose is to scan files (mainly for use on email servers - to protect windows machines). It does not do "realtime" protection. An infected windows executable on the linux partition (assuming you're using a non-windows filesystem for your linux partition) will not be able to infect your windows partition.

How do I view the programs available in the Repos for each of the Linux OS's with my Windows OS?
A lot of the (larger) distros have searchable databases of packages:

http://packages.gentoo.org/categories/
http://packages.debian.org/

I tried Google and kept reading "Install the OS and add the Repos." I'd like to know beforehand what's there.
If there are particular packages that you must have then googling for "package name distro name" will usually give a fair indication of whether it is available.

It's like buying a car and asking the seller if it has heated leather seats and the seller says "Buy it and find out." NO!
Actually YES!, your reason for installing linux appears to be to learn more about it. Installing practically any linux distro will enable you to learn more about it. Whether a car has heated leather seats is probably of little concern to you when you're still learning to drive the car.

One of the joys of using linux is trying out various distros to find one that you like. Trying to do masses of research and canvassing people's opinion on which distro you should install, hoping to have picked the "right" distro the first time is to unnecessarily limit your options.

I suspect most people are like me and use several different distros depending on application. My main work computer runs gentoo for flexibility and wide range of packages. My older slower machines which are mainly used for web browsing runs something lightweightish like Xubuntu. My media playing machines runs something requiring less maintenance than gentoo, eg sidux/aptosid, sabayon. And my laptop runs Opensuse.