So I'm thinking of switching from xp to linux, most likely unbutu. I'm sick of malware, and of the need for updates to a crappy os. My understanding is that linux is a much better choice in terms of protection from spyware/adware and malware in general. I've heard that setting up linux can be complicated, but unbutu is easy. What is the downside of unbutu? I think I heard someone say that stability is an issue, and so is ease of use. I don't care if my machine crashes every now and then, as long I don't have any f'ing malware. I don't know what the ease of use issues might be. If I have malware on my machine now, does this mean that unbutu could get contaminated if I try to download it? I've never switched operating systems before, and I'm not especially handy with computers. So I guess I'll have to download unbutu, back up my files, then unbutu has some self-install process.
i am a linux fan and have been using it for a while. questions: 1. what is the ram of your computer? 2. processor specs? 3. would you prefer torrent download or normal download (i think they tend to be around 600mb) ? 4. are you getting rid of windows entirely? when making any changes like this, always backup your data, better safe than sorry. i can be helpful, i am geeky, but some things i might be vague on due to those areas not being relevant to my personal use.
Hey thanks for your reply. I haven't logged in for a while, just logged in last night Intel Pentium M 1.6 GHz 591 MHz 512 MB Ram normal download sounds fine I'm ok with getting rid of windows. I don't know why I would need to keep it. The main issue for me is getting rid of malware
when you put linux on your system youll want to do a fresh install which means it will wipe your harddrive therefor getting rid of whatever junk may be on it including malware, Good choice with ubuntu, if you havent already downloaded it I have tried ubuntu by itself, debian, and 20 other different versions of linux and the best one IMHO is linux mint, which actually runs on ubuntu. linux does take some getting used to, but it includes everything you may need, browser, writing tool, image viewer/editor, media player. youll never have to worry about malware again, which is awesome....
Ubuntu is probably going to be sluggish on your system. It is "easy" to use, meaning nearly impossible to configure. Have had much more success with the "difficult" Slackware on older systems, though the last one I used was 10.2. If you're set on "easy" I'd follow jaredfelix's advice and go with Mint - Ubuntu with codecs . . . or trying a live CD like Puppy - 120mb download, use without installing - to see if the whole Linux thing is even worth trying in the first place . . .
its completely different from windows... meaning things operate in a different way, for example dont expect to run/install any kind of .exe software unless your using wine which is confusing and doesnt work half the time, if you really need to run windows programs you could always set up a dual boot, but sounds like you have a pretty shitty computer.. the one im using is almost a decade old but still has better specs then yours lol, mine runs the latest version of linux mint with no problem, i have 2gbs ram and a crappy pentium M and a 40gb harddrive lol but linux is still fast on this thing wow. if the latest one doesnt run so smooth for you they offer all the previous versions so you might want to try version 10 or 7 as they worked very well. anyways you said you werent very tech savy which is ok mint is pretty simple to use and learn and is user friendly. but linux doesnt have a registry and doesnt use the same filesystem as windows (fat32, ntfs)it has its own which i think is better then windows... instead of randomly put information on the harddrive like on windows where you need to defragment it put it all in a row making it easier to read uuhhh im not an expert so i dont know whatelse i can say besides just give it a try, i really like it
i thought maybe you had killed your computer in a blind fit of rage i suggest the operating system Lubuntu. but for ease of use Xubuntu would be best, try this first but it might be too slow on your computer, can only know if your test! i have given instructions for how to download and make your installation media, but before that, you should realise you can test the operating system from your disc without installing. you boot the disc, and then go to the live desktop, it is a fully interactive operating system running completely in RAM. use that mode to check your hardware works ok (graphics, wireless etc) with the currently provided drivers. wireless net can need configuring after installation though, with propriety drivers. when you install, be patient. it has a nice and easy wizard! typical install takes around 25 minutes. - download your OS: Xubuntu using Firefox, scroll down to the area of links, right-click on "xubuntu-11.10-desktop-1386.iso" and choose "save link as" then make sure it saves with the .iso at the end of file title. http://mirror.anl.gov/pub/ubuntu-iso/CDs-Xubuntu/11.10/release/ Lubuntu using Firefox, scroll down to the area of links, right-click on "lubuntu-11.10-desktop-1386.iso" and choose "save link as" then make sure it saves with the .iso at the end of file title. http://cdimages.ubuntu.com/lubuntu/releases/11.10/release/ - verify the integrity of your download: scroll down the page to the header "MD5SUM on Windows" go straight to the instructions. https://help.ubuntu.com/community/HowToMD5SUM Xubuntu md5sum you want to compare your file md5sum against the same named file here http://mirror.anl.gov/pub/ubuntu-iso/CDs-Xubuntu/11.10/release/MD5SUMS Lubuntu md5sum you want to compare your file md5sum against the same named file here http://cdimages.ubuntu.com/lubuntu/releases/11.10/release/MD5SUMS - create your installation media: for making an installation CD, follow the instructions here https://help.ubuntu.com/community/BurningIsoHowto scrolling down to the header "Windows" and viewing the tutorial for your specific windows system. burn speed should be between 1x and 4x. the application i used on windows for burning ISO files was imgburn http://www.softpedia.com/progDownload/ImgBurn-Download-27810.html for making an installation USB flash drive, download and use the following http://unetbootin.sourceforge.net/ it is at the top-left. once opened the application, just add your file at the bottom and check its all set. - check your bios boot order is set appropriately http://pcsupport.about.com/od/fixtheproblem/ss/bootorderchange.htm it looks like the end of the article, but click "Next" ! when relevant, i will provide more help, like applications to install etc.
I agree with what bluska said as well Ive tried slackware and puppy linux which are both incredibly fast and light so they might be ideal for your old computer.. i liked them both equally so dont really have a preference.. cept slackware looks way better... but idk Linux Mint is the best out there... just go get a pack of dvds and burn a live cd of each on you want to try and try them all before finally deciding on one. see what works and what doesnt, thats the beauty of live cds, it boots from the disk and you can try it out, see if you get an internet connection, has programs you like, can get along with it, before you actually install it...
i recommend this order for trying operating systems: xubuntu (but probably too slow), linux mint lxde http://blog.linuxmint.com/?p=1937 , lubuntu.
There are a bunch of distros of Linux http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_Linux_distributions#Live_media http://distrowatch.com/ What I do is to down load a distro , as an iso file , burn it to a disk , and run it as a live cd , or dvd . That way I see if I like it , and it will work with my hard ware . I am using mint Linux as I post this http://distrowatch.com/table.php?distribution=mint I also like http://distrowatch.com/table.php?distribution=dreamstudio http://distrowatch.com/table.php?distribution=superos the 3 are Debian/Ubuntu distros . As a live cd it runs from the cd/dvd drive , it will only be installed if you install it . desert rat
you will need to test it in the live mode anyway (the non-install). it can be dvd or cd, if the file is the right size, i can verify lubuntu and xubuntu are cd size.
If you have a dvd drive then you can run a dvd or cd as a live cd/dvd , set your computer to boot from the cd/dvd drive first then the hard drive . You need a cd/dvd burner to make your own disks . As a first time Linux user use the stable distros , avoid a beta version . Most of the Umbutu based distros will let you down load more soft ware once you get it online . http://distrowatch.com/table.php?distribution=xubuntu http://distrowatch.com/table.php?distribution=lubuntu If you have problems , most distros have there own forums. desert rat
For a machine of that vintage, I'd recommend XUbuntu. It uses the Xfce4 window manager, which is relatively light on resources -- plain Ubuntu uses Gnome, which is a hog. Avoid the Red Hat derivatives like Fedora, CentOS, and so on because they're a bit too challenging for the inexperienced user and aren't nearly as stable as they ought to be. Upgrade breakage is a real pain in the ass and far too frequent with RH and its derivatives. What do you actually do with your computer, aside from the obvious web browsing? Do you play games on it (and if so which ones)? Do you need office applications? Are there any applications you're using now that you absolutely cannot be without? Are there any web sites you need to use whose functionality depends upon Microsoft's proprietary offerings? (For me, the rub is Netflix which requires Microsoft Silverlight and won't run in the open source Moonlight -- so I installed VMware and then put Windows into it. It works fine for Netflix, wouldn't be so great for something like WoW. Hulu Desktop for Linux works just fine... but I hate commercials so rarely use it.) As much as I love getting users away from Microsoft and into open source, it would suck to go through all of that effort only to find that you have no choice but to go back to Windows. That's why the question about what you actually do with the thing is vitally important.
Did you get it running? Puppy might be too little for you. It's full featured, but jeebus, it runs fine on my pent II thinkpad. One thing about linux is that it's rock solid when you get it going, but upgrading will be a mofo. I use ubuntu and always promote it as linux for your grandmother, but really.... It's supposed to upgrade seamlessly, similar to osX, to the nexte version number. Well, I got around to upgrading, and now my account logs in, but stays on the login screen, won't even enter a console. For granny, this would be time to buy a new computer..... So be prepared to have to learn some skills to use linux. Thankfully, my root accout works, so I'll be able to copy my home folder and just make a new account, and keep on truckin', once I find a disk to do so with. Put some thought into installation-I reccommend NOT encrypting your home directory, and further, putting it on it's own partition or disk-this way if your system is toasted, it's a lot easier to save your files, and if you're careful to NOT format it, you can even just install linux again, and point it at your home partition, and things will be pretty seamless.
That's probably an easy fix. If you're using a display manager (the critter that presents the graphical login screen) that offers you a choice of session, select Default. Or login as root, figure out which session manager is in use, and then login as your normal user with that session manager selected. Ubuntu pisses me off with their presumptuousness. They know what's best for you and fuck you if you don't like it. That's just no way to be.
None of the login options work, even the console. Once I login as root I can open a terminal and su my account just fine. And if I try to login mine, it does show on the graphical user switch menu that I'm logged in, I just can't do anything about it. Aside from screwing up my account, I was impressed with the most recent release having KDE. Now part of the idea of ubuntu is just going, being slick, and making a trade of some options for JUST working. But K is a nice option, and it should make some windows folk more comfortable, they've basically turned the default login into something ipaddy with unity, k is very windowsy (only better) and the original gnome setup isn't even included, you must use apt to install "gnome-panel" for that option to show up.
