I'm New To Ubuntu

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steve181

68 posts

Master Geek

# 106313 21-Jul-2012 20:13

I've had a look at Ubuntu 12.04 LTS - the newest version & it looks really nice.

I'm keen to try it out on my old laptop that is running XP 32bit. It's 1.80GHz & 1GB ram.

I'd like to do a clean install i.e. remove XP. How well will it run on my system? Will it run smoother than XP? Generally speaking is it a better O/S compared with XP?

The process seems pretty straight forward, is it just a case of downloading & burning to DVD as an image, changing boot order in BIOS to to make CD drive #1 then follow the instructions from then on in?

I doubt my laptops manufacturer has Ubuntu drivers available so how do I go about getting sound, wifi etc enabled?

I wont need to install anti-virus software right?

Having a Windows only background what will the experience be like for me? Will Ubuntu 12.04 LTS be pretty intuitive?

Cheers

KevinL

656 posts

Ultimate Geek

Trusted

# 659694 21-Jul-2012 20:33

steve181: I've had a look at Ubuntu 12.04 LTS - the newest version & it looks really nice.

I'm keen to try it out on my old laptop that is running XP 32bit. It's 1.80GHz & 1GB ram.

I'd like to do a clean install i.e. remove XP. How well will it run on my system? Will it run smoother than XP? Generally speaking is it a better O/S compared with XP?

The process seems pretty straight forward, is it just a case of downloading & burning to DVD as an image, changing boot order in BIOS to to make CD drive #1 then follow the instructions from then on in?

I doubt my laptops manufacturer has Ubuntu drivers available so how do I go about getting sound, wifi etc enabled?

I wont need to install anti-virus software right?

Having a Windows only background what will the experience be like for me? Will Ubuntu 12.04 LTS be pretty intuitive?

Cheers

It will most likely be awesome. Better is always subjective, but you will probably find it is more stable and pretty usable on older hardware (depending on the distribution). The downside is that some 3rd party software (most notably games) aren't available on Linux - although in most cases there's an open source equivalent.

Make sure you burn the CD as a bootable image. You can also run Ubuntu directly off the CD if you want to give it a spin prior to installing.

Drivers are handled differently in linux - as a general rule you shouldn't need to install any additional drivers. Sometimes you need to install packages to support certain hardware (notably video cards and network cards) if there isn't open source support.

Linux Mint is a good option if you're coming from a windows background. If you've used DOS in the past, the command line isn't too difficult to pick up. The best thing I've always found about linux is that if you have a problem, invariably someone else in the world has already had the same issue, and you'll find it on the ubuntu forums.

KevinL

656 posts

Ultimate Geek

Trusted

# 659697 21-Jul-2012 20:38

Also, it's fairly useful to have /home on a separate partition in the event you want to reinstall/upgrade/change distributions.

steve181

68 posts

Master Geek

# 659701 21-Jul-2012 21:02

Thanks Kevin.

The laptop is not my primary PC, it's more or less redundant so will make a good test subject. I use it mainly for web browsing & viewing video/images so gaming isn't a factor for me.

Linux Mint looks interesting.

Whatever Linux version I install my dream list is;

-Eye candy - but not to the point where it slows my laptop down more than what XP would.
-Ease of use, I don't want to split an atom.

I assumed Ubuntu 12.04 LTS would be best suited to me, I can see what you mean about Linux Mint , it does look a bit more like Windows but to me thats not that important. Given I don't need to rely on my laptop I'm after something fun as well & that's what Ubuntu 12.04 LTS looks more like to me?

KevinL

656 posts

Ultimate Geek

Trusted

# 659714 21-Jul-2012 21:44

steve181: Thanks Kevin.

The laptop is not my primary PC, it's more or less redundant so will make a good test subject. I use it mainly for web browsing & viewing video/images so gaming isn't a factor for me.

Linux Mint looks interesting.

Whatever Linux version I install my dream list is;

-Eye candy - but not to the point where it slows my laptop down more than what XP would.
-Ease of use, I don't want to split an atom.

I assumed Ubuntu 12.04 LTS would be best suited to me, I can see what you mean about Linux Mint , it does look a bit more like Windows but to me thats not that important. Given I don't need to rely on my laptop I'm after something fun as well & that's what Ubuntu 12.04 LTS looks more like to me?

My basic understanding is that the main issue with Ubuntu is they have become very strict on the open source requirements for the distribution. They have also made some UI decisions (e.g. Unity) that aren't universally popular in the community. Linux Mint started as a response to this and is based on Ubuntu, but notably has proprietary drivers, allows full multimedia support (including MP3/DVD/Flash) out of the box and has a choice in terms of desktop manager (I'd go for Cinnamon).

At the end of the day, it's up to the individual user - remember, you can run either off the CD initially to see what you thing.

sidefx

3321 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

# 659742 21-Jul-2012 23:22

I have Ubuntu 12.04 running on a very similar specc'd laptop and it runs like a charm. always amazes me how quick it boots up compared to XP.

It's very easy to add the proprietary drivers\codes\etc to Ubuntu. Didn't the Debian\Linux purists used say that Ubuntu was too relaxed about allowing proprietary code into the distro? Can't say I've tried mint, but I really like Ubuntu.

ArcticSilver

681 posts

Ultimate Geek

# 659771 22-Jul-2012 03:24

KevinL:
steve181: Thanks Kevin.

The laptop is not my primary PC, it's more or less redundant so will make a good test subject. I use it mainly for web browsing & viewing video/images so gaming isn't a factor for me.

Linux Mint looks interesting.

Whatever Linux version I install my dream list is;

-Eye candy - but not to the point where it slows my laptop down more than what XP would.
-Ease of use, I don't want to split an atom.

I assumed Ubuntu 12.04 LTS would be best suited to me, I can see what you mean about Linux Mint , it does look a bit more like Windows but to me thats not that important. Given I don't need to rely on my laptop I'm after something fun as well & that's what Ubuntu 12.04 LTS looks more like to me?

My basic understanding is that the main issue with Ubuntu is they have become very strict on the open source requirements for the distribution. They have also made some UI decisions (e.g. Unity) that aren't universally popular in the community. Linux Mint started as a response to this and is based on Ubuntu, but notably has proprietary drivers, allows full multimedia support (including MP3/DVD/Flash) out of the box and has a choice in terms of desktop manager (I'd go for Cinnamon).

At the end of the day, it's up to the individual user - remember, you can run either off the CD initially to see what you thing.

Just to add to this:

Ubuntu does include an easy installer for some proprietary drivers.

Though Unity may not be as "popular", it is to me better in quite a few ways. It's very easy to come from the windows way of doing things (start menu etc) and not adjust. Unity is very simple but powerful once you get into it, I really like it.

Wilko

48 posts

Geek

# 659973 22-Jul-2012 17:25

I use Ubuntu 12.4 LTS on my netbook, and am really impressed with it compared to XP which was installed when purchased. It boots faster and is livelier to use.
I also have a really old Duron 850 that used to run Windows 95. I have replaced that with Lubuntu, which has a different user interface to Ubuntu, but has a much lighter footprint and makes the computer reasonably useful. There were no driver problems with it - the wireless dongle even works flawlessly. I really only use that computer for the grandchildren when they visit!

UrbanMyth

121 posts

Master Geek

# 662238 26-Jul-2012 11:00

KevinL: Also, it's fairly useful to have /home on a separate partition in the event you want to reinstall/upgrade/change distributions.

I would say this is almost an essential. On the harddrive I currently use; I started with Gentoo, tried Ubuntu and Arch; before finally deciding on Debian. Through all these distro changes, I have kept the same /home partition with all my docs and media :)

rocky289

32 posts

Geek

# 662734 27-Jul-2012 08:23

Have just attempted to install Lubuntu alongside xp on a old pentium 3.
Appears to install but dosent complete & set up the grub bootloader.
Have tryed several times with the same result.

gzt

10909 posts

Uber Geek

# 662748 27-Jul-2012 09:11

rocky289: Have just attempted to install Lubuntu alongside xp on a old pentium 3. Appears to install but dosent complete & set up the grub bootloader. Have tryed several times with the same result.

It would be usual to start a new topic for your question. This topic is focused on known running installations. Your question could take a lot of troubleshooting. See if the Live CD boots ok and begin a new topic with the same question.

rocky289

32 posts

Geek

# 662775 27-Jul-2012 09:43

Sorry if I posted incorectly.

I will retry with the alternate installation.
I found a reference on another forum that it works better for low ram systems.
If I are still having problems, I will start a new thread

foamfollower

152 posts

Master Geek

# 667403 4-Aug-2012 11:53

If you like the eye candy, have a look at http://zorin-os.com

I have installed it on several Windows refugees' machines and it goes very well. All of the advantages of Ubuntu with a Windows feel.