Basics, Backups, Installing Ubuntu

[argentian]

Hi--I am a total newbie, interested in istalling ubuntu. I have been flubbing around, trying to create backup files, so I can partition, and then install. I haven't even got that far, and to be honest, am feeling pretty overwhelmed by all the different info I've come across.
I am a smarter than average cookie, by most reports, but really--seems like most of the info I come across assumes a familiarity with technical terms or ideas, that I simply do not have.
I first need a simple , FREE program that will create a .zip backup file of all my vitals--anyone?? Have tried Comodo, Areca, and one other, and ended up hours later, frustrated to the point of tears.
Then there's the rest....:S
I want to do this , without having to learn another language(or three!)--is it actually possible?
I am thinking I might need someone to take me though it, step by step.I am a busy single mum, working for myself, and my computer is VITAL, so I can't afford hhours and hours of stuffing around, OR for my system to be unusable, or expensive fix-ups afterward.
Should I just stop now?? Help.
Thanks in advance.

[techieMoe]

I first need a simple , FREE program that will create a .zip backup file of all my vitals--anyone?? Have tried Comodo, Areca, and one other, and ended up hours later, frustrated to the point of tears.

I assume you're using Microsoft Windows of some sort and you're looking for something you can use to make ZIP archives of your important files? WinZip has a free trial that lets you create ZIP files for 30 days, as well as WinRAR (my personal favorite). I also did a Google search for "freeware Windows zip tool" and came up with a couple of sites:

http://www.hsinlin.com/software/zip_utils.html
http://www.tnpsc.com/ssaver/easyzip111.htm

Then there's the rest....:S
I want to do this , without having to learn another language(or three!)--is it actually possible?

I'm not sure what you mean. All Linux distributions come with support for a variety of different native languages. Or do you mean computer languages? You do not have to be able to write programming code in order to use Ubuntu.

I am thinking I might need someone to take me though it, step by step.I am a busy single mum, working for myself, and my computer is VITAL, so I can't afford hhours and hours of stuffing around, OR for my system to be unusable, or expensive fix-ups afterward.
Should I just stop now?? Help.
Thanks in advance.

For a step-by-step guide, I'd recommend some of these Ubuntu guides:

http://linuxhelp.blogspot.com/2006/0...tu-dapper.html
http://enterprise.linux.com/article..../07/05/1533204
http://ubuntuguide.org/wiki/Ubuntu_Edgy

[tech_man]

7-Zip all the way! And if you need software to burn the disk image try out Infra Recorder. Both excellent pieces of software are 100% free and open source.