Don't want Vista. Want to try Linux but discouraged by tech jargon. Help!!

[niania]

Hi

I'm awaiting my new (refurbished) laptop, Dell XPS M1210. Alas, it comes with Vista and from what I hear the 1gb memory is not enough to get it working smoothly. If it came with XP, I'd probably be OK, but this thing about Vista puts me off.

I'm NOT computer literate compared to most people here. Hence, the challenge is: If you can convert me you can convert ANYONE (well..almost)

Just to name a few of my deficiencies, I DON'T know:
1) How to partition a drive
2) How to boot from a cd
3) What the difference is between NTFS (??) and FAT32 (??), and do they matter
4) What is Ubuntu, is it a Linux distribution (I guess this is what a 'distro' means?)

I've heard that you can run two operating systems in one computer (it's like...magic!). I may need to do that because I'm afraid to let go of my Windows dependency (especially the beloved SAS program that I use daily in my work). But I need a really dumbed down version of the instructions.

I don't know where to begin. I believe in learning by doing AND reading, so please tell me
1) Is there a book/online guide I can read to get started
2) Which software should I download (I have a fast internet connection, so not worried about file size)

Most importantly, imagine explaining this to your sister - a master of Word, Excel, Picasa etc but shivers at the sight of a DOS prompt.

Thank you

Nia

[techieMoe]

1) How to partition a drive

Most distributions will do this for you. It's part of the install process. If they don't, there's a tutorial somewhere that can show you how. Let us know what distribution you want to try and we can steer you in the right direction.

2) How to boot from a cd

You may not need to do anything: just insert the CD and reboot your computer. If it's not set up to boot from the CD, you'll need to set that option in your BIOS. It's easier than it sounds. Usually all you need to do is hit F8 or DELETE when you hear your computer beep (right after you turn it on) and it will bring up a menu of options.

Look for something called "boot order" or something similar. Change the boot order so your CDROM drive gets booted from first. Save your changes, and try again.

3) What the difference is between NTFS (??) and FAT32 (??), and do they matter

They do matter. NTFS is the proprietary file system used by Windows NT, XP and Vista. It is readable from Linux but not usually writeable. FAT32 is used by Windows 95/98 and some kinds of USB thumb drives. It's readable and writable in Linux, MS Windows and Mac OS X.

4) What is Ubuntu, is it a Linux distribution (I guess this is what a 'distro' means?)

Yes, and yes.

I've heard that you can run two operating systems in one computer (it's like...magic!). I may need to do that because I'm afraid to let go of my Windows dependency (especially the beloved SAS program that I use daily in my work).

No problem. The arrangement you're talking about is known as a "dual-boot" system. It can be done, and it doesn't necessarily have to be difficult.

I don't know where to begin. I believe in learning by doing AND reading, so please tell me

I'd recommend you start reading here:

http://www.linuxforums.org/forum/lin...ead-first.html

We've compiled a list of threads and articles that answer many of the common questions new users have. If you need clarification on any of them, feel free to post here and we'll do our best to help you out.

Welcome to the forums.

[Thrillhouse]

Hi

I'm awaiting my new (refurbished) laptop, Dell XPS M1210. Alas, it comes with Vista and from what I hear the 1gb memory is not enough to get it working smoothly. If it came with XP, I'd probably be OK, but this thing about Vista puts me off.

I'm NOT computer literate compared to most people here. Hence, the challenge is: If you can convert me you can convert ANYONE (well..almost)

Just to name a few of my deficiencies, I DON'T know:
1) How to partition a drive

You can download the GParted Live CD to manage your partitions. Burn the file as an image, put it in your CD-ROM and restart your computer. It will boot the live CD and you can delete/shrink/expand your partitions from there. Even if you don't know much about partitions or file systems, it's fairly straightforward and very intuitive. It will give you a graphical representation of how your hard disk is organized and you can choose which partitions to shrink to make room for your Linux install.

2) How to boot from a cd

Your BIOS will probably be set to automatically boot from the CD-ROM so if you download a distribution and burn it to a disc as an image, then put it in your computer and reboot, you can begin the install process.

3) What the difference is between NTFS (??) and FAT32 (??), and do they matter

Those are two different file system types. They are both common for Windows. When you use the GParted Live CD you'll probably see a good portion (or all) of your hard drive dedicated to one of those two. Linux can use many different types of file systems but the two most common are ext2 and ext3 which are variations on each other. Don't worry, though. You don't have to set up which file system type to use, the installer will probably do that for you automatically (depending on which distribution you choose).

4) What is Ubuntu, is it a Linux distribution (I guess this is what a 'distro' means?)

Yes, it is a Linux distribution. In fact, it's one of the most popular distributions. You probably wouldn't go wrong by choosing that one to try first. It has a huge user community so any time you run in to a problem, you can probably solve it with a Google search.

I've heard that you can run two operating systems in one computer (it's like...magic!). I may need to do that because I'm afraid to let go of my Windows dependency (especially the beloved SAS program that I use daily in my work).

It's a good idea, especially as a new Linux user, to keep your Windows partition around for whenever you absolutely need to do something and you can't figure it out on Linux. It's not hard to set up. In fact, most installers will do it for you automatically if you create some free space to install Linux to. Hopefully, you'll learn and be comfortable enough to know how to do everything in Linux that you did in Windows and then you can do away completely with your Windows partition but let's take one step at a time.

Unfortunately, SAS is only available for Windows so you might have to keep it around anyways even if it's only for that program. There are "SAS-like" programs for Linux including R but I've used both and I can tell you that SAS is much more powerful.

I don't know where to begin. I believe in learning by doing AND reading, so please tell me
1) Is there a book/online guide I can read to get started
2) Which software should I download (I have a fast internet connection, so not worried about file size)

A book is not necessary but if you like having something in front of you while you're doing things, like I do, it might be helpful. However, you can find out pretty much anything you need to know by Googling with the correct keywords.

If you're going to use Ubuntu, try googling "ubuntu beginner's guide" and take a look at the first few hits. Try the same with any other distribution you might try.

Good luck to you and let us know if you run into any problems.

EDIT: I figured someone would get in there before I did with all the writing I was doing.

[Nabaachy]

Hi,
Well said there. When i started off with linux, i also thought it would be very difficult to install and configure. But when i booted to the installations, it was easier and straight forward than i thought, and most of them have GUI unless u dont want it. In addition linux is much more customizable than windows, like choosing different kinds of desktops...etc. So, i guess theres no need to worry about being new linux. Im sure you will enjoy it, once you use it.
Good Luck!

[hazel]

When people ask about books, I always recommend the one I learned Linux from. It's called "Running Linux" and it's published by O'Reilly. It's a slim little volume, not a great big Linux bible, but I found it very useful and easy to understand, and it has the further advantage of being independent of any particular distribution.

[oz]

When people ask about books, I always recommend the one I learned Linux from. It's called "Running Linux" and it's published by O'Reilly. It's a slim little volume, not a great big Linux bible, but I found it very useful and easy to understand, and it has the further advantage of being independent of any particular distribution.

That's definitely one of the all-time favorites among Linux users.