I aspire to be Linux Newbie. So, I will pay close attention. I downloaded a Mint distro,and I bought an Ubuntu CD from ebay. I think I`ll try Ubuntu. I want to find out how. I have several Dell Pc`s that had XP and also one with custom Intel,that I use in a home business. I also a Macs with Snow Leopard and Leopard. These are keepers. I intend to trash all the XP OS`s. I intend to load Ubuntu into one of these computers,and take myself into a learning curve. I search for the how? How can I load Ubuntu into a Dell that I have erased hard drive? I`m open to mentoring.
If you haven't erased your hard drive yet, start out by booting to the CD for what is called "Live Linux". It isn't terribly useful (none of the changes you make can be saved), but it will give you a basic idea of how Linux will run on the computer. In order to temporarily boot to the CD, reboot the computer and, when the Dell logo appears, press F12 several times. Then play.
If you HAVE erased the hard drive, then you have less wiggle room for testing. Just follow the installation instructions.
Do note that not all your hardware will work; I have found out the hard way that the wifi hardware that Dell uses tends to be Linux unfriendly (I have noted that it is becoming increasingly common on Ebay to bundle a USB wifi receiver that works with Linux with Linux distros).
Keep any data on an external drive, at least at the beginning, so that you have the easy option of chucking the whole thing and restarting from ground zero. I do recommend getting all the hardware working before doing anything serious, as I have also learned (the hard way) that a hardware solution that doesn't work can freeze the machine, and it can be much easier to start again from scratch than to fix the freeze.
You also might consider getting a good beginner's book on Linux out of your public library. The latest version of The Linux Bible is kind of a beginner's course in Linux (including quizzes and homework).
Bart
| Reply via web post | Reply to sender | Reply to group | Start a New Topic | Messages in this topic (35) |
No comments:
Post a Comment