Newbie needs a recommendation

by Joe3Eagles Dec 23, 2005 10:03AM PST

I have a Windows XP laptop and an Ubuntu 5.04 desktop. I want to eventually migrate to Linux on the laptop. My problem is that since Linux is relatively newbie unfriendly, I don't want to simply dump XP and install Linux on the present laptop yet. Can anybody recommend a cheap, but good laptop that comes without a pre-installed OS? I can then install Ubuntu, or whatever, on it and wean myself from Windows a little less painfully. It should be 802.11b/g-capable. My Ubuntu desktop doesn't seem to get along with my MS wireless USB adapter to access the wireless router/gateway. (But it DID work when it had XP on it!) Also, any recommendations on Linux tutorials that are not bare-bones basic? (I know what ls does!) Oops, looks like this evolved into three problems! I'd better shut up now. Thanks!

Discussion is locked

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That's the opposite approach.

by r. proffitt Forum moderator Dec 23, 2005 11:21AM PST

" It should be 802.11b/g-capable. "

Try the other method. Look for your 802.11b/g to be compatible with your selected Linux distro.

Bob

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Re: That's the opposite approach

by Joe3Eagles Dec 23, 2005 3:40PM PST

Okay, I'll buy that. So I guess I should modify my question to: Are there laptops that come equipped with 802.11b/g that will work with, say Ubuntu 5.04, or whatever flavor, that are not pre-installed with an OS? The reason I keep mentioning the non-pre-installed OS is that it tends to make the computer less expensive if you're not paying for Windows in the bundle.

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Cheap

by jbndhs Dec 23, 2005 4:07PM PST

Try Ebay. I just looked and saw a lot for $200.00.

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It's cheap and not a factor in the price.

by r. proffitt Forum moderator Dec 23, 2005 10:07PM PST

A mainstream laptop with windows will be less dollars than some other laptop without windows. You can pound sand all day why the higher volumes drown out the difference.

Bob

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I wish someone told me when I started

by carolina1 Jan 13, 2006 11:40PM PST

to go out and buy an external hard drive and install linux on that drive and switch the bootup to USB.

I was so made at microsoft that I just started by wiping out the drive. Putting it on the external allows you to wipe it out, destroy it , trash it, change it...without any effect on your day to day buisness. Then after you select your distro (you should try many) then you can tackle the more difficult dual boot tasks etc..., but external hard drives let you do it on your schedule without fear of messing up you current system.

I bought the casing for $19 and used a hard drive that MS said had a defective boot sector and I'm still using it 1 year later with no problems.

I would also try a minimalist version the first time, just to become aware of where and how things work in a less cluttered atmosphere and then if you want to install a more complete system at a later date, and you can easily do that. After all, the truth about Linux and MS systems is that Joe Average Guy rarely uses the majority of options and they create clutter.

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Dual boot

by Ixthusdan Jan 14, 2006 5:35AM PST

I have an Acer Aspire 3000 laptop that came with XPPro. I simply created 2 more partitions on the 80G hard drive (one for a fat32 partition and one to be swithched to the necessary linux partitions), installed Mandriva along with a boot loader, and use the system. The trick to an xp laptop is to utilize the windows tools first in setting up the needed partitions. After that, windows does not protest the "missing" space after installing your favorite distro.
If you use the linux installer to do this, you run the risk of botching windows. It cannot adjust well. So allow it to adjust itself. The no problems.

Wireless adapters work fine with ndiswrapper and the windows driver. So if your wireless device manufacturer has not been cooperative with open source, use ndiswrapper. Most distros have it.

Newbie needs a recommendation

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