Totally new for me

Sure! If you're familiar with the window installer, it's pretty simple,
not as simple, but still easy. Just format the old partition to NTFS as
the installer would request and then you're back to your comfort zone.
Although if there is anything you don't like, you can change it anyway.
Such is the beauty FOSS. So feel free to open a thread if you have any
questions during or post install.

Heidi wrote:
> New question #12330 on Ubuntu:
> https://answers.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+question/12330
>
> I Just downloaded Unbuntu 7.04. Never did it before and I want to know, if I don't like it, can I get rid of this partition and format it back for Windows?
> I have a Dell PC - Dimension 8400. Will I have problems with drivers and my Comcast modem? Please help. I want to do it tonight.
>
>

Thanks, Bryan,
I am scared like anything, but I want to see what this is all about and my
daughter has an older system. If I like it, and once I know what I am
doing, I'll install it by her and she doesn't have to purchase a new PC.
She can't get any higher than Windows 98 right now. I figured Linux would
be the solution. Thanks for your answer!!
So long, Heidi
____________________
http://www.thelotters.net

On Monday, August 27, 2007 8:12 PM, Bryan Haskins
<email address hidden> wrote:

> Your question #12330 on Ubuntu changed:
> https://answers.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+question/12330
>
> Status: Open => Answered
>
> Bryan Haskins proposed the following answer:
> Sure! If you're familiar with the window installer, it's pretty
> simple,
> not as simple, but still easy. Just format the old partition to NTFS
> as
> the installer would request and then you're back to your comfort zone.
> Although if there is anything you don't like, you can change it
> anyway.
> Such is the beauty FOSS. So feel free to open a thread if you have any
> questions during or post install.
>
> Heidi wrote:
>> New question #12330 on Ubuntu:
>> https://answers.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+question/12330
>>
>> I Just downloaded Unbuntu 7.04. Never did it before and I want to
>> know, if I don't like it, can I get rid of this partition and format
>> it back for Windows? I have a Dell PC - Dimension 8400. Will I have
>> problems with drivers and my Comcast modem? Please help. I want to
>> do it tonight.

Thanks Jim Hutchinson, that solved my question.

Thanks guys! I am going to do it! What can I loose? I know how to re-install Windows and if I love Unbunto, I may just stick with it and my daugher too.

For what it's worth, my whole family now uses ubuntu including my mom and dad, wife and elementary aged kids (actually my brother isn't there yet but he doesn't use a computer much). Once it's set up the users (i.e. the kids, wife, parents) usually don't have any issues. They just want to "do" something and often it doesn't matter what they use to do it. For the admin (i.e. the one setting up and installing) it can be a bit more of a chore. Ubuntu is pretty easy to use but sometimes you have hardware that is less friendly with Linux and it takes some extra effort. From now on, when you buy peripherals, make sure you do a bit of research ahead of time to make sure it's Linux friendly (Like an HP printer instead of Lexmark). When you are shopping be sure to mention you use Linux to the people working there. The more they hear it the more they will put pressure on their bosses to add support.

Anyway, just some food for thought. Welcome aboard. Feel free to return if you have other questions (although it's best to start a new thread each time).

Thanks, now you gave me a litttle hope again. I an frustrated the whole evening already. In PC World I read that, when you use Ubuntu, you can do it rightaway and it says that it will partition the HD and make room for itself. Now someone told me that I should do G-parted before I install it. I am giving up for tonight, but if I have a chance, I'll work on it tomorrow again. Thanks for all your help, Jim. I promise I won't give up. :-)

Actually, don't use gparted before installing. It's a wasted step and only confuses things. The installer program will do the partitioning for you. On step 4 of the install (assuming version 7.04) it asks where to install. Choose the option to resize (should be the first one) and the installer will shrink windows and create the needed partitions for Ubuntu. The use entire disk does just that (and goodbye windows) and the manual is for more experienced users. To just install to get a feel for it use the easy option. Back up your important windows files anyway - just in case. Human error is not that uncommon :-)

Oh, one hint. Defrag windows before installing Ubuntu or the partition can take a long time. It's not Ubuntu's fault - it's windows'. I read a review recently and they complained that the format took a long time. Wrong, it was the repartitioning and the fact that windows fragments itself all over the place.

See, I thought so. I did read it right. Thanks, Jim. Yes, I D/L 7.04 and even though I defrag once a month, I'll do it today before I install the new OS. I am not worried about my data, it's backed up daily, but I will follow your directions, because it's less work on the long run. If something bad happens, I have my notebook as a back-up it is almost identical with my PC. Wish me luck!

Good luck.

So far - so good.....I did it!! Utumbu 7.04 did it all for me. I was able to determine the size too. Now I got sound, but the microphone doesn't work. It doesn't see the printer and I don't even now if it has a program that creates Website like my Frontpage and does it have a ftp program? Soooo much stuff and so much to learn. I already installed Skype, (Found on my own) :-) I have sound, but can't speak. When it first boots up it still tells me that the video mode is wrong, but then it adjusts itself after a few seconds.

I would suggest starting a new question for each of those in order to get the best possible info. However, a few thoughts on some of them.

Printer setup is easy if you have a "supported" printer. I know HPs work very well. Lexmarks don't. Not sure about the rest. I'm at work (on windows) at the moment so I can't be 100% certain about the steps but open up the printer tool from system - admin and it is fairly straight forward.

In order to install apps that you want, open up the add/remove tool under apps and install whatever you like. That doesn't list all the apps. Just the more common ones. Open up Synaptic from system - admin and you can search for 1000s of apps. You may need to enable the universe repository (I think there is a menu for that) to get the most.

For web design check out nvu. There is also something called bluefish or something like that. There actually isn't anything really good like Dreamweaver (never liked frontpage) in Linux yet but auto development via tools like wordpress or druple (?) are becoming more common so ground up web design may be less common in the future.

For FTP there are several. I like gftp (install via add/remove).

Not sure about skype as I've never messed with it much. How did you install it? If you downloaded it vs. using synaptic that might account for less than perfect install. Otherwise I really don't know about that.

I will start a new question the next time and thanks for all your help, once again. I am really excited about this. :-)

Jim, I almost forgot. Skype has a Linux version. Insatllation no problem. D/L and install - done. :-)

Generally speaking, d/l and install is not the preferred method of installing apps in Linux. Ubuntu has a set of maintained "repositories" that contain a large number of apps you can select and install. This is best because they are designed to work with Ubuntu specifically and they are securely maintained. Of course, not ALL apps are contained in the Ubuntu repos. Some apps are not maintained due to license restrictions. For these, others often set up repos. There is less of a guarantee of compatibility with these and some could pose a security risk so you should be wary about adding unknown repos. However, many are well maintained and you will see that many people use them. One such repo is medibuntu. In addition to DVD stuff it also has the skype program. Your install may be fine but this would be a somewhat more preferred method. I actually did a little how to for the DVD and music stuff and it includes info on adding the medibuntu repo. Check it out if you want.

http://nococomp.com/?p=18

Heidi,

I'm fairly new to GNU/Linux myself. The first distribution that I tried for an entire week was Linspire, which quite literally is "the world's easiest desktop Linux." I have an 80Gb harddrive and a 40Gb harddrive, the 80 being brand new and dropped in as my slave (at the time) to replace a 40Gb slave that died. At the time I wasn't entirely sure whether or not I wanted to keep Linux (having never used it before and unsure of what to expect), so foolish me installed Linspire to the 80 and kept XP on the 40. Then, I decided that I wanted to switch the harddrives and make the 80 my master with XP on (as I still was uncertain about Linux) and the 40 my slave with Linux on.

Linspire will copy over the entire harddrive without a problem (and most GNU/Linux distros for that matter), but Windows tends to be stupid and when I tried formatting and installing to the 80, it kept giving me error messages. I phoned a local PC guy whom I deal with frequently and explained my situation. He offered me a couple options, the first of which I had done twice before having contacted him and received no result. One of the others was to run a Windows boot disk and run the fdisk command, then try the XP installation. No luck.

I talked to a guy I work with who used to work in the computer industry and he suggested a low level wipe. After poking around, I found that that wasn't the best idea, but came across something else (for which I can no longer remember the term). Anyway, it pointed me toward something called "Darik's Boot and Nuke," which will pass your entire harddrive thrice, first writing 0s in every sector, then 1s, then something else. Then it wipes it completely. After having run this, XP installed without a single problem. I think the problem was that XP, being not very smart, couldn't recognize the file system used by Linspire (ReiserFS). I do not know if this problem occurs with the typical file system of other GNU/Linux distros (Ext2/Ext3).

When installed, Linspire recognizes and posts the harddrive for XP, indicating that it is the primary harddrive. If I want, I can copy certain files from that harddrive onto the Linspire harddrive (such as music), but I cannot edit or add a single file to it. XP, proving how good *cough* inferior *cough* it is, doesn't recognize the harddrive for Linspire and only shows the single harddrive it is on in "My Computer".

After that first week, I downloaded and installed a couple other distros to try, such as Fedora 7 and Kubuntu 7.04. The thing I liked about Fedora (which Ubuntu has) is that you can change the login screen so that it displays the individual user profiles. With Kubuntu you can't. You're stuck with the plain boring text look (if I am wrong and someone knows how to change this, please let me know - I like a list of user profiles being displayed that you can simply click on rather than having to enter their name). The thing I didn't like about Fedora was that the installing of packages was too slow. I have had Kubuntu installed for over a month now (the only problem I've had was with the sound card not being picked up properly, but I believe that has since been solved) and I don't even notice the difference between having run Windows for so long and running this. It has been a seamless integration for me. My only complaints are that none of the distros I have tried support my webcam (Logitech QuickCam Messenger 8.4.8), and DigiKam recognizes my digital camera but doesn't download anything from it. Other than that, for all my typical usages, 90% of them Linux provides me with at equal or greater quality - word processing, graphic creation and manipulation, etc. Because of this, I am seriously considering getting rid of XP entirely and running nothing but GNU/Linux. If I was still a big gamer, I might have a complaint about the lack of games I am able to play. However, I find the Linux games reminiscent of the games that we had for the Commodore 64 (but with current graphics). These games are fun, child and family oriented, and very addicting. They're not like the twisted, psychopathic games that are currently being developed for the PC and game consoles. I miss the old games such as Boulder Dash, Bubble Bobble, Spy Hunter, etc. Those were cool games!

Anyway, if you happen to install a Linux distro over Windows and then decide that it's not to your flavour (hey, that's some people's choice) and want to reinstall Windows, if you are having any problems installing Windows, have someone download "Darik's Boot and Nuke" and burn it to a CD for you. Then, boot from the CD. Once it is done, you'll be able to install Windows effortlessly again. Perhaps Windows doesn't have a problem taking over an entire harddrive from the Ext3 file system. I don't know. But it did with the ReiserFS file system. Beyond that, as someone suggested above, simply use the LiveCDs to test out various versions. It might be that you find one that you really enjoy. :o)

Timothy,
WOW....great. I thank you for your explanation!:-) I ended up formatting the
HD abd re-installing Windows XP. My daughter is bringing over her PC today. It
needs a major overhaul and before I go out and puchase more memory and such, I
will install Ubuntu. If I have no problems, I may just leave it in for her and
she can use it until she gets a new PC.
I will take you advise and download "Darik's Boot and Nuke."
Since I had two partitions after my ordeal, I re-installed Windows XP on the one
after a good format and then, before I installed any other software, I installed
Partition Magic and merged all the partitions.
Then I removed Partition Magic, cleaned up the mess, defragged, and started to
re-instll my software.
I can't wait to try out Ubunto out on my daughter's HP Compaq. It only has 65
megs of Ram. Yeitz! :-)
Anyway...thank you so much...all of you guys have been a great help. Happy
Labor Day! Get out and party now...ok? :-)