Switch from Windows to Linux?!

Rollerr · 11-01-2006, 06:18 PM

Ever since the world has been going 'Vista-crazy' I've been thinking of going alternative. Linux. From what I have read, Linux is to OS what Firefox is to browser. Stable, safe and secure.

Coming from a 'newbie' at the technical aspects of different OSs, I am asking all Linux gurus

here on TSF:

1. is it easy to switch?
2. I read a bit about ubuntu linux - seems 'out of the box' ready. Is that right?
3. Tips, tricks, ideas on switching or not and if switching, best way forward.

**K-B** · 11-02-2006, 04:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rollerr

1. is it easy to switch?

Sure. But you need to be determined, it is in some ways very different from Windows and be warned, there is a learning curve. But once you're over it, you'll be smoothly sailing along.

Quote:

2. I read a bit about ubuntu linux - seems 'out of the box' ready. Is that right?

To some extent, yes. You'll probably have to configure some devices.

Quote:

3. Tips, tricks, ideas on switching or not and if switching, best way forward.

Check out this article: Ubuntu-Windows transition It has some valuable info.

Also, check that your hardware will be supported. The Ubuntu wiki has a list of known supported hardware, and can be found here

Hope this answers some of your questions. I'd say download a Live CD and take it for a test drive. (with a Live CD, you don't need to install anything, and nothing changes on your PC)
Check out my post titled "My first steps with Windows XP" here in the Linux forum. It's funny.

**Bartender** · 11-02-2006, 07:02 AM

Roller -
Can you fill me in on a few things about your PC?

1. RAM
2. CPU
3. How you connect to the internet. Is it DSL, broadband, dial-up?
4. Peripheral devices (printer, scanner, etc.) that you have now and would like to connect to a Linux PC
5. Do you rely on Windows-specific software for your employment or other activity? If so please describe.

Are you comfortable changing settings in BIOS? I'd like to get a feel for your geek qualifications. There's what I call the unofficial Linux initiation rite, where you may have to edit a couple of files. Fstab comes to mind but there will probly be others. If you're able to follow some basic directions you'll get thru it.
If you have broadband and can get thru the initiation rite you'll be wondering why you didn't do it sooner.
If your PC has the RAM I second kbalona's suggestion to try a couple of LiveCD's. If Ubuntu hangs up partway thru the LiveCD, try another distro. I'd suggest PCLinuxOS.

Rollerr · 11-02-2006, 08:53 AM

Thank you kbalona and bartender for your responses.

Much appreciated.

For now, I have ordered the Ubuntu CD via Shipit. I did contemplate downloading the CD image, but decided to go the CD route for ease!!

My laptop details, as requested, as as follows.

Wondering how my geek qualifications shape up??

Code:

Computer:
Operating System Microsoft Windows XP Professional
OS Service Pack Service Pack 2
DirectX 4.09.00.0904 (DirectX 9.0c)

Motherboard:
CPU Type Mobile Intel Pentium M 715, 1500 MHz (15 x 100)
Motherboard Name Dell Latitude D505
Motherboard Chipset Intel Montara-GM+ i855GME
System Memory 512 MB (PC2700 DDR SDRAM)
BIOS Type Phoenix (06/28/04)
Communication Port Communications Port (COM1)
Communication Port ECP Printer Port (LPT1)

CPU Properties:
CPU Type Mobile Intel Pentium M 715
CPU Clock 1498.67 MHz (original: 1500 MHz)
CPU Multiplier 15.0x
CPU FSB 99.91 MHz (original: 100 MHz)
Memory Bus 166.52 MHz
L1 Code Cache 32 KB
L1 Data Cache 32 KB
L2 Cache 2 MB (On-Die, ATC, Full-Speed)

Chipset Properties:
Motherboard Chipset Intel Montara-GM+ i855GME
Memory Timings 2.5-3-3-7 (CL-RCD-RP-RAS)

SPD Memory Modules:
DIMM1: Micron Tech. 8VDDT3264HDG-335C3 256 MB PC2700 DDR SDRAM
(2.5-3-3-7 @ 166 MHz) (2.0-3-3-6 @ 133 MHz)
DIMM2: Micron Tech. 8VDDT3264HDG-335C3 256 MB PC2700 DDR SDRAM 
(2.5-3-3-7 @ 166 MHz) (2.0-3-3-6 @ 133 MHz)

BIOS Properties:
System BIOS Date 06/28/04
Video BIOS Date 02/03/20
DMI BIOS Version A06

Graphics Processor Properties:
Video Adapter Intel 82852GM(E)/82855GM(E) GMCH - Integrated Graphics Controller [A-2]
GPU Code Name Montara-GM (Integrated 8086 / 3582, Rev 02)

Peripherals:
Mouse: Logitech USB First/Pilot Mouse+
Printer: HP Deskjet 3740 Series
Scanner: Memorax MEM48U Flatbed USB powered scanner
Scanner: Shortly going for the ScanSnap S500 Instant PDF Sheet-Fed Scanner

Internet Connection:
Type: Cable
Speed: min 4mbps

I do rely on windows-specific software for work. But I get a laptop from work
for all work related stuff. So that would not be an issue. This Linux 'project' is
for my personal computer.

BIOS Settings: Thus far, in all honesty, I have not had occassion to look into
or change BIOS settings. However, I can follow instructions to the word and 
thus do not feel it overwhelming to consider changing the BIOS 
settings.

**Bartender** · 11-02-2006, 06:45 PM

Hope you're patient. Ship-it CD's often take about 5 weeks. Your laptop looks like a dandy candidate.
While you're waiting, it'd be a good idea to spend some time cruising the forums, looking for any posts regarding your printers, scanners, etc. Do a Search at Ubuntu Forums for your laptop to see if people have had problems with the wireless or video.
Are you thinking of doing a dual-boot or installing just Ubuntu?

Rollerr · 11-02-2006, 07:38 PM

There's no rush as of now. However, I've been known to not be able to sleep which is when I gravitate to the laptop and jump on the superhighway and 'do something'. I read on the forums that ShipIt CDs coming out of N. America (which should be where my CD should be coming out of) take about 2 weeks. But even so, 5 weeks is fine...at the moment!!

I had a run through the Ubuntu forums (

, now I can't find the specific page to link!!) which showed that Ubuntu on a similar laptop as mine, D505 did not recognise the WLAN/built in wireless card and a few steps had to be taken (winmodem?) work around this.

Initially I will dual boot. Sit on the fence for a bit. Make sure all is tickety-boo then give windows the boot!!

Thank you again bartender (are your drinks as good as your advice?) and kbalona.

Quote:

PS: Found that Ubuntu-Laptop page I mentioned above:

HardwareSupportMachinesLaptopsDell - Ubuntu Wiki

This is what it says:
Dell Latitude D505
Install?: Yes
Comments: Modem (Conexant D480 DMC V9.x) and Firewire not tested. For the WLAN (Broadcom Dell 1450 a/b/g) I've used NdisWrapper with windows driver. After it, adding "acpi=noapic" to grub, made ubuntu recognize WLAN and sound card.

**Bartender** · 11-03-2006, 07:30 AM

The username comes from my high school days, when I had the nickname "Bartender Bomber". It didn't derive from mixing drinks. See, I could hand-roll these big fat bomber... well, er, never mind.

OK, good job looking up some info on your laptop. Wireless can be a bit troublesome. Apparently it's pretty much automatic with the Intel chip but Broadcom and some others have created some hassles. I get the impression there are fixes for most that don't get too crazy-complicated. Don't know anything about ndiswrapper but have seen hundreds of posts so the path is well-trodden.

aysiu's website is a great place for tips on dual-booting, getting Linux to see your Windows partition, etc.
If you've got time on your hands you might want to download and burn a GParted LiveCD. I like this how-to it gives you an idea of what to expect. Download the latest GParted LiveCD version, burn to a CD. Getting the download and making the CD can all be done on a Windows PC. That's how I did it and it worked fine when I took the CD over to my Linux machine. With the GParted CD, you can partition a part of the hard drive for Linux before you get the Ship-it CD. That way you'll be ready.
This isn't necessary. It's optional. You can do partitioning chores from the Ubuntu CD as you're going thru the install. But I've found the GParted LiveCD to be a handy tool and it doesn't hurt to familiarize yourself with some parts of the process beforehand.

However you do the partitioning, beforehand or during the install, defrag the dickens out of the drive first. Run defrag several times. I've heard people say it's more effective if you defrag in Safe Mode and that made sense. You want to see that Windows data shoved over to the left (in the Windows defrag utility) as far as you can get it.
Oh, yeah, backup any important Windows data. You never know.

The quote you plugged in, where the poster said he had to add a line to grub...pretty sure that refers to finding your /boot/grub/menu.list, adding that line to it, then saving your changes. You would do well to research that a little bit too so that you feel more confident about it. Editing lines of text to make the computer do something differently is a bit of a strange concept to us Windows lifers!

Rollerr · 11-24-2006, 03:01 PM

Received the Ubuntu CDs from Canonical.
I know what I'll be doing this weekend!!!

**TheMatt** · 11-24-2006, 08:11 PM

Just one thing, you will have to manually install your wireless drivers or use ndiswrapper, as Ubuntu will most likely not have your drivers.

Setting up the dual boot will be easy, you will just have to install it from the live CD and it will set it up automatically. You will also have to install your video drivers if you want to do any sort of gaming or video watching.

BeastlyKings · 11-29-2006, 11:47 AM

I know that your questions have already been answered, but i just want to say that my main computer is XP but i am a happy owner of linux.
Yes the learning curve is kinda high and you can get frustrated but just remember almost ANY problem can be fixed with time and research.

In fact im wrighting this on my linux pc right now, its a 300Mhz PII,5Gb hard drive,154Mb RAM,running DSL-N and its chugging right along at a good speed for this slow computer.
and my WiFi card WORKS it took me a good amount of time but it works now.

floydfan · 11-29-2006, 08:05 PM

i find that linux isnt ideal for higher end hardware. my old system, which is a 1.3 p4 with 256mb of ram runs kubuntu really well, i even have a bunch of fancy gui options turned on. on my newer system however, its far from a cakewalk, theres no driver for my sound card as creative is a piece of #$^&, and my ati driver needed some persuading to work. that, and i foolishly installed 64 bit without doing research, and found out that linux is not like windows in 32 bit support, unless its made specifically for 64 bit linux, the program will not work at all, upsetting that they couldnt include a 32 bit kernel like they do for 64 bit windows.

**K-B** · 11-30-2006, 03:39 AM

Why would you install a 64 bit OS on a 32 bit system?

floydfan · 12-01-2006, 01:02 AM

a 64 bit os does not install on a 32 bit system... reading comprehension buddy, the 64 bit version of linux does not support programs that were not specifically written for 64 bit linux, so most 32 bit linux programs will not work. most 32 bit programs work for 64 bit windows cause theres two kernels running, hence i cant get the full speed of my processor, and have good software compatibility on linux...

**TheMatt** · 12-01-2006, 10:46 PM

Linux is very fast anyway if you use the right kernel. The ubuntu disrtos use the 386 kernel by default, which is made for the slowest computers, but you can install and use the K7 kernel which is optimized for K7 generation AMD chips and later with the memory controller on board (Socket A Athlon XP/Sempron, Socket 754 Athlon 64/Sempron/Semrpon 64, Socket 939 AMD Athlon 64/Athlon 64 X2/Athlon 64 FX/Sempron/Opteron, Socket AM2 Athlon 64/Athlon 64 X2/Athlon 64 FX/Sempron, Socket 940 Opteron), and there is the 686 kernel which is a general 32 bit kernel which is used for all Intel and AMD chips above 1 GHz.

I have tweaked KDE and Kubuntu a bunch, and it flies faster than my dad's AMD Athlon 64 X2 Computer.

godshot7 · 12-03-2006, 06:09 PM

i have an alienware 7500 aurora xp pro desktop computer..are there any worrys i should have about trying linux? i am a heavy gamer..will this transition hurt any of my gaming? will it be safe for me to try the program through the cd?.... please let me know..thanks...

**K-B** · 12-03-2006, 06:33 PM

Yep, go ahead and download a Live CD of the distro of your choice. Good choices for novice Linux users are the Ubuntu family (Ubuntu, Kubuntu, Xubuntu).
The Live CD will not change any settings at all. It is a good way to test out your system to see if all the hardware is compatible.
You can check out different distros (distributions) of Linux at distrowatch There you can also find links to download locations.

floydfan · 12-03-2006, 06:35 PM

if youre a heavy gamer, linux is not he os for you, as it only supports open gl games natively, and a few dx games through wine.

godshot7 · 12-03-2006, 07:27 PM

what is the best os for a heavy gamer like me? thanks...

floydfan · 12-03-2006, 08:05 PM

windows xp... as long as directx is the primary api, windows will always be the best gaming os.

**K-B** · 12-04-2006, 03:57 AM

It really depends on which games you play. You can get many titles running on Linux with Cedega from TransGaming. (Cedega is commercial software, $15 for a three-month subscription).
Some games are natively supported in Linux. Check out this article.

11-01-2006, 06:18 PM	#1 (permalink)
Rollerr Registered User Join Date: May 2005 Location: I'z got Georgia on me mind! YessireeBob! Posts: 122 OS: XP	Switch from Windows to Linux?! Ever since the world has been going 'Vista-crazy' I've been thinking of going alternative. Linux. From what I have read, Linux is to OS what Firefox is to browser. Stable, safe and secure. Coming from a 'newbie' at the technical aspects of different OSs, I am asking all Linux gurus here on TSF: 1. is it easy to switch? 2. I read a bit about ubuntu linux - seems 'out of the box' ready. Is that right? 3. Tips, tricks, ideas on switching or not and if switching, best way forward.

11-24-2006, 08:11 PM	#9 (permalink)
TheMatt TSF Enthusiast Join Date: May 2006 Location: Boston Posts: 13,701 OS: Win 3.1, 98, NT 4.0, XP Debian 4.0, Kubuntu 6.06 My System Blog Entries: 3	Just one thing, you will have to manually install your wireless drivers or use ndiswrapper, as Ubuntu will most likely not have your drivers. Setting up the dual boot will be easy, you will just have to install it from the live CD and it will set it up automatically. You will also have to install your video drivers if you want to do any sort of gaming or video watching. __________________ - Matt M - KB1OSC - Folding@Home 85015 [url="http://www.techsupportforum.com/hardware-support/"] If TSF has helped you, please consider donating. If I have stopped responding to a thread, feel free to send me a PM with a link to the thread. It is advisable to subscribe to threads so you will receive updates when replies are posted. You can subscribe to threads from the "Thread Tools" Menu. »Memtest86 »Prime95 »UBCD »SpeedFan »NHC Personal »Everest »Sandra »PC Wizard »RivaTuner »ATi Tool Click here for Useful Articles and Guides

11-29-2006, 11:47 AM	#10 (permalink)
BeastlyKings Registered User Join Date: Nov 2006 Posts: 106 OS: Ubuntu Linux 7.10 32Bit My System	I know that your questions have already been answered, but i just want to say that my main computer is XP but i am a happy owner of linux. Yes the learning curve is kinda high and you can get frustrated but just remember almost ANY problem can be fixed with time and research. In fact im wrighting this on my linux pc right now, its a 300Mhz PII,5Gb hard drive,154Mb RAM,running DSL-N and its chugging right along at a good speed for this slow computer. and my WiFi card WORKS it took me a good amount of time but it works now. Last edited by BeastlyKings; 11-29-2006 at 11:52 AM.

11-30-2006, 03:39 AM	#12 (permalink)
K-B Moderator, Linux Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: NY Posts: 2,877 OS: Vista, Ubuntu My System	Why would you install a 64 bit OS on a 32 bit system? __________________

12-01-2006, 10:46 PM	#14 (permalink)
TheMatt TSF Enthusiast Join Date: May 2006 Location: Boston Posts: 13,701 OS: Win 3.1, 98, NT 4.0, XP Debian 4.0, Kubuntu 6.06 My System Blog Entries: 3	Linux is very fast anyway if you use the right kernel. The ubuntu disrtos use the 386 kernel by default, which is made for the slowest computers, but you can install and use the K7 kernel which is optimized for K7 generation AMD chips and later with the memory controller on board (Socket A Athlon XP/Sempron, Socket 754 Athlon 64/Sempron/Semrpon 64, Socket 939 AMD Athlon 64/Athlon 64 X2/Athlon 64 FX/Sempron/Opteron, Socket AM2 Athlon 64/Athlon 64 X2/Athlon 64 FX/Sempron, Socket 940 Opteron), and there is the 686 kernel which is a general 32 bit kernel which is used for all Intel and AMD chips above 1 GHz. I have tweaked KDE and Kubuntu a bunch, and it flies faster than my dad's AMD Athlon 64 X2 Computer. __________________ - Matt M - KB1OSC - Folding@Home 85015 [url="http://www.techsupportforum.com/hardware-support/"] If TSF has helped you, please consider donating. If I have stopped responding to a thread, feel free to send me a PM with a link to the thread. It is advisable to subscribe to threads so you will receive updates when replies are posted. You can subscribe to threads from the "Thread Tools" Menu. »Memtest86 »Prime95 »UBCD »SpeedFan »NHC Personal »Everest »Sandra »PC Wizard »RivaTuner »ATi Tool Click here for Useful Articles and Guides

11-02-2006, 07:02 AM	#3 (permalink)
Bartender Mentally divergent Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Chehalis, WA, USA Posts: 1,285 OS: W2K, Ubuntu 8.04	Roller - Can you fill me in on a few things about your PC? 1. RAM 2. CPU 3. How you connect to the internet. Is it DSL, broadband, dial-up? 4. Peripheral devices (printer, scanner, etc.) that you have now and would like to connect to a Linux PC 5. Do you rely on Windows-specific software for your employment or other activity? If so please describe. Are you comfortable changing settings in BIOS? I'd like to get a feel for your geek qualifications. There's what I call the unofficial Linux initiation rite, where you may have to edit a couple of files. Fstab comes to mind but there will probly be others. If you're able to follow some basic directions you'll get thru it. If you have broadband and can get thru the initiation rite you'll be wondering why you didn't do it sooner. If your PC has the RAM I second kbalona's suggestion to try a couple of LiveCD's. If Ubuntu hangs up partway thru the LiveCD, try another distro. I'd suggest PCLinuxOS.

11-02-2006, 06:45 PM	#5 (permalink)
Bartender Mentally divergent Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Chehalis, WA, USA Posts: 1,285 OS: W2K, Ubuntu 8.04	Hope you're patient. Ship-it CD's often take about 5 weeks. Your laptop looks like a dandy candidate. While you're waiting, it'd be a good idea to spend some time cruising the forums, looking for any posts regarding your printers, scanners, etc. Do a Search at Ubuntu Forums for your laptop to see if people have had problems with the wireless or video. Are you thinking of doing a dual-boot or installing just Ubuntu?

11-03-2006, 07:30 AM	#7 (permalink)
Bartender Mentally divergent Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Chehalis, WA, USA Posts: 1,285 OS: W2K, Ubuntu 8.04	The username comes from my high school days, when I had the nickname "Bartender Bomber". It didn't derive from mixing drinks. See, I could hand-roll these big fat bomber... well, er, never mind. OK, good job looking up some info on your laptop. Wireless can be a bit troublesome. Apparently it's pretty much automatic with the Intel chip but Broadcom and some others have created some hassles. I get the impression there are fixes for most that don't get too crazy-complicated. Don't know anything about ndiswrapper but have seen hundreds of posts so the path is well-trodden. aysiu's website is a great place for tips on dual-booting, getting Linux to see your Windows partition, etc. If you've got time on your hands you might want to download and burn a GParted LiveCD. I like this how-to it gives you an idea of what to expect. Download the latest GParted LiveCD version, burn to a CD. Getting the download and making the CD can all be done on a Windows PC. That's how I did it and it worked fine when I took the CD over to my Linux machine. With the GParted CD, you can partition a part of the hard drive for Linux before you get the Ship-it CD. That way you'll be ready. This isn't necessary. It's optional. You can do partitioning chores from the Ubuntu CD as you're going thru the install. But I've found the GParted LiveCD to be a handy tool and it doesn't hurt to familiarize yourself with some parts of the process beforehand. However you do the partitioning, beforehand or during the install, defrag the dickens out of the drive first. Run defrag several times. I've heard people say it's more effective if you defrag in Safe Mode and that made sense. You want to see that Windows data shoved over to the left (in the Windows defrag utility) as far as you can get it. Oh, yeah, backup any important Windows data. You never know. The quote you plugged in, where the poster said he had to add a line to grub...pretty sure that refers to finding your /boot/grub/menu.list, adding that line to it, then saving your changes. You would do well to research that a little bit too so that you feel more confident about it. Editing lines of text to make the computer do something differently is a bit of a strange concept to us Windows lifers!

11-24-2006, 03:01 PM	#8 (permalink)
Rollerr Registered User Join Date: May 2005 Location: I'z got Georgia on me mind! YessireeBob! Posts: 122 OS: XP	Received the Ubuntu CDs from Canonical. I know what I'll be doing this weekend!!!

11-29-2006, 08:05 PM	#11 (permalink)
floydfan Registered User Join Date: Oct 2006 Posts: 399 OS: win 7 rc My System	i find that linux isnt ideal for higher end hardware. my old system, which is a 1.3 p4 with 256mb of ram runs kubuntu really well, i even have a bunch of fancy gui options turned on. on my newer system however, its far from a cakewalk, theres no driver for my sound card as creative is a piece of #$^&, and my ati driver needed some persuading to work. that, and i foolishly installed 64 bit without doing research, and found out that linux is not like windows in 32 bit support, unless its made specifically for 64 bit linux, the program will not work at all, upsetting that they couldnt include a 32 bit kernel like they do for 64 bit windows.

12-01-2006, 01:02 AM	#13 (permalink)
floydfan Registered User Join Date: Oct 2006 Posts: 399 OS: win 7 rc My System	a 64 bit os does not install on a 32 bit system... reading comprehension buddy, the 64 bit version of linux does not support programs that were not specifically written for 64 bit linux, so most 32 bit linux programs will not work. most 32 bit programs work for 64 bit windows cause theres two kernels running, hence i cant get the full speed of my processor, and have good software compatibility on linux...

12-03-2006, 06:09 PM	#15 (permalink)
godshot7 Registered User Join Date: Jul 2006 Posts: 61 OS: Windows Vista Ultimate My System	i have an alienware 7500 aurora xp pro desktop computer..are there any worrys i should have about trying linux? i am a heavy gamer..will this transition hurt any of my gaming? will it be safe for me to try the program through the cd?.... please let me know..thanks...

12-03-2006, 06:33 PM	#16 (permalink)
K-B Moderator, Linux Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: NY Posts: 2,877 OS: Vista, Ubuntu My System	Yep, go ahead and download a Live CD of the distro of your choice. Good choices for novice Linux users are the Ubuntu family (Ubuntu, Kubuntu, Xubuntu). The Live CD will not change any settings at all. It is a good way to test out your system to see if all the hardware is compatible. You can check out different distros (distributions) of Linux at distrowatch There you can also find links to download locations. __________________

12-03-2006, 06:35 PM	#17 (permalink)
floydfan Registered User Join Date: Oct 2006 Posts: 399 OS: win 7 rc My System	if youre a heavy gamer, linux is not he os for you, as it only supports open gl games natively, and a few dx games through wine.

12-03-2006, 07:27 PM	#18 (permalink)
godshot7 Registered User Join Date: Jul 2006 Posts: 61 OS: Windows Vista Ultimate My System	what is the best os for a heavy gamer like me? thanks...

12-03-2006, 08:05 PM	#19 (permalink)
floydfan Registered User Join Date: Oct 2006 Posts: 399 OS: win 7 rc My System	windows xp... as long as directx is the primary api, windows will always be the best gaming os.

12-04-2006, 03:57 AM	#20 (permalink)
K-B Moderator, Linux Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: NY Posts: 2,877 OS: Vista, Ubuntu My System	It really depends on which games you play. You can get many titles running on Linux with Cedega from TransGaming. (Cedega is commercial software, $15 for a three-month subscription). Some games are natively supported in Linux. Check out this article. __________________