Second chance

Donnie Love · 10-11-2009, 10:12 PM

I tried SUSE in 2007 and the experience was a horrible disaster. I want to give Linux another try but I'm afraid and I'm definitely going to need help. My computer guy hates me and I could do without his verbal abuse. I don't even know how to install it. I tried finding information online, but I have a hard time deciphering meaningless gibberish. The installation is frightening enough, but what really worries me is what comes after. I know when you first install Linux, nothing works, and in my last attempt, I never could get control and had to go back to Windows. But Windows sucks, and now it's all infected, so I need to make Linux work somehow. Is there anyone who can help me get a working, manageable installation running?

**djaburg** · 10-11-2009, 10:40 PM

Try running something like Ubuntu, specifically the desktop version. It's simple to install and will work quite well right away. Just download the .iso file and make the CD. Once that's done, just boot from the CD and follow the prompts. Shouldn't take too long and you should be able to do most of what the average user does including watching movies, email, surf the web, create documents and spreadsheets, and play games. Simple stuff.

Thunderchild · 10-12-2009, 02:33 PM

Have to echo the Ubuntu recommendation. If you want to use Linux but really aren't that computer literate then Ubuntu is the way to go. It's designed to be relatively simple to use and to work with a minimum of fuss.

**Done_Fishin** · 10-12-2009, 03:23 PM

Ubuntu is a good choice .. before you make the installation though , play with the live CD ..
It will be a bit slow to load, but once up and running you can play to your hearts content without fear of messing things up .. and if you do, you can reboot with no or very little harm done. When you feel comfortable, then go for an installation. Before installation Back up all files on your PC that you might NOT want to lose .. Murphy just loves people who act first and think later

ineedateam1 · 10-13-2009, 03:58 PM

Ubuntu - It just work's - I agree I would Go with Ubuntu LTS

Frozencrow · 10-15-2009, 01:24 PM

I found linux mint to be even simpler than ubuntu but that is just me. It is based off of ubuntu but it just seems more user friendly. For me everything just has a more logical order.

**Done_Fishin** · 10-16-2009, 03:59 AM

The netbook format is also really good if anyone wants to go that way .. not sure if it has been changed at all to make it easier on the install, last time I checked and tried it, it replaced the existing installation and wrote over the top .. however it was a good step forward for those who wanted an organised labelled desktop. It does install to non-netbook PC's

check it out here ..

http://www.canonical.com/projects/ubuntu/unr

ineedateam1 · 10-17-2009, 09:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Done_Fishin

The netbook format is also really good if anyone wants to go that way .. not sure if it has been changed at all to make it easier on the install, last time I checked and tried it, it replaced the existing installation and wrote over the top .. however it was a good step forward for those who wanted an organised labelled desktop. It does install to non-netbook PC's

check it out here ..

http://www.canonical.com/projects/ubuntu/unr

Wow i really like the LOOK of it!
Im gonna try it!

**Done_Fishin** · 10-18-2009, 02:52 AM

take care if you want to keep your old OS .. it WAS intended to REPLACE any previous OS .. like Win7

Check out the site for instructions

Gait · 10-20-2009, 12:38 AM

I use Ubuntu 8.04 LTD it had vista on it did not like it so whend Use Whole disk and it did aske 7 questions like name and Pasword and a few other things just follow instructions I had that connected to Router via Usb picked it up no problem and after about 30 min it Auto checked for updates

I actualy bought the CD,s 2 one for 64 Duocore and one for 386 seems last one best to use Cost in New Zealand $10

Desktop got XP and PC BSD 7.1.1 x86 dual boot works good to

for funn run some time Slitaz =29MB runs in Ram best I have seen pity sofar diffecult to run from HD but Beauty programming for sure

Donnie Love · 10-24-2009, 04:18 PM

Well, I got Ubuntu 9.10 to install, or at least it seemed to install OK, but when I rebooted this prompt came up:

user@Ritard:~$

(Ritard is the name of the computer.) I've been trying different commands like "start" "go" "boot" "load" "win" "open, you *******", but I don't know what the proper response is. What do I do next...?

jaog · 10-24-2009, 09:12 PM

Ubuntu 9.10 (Karmic) just had the release candidate put out. I run it on my laptop It still has a some work that needs done. In fact I'm running a an upgrade now from the beta to the release candidate. - Looking at a crash report.

I would not recommend v9.10 to any person new to Linux. (Wait about a month - things will get straighten out by then). In the meantime use v9.04 Jaunty. or for something very stable go with the last Long Term Support release v8.04 (Hardy). I use Hardy on my Desktop.

**Done_Fishin** · 10-25-2009, 01:38 AM

I like Karmic .. it seems to work for me ..

as for the

Quote:

user@Ritard:~$

this looks like you are in CLI and you had problems during the install! I think it ay require your user name and password at this point.Possibly followed by startx .. I hope that you downloaded the desktop version and NOT the server version of the LIVE CD

try booting from the CD (menu says"TRY without installing") to see if you boot to a useable OS. If it doesn't boot properly,try again only this time, at the menu stage, hit F4 and select "vga safe mode" (not the exact wording but I don't have the ability to check right now).

Donnie Love · 10-25-2009, 05:32 AM

The installation went smoothly as far as I can tell. I gave the username and password, then I got the mysterious prompt. I tried "startx", it told me to type some gibberish to install something-or-other, then the prompt again. I typed "startx" again and it went black and the monitor powered off.
I don't think I downloaded the server version. With the version I got it gave me the choice between server and whatever the regular version is (something about "clouds"). I selected the clouds thing.
Booting from the CD was not one of the options available.
I hit F4 and "vga" was not one of the options available.

**Done_Fishin** · 10-25-2009, 05:35 AM

Have you created two user accounts ?? I suddenly note that we are confusing users and responses ?? Were we thread hijacked ?? Sorry!

Donnie Love · 10-25-2009, 05:37 AM

I tried version 9.04, it didn't work at all. According to the installation instructions at:

https://help.ubuntu.com/community/GraphicalInstall

"4. Select Install Ubuntu and press Enter. The Welcome window appears. "

But the Welcome window never appears. It goes black and the monitor powers off.

Donnie Love · 10-25-2009, 05:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Done_Fishin

Have you created two user accounts ?? I suddenly note that we are confusing users and responses ?? Were we thread hijacked ?? Sorry!

I'm sorry, I don't understand what you mean.

**Done_Fishin** · 10-25-2009, 06:01 AM

No problem .. I had responded jaog (thinking it was his thread) instead of asking him to open his own..

I am just running through the boot process on another PC to refresh my mind about the procedure. Please be patient and I'll be back shortly.

In the meantime please advise what the Characteristics are of the PC where this install is taking place.

Donnie Love · 10-25-2009, 06:12 AM

Well, I don't know much about hardware - I'm just an end user - but I can tell you that the machine is about 9 years. I'm afraid there's not much I can tell you beyond that. I know it's ancient by today's standards, but there's no way I can replace it, so I'm stuck with it for now.

**Done_Fishin** · 10-25-2009, 06:19 AM

9 years old .. can you tell me what processor it uses and how much memory it has ??
Do you have an operating system on it at the moment or has it been deleted ?

In windows you will be able to see that from start > settings > control panel > system like this.

10-11-2009, 10:12 PM	#1 (permalink)
Donnie Love Registered User Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Earth Posts: 9 OS: Linux	Second chance I tried SUSE in 2007 and the experience was a horrible disaster. I want to give Linux another try but I'm afraid and I'm definitely going to need help. My computer guy hates me and I could do without his verbal abuse. I don't even know how to install it. I tried finding information online, but I have a hard time deciphering meaningless gibberish. The installation is frightening enough, but what really worries me is what comes after. I know when you first install Linux, nothing works, and in my last attempt, I never could get control and had to go back to Windows. But Windows sucks, and now it's all infected, so I need to make Linux work somehow. Is there anyone who can help me get a working, manageable installation running?

10-11-2009, 10:40 PM	#2 (permalink)
djaburg TSF Enthusiast Join Date: May 2008 Posts: 1,315 OS: XP SP3/Vista/7 Server 2K/2K3/2K8	Re: Second chance Try running something like Ubuntu, specifically the desktop version. It's simple to install and will work quite well right away. Just download the .iso file and make the CD. Once that's done, just boot from the CD and follow the prompts. Shouldn't take too long and you should be able to do most of what the average user does including watching movies, email, surf the web, create documents and spreadsheets, and play games. Simple stuff. __________________ Computers make it easier to do a lot of things, but most of the things they make it easier to do don't need to be done. The inherent vice of capitalism is the uneven division of blessings, while the inherent virtue of socialism is the equal division of misery.

10-12-2009, 02:33 PM	#3 (permalink)
Thunderchild Registered User Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Houston, TX Posts: 9 OS: Windows XP SP3 / Ubuntu 9.04 My System	Re: Second chance Have to echo the Ubuntu recommendation. If you want to use Linux but really aren't that computer literate then Ubuntu is the way to go. It's designed to be relatively simple to use and to work with a minimum of fuss.

10-12-2009, 03:23 PM	#4 (permalink)
Done_Fishin Moderator Hardware Team Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Brit living in Greece Posts: 7,386 OS: WinME, WinXP Pro SP3, Win7 Beta, Ubuntu 9.04 & Netbook Remix & CD2USB, Mepis 6.5, Fedora 10 My System	Re: Second chance Ubuntu is a good choice .. before you make the installation though , play with the live CD .. It will be a bit slow to load, but once up and running you can play to your hearts content without fear of messing things up .. and if you do, you can reboot with no or very little harm done. When you feel comfortable, then go for an installation. Before installation Back up all files on your PC that you might NOT want to lose .. Murphy just loves people who act first and think later __________________ . . I'm not old!! I'm age impaired .. D_F I DON'T PLAY GAMES How to mark your thread as solved HDD DIAG UTILS TSF's Photographer's Corner

10-13-2009, 03:58 PM	#5 (permalink)
ineedateam1 Registered User Join Date: May 2009 Location: Usa,WA Posts: 52 OS: Vista SP2 Luinx Windows XP	Re: Second chance Ubuntu - It just work's - I agree I would Go with Ubuntu LTS __________________ I'm always trying to learn new thing's - But i seem to always forget what i learn... STM - It's a pain in the ....

10-15-2009, 01:24 PM	#6 (permalink)
Frozencrow Registered User Join Date: Dec 2006 Posts: 42 OS: Windows XP Home S3	Re: Second chance I found linux mint to be even simpler than ubuntu but that is just me. It is based off of ubuntu but it just seems more user friendly. For me everything just has a more logical order.

10-16-2009, 03:59 AM	#7 (permalink)
Done_Fishin Moderator Hardware Team Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Brit living in Greece Posts: 7,386 OS: WinME, WinXP Pro SP3, Win7 Beta, Ubuntu 9.04 & Netbook Remix & CD2USB, Mepis 6.5, Fedora 10 My System	Re: Second chance The netbook format is also really good if anyone wants to go that way .. not sure if it has been changed at all to make it easier on the install, last time I checked and tried it, it replaced the existing installation and wrote over the top .. however it was a good step forward for those who wanted an organised labelled desktop. It does install to non-netbook PC's check it out here .. http://www.canonical.com/projects/ubuntu/unr __________________ . . I'm not old!! I'm age impaired .. D_F I DON'T PLAY GAMES How to mark your thread as solved HDD DIAG UTILS TSF's Photographer's Corner

10-18-2009, 02:52 AM	#9 (permalink)
Done_Fishin Moderator Hardware Team Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Brit living in Greece Posts: 7,386 OS: WinME, WinXP Pro SP3, Win7 Beta, Ubuntu 9.04 & Netbook Remix & CD2USB, Mepis 6.5, Fedora 10 My System	Re: Second chance take care if you want to keep your old OS .. it WAS intended to REPLACE any previous OS .. like Win7 Check out the site for instructions __________________ . . I'm not old!! I'm age impaired .. D_F I DON'T PLAY GAMES How to mark your thread as solved HDD DIAG UTILS TSF's Photographer's Corner

10-20-2009, 12:38 AM	#10 (permalink)
Gait Registered User Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: New Zealand Posts: 15 OS: XP P3	Re: Second chance I use Ubuntu 8.04 LTD it had vista on it did not like it so whend Use Whole disk and it did aske 7 questions like name and Pasword and a few other things just follow instructions I had that connected to Router via Usb picked it up no problem and after about 30 min it Auto checked for updates I actualy bought the CD,s 2 one for 64 Duocore and one for 386 seems last one best to use Cost in New Zealand $10 Desktop got XP and PC BSD 7.1.1 x86 dual boot works good to for funn run some time Slitaz =29MB runs in Ram best I have seen pity sofar diffecult to run from HD but Beauty programming for sure

10-24-2009, 04:18 PM	#11 (permalink)
Donnie Love Registered User Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Earth Posts: 9 OS: Linux	Re: Second chance Well, I got Ubuntu 9.10 to install, or at least it seemed to install OK, but when I rebooted this prompt came up: user@Ritard:~$ (Ritard is the name of the computer.) I've been trying different commands like "start" "go" "boot" "load" "win" "open, you *******", but I don't know what the proper response is. What do I do next...?

10-24-2009, 09:12 PM	#12 (permalink)
jaog Registered User Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: North Texas Posts: 14 OS: Ubuntu Linux v9.04	Re: Second chance Ubuntu 9.10 (Karmic) just had the release candidate put out. I run it on my laptop It still has a some work that needs done. In fact I'm running a an upgrade now from the beta to the release candidate. - Looking at a crash report. I would not recommend v9.10 to any person new to Linux. (Wait about a month - things will get straighten out by then). In the meantime use v9.04 Jaunty. or for something very stable go with the last Long Term Support release v8.04 (Hardy). I use Hardy on my Desktop.

10-25-2009, 05:32 AM	#14 (permalink)
Donnie Love Registered User Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Earth Posts: 9 OS: Linux	Re: Second chance The installation went smoothly as far as I can tell. I gave the username and password, then I got the mysterious prompt. I tried "startx", it told me to type some gibberish to install something-or-other, then the prompt again. I typed "startx" again and it went black and the monitor powered off. I don't think I downloaded the server version. With the version I got it gave me the choice between server and whatever the regular version is (something about "clouds"). I selected the clouds thing. Booting from the CD was not one of the options available. I hit F4 and "vga" was not one of the options available.

10-25-2009, 05:35 AM	#15 (permalink)
Done_Fishin Moderator Hardware Team Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Brit living in Greece Posts: 7,386 OS: WinME, WinXP Pro SP3, Win7 Beta, Ubuntu 9.04 & Netbook Remix & CD2USB, Mepis 6.5, Fedora 10 My System	Re: Second chance Have you created two user accounts ?? I suddenly note that we are confusing users and responses ?? Were we thread hijacked ?? Sorry! __________________ . . I'm not old!! I'm age impaired .. D_F I DON'T PLAY GAMES How to mark your thread as solved HDD DIAG UTILS TSF's Photographer's Corner

10-25-2009, 05:37 AM	#16 (permalink)
Donnie Love Registered User Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Earth Posts: 9 OS: Linux	Re: Second chance I tried version 9.04, it didn't work at all. According to the installation instructions at: https://help.ubuntu.com/community/GraphicalInstall "4. Select Install Ubuntu and press Enter. The Welcome window appears. " But the Welcome window never appears. It goes black and the monitor powers off.

10-25-2009, 06:01 AM	#18 (permalink)
Done_Fishin Moderator Hardware Team Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Brit living in Greece Posts: 7,386 OS: WinME, WinXP Pro SP3, Win7 Beta, Ubuntu 9.04 & Netbook Remix & CD2USB, Mepis 6.5, Fedora 10 My System	Re: Second chance No problem .. I had responded jaog (thinking it was his thread) instead of asking him to open his own.. I am just running through the boot process on another PC to refresh my mind about the procedure. Please be patient and I'll be back shortly. In the meantime please advise what the Characteristics are of the PC where this install is taking place. __________________ . . I'm not old!! I'm age impaired .. D_F I DON'T PLAY GAMES How to mark your thread as solved HDD DIAG UTILS TSF's Photographer's Corner

10-25-2009, 06:12 AM	#19 (permalink)
Donnie Love Registered User Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Earth Posts: 9 OS: Linux	Re: Second chance Well, I don't know much about hardware - I'm just an end user - but I can tell you that the machine is about 9 years. I'm afraid there's not much I can tell you beyond that. I know it's ancient by today's standards, but there's no way I can replace it, so I'm stuck with it for now.