New here & to all things Linux

E

elle c

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Hello everyone,
Wow, I have a lot to learn! I have yet to see, try, and learn Linux. So any and all advice or opinion I welcome with much gratitude.​
I've been a Windows user all my life, but recently decided to expand my horizons and learn something new. Right now, I'm typing this up on a nifty little Chromebook. I've found them handy and surprisingly useful. But I need a little more.​
So I'm going to try and take on the task of installing Linux on my Notebook PC. It's got some hardware issues (understatement), so I'm going to be doing a of research and asking lots of questions --- if you all don't mind.​
I'm in another world here. But excited to check it out. And hopefully with a little help I can get my crippled Notebook up and running.​
So now where do I go to find out how compatible my notebook is? :)
 


First and foremost welcome to Linux! You'll find it to be more faster/secure/reliable than windows.

Windows is slow and picks up to many viruses.
On the other hand Linux it's not complete virus prone but you rarely can catch one.

Now what sort of computer do you have and how much ram do you have with it? And what exactly seems to be the problem or do you know?


But for someone just starting out. I'd recommend Lubuntu or Xubuntu both lightweight and good for computers that may have problems.
 
Like I said, I have so many questions... I'm also new to the forum environment as well so any advice as to where I should post other questions would be great.

I’m not sure what is relevant as far as my computer specs go, I’ll just list what I know.

HP Pavillion dv7 6c23cl Entertainment Notebook PC
Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
2.5GHz/1.6GHz Vision A8 AMD Quad Core 3520M Accelerated Processor
4 MB L2 Microprocessor Cache (???)
6GB DDR3 SDRAM (2 DIMM)
AMD Radeon HD 6620G Discrete-Class Graphics - Up to 3061 MB Video Memory
750GB 5400RPM SATA Hard Drive
160GB Solid State Drive
CD/DVD Burner (not currently working, but I’m going to see if I can fix it myself for now)

My biggest problem was that the primary hard disk was failing... but as of this morning I was able to prove to HP the notebook was still under warranty, so a new disk drive is being mailed to me so I can install it myself (along with the OS I choose). So that is at least out of the way for now. But I still have a few questions before that time comes.

1 - How does my notebook stack up compatibility wise? Is there anything that pops out as something I’ll have to change, hardware, drivers, etc? Any other useful information I can provide?
I took a look at the list SLW210 provided but unfortunately I couldn't find what I was looking for, HP Pavilions are so different it's hard to even find something comparable, or maybe it's me. I don't know the similarities or differences between things like AMD and Intel hardware.​

And what I really wanna know is
2 - Can I use/run Linux from a USB drive on my computer as it is now with a bad hard drive? I’m curious ‘cos I’m a hands on learner. If I could play around with it a bit before I install a new hard drive on my computer it would be a bonus for a few obvious reasons.
And if I could install and run Linux from a USB drive now, which version(?) is best/capable of doing that and how much memory would I need on a USB drive?
Or is running a PC with a damaged hard drive a bad idea altogether?
 
Hello Ellec ,There is no need for u to change the hardware because, linux now provides drivers for all latest devices except that for nvidia company products.....and for ur next question yes u can run it from ur usb stick using a live environment inorder to install it fom usb u atleast need 16 gb of free spce to run comfortably.As u are a novie user i would suggest u with Ubuntu wihic does a fair bit of job for u
 
Hi welcome to the Linux forums and welcome to Linux! i was new to Linux since December 27 2012 knowing nothing about Linux then 7 months later i know quite a bit like how to upgrade the kernel and lots of the distros and more like the find command sudo command and many more but one thing to note Linux does not get many viruses since i been on i have found no viruses on my system although i cant guarantee its completely virus safe another thing to note keep the kernels updated they help a lot!
 
Most distros can run from a live USB.

I recommend Ubuntu or a flavor of Ubuntu (Ubuntu Studio, Ultimate Edition, Xubuntu, Kubuntu, Lubuntu, etc), seems to work the best with most hardware.

I was given a real nice Dell that had a dying battery and a bad hard drive a couple months ago, I ran a Live CD on it till I got the parts in. Gave me a chance to check out the rest of the hardware, etc.

Which hard drive is giving you problems?
 
Alright!

I successfully got a new hard drive installed, different brand, but same as the other performance wise. Used old Windows back-up disks I made (thankfully, 'cos HP's Windows restore disks didn't work o_O) and got this thing running again . And what's really great is that my CD/DVD drive stopped working 'cos the OS was haywire from the failing hard drive and not 'cos it had hardware issues. Thank goodness. So now, that she's running like new it's time to tinker with Linux!

Thank you all for your time and suggestions. I see I've got plenty of options to choose from---but that just makes it all the more fun. Think I'm going to try out Ubuntu first and see how it feels.

One more thing,
Most distros can run from a live USB.
I ran a Live CD

Is there much of a difference between a Live USB and a Live CD as far as performance? Does anyone have a preferred method?
 
Either way should be faster than Windows :), but neither will be as fast as Linux installed on the HDD. I don't think there is really a big performance difference, but I've only used USB as an install method so other may have more insight on speed.

I just find USB to be easier (I just have one USB dedicated to Linux distro I write over whenever I want to install a different distro) and its always worked well. I'd think it would be faster as there is no disk spin-up on a USB stick since its all flash memory, but thats just my assumption.

This Ubuntu walkthrough is what I used to install my first Linux distribution:
http://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop/create-a-usb-stick-on-windows
There is a LiveCD tutorial as well:
http://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop/burn-a-dvd-on-windows

Let us know if you run into any problems!
 
Your hardware is more than enough to run linux. A lot of people suggest Ubuntu as it is more user friendly and works best OOB (Out Of Box). For laptops I usually would suggest Lubuntu (Ubuntu running the desktop manager LDXE) as it's very resource friendly and less resources required means longer battery life. The Ubuntu (or Lubuntu, or frankly any variation of Ubuntu) Live USB or CD will let you try out the OS before doing a full install. One option is to do a dual install (Partition your HD to support Linux and Windows) and install GRUB as a bootloader which will let you keep Windows should you want to switch back at any point. It can be daunting switching to Linux and you will more than likely run into quite a few mean people convinced that if you aren't an expert in Linux then you should **** off and go back to Windows. Ignore them all. There are just as many nice people. This web site is a valuable resource. Don't be afraid to ask any questions.

If you're feeling gutsy you can try Debian too. It's somewhat of a tedious install but has a massive user and support base. Do some research into Linux Desktop Managers and you'll get a feel for what's available.

Another popular option is Linux Mint.

Also do some research into IRC (Internet Relay Chat) and download a client once you have linux installed. Join the Linux.org chan suggested on this site and you'll be able to talk directly to people.
 


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