Thinking about installing Linux, generic questions for you ...

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Seveer

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I'm thinking about trying to have both Windows 7 and some version of Linux on my laptop. I am a fairly advanced + competent user of windows, but not ridiculously so. My basic computer specs are:

Intel i3 M 370 @ 2.40 GHz processor, 4GB RAM, and ATI Radeon HD 5650 1GB Dedicated Graphics.

I mostly browse the internet, but I also play some non-demanding games, watch movies, manage e-books, and etc. Should I have any problems doing these things, or running Linux + Windows 7 on my computer? Is there a specific version of Linux that would be best/capable for doing these things?

Also, I really like the Google Chrome web browser. I read about a Linux equivalent called Chromium(?), but want to know what specific things are in Chrome has that it lacks.

If anybody has any feedback/advice about dual booting, or my browser question, then it would be much appreciated.
 


The latest version of Ubuntu may be your best choice unless you have another distro in mind. You can have Chromium and/or Chrome. You can do all of the tasks you normally do. Ubuntu must be installed on its own partition. Ubuntu does not have problems with Windows.
 
The latest version of Ubuntu may be your best choice unless you have another distro in mind. You can have Chromium and/or Chrome. You can do all of the tasks you normally do. Ubuntu must be installed on its own partition. Ubuntu does not have problems with Windows.
Good to know, thanks! I understand that the install for Ubuntu instructs you on how to set up dual booting, correct? Or is there anything else I should be aware of in order to run both Ubuntu and Windows?
 
Chrommium is the open source version of chrome. Personally I think it is better than the regular chrome. But both can be installed on Linux like DevynCJohnson said.

For ebooks, you might be able to use Calibre.
 
Good to know, thanks! I understand that the install for Ubuntu instructs you on how to set up dual booting, correct? Or is there anything else I should be aware of in order to run both Ubuntu and Windows?
It CAN set it up for you. However, when resizing the Windows partition on the Harddrive it is ALWAYS best to let Windows do it. So, defrag your harddrive (Unless you have an SSD) and open disk management. Reisize the partition to what you want. Then when installing Ubuntu, tell the installer (Ubiquity) to use the empty space on the harddrive.
 
Personally what I would recommend is that run Ubuntu in Virtualbox. This way if you make a mistake you can kill the VirtualMachine and start over in under 5 minutes. Other wise if you make a mistake it could be time consuming to fix when you are just starting.
 

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