Getting Started - New to Linux

Lorelei

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Long story short; I have spent the better part of two days strangling Cortana and disabling/uninstalling/hard code removals/etc for Windows 10 since getting brave and doing some updates. First updates from initial purchase in 8/16 so I had new builds that just recreated the issues, one after another. I am done with the spy in the clouds and want to try out Linux. I have read many threads here, and found that I could install virtual box and then install different distros in it. This brings me to the questions for assistance. I don't have a lot of free time; and knowing what would be best to try when I want to be able to game using both Gog and Steam games, use Line messaging app for video and regular chat, and know that it could run on my system. I use OpenOffice now and no MS software - even quit using skype. So, it's imperative that OpenOffice work in it. I also am hoping these distro downloads are free. Oh, I would prefer to operate in a regular GUI, but can use command prompt with instruction :). I have decided I might try a dual boot, but wasn't sure I had enough RAM. I don't know what I am doing for a dual boot, but figured I could find answers on your site.
I have the following system:
Alienware 17 R 3, purchased 8/16

Video card: NVIDIA GeoForce GTX 970M with 3GB GDDR5
CPU: Intel Core i7-6700HQ (Quad -core, 6mb cache, up to 3.5Ghz w/ turbo boost)
RAM: 8GB dual channel DDR4 2133 MHz
HD: 1TB (64MB cache) 7200 RPM SATA 6GB/s
Wifi: killer 1535 802.11ac 2x2 wifi and bluetooth 4.1

Thanks in advance for your input and I will be checking into the tutorial sections when I can.
 


Okay, well I have done some of my own research; reviewed all the "beginner" tutorial info and have downloaded Solus Budgie and put the ISO on a USB drive and have ubuntu gamepack downloading from the net now. I have no idea what I will do if I can actually get the second dl done and actually boot from USB and see if Solus works; but I have made it this far. :) I have been reading countless pages about how to dl packages and even 3rd party and dl by the command line. I want to ensure that I can install what I need for gaming and regular pc use. So, I guess I have made it farther than I thought. Just thought, if anyone read this; they might be interested.
 
How did you "put" the iso on the usb ?

One of the easiest programs/apps to put it on the usb is probably Unetbootin

UNetbootin allows you to create bootable Live USB drives for Ubuntu and other Linux distributions without burning a CD.

You can either let UNetbootin download one of the many distributions supported out-of-the-box for you, or supply your own Linux .iso file....OR solus budgie etc etc

Features
UNetbootin can create a bootable Live USB drive

It loads distributions either by downloading a ISO (CD image) files for you, or by using an ISO file you've already downloaded.
 
Hi @Lorelei, and welcome to the site! I'm not a gamer, but it is my understanding that many Steam games are available in Linux. Googling "Steam games in Linux" or "Gog games in Linux" should turn up a fair amount of info from those who are involved with that... and hopefully help you to avoid any pitfalls in transitioning away from Windows. A quick Google search shows Line messaging may work, but maybe not with video support.... but it was old links I found, so a more thorough search might yield better and more current info for that as well.

OpenOffice has not updated for about 7 years and is discontinued, according to Wikipedia. The good news is that many years ago it was forked into a new office suite called LibreOffice, and it is already included in most of the major Linux distributions. I would think that any files you created in OO will work just fine in LibreOffice. LibreOffice is also available for Windows.

Alienware: my only experience with that brand was a very, very old laptop, and it was a nightmare to try to make Linux work on it. I can only hope that your modern system is more compatible! Your specs are reasonable enough to run any major Linux distro as long as Alienware doesn't still make their systems super-proprietary (which might mean a lack of Linux drivers for important stuff like, sound, wifi, etc).

Do you have a DVD drive? The Linux downloads (very large .iso files) are indeed free, and it would be good for you to try several to discover which works best for you computer, and which feels the most comfortable for you. There are MANY different choices, but we can probably steer you in the right direction with 3 or 4, maybe. The downloaded .iso file needs to be burned to a DVD or USB in a special way to make it bootable. You can then boot it and run the full system just like that without doing any installations, but it runs a bit slower. You can skip the DVD/USB and use the .iso directly if you want to use VirtualBox to install in a virtual machine in Windows, but you will need DVD/USB to set up a dual-boot with Windows, if you decide to go that way. Dual-booting is more tricky, and if you make mistakes you might have to re-install Windows, so you want to have good backups and a Windows System Recovery set.

So, there is really a lot to cover, and installing/learning/using a new operating system is not a trivial task. There are many differences in terminology that you will discover, and different ways of doing things. Yet, a Linux desktop looks quite similar to a Windows desktop, so you may not realize how different they are "under the hood". You will, of course, mostly use a graphical desktop, but many times we will give you instructions to copy/paste into the command line to gather information or help you troubleshoot problems.

If you're ready to do it... the first steps we'll guide you to are to download a couple of distros and teach you how to "verify" the download. You always want to "verify" these large files to make sure they are complete and not corrupted before you put them on DVD or USB. If you try to install a corrupted operating system, all kinds of bad things might happen!

Cheers
 
@ataner, I have a couple flash, one only 4gb but one that is 64 gb. I have Solus Budgie on the smaller; it's a smaller file. I am getting ready to put Ubunti gamepack on the larger. As for verifying the files, I understand what the checksum is; if that is what you are referring to; but I haven't figured out where to go from there or how to do it. I haven't found the data on the download sites that were showing on the web page I was looking for direction - https://www.howtogeek.com/246332/how-to-verify-a-downloaded-linux-iso-file-wasnt-tampered-with/
 
@Condobloke, I followed your lead and put the Ubuntu gamepack on my usb with UNetbootin. Thanks for that. However, I think I am going to wait to try either until I understand more about what ataner said; both the Virtual Box and then verifying the downloads.

Thank you!
 
@ataner, I have verified the checksum on the Solus Budgie using the program from this site: https://itsfoss.com/create-solus-os-live-usb/
I haven't found a checksum number or anything on the site I downloaded the Ubuntu Gamepack. If you have any ideas of how to find it; please let me know. Otherwise, I will keep looking and post here if I find it. https://ualinux.com/en/ubuntu-gamepack is the site I downloaded it from.

LR
 
Just a quick reply for now, but I'll be back again later.

I can't find a checksum (MD5 or SHA256) for Ubuntu GamePack either... kinda makes me nervous. Most distros provide this. I guess that you do realize that GamePack is a full operating system itself too, not just a collection of games. It is based on Ubuntu 16.04 which is the latest long-term support (LTS) release... that's a good thing. You could also install the standard Ubuntu and add the necessary game frameworks yourself, but this might save you a lot of effort since gaming is a priority for you.

Being based on the latest Ubuntu, I think you can boot and run the GamePack USB on your computer without making any changes in your BIOS/UEFI. Give it a try! You may need to hit some special F-key when the computer is booting (before the Windows logo appears).... these special F-keys should offer "Boot Menu" and also "Setup" (BIOS setup). You have to be quick, but hit the one for Boot Menu and select your USB. Be careful when it comes up that you only choose to "Try" the Ubuntu GamePack.... do not attempt to install it yet.

About BIOS/UEFI.... sometimes you have to get into the BIOS/UEFI setup and make changes to let Linux work. You will very likely have to do this with Solus from what I briefly read on their website. The setting that Solus will probably need changed is called "Secure Boot". It is probably enabled, and you'll need to disable it. There may be other settings that need to change too. Make notes of anything you do in here so you can change back, if needed. The BIOS/UEFI setup section is also where you can change the boot order, if you want, so that the computer always looks to boot on USB first.

Your VirtualBox link is correct... and you would download the Windows binary. After installed in Windows, you can run this program and install Linux inside it.... only giving each Linux about 15 GB or 20 GB or so of space. If you run the installer, pay careful attention.... it will ask to install 3 other files from Oracle, and I'd recommend that you get them. When it asks the first time, there is a checkbox that will let you "trust Oracle"... so if you select that properly it will get the other two files without asking again, or you can leave it set so that it asks you each time. These are USB and networking items for VirtualBox and they may or may not be needed, but I'd assume they are.

VirtualBox is a great testing tool... not necessarily a permanent solution. If you want it to be more long-term, you might want to give more hard drive space to the Linux you settle on using. I suspect that you will still have to make any BIOS/UEFI changes that Linux requires even to run in VirtualBox. And VirtualBox doesn't take you away from Windows.

Gotta run for now...

Cheers
 
MD5:
5634c49f6970a0a67150647d7be795ee

SHA1:
e82d46bc3228374765cd3ea649e57552ffd8395d

(Wizard appears in a puff of smoke, everybody coughs, grabs for oxygen masks)

Hi @Lorelei and welcome :D

The above is for the Gamepack, found here

https://sourceforge.net/projects/ualinux/files/Ubuntu Pack/Ubuntu GamePack/

Also features at FOSS

https://itsfoss.com/linux-gaming-distributions/

Apparently, it ships within Wine & Playonlinux as well, but I am not a Gamer.

Good Luck :confused:

Hi Brian, Hi Stan (@Condobloke and @atanere )

Gotta fly for now

(Wizard disappears, everyone breathes sigh of relief)

Chris Turner
wizardfromoz
 
@atenere, Thanks so much for your time assisting me. I am so glad to know I am not crazy about the checksum thing for the Ubuntu GamePack. Yes, I knew the game pack was a full OS :). I had read about the BIOS change to boot from the USB and I figured to just boot the Linux and run it to try; wasn't sure about needing to change the BIOS to boot from USB once I had the distro installed within Virtual Box. I have installed VirtualBox and then installed Ubuntu GamePack inside of it. Ran into a couple issues BUT never fear; had Oracle's VM VirtualBox instruction book up reading as I went. Right now I am installing the "guest additions" and then will nose around the system. It seems to run a little slow; and I set it up with the following, 25GB HD and 1024MB RAM... I wasn't sure... If someone could tell me if that RAM is too little, I could change it. I have only 8GB total, but my host system is running at 3.5 with multiple firefox windows open and VirtualBox running. No gaming going on though yet :).

@wizardfromoz, it's running in the Virtual Box, so I haven't verified the download. But thanks SO much for locating those. I will be searching for permanent solution to VM, because I might want to keep whatever Linux installation I have both handy but removable. I don't know yet; if I decided to make the plunge for a complete switch if it could be ported to solely run on my laptop or if I would have to install the said system new again and go through all the other software installs. That remains to be seen...
Right now, I am going to nose around it and see if I can download and run my Steam games. Oh, and check out the word-processing program, etc. Thanks!
 

Ah, I'm an old dog, but I can learn new tricks! I had found that site also, but I failed to discover that the checksum values were available by clicking on the little icon (the small letter "i" inside the circle). Nice one, Wizard!

@Lorelei, you seem to need little help... jumping in with both feet! Good for you! You may make some mistakes along the way, but those are the best teachers usually. Using VirtualBox greatly helps to protect Windows from any serious damage that you might do, but if you decide to go for a dual-boot later it is always recommended to backup anything that is critically important to you, just in case.

I don't use VirtualBox much, but I would typically go with the default that it suggests for RAM. I might guess that it defaulted to even less than 1 GB, but you should be fine with that setting. Having 8 GB total for your system is plenty for most uses. If you find that this particular VM doesn't work well, you make what changes it will allow, or you can remove that VM and re-do it from scratch. Hard drive space is one such item... if you are fixed at 25 GB, I don't think you can expand it further (but I like fixed size because it helps the VM to run better/faster usually).

VirtualBox doesn't usually seem to suffer from slowness for me, but I don't do much other than surf the web and basic tasks. Gaming may be a whole other thing and is out of my league. If the games you play need more RAM than the 1 GB, that might be something you need to adjust... but just don't leave Windows with too little as it still has to run the whole show. How much is too little? Well, I don't know the answer to that... but you will find the balance that you need, I'm sure.

Very happy to see your ambition and quick progress. I hope that Linux suits your needs, but gaming has always been a tough issue for Linux. It has improved much over the years, but since you are so heavy into it, you may still find deficiencies.

Cheers
 
OpenOffice has not updated for about 7 years and is discontinued, according to Wikipedia.

Not so, but an understandable mistake (see, the coffee is working, Stan :rolleyes:)

The Wikipedia page you are likely referring to is here

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OpenOffice.org

Whereas, better is here

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apache_OpenOffice#Releases

Version 4.1.5 was released around 29th December just passed.

A .deb for it can be downloaded from SourceForge and likely a .rpm as well, haven't checked yet.

However @Lorelei , and to The Viewers, AOO (Apache Open Office) and LibreOffice cannot coexist on the same Distro - LO would have to be removed entirely (if it is installed), in order to install AOO, and vice versa should you change your mind.

A method is described here

https://wiki.openoffice.org/wiki/Do...ion/How_do_I_install_OpenOffice.org_on_Linux?

... and if you read it, you will see it can be a laborious process. That link is from 2013, but I am unaware that the situation has changed.

If asked, I would advocate trying Libre Office first, and you may find that the similarities outweigh the differences, and all OO docs should work fine.

Cheers and avagudweegend.

Wizard
 
@atanere, I have been poking around this distro and so far have found it to move slow... found that it has already said that the disk was about full - so I am getting ready to go over the analyzer. I can afford alot more HD space, because I have like 750GB unused on my host computer (with this linux distro running too). I have came across some disappointment so far about the gaming. I haven't tried yet to install and run a game from Wine or PlayOnLinux, but I am getting ready to try that with Steam. Unsure about Gog, it seems to be a straight up no-go. Yes, I can change the fixed amount on the HD, just haven't done that yet. Will report back. VirtualBox is the way I am going for a good while right now; I want to understand the OS before I even dual boot or whatever (running along side - unsure if that is the same as dual boot). Also haven't found that I can use my messaging app either.
I know if I do start using linux, my husband will not; so I have to have ways we can communicate while gaming that are fluid across both OS.

TTYS.
 
Hmpffff - looks like I will be deleting the distro in VirtualBox and reinstalling it, because changing the HD size and partitions are more in depth than I want to deal with. Oh well - as you say, make mistakes and learn from them. An initial HD of just 25GB was nowhere near enough.
 
Oh yeah, I meant to clarify that for you earlier: "Dual-boot" entails creating a separate partition on the hard drive (sometimes more than one, actually) and you install Linux into that. This is a full and complete installation, and it means that when you boot the computer you must choose which one to run. So whichever you choose then has full system resources... all of your available RAM, CPU, etc.

The only way to run them side-by-side, at the same time, is with VirtualBox or similar virtual machine software. (Unless I'm forgetting something... in which case Wizard will correct me! :D)

VirtualBox will work the other way too, however. You could erase your entire computer and install Linux first, then VirtualBox, and then put Windows inside a VM. Of course that would be a big hassle to make that move, but it might be favored later if you find you want Linux as primary and only seldom need Windows. But if you really get to that point, you might decide you don't need Windows at all.

If you're open to other messaging products, I would think that something will be compatible for you and your husband. Skype is one possibility... I guess it does that kind of stuff. There is now a Linux version of Skype available.
 
Hmpffff - looks like I will be deleting the distro in VirtualBox and reinstalling it, because changing the HD size and partitions are more in depth than I want to deal with. Oh well - as you say, make mistakes and learn from them. An initial HD of just 25GB was nowhere near enough.

Wow, really? I would have thought it would be enough... so maybe the games packages are bigger than I realized. But, yes, its a good experience too... all part of the learning process. And good that you have enough space available to play! :D
 
Not so, but an understandable mistake (see, the coffee is working, Stan :rolleyes:)

The Wikipedia page you are likely referring to is here

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OpenOffice.org

Whereas, better is here

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apache_OpenOffice#Releases

Version 4.1.5 was released around 29th December just passed.

Ah, that Wizard is one smart cookie! And he is rarely wrong! But... this time... I will turn his link back to him and point out that Wikipedia describes the Apache Open Office development status as "Moribund." Yes, I had to look it up... LOL. :p:D A person described as moribund means "near death".... a moribund thing means "in terminal decline" or "lacking vitality or vigor."

But Wizard's info on how to uninstall LibreOffice to instead install Apache Open Office is enough to scare most people away no matter how you look at it. And of course we agree that LibreOffice will probably work just fine for you.
 
@atanere, yeah, all I saw it show that was using up the most HD was "home". All I had was a web page open, playonlinux interface, and steam interface. No games going. It's all good, have to deal with the bumps in the road... And I didn't want to use skype because best I knew; Microsoft bought them and that's why I quit using them to begin with - and turned to Line. I will get it figured out; one mistake at a time. Yes, I am going to try the Libre word-processing first. Thanks :)
 

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