I want to upgrade to Ubuntu from Windows XP?

8 responses so far ↓

• 1 tinkterfer // Jun 22, 2008

  I knew a guy who installed Ubuntu on a laptop with a Pentium II processor. Your machine will definitely work. However, don't rely on Wine. You might want to search for open-source Linux alternatives for the software you commonly use. Wine doesn't always work, and sucks with games. (It also can't run Microsoft Office, but you'll be using OpenOffice.org anyway as it comes with Ubuntu).

• 2 talon_card // Jun 22, 2008

  it will run fine, however you'll probably want more Ram

  and wine isn't every easy to use for beginners

• 3 Setsuna S // Jun 22, 2008

  I think yes.

  I have another one computer pentium 4 1.5 Ghz with 512 mb ram, works fine with ubuntu…

  You can try….

  Good Luck…….

• 4 wolf1 // Jun 22, 2008

  if you like to use windows programs and any other shit that windows uses do not use ubuntu you wont be able too like video editing software games and so on.

  trust me tried it and it messed up windows.

  do not dual boot.

• 5 whoooo // Jun 22, 2008

  Yeah you should be able to run linux on pretty much anything and you are right ubuntu is about the best I feel for someone switching from linux. The thing you should really try to do is download a ubuntu live cd. You can test out all of your hardware and see how it is working for you. The biggest pain in the a## is trying to get wireless internet working. If you don't have wireless it will even be easier. As for WINE I havn't tried but I am assuming it it some sort of virtual program that runs the windows program inside some virutal machine. These kinds of programs usually make your computer run very slowly and with only 256 megs of ram i would not do it. But i feel after you get used to ubuntu you will not need to many windows programs because they have linux versions of almost everything. Try the live cd first though because you don't have to install anything. You just have to hit f12 when you start your computer and boot from a cd. Then you can even test out different linux distros. You should also look into simply mepis. It is good happy linuxing.

• 6 jplatt39 // Jun 22, 2008

  Simply put: it will definitely work, and Ubuntu has strong advantages for someone who has never used Linux, HOWEVER, there are a few other issues you might consider as well:

  Strictly speaking, Linux is not an operating system. Linux is the core of a modular operating system, and in fact the distribution Ubuntu remains closely derived from has a version which replaces Linux with Gnu Hurd. I'm sure there are people out there who would love it if you tried to run Ubuntu on Gnu Hurd (but it can be difficult).

  That is important because when talking to an end-user, one gets the best results from saying Linux is Unix. The modular OS evolved around Unix, as did both X-Windows (though it was always intended to be OS independent) and the GNU tools which you are likely to hear about but only run front-ends for because this is Ubuntu. Many concepts differ between Windows and Ubuntu, and it takes getting used to.

  If you have the disk space, it is strongly recommended you dual-boot. Normally this involves repartitioning the hard drive, which is NOT something you should just go ahead and do (unless you are used to reinstalling Operating systems and are prepared to reinstall Window) or putting in a second hard drive. You can, and I suggest, using Ubuntu's Wubi, which installs ubuntu within Windows. You can (and should) get more information from:

  http://www.wubi-installer.org/

  Before you run it or do anything major, defragment your hard drive. Run Disk-Defragmenter. Also, to be safe, allow for about 10G of free disk space. Using Wubi you will not only be able to install Ubuntu and run it OR Windows normally, you will be able to uninstall it using Add/Remove programs. The laptop you listed certainly runs Linux. You will see the technical specs for a more technical Linux down below. But again, it takes some getting used to.

• 7 rajg7254 // Jun 22, 2008

  Yes,you can use it.download a live cd from http://www.ubuntu.com and run the live cd first and see whether it runs smoothly or not.then you should restart your pc and boot from cd and install it into another partition in which windows is not installed.if you haven't partitioned your hard drive,you can re partition it.

• 8 l d // Jun 22, 2008

  I disagree strongly with jplat's approach. Don't worry about the details - go with what is important.

  Forget WINE - I have been too lazy to bother to figure out how to use it - and I have been a happy Linux user for about 4 years (I "tinkered" with Linux before that). Use Linux programs that provide the features you want.

  openoffice gives me M$ Office compatible files that I have shared with friends and colleagues for the last 4 years.

  I use programs that are available in BOTH windoze and Linux whenever possible, and there are a lot out there.

  Don't mess with wubi - if you want to run windoze, run windoze, install Linux as a dual-boot configuration and avoid the risk of windoze crashing while you are wubiing it. It isn't that difficult to set up a dual-boot. If you DON"T WANT TO LEARN ENOUGH TO SET IT UP, stick with windoze. Dual-booting isn't that difficult, it gives you a much faster system, and you learn some more about Linux.

  Intall Ubuntu. Make sure you upgrade everything and configure everything right after the installation. If you find that it is a tad slow for your taste use synaptic to install XFCE and try that.

  Learn how to use synaptic (System, Administration, Synaptic). If you like to do things the hard way, go with apt-get, etc., but if you want to do Linux the easy way, learn to use synaptic, please? Save apt-get etc., a very capable system, for when synaptic doesn't do the job.

  Make sure you have your installation disks close at hand and back up your data. Understand the setup proceedure for dual-booting, please don't wing it, and everything should go like a piece of cake.

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