Charlatan

I have a Dell Laptop that currently runs Windows XP. I bought it for my son a few years ago and now it is our family computer.

It's been running a bit slow and some of the programs need to be re-installed as they are missing .dll files or whatever. I am going to reformat the hard drive and reinstall the operating system but was thinking that it might be a good time to try something other than Windows.

While at one time I used to be right up to speed on all this stuff, I have to admit that over the past few years I haven't paid as much attention to advances in Operating Systems. What I am looking for is some help in rebuilding the software on this laptop.

What does the hive mind of TFP suggest? What are the pros and cons of your suggestion?

Thanks in advance.

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Martian

Something other than Windows?

You're probably looking at some flavour of Linux if you want to get away from Microsoft. The key question is going to be what you expect the laptop to do -- if you want to play games then Linux is not your best choice, but other than that you should be pretty good.

The noob distro of choice is Ubuntu. It's actually not my favourite, but it is as slick as they come, and Synaptic makes managing your installed software a snap; it's literally as simple as going through the list and putting a checkmark next to the programs you want to install. You'll find software that offers all the same functionality of popular Windows apps, so you'll be able to IM and edit .doc files and everything else with a minimum of fuss.

In terms of specific software, it's going to depend on what you want to do. Pidgin, Firefox, Thunderbird and Open Office are probably going to be a good start, but other than that recommendations are going to depend on what you want/need out of this machine.

__________________
I wake up in the morning more tired than before I slept
I get through cryin' and I'm sadder than before I wept
I get through thinkin' now, and the thoughts have left my head
I get through speakin' and I can't remember, not a word that I said

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biznatch

Agreed with Martian. Ubuntu will handle everyday average use: photos, videos, web browsing, email, and office work. And it will do so in a slick, clean, fairly easy environment.

But what are your needs, for your PC? Any special applications you need? Laptops+linux can get a bit tough, too, when it comes to drivers. Usually googling your laptop's model number + linux will lead you to forum discussions of people who might've fixed many problems you could run into.

I remember switching to Ubuntu on my Compaq laptop, I never was able to get my wireless card to work; it was frustrating because everything else was smooth and Ubuntu's interface was more appealing to me than Vista's.

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Cynthetiq

I'd suggest XP and then install some VMWare to get to the Linux OSs.

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Charlatan

It is being used for Web Browsing. Email (on the web). Simple word processing. Browsing Photos and videos. Not much else.

To use Ubuntu, does one download it, burn it to a disk and load it onto a freshly formatted hard drive or do I load it in addition to the existing OS?

__________________
"My hands are on fire. Hands are on fire. Ain't got no more time for all you charlatans and liars."
- Old Man Luedecke

SecretMethod70

Ubuntu is an excellent recommendation. Linux Mint is also worth considering if you want to be really lazy about it. They are the 1st and 4th common distros on distrowatch for a reason. Here's how distrowatch describes Linux Mint:Personally, I prefer Ubuntu despite the extra effort required. Ubuntu is already based on another distro (Debian), so I'd rather not use a distro (Mint) based on a distro (Ubuntu) based on a distro (Debian)

---------- Post added at 10:43 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:41 PM ----------

You install Ubuntu fresh, not on top of any other OS. You'll download what's called a LiveCD, which you use to boot up your computer. It will load a usable operating system right off the CD and there will be an icon on the desktop to install it onto your computer. This applies for Linux Mint as well.

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ASU2003

I use Linux Mint because I want things setup by people who know what they are doing. It's not that I couldn't figure it out, but why do I want to download and figure out how to install Open Office, GIMP, Flash, and some other programs.

Do you want to dual boot? Have you backed up all your files, bookmarks, e-mails? It is easiest to format and install it on a clean hard drive, but I think you might be able to create a partition and install it there.

I will say that it runs just as fast today as it did on the first day I installed it (March 2008).

vanblah

I also run Ubuntu on several machines at home. I got tired of paying M$ ... more in this thread: http://www.tfproject.org/tfp/tilted-...ciding-os.html

It comes with Open Office so you'll have word processing and spreadsheets.

To answer your question about installing. You can do either. I dual-boot with XP on one machine because I need Windows (on that machine) for audio processing. I had a fresh install of Windows and then installed Ubuntu within which took care of the boot options later.

But since you want a clean install you'll download it and burn it to a CD. During the install you'll be asked if you want to delete any existing partitions (you do for a clean install). Make sure to back up any files you need.

You can also install VirtualBox and set up a virtual Windows machine within Ubuntu if you need access to things that Windows provides. This is how I converted my old iTunes files to non-DRMed MP3s. You don't have to stick with Windows ... you can install a lot of different virtual machines so you can experiment with different OSes.

Martian

For some Windows software you can also use WINE.

Quick note: If you do plan on dual-booting, make sure you install Windows first. Windows overwrites the boot sector on install without giving you any options; this means that if you have an existing Linux partition it will become inaccessible when Windows goes on.

__________________
I wake up in the morning more tired than before I slept
I get through cryin' and I'm sadder than before I wept
I get through thinkin' now, and the thoughts have left my head
I get through speakin' and I can't remember, not a word that I said

- Ben Harper, Show Me A Little Shame