The beauty of Linux is you can try before you comit to a install. I would also go along with the following sugesstions.



As already advised.
Just download and burn to a cd\dvd or usb and try them before you commit to a final install.
Just remeber you wont get the full speed of the os, but all the basics will be there for you to try.
There is quite a difference between them looks wise.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nCzIsx2oWU

There is no best distribution with Linux, they all do the same job, just different ways, so its all down to personal preference what you choose.

http://mylinuxbook.com/funny-and-int...mands-part-ii/

Taken from

http://www.tuxmachines.org/taxonomy/term/63/all

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Top 10 Ubuntu App Downloads for July

http://developer.ubuntu.com/2013/08/...oads-for-july/

Steam still popular.

You should know better than to mention that on this thread

Ps hows the games/steam doing?

Unix Sys Admin here, run Ubuntu on my work desktop, however for out of hours work etc, I always go for Windows. VPN, Email, vSphere client etc work much better on Windows (as much as it pains me), IMO.

I'm preferring Mint, so far. I think I will probably go with a dual boot, because I sometimes play World of Warcraft and I think that will be easier on Vista. I will gradually transfer most other stuff over to Mint. What happens when a new edition comes out, though, can we just upgrade or do we have to do a new install?

Unfortunately Mint doesn't offer an upgrade path, so you have to fresh install. I usually go that route anyway with all my distros, but I think for the next Ubuntu I'm going to try the in-place upgrade. Get fed up of installing all the time.

Mint do a version that in theory doesnt need re installing.

http://www.linuxmint.com/download_lmde.php

But its not new to Linux friendly yet

Have you give it a go? Looks like I might have to go with Ubuntu instead.

It is a good idea to get used to fresh installing. The in-place upgrades don't always go well for everyone, so it's good practice to learn how to back up your stuff and prepare for fresh installing.

I'm just a bit fed up of it after all these years. I've never tried the upgrade path, ever, so I figure for Ubuntu 13.10 it's the perfect time to try it. I sure hope 13.10 is as good 13.04...

Yes, but too unstable for my liking.

As Kal_El has suggested, just have a play with a few, you can install or run of live disk. Download a few, try KDE versions of mint etc.
By the time new versions are out, if you start now you may have decided whats best for you
So you can play for a few months, and get ready for the new ones

PS
Be warned, once you start to download to try different versions, you will be sucked into the distro hoping trap

Tried it a while back, but it was taking ages, got fed up waiting, just went back to clean install.
Doesn't take too long to download , burn, install, update, set prefrences, load music and photos.

Or go the separate home partition. thats my next move


https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Pa...ng/Home/Moving

I was going to do this on my new HDD, but I think it's a flawed idea because you fall into the trap of installing new software but with old config files all over your home drive. It's a potential recipe for disaster imho. I find it easier just to back up my stuff as I go, and then when a new distro comes out just start anew. Anything I really want in my home folder should have been already backed up elsewhere anyway.


That however, is a good point, and a complaint I hear a lot from upgraders.

Out of the blue my Linux Mint 15 laptop refuses to boot up.
Normal boot give the Mint name and four dots but goes nowhere.
Recovery mode puts up lots of stuff I mostly don't understand but there seems to be an unreadable sector on the drive. Attempts at repair via the recovery console have failed.
I can boot Ubuntu from a thumb drive but can't access the laptop drive with it even though it's visible.
If all else fails I could try reinstalling (unless the drive is cattled) but any less drastic suggestions would be welcome.

You should backup when doing a dist-upgrade, too, so that lesson applies with upgrades as well as fresh installs.

I've always gone down the upgrade route with Debian (this installation goes back to Debian Etch and is currently on Debian Wheezy), but then it's sort of designed to allow for upgrading. Sure, I've had a small issue here and there, but then I was prepared because I read the upgrade documentation and the issues were easily fixed or circumnavigated. So, if people are going to go down the upgrade route, then it's best to read up on the release notes for the new release prior to going ahead. You'll also learn a lot by upgrading instead of fresh installation, because if you find a problem, then it's a problem that provides a lesson.

I do prefer Mint. I also like the look of another one called Peppermint. It just seems a bit of a hassle backing everything up if new editions are quite frequent. Although, it might be easier than what it sounds.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iqe6aEWMYRk
Peppermint is a old favourite of mine, just burn it or any other to a disk and try it. its a live dvd\cd so wont harm youre present setup, so long as you dont install it.

Backing up is no hassle at all, i just select music/pictures/documents folder, select all, copy paste to a usb stick.
Load new OS copy and paste back in.

Whole process of loading and setting up new OS takes about 30min, no hassle if youre only doing it once or twice a yr.

Sounds like HD is shot to me.

I have a horrible feeling you're right. It's had a pretty good run.

When it's time to install one, which is the best way to do it? On it's own partition or inside Vista? Thanks.

My personal choice, is to use 2 hard drives, one with Linux on, one with Windows on.

But other ways....

http://www.ubuntu.com/download/deskt...u-with-windows
Use to be a recommended way, but it seems to be getting a bit of bad press lately.

Put it on its own partition
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/WindowsDualBoot

or if thats a pain, try it running virtual box, seems a favourite one with windows users.
(Other versions are available)
https://www.virtualbox.org/ within windows.

As always, before you try any of them, make sure you have backups, and if the worst happens you can reinstall windows.

I eventually put it on a separate partition, so I have now got a dual boot with Vista. Also, just another quick question. Do I still have to install anti-virus software or isn't it necessary for linux?

Another good guide to dual booting windows and linux based systems is the following

http://www.dedoimedo.com/computers/d...-7-ubuntu.html

Also you do not need any anti virus software for linux.

http://www.debian.org/News/2013/20130809

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/08...rthday/?page=1


http://www.debian.org/

HD still in working order. No idea what was going on but a clean reinstall of Mint seems to have cured it.

I posted this as a separate thread earlier, but this might be a better place to get a decent reply....

I have an xp netbook which is dragging its backside its so slow. I want to install unbuntu in place of xp and I hear there is a netbook version. obviously my netbook doesnt have a dvd drive so I need to install via usb.is the netbook version any good or shall I just use the desktop version?

thanks