Would ubuntu be a good choice?

[thegutterpoet]

I have recently purchased a second-hand HP mini 5101 notebook with specifications of...

Intel Atom CPU N280 @ 1.66 GHz CPU
1GB DDR2 Ram
160GB Sata Hard Drive
No optical drive as this is a netbook
Wireless
Bluetooth
2MP Webcam

Running the pre-installed Vista Business with just the 1gb of ram seems OK. However, I am wondering if ubuntu or another easy to use linux distro would help me to get the best out of the hardware???? Are there any linux routines specifically designed for netbooks???

As for usage, I really only wish to create text documents, browse the net, stream the odd youtube video clip or football match...at a stretch, watch a film.

Are there any clear advantages to installing ubuntu or another linux OS over the present vista OS?

any help is greatly appreciated,
cheers,
TGP

[zero2xiii]

Hay,

Yes I would recommend Lubuntu, since it is REALLY lightweight, yet has everything you need. I am not sure of the ubuntu netbook remix is still around... But Lubuntu's minimum requirements are pretty low.

Only catch is, you will need to create a live USB to install it, or use an external optical drive and some people have had issues installing from them.

Cheers and good luck.

[Mark Phelps]

Some will argue with this, cause after all, you ARE in the Ubuntu forums, but Ubuntu is not some miracle cure that is going to turn a wornout old slow PC into a powerhouse of performance. They will say that Ubuntu will run faster than Vista -- but while that is true, basically ANYTHING will run faster than Vista. Vista barely runs, limping along, with your processor and only 1GB of memory. IF you want to get more out of your hardware, you should boost that to 2GB of memory. I did that on a old laptop and the boost in performance was amazing.

The main downside you're going to run into is drivers -- a long-standing weakness of the Linux distros in general. The more specialized hardware you have on your PC, the less likely it's going to work well in Linux.

If your PC can boot from USB, I would use the Universal USB Installer from PendriveLinux .com, together with an ISO file of the Ubuntu version you want to run, to create a bootable USB stick of Ubuntu, boot from that -- and see how well it detects your hardware and installs working drivers. It will run slower than usual because it's reading from a USB stick, not a hard drive, but you will get a feel for how well it works and how it behaves.

[snowpine]

You can "dual boot" which means install Linux side-by-side with Windows, so that you can choose between them each time you turn on the computer.

I have a dual boot on my Atom netbook (Fuduntu and Windows XP). I use Linux for web surfing and word processing, and Windows for watching videos/movies and running a few Windows apps I need for work.

[HermanAB]

Lubuntu or Xubuntu would run fine on that machine. Regular Ubuntu will be slow as molasses.

[thegutterpoet]

I have now been forced into installing a linux iso as my windows vista has gone to the dogs and simply wont work anymore...As I am away from my home and traveling through south east asia I have downloaded an ubuntu 12.04 iso, used the program to create a bootable usb and am now typing from my booted ubuntu on usb. I have managed to locate the files on the windows vista business installation that is corrupt and am copying those over to another usb as I type now.

My plan is to install ubuntu straight after the files have copied over, but I need some advice with the partitions...

What size do I make my swap file??? and how do I create the partitions?? Is it essential I make a / AND /home partition????

From what I read above, if I am to use the netbook for mainly browsing, word processing and watching films...I am likely better off using lubuntu or xubuntu??? Which one suits my hardware better???

any advice is well appreciated.
cheers
TGP

[snowpine]

The installer will automatically choose the optimum partitions and sizes (unless you choose "something else").

Full install instructions are here: http://www.ubuntu.com/download/deskt...g-term-support

(no need for me to retype them for you, right? )

[thegutterpoet]

the first option it gave me was a simple straight REPLACE of windows vista...will that automatically suggest/create a swap and home partition??? Or must I head through the second option, which allows me to edit the partitions manually???

[snowpine]

I am confused whether you wish to completely replace Vista or install Ubuntu side-by-side?

[kokoshmusun]

I'm surprised you got Vista to work at all. I would say if you don't absolutely need it, don't do a dual-boot with Vista. Vista is the worst OS I've ever seen; it forced me to discover linux.

On smaller/older machines, I've found Lubuntu to work the best. It's a bit lighter than Xubuntu, which is also a great distro. If you need über-fast, try Puppy Linux, but it's bare-bones and odd coming from Ubuntu. So I'd say wipe out everything and install Lubuntu.