How to test a laptop

[ryy705]

Hello,
I wish to purchase a laptop and then install ubuntu on it.
How can I figure out if a laptop is compatible with ubuntu without installing it?
Will running the live cd work? Will the wireless connection and sound work with live the cd?
Many thanks in advance for your help.

[Tclarkie]

yeah they will but where r u buying from, will they allow that

[ryy705]

Thank you for your response.

I will have to convince them to let me test a display item.

Just to clarify: are you saying that the live CD would pick up sound and wireless?

Does Ubuntu have something similar to a device manager? Where I can check if it has picked up all the devices?

[tnek]

It might not work. You might have to install a restricted driver if your computer needs some proprietary drivers to work. I don't know if that works on a live CD, but someone else might be able to answer that. If it does not maybe booting from a USB memory stick is an option? Then I think a driver install will work, if you have Internet access which I suspect you won't.

[raymondh]

When you boot the liveCD and go live session (try ubuntu...), there is an icon in the desktop labeled "examples". Open it and play around with the different formats (for sound, video, etc).