Basic wether to go Linux open opinions wanted

[sweetness yeah !]

Hi everyone. I'm currently very slow pc world windows vista on a Packard bell (missing my dell xp kids now have)
Every so often my screen goes down and error message igfx driver failed and has recovered appears in notification.
Anyhow today I telephoned repair fella and ended up in a discussion and he told me he was using Linux and he would never go back.Told me viruses were rare and it's faster than vista.
Anyhow in a shop i was quoted £70 i know the softwares free but to be honest even though im skint i'd rather pay as im not very tech minded i know little apart from turn on shut down pray then cry.

I was told it could be partitioned so i'd have a choice or complete with no vista option.Personally my minds at i hate vista so much (i'm not here to slate it's just how i have felt with frustration) that i'm thinking just remove it.
if i left and vista became affected virally wouldn't it also stop me getting into the linux and then be banana'd ?

Also looking through threads there's lots of code needs imputing at times is that rare ? I am sorry my questions seem so simple but i really do not know much within computers give me a thousand kids and i'm fine ,one pc and petrified.

all my pc is used for is facebook games,email,cbeebies,education city and argos and sometimes son uses runescape on it.

would Linux be the wise move ? would it cure my pc error or is that a separate issue. I'd love to know if anyone could help as if its something to do we my graphics card i will need extra cash saved first

oops edited to add i also currently use chrome and firefox do they still run ?

i apologise that was a bit long gobbledygook but i couldn't think how else to put my questions :D

[snowpine]

Hi Sweetness, first of all your post is a little confusing to read, you should probably proof-read before clicking that "submit" button. :)

To answer your question, Linux is not Windows, it is very different. I like it, but maybe it's not the right choice for everyone. Kind of like anchovies on a pizza. ;) The best advice I can give you is to burn a "Live CD" of Ubuntu and try it without installing (with no change to your computer). This is just like test driving a car, so take Ubuntu for a spin and see whether you like it!

If you do decide you like Ubuntu, you'll find that the install process is very well documented. The important thing is to be patient and follow along with the instructions step-by-step.

Anyhow, here are the simple 1-2-3 instructions (http://www.ubuntu.com/desktop/get-ubuntu/download) for downloading and trying Ubuntu. I recommend you wait on Step 4 until you've spent a few days evaluating Ubuntu.

Good luck! :)

[sweetness yeah !]

Hi Sweetness, first of all your post is a little confusing to read, you should probably proof-read before clicking that "submit" button. :)

To answer your question, Linux is not Windows, it is very different. The best advice I can give you is to burn a "Live CD" of Ubuntu and try it without installing (with no change to your computer). This is just like test driving a car, so take Ubuntu for a spin and see whether you like it!

If you do decide you like Ubuntu, you'll find that the install process is very well documented. The important thing is to be patient and follow along with the instructions step-by-step.

Anyhow, here are the simple 1-2-3 instructions (http://www.ubuntu.com/desktop/get-ubuntu/download) for downloading and trying Ubuntu. I recommend you wait on Step 4 until you've spent a few days evaluating Ubuntu.

Good luck! :)

Thankyou i am sorry i know it was confusing now.The kids are home and my concentration is lapsing i spent most of my day writing childcare essays and then when i get on here i'm so sloppy it's bad.
In truth do you think it is simple enough for someone with very little computer knowledge to install and use it or am i wise to pay ?
I must admit i think these forums are fabulous, though i really do not feel intelligent enough to be here lol.
I think i will wait the hour till my kids go to bed to search and read up more and sort that test drive out.

[dFlyer]

I always say and OS is a personal choice. I've been with linux for the past 15+ years and have not looked back. I'm no wizard with computers just an end user. I've found Ubuntu easy to install and use, but you need to remember that linux is not windows. You might want to download the live CD and play with it for a while before installing to see if this is what you want.

[psusi]

It sounds like you are paying someone to install it for you, which is a waste of money when you can do it yourself easily. Ubuntu comes with Firefox as the default browser, and you can install chromium if you want ( I run it myself ).

You don't need to be an expert or know your way around the command line to follow instructions, but it helps. When things go wrong and you ask for advice here, the instructions often include running commands in the terminal. They usually come with an explanation so you can learn as you go, but you don't have to. Generally things just work smoothly and painlessly, but when something goes wrong, the command line is often the best or only way to fix it.

I also suggest you go download the livecd and try it out for a while first. If you decide you like it, then you can either install along side windows, or replace windows entirely.

[sweetness yeah !]

I always say and OS is a personal choice. I've been with linux for the past 15+ years and have not looked back. I'm no wizard with computers just an end user. I've found Ubuntu easy to install and use, but you need to remember that linux is not windows. You might want to download the live CD and play with it for a while before installing to see if this is what you want.

Thankyou for reply everyone.Is yours partitioned or do you just use this ?
Wow i did not even know it was that old today is the first time i've heard someone mention it and my was he full of praise.
All i want is to play the odd game smoothly and to go on facebook and twitter.Is java easy to sort out ?
I guess i just have a fear of making my pc worse and as i wrote this my screen went blank i could type and the igfx problem occured

[sweetness yeah !]

It sounds like you are paying someone to install it for you, which is a waste of money when you can do it yourself easily. Ubuntu comes with Firefox as the default browser, and you can install chromium if you want ( I run it myself ).

You don't need to be an expert or know your way around the command line to follow instructions, but it helps. When things go wrong and you ask for advice here, the instructions often include running commands in the terminal. They usually come with an explanation so you can learn as you go, but you don't have to. Generally things just work smoothly and painlessly, but when something goes wrong, the command line is often the best or only way to fix it.

I also suggest you go download the livecd and try it out for a while first. If you decide you like it, then you can either install along side windows, or replace windows entirely.

Thankyou i have decided to follow that advice.I guess i have nothing to lose after all if i banana up then i'm just going to pay what i was.If i get positive and succeed i shall have saved quite a bit of cash :D

[snowpine]

In truth do you think it is simple enough for someone with very little computer knowledge to install and use it or am i wise to pay ?

You are welcome!

I think it is very easy to burn and test-drive an Ubuntu Live CD, and that you should definitely do so before you pay someone £70 to install something you've never tried. That price seems steep to me for something you can do for free, but then again, if leaving it to a professional saves you hours of aggravation, maybe it is a bargain. :)

Now if the simple 1-2-3 how-to-burn-a-live-CD instruction I linked to above are too scary, you can request a free CD through the "Ship It" program (https://shipit.ubuntu.com/) or go to the newsstand and look for a Linux magazine that includes an Ubuntu CD or DVD.

But again, I really encourage you not to install Ubuntu (whether yourself or paying someone at the shop) until you have first tried it.

[arpanaut]

Not to put you off trying out Ubuntu but, before you go very much further it would be advisable to make backups of your "My Documents' folder to some external media. (also any other important files you may have elsewhere)

Your Vista install is acting up and you would not want to loose those files if it should fail.
When partitioning and installing any OS things can and sometimes do go wrong. Best be prepared!
If your data is safe and secure then recovery is so much simpler.

I would also suggest using Lucid Lynx 10.04.1 as it is the current LTS version (long term support) and ATM is the most tested and stable.

Good Luck and welcome to the forums!

[psusi]

All i want is to play the odd game smoothly and to go on facebook and twitter.Is java easy to sort out ?


Facebook, twitter, and java are no problem, but getting Windows software ( games ) to run under Ubuntu/Linux is a bit difficult. Of course, there are plenty of good Linux games that work just fine. I'm a bit partial to Freeciv myself, which is a clone of Sid Meyer's "Civilization".

[sweetness yeah !]

My goodness you are all so helpful here,real :KS's.Usually with technical help forums you wait hours for a reply and they are not so detailed.
Thankyou once again my kids have finally gone to sleep so im going to read up more whilst i have peace.

My new aim is to try to use these forums to understand more now i can hear myself think and then i will do as suggested to give it a try before proper installation .

then i'm attempting within next few days to try the partitian way to begin with so i can play yoville using vista till im up to scratch with this.

My minds made up this is what i want i know it is completely different to what i am used to but i got used to xp then vista so it's like going ten steps forward instead of back again :D