View Full Version : Looking at installing Ubuntu in my computer
Quakemeister
June 23rd, 2011, 03:35 AM
Good day. My only interest in Ubuntu is that I want a reliable trouble free as nearly as possible computer. I know absolutely nothing about the inner workings of one and have no interest in learning about them. I am a 77 year old retired seismologist on a fixed income so you can understand my reasons for want of a trouble free computer. The current system I have is a Dell Studio XPS with Windows 7 64bit. It is a little more then a year old and has had two crashes. The first ended with having to change the hard drive which Dell did with no charge to me. The second crash resulted in having to reinstall windows. I had the disk so that wasn't much of a problem, but without the disk I would have had a very expensive paper weight. My chief concern is about malware, spyware, viruses and what have you. I want something that not everyone is taking shots at. If I were to install Ubuntu I would want it to be able to do what I currently do and do it without fear of it crashing or having to update it every week or reinstall it every year. It would have to work with the printer and scanner that I had to buy because drivers weren't available for the older printer and scanner I have. Thank you...Don
uRock
June 23rd, 2011, 04:25 AM
Hello and welcome to the forums,
Could you tell us more about the hardware you are using, such as Brand, Make and Model, so that we can advise on whether or not Ubuntu is the right choice for you?
Cheers,
uRock
jerrrys
June 23rd, 2011, 04:40 AM
Ubuntu has its stable release called LTS (long term support). it comes out every two years. right now its 10.04 and the next LTS will be 12.04 (april 2012).
as far as malware, spyware, viruses. really no worry. been running without protection since 2008 without problems.
i wouldn't give up windows, just dual boot.
https://wiki.ubuntu.com/LTS
Zachzee
June 23rd, 2011, 04:56 AM
another thing you may want to consider when installing as far as my experience goes. would be to use a 32 bit install. with all my experiences with all the types of operating systems from windows to linux i have found 32 is generally more stable than 64 bit.
Quakemeister
June 23rd, 2011, 06:14 AM
Hi URock. Thanks for the reply. The scanner is the Canon Scan LiDE 200 The printer is Canon MP 560 Camera is Nikon Cool Pix l10 Camera is Canon Power Shot A85
Quakemeister
June 23rd, 2011, 06:18 AM
Hi Jerrrys. You're braver then I am. No way would I run a computer without protection. What do you mean by dual boot? Now much involvement on my part would that entail? Thanks a bunch...Don
jerrrys
June 23rd, 2011, 06:24 AM
hay, ask around. the only linux virus protection offered is meant to protect windows. and on dual boot
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/WindowsDualBoot
more here
http://www.googlubuntu.com/results/?cx=006238239194895611142:u-ocqbntw_o&q=dual+boot&sa=Search&cof=FORID:9#941
crustydusty
June 23rd, 2011, 06:44 AM
Have you tried a liveUSB method? Its a great way to test a plethora of flavors of linux. If you have a USB storage device of some kind it really makes for a good way to test and install Ubuntu. It will even install a dual boot side by side with your windows image. I use unetbootin for testing installing every time I want to reformat. http://unetbootin.sourceforge.net/. The Just a thought Its how I got started when first trying linux and I haven't stopped since. I'm still quite the novice myself but enjoy helping when I can. Good luck Don
crustydusty
June 23rd, 2011, 06:53 AM
Hi Jerrrys. You're braver then I am. No way would I run a computer without protection. What do you mean by dual boot? Now much involvement on my part would that entail? Thanks a bunch...Don
No jerry's is right no real need to worry about viruses. Its quite enlightening really. spyware and malware are designed to attack window$ file system and by default are not executable without being given permission therefor rendering them pretty much useless against *nix systems. I'm sure some one could explain that much better than myself but... Search around the forum there are a lot of smart and helpful people here.:D
Gylean
June 23rd, 2011, 08:33 AM
Hello i am new here as well and i can't wait to get Ubuntu on my PC again , i was duel booting with 10.10 meerkat and against advice i upgraded to the new 11.04 and hated it , so i was talking to the chap who got me into Ubuntu and he said put the old disc in and install and he was helping me even though he was very tired from building forums it got to a section that said something like entire partition and at first he said no then changed his mind so i clicked it and guess what no more windows , so i had to get it fixed and now i want to put it back on but i am very nervous as i am nearing Quakemeisters age well 10 less and at our age we always are a bit nervous , but i want to say once you have it up and running , it will take a couple of days to get used to the system but i find it fantastic, sorry to ramble on for so long , by the way i am new here as well
Quakemeister
June 23rd, 2011, 09:19 AM
Hi All. The link is from the USGS web site. They are fault maps. If Ubuntu can open them one obstacle will have been cleared. Thank you...Don http://earthquake.usgs.gov/hazards/qfaults/google.php
uRock
June 23rd, 2011, 05:41 PM
Hi All. The link is from the USGS web site. They are fault maps. If Ubuntu can open them one obstacle will have been cleared. Thank you...Don http://earthquake.usgs.gov/hazards/qfaults/google.php
Google Chrome opens them with no problem. You should download and create a LiveCD or LiveUSB, then take it for a test drive to see how it works with your hardware.
PapaGary
June 23rd, 2011, 05:55 PM
Hi All. The link is from the USGS web site. They are fault maps. If Ubuntu can open them one obstacle will have been cleared. Thank you...Don http://earthquake.usgs.gov/hazards/qfaults/google.php
No problems opening that site with Firefox (which comes with Ubuntu).
You should download and create a LiveCD or LiveUSB, then take it for a test drive to see how it works with your hardware.
Good advice.
No way would I run a computer without protection.
I've been running online with various versions of Windows for 15 years with no anti-virus. You just have to be careful.:)
Quakemeister
June 23rd, 2011, 08:28 PM
Hi All. I downloaded Ubuntu,but learned it was a Winzip file. Since I only have the evaluation one I can't burn it to a CD unless I buy Winzip. I do not intend to buy it just to burn one CD so I will have to wait until Canonical gets in touch with me and tells me how to get a disk. If there is another way to download it and burn it to a disk without going through Winzip I will try that. Thank you...Don
jerrrys
June 23rd, 2011, 08:31 PM
let talk about it, start your own thread and we will be looking for you
EDIT ha ha. i just figured it out..its breaktime for me
uRock
June 23rd, 2011, 08:50 PM
If you downloaded from Ubuntu.com, then it should be a .iso file, which is a CD image needing to be burnt to disk.
Quakemeister
June 23rd, 2011, 09:11 PM
Hi uRock. I did. I went back and told it to download using IE and it started with Winzip. I told it to save using Opera. When the download started I check my desktop and saw it was using Winzip. I can't seem to be able to get around Winzip. Thank you...Don
nzjethro
June 23rd, 2011, 09:16 PM
Hi quakemeister.
Are you going to this website (http://www.ubuntu.com/download/ubuntu/download) and then clicking on the orange box that says "Start Download (Ubuntu 11.04, 32-bit)"?
It should download as a .iso file (as uRock said), so if it is downloading as a .zip file, you may be attempting to get it from the wrong source.
:)
Quakemeister
June 23rd, 2011, 09:18 PM
That is the site I'm using. Don
Quakemeister
June 23rd, 2011, 09:28 PM
Went back and checked again. Winzip is default. No matter what I chose to save it it is going to use Winzip. Maybe I shouldn't try to save it and just open it. Don
nzjethro
June 23rd, 2011, 09:31 PM
OK, I had a brief look around, and it looks like some people have run into the same issue as you, because they have associated .iso files with WinZip. This means that even if a file is a .iso (which Ubuntu should be), it is appearing on their computer as a .zip file, and attempting to open with Winzip.
If you post the size of the file (found by right-clicking the files, and selecting the "Properties" tab) here in a reply, we can confirm whether this is the case, and thus get you on your way to Ubuntu!
I would suggest you to burn the file to a CD or create a Live USB anyway, then instert the disk and reboot your computer. If I'm correct, it should boot into the Ubuntu start screen.
This guide (https://help.ubuntu.com/community/LiveCD) gives you instructions on how to create a Live CD, while if you want to create a Live USB stick rather than using a CD, download and use this free programme (http://unetbootin.sourceforge.net/).
Quakemeister
June 23rd, 2011, 11:25 PM
Thanks. I finely got the program downloaded, but now I can't get a disk to burn. I used both DVD R and CD R. I can't burn to either one. I can burn just about everything else, but not Ubuntu. I think I will wait and see how to get a disk already prepared for use. Like I said. I know nothing about the workings of a computer and have no desire to. Thanks a bunch...Don
uRock
June 23rd, 2011, 11:31 PM
I use InfraRecorder (http://infrarecorder.org/) for burning ISOs within Windows. I have been told that W7 and Vista have the ability to burn ISOs, but I haven't searched to see if it was true.
nzjethro
June 23rd, 2011, 11:40 PM
Do you have a USB stick lying around?
If yes, follow this link (http://unetbootin.sourceforge.net/), and click "Download for Windows". This programme is called unetbootin, and it'll let you create a Live Ubuntu USB stick rather than burning a CD or DVD. find it easier, plus you don't use up a CD (as you can wipe the USB when you've installed it).
If you don't have a USB stick, but you can't wait to get started with UBuntu, you can download a free programme called infra recorder, and follow this guide (https://help.ubuntu.com/community/BurningIsoHowto), or the "Burn your CD or create a USB drive" guide at the Ubuntu download page (http://www.ubuntu.com/download/ubuntu/download).
If you decide to take one of these options and you run into problems, post back here, and someone will be able to help you out. :)
EDIT: ^^ There we go, double testimonial for Infra Recorder.
dFlyer
June 23rd, 2011, 11:56 PM
I would recommend that you download the 10.04 release of ubuntu as that is the LTS and will be good until 12.04. I have a dell studio 1735 and ubuntu runs out of the box. I would first download the iso and burn it to a cd or usb to test drive it at first to make sure this is what you want. I've been using ubuntu since 2006 as my only OS and Linux in general since the mid 90's and find it very stable. Something you need to remember is that Linux is not windows and it's important that you go slow in the beginning and have fun. Should you have problems all you have to do is ask on this forum and someone will jump in and give you a hand. Welcome to Ubuntu.
uRock
June 23rd, 2011, 11:58 PM
I would recommend that you download the 10.04 release of ubuntu as that is the LTS and will be good until 13.04.
ftfy :P
Quakemeister
June 24th, 2011, 07:22 AM
Hi All. Thanks for all of the assistance. I was finely able to burn a disk, at least I think I did however it doesn't work. When I put it in my computer my computer reads then tells me to put in a disk and click burn. All I'm doing is going around in circles. I think I'm going to put this on the back burner and wait for Canonical to reply to me. Again thank you for the assistance. Don
fjm03
June 26th, 2011, 02:56 PM
Been running *nix for several years without protection. First dual booted, then ran Microsoft as a guest on Ubuntu through VmWare and now run Microsoft on a laptop as a backup and an Iphone mother ship. Never regretted the choice, never looked back, and have never been intruded or harmed .... on the Linux box.
Anger 2
June 26th, 2011, 03:39 PM
Your CD should work provided that you burned the image and did not make a data disk,that will not work. Also you have to change the boot order in the bios to CD first or else when you boot it will boot into Windows and not from the disk.It is no good running the live CD while Windows is running.
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