Ubuntu

[Ian Marshall]

Chaps/Chapesses,

Would really appreciate a bit of advice - really basic stuff I expect, but I'm a bit in the dark about Ubuntu.

My wife has a fairly old laptop with a slowish Celeron processor which needs to be wiped and start again.

Since its so slow, I'm led to believe Ubuntu might be our best bet. All she wants to do on it is some browsing and some word processing. I'm planning to use google chrome browser and openoffice.

How do I go about completely formatting the thing, removing windows and installing ubuntu? Thats the bit I'm struggling with.

 

[homer]

Can he play at right back

 

[spionfox]

How do I go about completely formatting the thing, removing windows and installing ubuntu? Thats the bit I'm struggling with.

If you download the 'LiveCD' iso then all of that will be taken care of for you.

Just boot up from the CD (you may have to go into the BIOS to change the boot options) and follow the prompts for using the entire hard disk.

FWIW, I would use LinuxMint myself rather than Ubuntu - basically the same but includes some needed music codecs by default.

 

[Macky]

How do I go about completely formatting the thing, removing windows and installing ubuntu? Thats the bit I'm struggling with.

Put in the DVD, restart the laptop and follow the simple prompts.
There's really very little for you to do, type in the username that you want to use and accept the default options.

It's quicker and less painful than doing a Windows install.

 

[Jeff]

If you have an Ubuntu install CD/DVD I think it will ask you where you want to install it, so it can be installed over the top of the existing Windows installation.

It doesn't take up much space though so there's no harm in installing it alongside windows instead.

 

[Macky]

FWIW, I would use LinuxMint myself rather than Ubuntu - basically the same but includes some needed music codecs by default.

Ubuntu on steroids

 

[Durham Fox]

Is your mrs familiar with Linux Os's? I know she doesn't intend to do much but it's still different from windows.

If it were my mrs I'd install XP because the user hassle wouldn't be worth it.

 

[Macky]

Is your mrs familiar with Linux Os's? I know she doesn't intend to do much but it's still different from windows.

If it were my mrs I'd install XP because the user hassle wouldn't be worth it.

What 'user hassle' would you anticipate?

 

[Macky]

C'n'Ped from this thread because I'm too lazy to type

A cousin of mine used to ring me every few months to 'fix' her laptop (again) which generally involved reinstalling XP for her.

Eventually, the CD drive packed up and so I couldn't reinstall XP and the only thing I could do was install Mint off of a flashdrive.
I renamed the Firefox icon to 'Internet', gave it back to her and left her off. That was about a year ago and she hasn't bothered me since, she loved it with all the visual effects

 

[Scodger Cubs]

Can he play at right back

:icon_lol: I thought this was another Ivory Coast international!:icon_lol:

 

[Durham Fox]

What 'user hassle' would you anticipate?

Just the nuances of linux vs windows. Simple operation stuff, file management, add ons etc.

 

[Macky]

Just the nuances of linux vs windows. Simple operation stuff, file management, add ons etc.

For your average user, there really is very little difference and no learning curve to worry about. 10 minutes playing time and they'd be absolutely fine, unless they were severely mentally retarded in which case they probably shouldn't be using XP either :icon_bigg

 

[Durham Fox]

For your average user, there really is very little difference and no learning curve to worry about. 10 minutes playing time and they'd be absolutely fine, unless they were severely mentally retarded in which case they probably shouldn't be using XP either :icon_bigg

I've seen windows users trying to get to grips with Linux and OSx and stamping up and down wanting windows back. It's what I do for a living.

Unfortunately Windows is too ingrained in people and generally it's only those with a willingness to learn a new OS or those with some technical nous that find it 'easy'. We recently rolled out an orientation programme to 5000+ users who were given Google apps as a replacement for Outlook. Massively painful and some seriously frustrated users and I'd say Google mail/docs etc is about as straight forward as it gets!

 

[drummindefender]

:icon_lol: I thought this was another Ivory Coast international!:icon_lol:

not the only one :icon_bigg

 

[Macky]

I've seen windows users trying to get to grips with Linux and OSx and stamping up and down wanting windows back. It's what I do for a living.

Unfortunately Windows is too ingrained in people and generally it's only those with a willingness to learn a new OS or those with some technical nous that find it 'easy'. We recently rolled out an orientation programme to 5000+ users who were given Google apps as a replacement for Outlook. Massively painful and some seriously frustrated users and I'd say Google mail/docs etc is about as straight forward as it gets!

I refer the honourable gentleman to post #9 in this thread.

My cousin is fairly clueless as it goes (she won't be reading this, but she knows I love her dearly) but she hasn't bothered me once since I set up Mint for her and, as a matter of fact, she's even managed to install and use a mobile dongle with it without any help, which I doubt she would've managed if she was still using XP going on past experience

 

[Durham Fox]

I refer the honourable gentleman to post #9 in this thread.

My cousin is fairly clueless as it goes (she won't be reading this, but she knows I love her dearly) but she hasn't bothered me once since I set up Mint for her and, as a matter of fact, she's even managed to install and use a mobile dongle with it without any help, which I doubt she would've managed if she was still using XP going on past experience

I raise your cousin with 5000 morons at a well known media institution. :icon_bigg

 

[Ian Marshall]

Ok, I'm a bit confused now. I know my way around a computer and my wife isn't too bad with them either.

All she wants is really to browse the net. She doesnt want any other programs other than openoffice really and a browser.

Will she find Ubuntu straightforward for these things?

 

[spionfox]

Ok, I'm a bit confused now. I know my way around a computer and my wife isn't too bad with them either.

All she wants is really to browse the net. She doesnt want any other programs other than openoffice really and a browser.

Will she find Ubuntu straightforward for these things?

Yes, yes and thrice yes!

But go for LinuxMint.

 

[Macky]

Will she find Ubuntu straightforward for these things?

Absofeckinlutely, without a doubt and, as spion says, if you opt for LinuxMint you'll both find it even more straightforward.

Ignore Mr Sadpants and his 5000 mongs. You could be missing a chromosome and still not struggle with it.

 

[Ian Marshall]

Thanks guys - really appreciate the advice.

I have one further stupid question. We really want to format the hard drive completely. The computer is so slow and cluttered with rubbish and there is some powerspy thing that keeps cropping up, we don't know if her ex put it on there to snoop or what. Anyway... my question is?

Will this linux thing (someone gave me the link earlier - Linux Mint 10) just give me the option to format the hard drive once I've installed it as my OS?

Do I need to format the drive manually? What is the best way to do this? I've never done anything like this before. Feel like I should know, but I just dont.