[freedumb2003]

Thanks in advance

[MadIvan]

Greetings, welcome to a wonderful new world.

First, go to Ubuntu.com - this is the best Linux variant for laptops, so far as I've experienced.

Try out the Live CD first, so you can see how it works before installing it.

Come back and tell me the results.

Regards, Ivan

[Spiff]

I recommend a dual boot Windows XP/Linux so that you have the best of both worlds. SUSE Linux 10.0 works very well and has all of the bells and whistles you could ever want including tons of apps that you can install from the DVD. I got my DVD for free with a copy of Linux Format magazine.

I had Mandriva Linux before, but wasn't impressed. This weekend, I'm going to install Slax to see how that works out. Go here for a quick tutorial on how to install Slax to your HD without messing up Windows XP. Slax is available here.

If you want to try SUSE, go here to download it and get installation instructions, etc.

[B Knotts]

You're going to need to do some googling.

I'm running Debian Sarge on an old Dell laptop, with a bad CD-ROM drive. It took some doin'. ;-)

I had to use bootp for the boot device, so I had to set that up on another machine.

[freedumb2003]

Thanks guys!

I don't think I cam do the dual boot -- the machine is too old for XP (I ran that MS analysis program and it said nogood).

So this will be an adventure. Fortunately I have 2 actively working computers so this isn't a big risk.

I can always depend on my FReeper FRiends for good advice. You guys rock!

I'll ping everyone back when I get the whole thing running!

[Uri’el-2012]

[martin_fierro]

OSS Ping

[Echo Talon]

Get simply mepis 3.4-3 easiest way to go IMO.

scroll to the bottom for links

[N3WBI3]

Whatever distro you decide try a live CD first Here is a long list You should be able to find a distro that has all the drivers (including wifi) that you need. When that is done (You select a distro) we can help you with the install (dont worry most linux installs are cake now)

[postaldave]

http://www.pclinuxos.com


i would choice this over any other distro to start with because everything you will want and need is pre-installed.
there are other great ones out there but for ease of use this one gets a 10 out of 10.

i would give xp only an 8.

[Egon]

Oh, great. Now you've given me ideas. I have an old 380MHz laptop just laying around. I run Ubuntu on both of my primary servers here. I might have to try throwing that on there and see what happens.

[Quix]

N3WBI3,

Hope I'm not being toooo something . . .

but shouldn't threads like this be funneled into the tech thread?

Last I heard years ago, JimRob and John preferred to minimize vanities. And, it seems to me, that the tech thread is a great place for this query.

Certainly individual titles can possibly get more attention. But I think there's more merit in training folks to post on the tech thread and to follow the tech thread.

Focused attention seems best, to me.

[L_Von_Mises]

Definitely try a couple of live CDs first as other people have recommended. One distro that I did not see mentioned here is Mepis. You can download it at Mepis.org. It is a single CD so it has all of the basics without too much extra. Since it is Debian based you can add anything from the Debian FTP sites using synaptec.

The installation is on the same CD which is a nice feature too. If you like it, just install by clicking the link on the desktop when running the live cd. There is also a loyal following so there is good community support. MepisLovers.org is a good resource.

I would stick with distros like Mepis, Ubuntu, or Suse just beacuse they install a lot easier because of the graphical interface during the install. One tip is that when you get to the portion of the installation where it lists your hardware, make sure you have everything there. It is alot easier to get the hardware setup from the get-go than afterward.

There are a lot of choices out there so try a few and see what works for you both aesthetically and feature wise as well as no issues with your hardware. Have fun!

[bigdcaldavis]

Try Xandros. They have a free version called the Open Circulation Edition that can be downloaded for free via BitTorrent/BitTornado.

[djf]

OS/390? That's so... so... stone age!!

You need z/OS. I think 1.7 is available.

(actually, I only recently directly updated a 2.10 box to new hardware running 1.6, so I'm pullin yur leg!)

[freedumb2003]

Well, folks, I got it all working.

First off -- THANK YOU! I didn't know where to start. All of your advise was extremely helpful.

I started out trying pclinuxos, since it looked like it was the most complete. But I had a major video driver problem that I just couldn't seem to solve (and debugging takes FOREVER on liveCD mode). It also didn't seem to properly detect my network card (my onboard network connection is dead). So after tinkering with a day (and teaching myself about iso images, etc.), I ginally have up and looked back here.

When I cast my net, Mepis looked pretty easy, so I grabbed it and installed it. With the encouragement of FLAMING DEATH, I got it going, liked what I saw, and installed it on the HD (overlaid Windows for you real Linux-lovers).

It has found all my peripehrals and looks like it is working great! Thanks again for all your help.

Ad Ernest, can you direct me to the "tech thread" for future guidance?

Man, FR is the greatest (as I have said in the past and I say again)!

[Doohickey]

Linux will install just fine with no interfence from you at all. Sheesh, don't you read the tech threads?