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Newbie installing Linux on a Acer Aspire 5610z?
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4 Responses to Newbie installing Linux on a Acer Aspire 5610z?
I really recommend Ubuntu. For me, it was the easiest to use, easiest to install, overall best if your going from Windows to Linux. Of course its a free download, and has a VERY large fanbase creating programs and such all the time for it.
The installer on it is very much like windows, and you can even have it run as a “live cd” before you install it just to see how you like it.
http://www.ubuntu.com/
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Ubuntu would definitely be best for you. It’s very easy to use and should have no problem with it.
It will find your drivers automatically in most cases (more consistently than windoze). And 99% of the time, if it can’t find the right one, it will use a working one.
and no, you will never need an anti virus, or a firewall. Spyware, viruses, attacks, authentication keys, defragmenting and ctrl+alt+del will be a distant memory.
You can run windows programs in a prog called WINE.
And yes, if all else fails, you can reinstall vista, but you wont want to.
http://www.ubuntu.com/
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why not try a dual boot option that way you’ll have both vista and linux the best way to install linux is with the free wubi installer it’s approved by linux wubi.org and choose side by side
http://www.ubuntu.com/
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What’s the easiest (and preferably smallest) version to get?
Ubuntu or Mint. Mint is slightly easier as some important components of it are already set up.
does Linux run okay with most drivers and whatnot?
You need to understand that some hardware manufacturers do not make linux drivers, which means that in such instances drivers will have to be open source if available. sometimes this means giving up on some functionality. An example might be a printer/scanner unit plugged into the machine. You may not have the same quality drivers and some of the functions may not work as well as the windows drivers allow it to.
It really depends on your hardware. If its all fairly common stuff it will probably be ok.
so will downloading those and installing them do anything at all if Linux couldn’t run them in the first place?
There are ways of getting some windows drivers for some devices to work in linux. for the most part you will need linux drivers though. Many of these are built into the kernel already
Would Zone Alarm or AVG even work on Linux?
No. Personally I never bothered adding firewalls. my reading was that the proprietary setups for the distros I was using were ok. As far as av goes, there are a couple available, if you want to install one.
If, in the end, I completely mess up the comp (or simply can’t get used to Linux) can I reinstall Vista and have the computer as it was before I messed around with it?
Yep. As long as you have an install disk u can do whatever with linux and just whack windoze back on again if and when you want to.
Best thing you could do from here is google the distro you want to use and the model of your pc. You will see if there are any hardware recognision issues. Looks like there’s something going on with the touchpad on your machine and ubuntu, but you will need to do the reading yourself…
http://www.ubuntu.com/
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