I am looking for somewhere I can get a Linux OS on disc for free or really cheap. I have an old Windows XP system I am going to switch over to Linux. I have an old Unbuntu disk I got a couple of years ago but it would never install fully from the disk. Any suggestions?
The customary way is to download it. Yup, download a whole operating system. It comes as an .iso file. You burn the .iso file to a cd as an image cd (I'll cover that in a minute.) Then you boot from the cd you burned off. It boots the full operating system from the disk with NO INSTALL. This means when you reboot any changes will be wiped out and you start fresh next time... or if you take the cd out and reboot you are left running whatever is on the computer, in your case Windows XP. When you boot from the cd you can install it from the Desktop if you want, or not if you want... I know some people who have run off the live cd for months without installing.
For the purpose of selecting a variant of Linux, what are the computer hardware specs (ram, processor type and speed mostly) and what do you plan to do with this computer?
About burning the .iso file to an image cd, that's easy. If you have a burn program like Nero or Roxio, it should have an option to burn an image cd, usually under Backup options or something. If you don't have one of these programs, get InfraRecorder. It is free and will do the job quite nicely. It will ask you where the .iso file is and burn it to the cd automatically - don't mess with the default settings, just let it run the way it wants to.
I have done the download in the past. This time I would really like to get a cd with the OS already on it. I share a connection with someone else who is constantly downloading huge files, so downloading anything can take a while around here.
The only ones I know who send CDs for free are Ubuntu, and they say to allow 5 to 10 weeks. Besides Ubuntu has become a bit quirky lately, I can't honestly recommend it.
Use a download manager. It can pick up in the middle of the file if the download gets interrupted. I like DownThemAll, a Firefox add-on. Or ask your friend to hold up for a bit and let you download something... only fair.
There is another way of course, but it's really stupid. The other way is to PM me your address and I can send you some discs. The reason it is really stupid is because you don't even really know me. If you send me your address I will send you a copy of all the Linux variants I have, but I will also question your sanity. :P
But, I do know Chel and she knows you, and I trust her judgment in friends. lol
A very good point. I have an uncle Fred that is good for that too, if he says you can trust someone, you can. And he took to Chel right off the bat, so I know she's okay. ;)
Go ahead and PM me your address then.
Quote from: taco_harvell on March 05, 2011, 07:15:25 PM
But, I do know Chel and she knows you, and I trust her judgment in friends. lol
/me hugs Jason and Ike
you are both awesome people, and I am proud to call you friends!
SHHHH! Not so loud, you'll ruin my reputation! :nono:
Quote from: taco_harvell on March 05, 2011, 07:15:25 PM
But, I do know Chel and she knows you, and I trust her judgment in friends. lol
you may need to reevaluate that, now that she calls me friend as well lol
Barb, you are awesome! stop kidding yourself.
You do not have to be a clone of someone else, and if you were, I wouldnt like you so much.
I like you for you. For who you are, not for who you are trying to be. :grin:
*Hugs his awesome little sister
Well been using Linux Mint on the old laptop I like it pretty well and it works a lot faster than Windows. I think I will use it on the old desktop.
@Babs No need for revaluation if Chel likes you then you are alright in my book.
Funny you should mention that... I've just been taking Linux Mint Debian Edition for a test drive. Pretty smooth, especially for a straight Debian-base.
In other computer news, an i5 processor is a wonderful thing. Get one.
Taco I dunno... Chel called me awesome, so that goes to show she doesn't know much about people. :updown:
Quote from: Psalm_97 on March 15, 2011, 03:04:00 AM
In other computer news, an i5 processor is a wonderful thing. Get one.
Got an email from TigerDirect today trying to sale me an i7 processor for $999 they would ship it for free though. Want to buy it for me? lol
Just the PROCESSOR for $999? Are you sure? There are several laptops with i7 processors... 2.66ghz i7 processors, not the 1.73ghz cut-rate junk... for less than that.
An i7 is just an i5 with hyperthreading. Normal people would never use hyperthreading, so no loss. I got a Lenovo ThinkPad, i5 2.66ghz, 4 gig RAM, for $670. Tax refund. :D
Quote from: Psalm_97 on March 15, 2011, 03:19:06 AM
Just the PROCESSOR for $999? Are you sure? There are several laptops with i7 processors... 2.66ghz i7 processors, not the 1.73ghz cut-rate junk... for less than that.
An i7 is just an i5 with hyperthreading. Normal people would never use hyperthreading, so no loss. I got a Lenovo ThinkPad, i5 2.66ghz, 4 gig RAM, for $670. Tax refund. :D
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=7248312&SRCCODE=TIGFACEBK&cm_mmc_o=m21CjCd-2HPRRsCjC2zfbpjnnCjCGx9C99ir (http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=7248312&SRCCODE=TIGFACEBK&cm_mmc_o=m21CjCd-2HPRRsCjC2zfbpjnnCjCGx9C99ir)
Oh, well... that's a six-core (basically six processors, if your OS can do multi-core... and if a given program is set up to take advantage of it) at 3.46ghz. No wonder. That's for the hardest of hard core gamers, or maybe someone running a massive server.
Yeah, you're going to need that bad boy... opening a browser would take no time at all. :P
Having an issue with Windows now that I installed LinuxMint with a partition. It does not want to run scandisk and keeps telling me I have an error on my hard drive. Yet LinuxMint seems to not have any issues. Any suggestions?
It's not Linux' fault. in Windows, open a terminal (Start, Run) and run chkdsk /r /f. It will say something about it can't do that right now, do you want to schedule it for next restart? Type y and hit enter, then close out and reboot. It will do a really long version of checking the disk before it restarts.
/r checks for bad sectors, /f tries to fix stuff if possible.
For the record, did you defrag Windows before you resized its partition?
Yep, I always defrag before doing anything like that.
The problem seems to have started the same night I installed linux but that same night Windows updated. I can't restore to anything earlier than that update now. So I am thinking it is something to do with that update that has things messed up.
I have run all the Pre-boot diagnostics and everything is fine so I know it has to be a Windows issue.
Curiouser and curiouser. What is your Windows again on that dino, XP? And for the record, do you know how to save a backup image of your hard drive?
I never update unless I have a problem that needs resolving. If it works, don't mess with it. ;) At least on windows side... on Linux I update all the time, never have trouble.
What happened to all the A-V questions? Did the audio issue get put on the back burner, or did you already get Audacity and now have all you need?
I actually have Windows 7 on that laptop as well someone gave me a free upgrade disk right after 7 came out. (Which I am looking for to run computer repair from.)
I have a backup image of the hard drive but, it will not let me use it to restore. It keeps telling me their are unresolved issues with c drive, and will not let me restore at all.
The Audio issue all started at the same time as the other issues, so I think if I can resolve one problem the other may take care of itself. The audio issue is only in Windows not having a problem in Linux.
I am hurting tonight so I hope that made sense.
I meant the question of audio in the church sound booth. The programs, audio interface your pastor bought, whether you were just wanting to record the sermon off the soundboard or if you wanted to multi-track record a whole group singing with each singer and instrument in a separate channel...
I don't think that was me our church doesn't even have a sound booth just a small sound system behind the pulpit.
Sorry, that was Yoop. I'm getting tech support lines mixed up here. My bad.
Linux Mint. Now with free laptop batteries!
I got this Toshiba laptop from someone in Jackson for cheap. It has been running Windows apparently all its life. First time I booted Linux, it popped up a warning that the battery may have been recalled, I should check it out. So I went to the Linux-recommended website, made a call, and they're sending me a free battery.
What is really cool about this story is that some programmer thought it would be very good for Linux to check the battery on startup, and compare it to a list of recalled batteries. I have never seen Windows do this.
So... How DO you Windows people get alerted if your battery has been recalled?