I have linux question(s)?

Question

I read up a lot on linux and i think i would like to try it. The only problem is i'm not that experienced when it comes to computer software. The code stuff just goes over my head and out the window, so i was wondering if linux would be to complex to use or if it were pretty straight forward (i know it depends on the version but are there any versions for people such as myself?) If so where could i download it, and please make sure it is a safe site, i'm running windows as of now.
I also heard you could "dual boot" and use both operating systems by downloading linux to a disk and putting the disk in to boot linux, and taking it out ot boot windows, so is that true? And would doing so screw up my computer or is it pretty easy and safe.
Lastly i have to ask if linux is ok for gaming. I have a laptop i use for internet and a desktop that i use for gaming (most of the time anyway.) If i could dual boot then there is no problem, but if i just ran linux could i run windows games still or no?
Oh, and one more thing. I know linux is very customizable, but i was wondering if you had to be real tech smart to customize it or not. Could i customize it if i wanted to? I'm taking a few courses on computer programming at my school next year as an elective, but until then i am pretty clueless.

Answer 1

Moondog is right. There is what is called Wubi on Ubuntu. Linux Mint has it as well, and personally I think Mint is better for newbies. Wubi is a type of install, it's not permanent, but lets you try it out. It doesn't change your hard drive. It will write a big file, and fool Linux into thinking that file is a hard drive. When you are done, you can go into add/remove in windows, and uninstall it like any other Windows program. It's a great way to get your feet wet. To do this, simply put an Ubuntu or Linux Mint disk in while windows is running.



To install it for real, boot off the Linux disk. It will partition the drive for you, you can move the slider to set the size. This is permanent, it can be undone, but not easily. Once it's done you'll have a dual booting system.



Moondog gave you the link for Ubuntu Here is Mint.

http://linuxmint.com/



The big difference between the two is Mint is customized to be easier for people migrating from Windows. Also, flash and DVD codecs are installed out of the box, in Ubuntu that stuff is not, you have to download the add-ons yourself. Under the hood, they are identical.

Answer 2

If you install linux on your hard drive, it's possible to lose everything if you don't repartition right. However ubuntu can either be ran from a CD, so it makes no changes to your hard drive. Or through a complicated scheme of mapping things, it's installed to a 'virtual' hard drive that is actually just a file on your C: drive. This method is relatively straightforward and safe, and has only a slight slowdown compared to a dedicated partition.



Resizing partitions could possibly cause all your data to go away. I have a triple boot setup on my hard drive. 1 XP partition, 1 windows 7 partition, and one Linux partition. When my computer boots, I get an option for what OS I want to load.



Gaming wise...linux is lacking a bit. You can run games with Wine or Cedega, sometimes the games work faster than on windows and sometimes they don't run at all.

Answer 3

1) Ubuntu Linux is made for you. It is a user-friendly version of Linux that was (more or less) made for Windows users who want to make a smooth transition to Linux. It essentially works like Windows, as far as navigation and running programs. It comes with Open Office and Firefox, as well as several other useful applications.



2) They have a thing called "wubi," which is a version of Ubuntu that runs on a virtual partition. In short, you can download it and install it just like you would any other Windows program, but it sets up a dual-boot version of Ubuntu. After you install the file, restart your computer, and you will have the option of logging into either Windows or Ubuntu. If you get tired of it, you can just uninstall it from Windows. Also, if you like it, you can transfer your wubi install to a disk and install it on your hard drive, or you can move it to a flash drive or external hard drive and keep it as a dual boot.



3) Once you get to know your way around Ubuntu, you can move to a different Linux distro like Suse (my favorite). Eventually, you will want to get a book on shells and learn how to perform some more advanced operations using the terminal window. But honestly, with a version like Ubuntu, you can pretty much do everything that you would do with Windows, and in much the same way that you would with Windows.



4) Note, in particular, that Linux versions typically use a different method for finding, downloading, and installing freeware. Instead of surfing the web, you can open the software manager and let it search for (and install) the software that you want.



Here is the Wubi link: http://wubi-installer.org/

Ubuntu Homepage: http://www.ubuntu.com/



Other popular distros:



http://fedoraproject.org/

http://www.opensuse.org/en/

http://www.debian.org/

Answer 4

Try Ubuntu, download the LiveCD from here: http://www.ubuntu.com/ with the LiveCD you don't have to worry about installing anything, just boot from the CD and try Ubuntu, about installing it in dual boot yes you can select the operating system you want to boot with, the CD has an utility to install Ubuntu next to your current operative system, all you have to do is select the size of the Ubuntu partition. If you don't want to troubleshoot any problem you may end with then just don't install it, but you can try it safely with the LiveCD.



You can try Ubuntu from Windows with Wubi (included in the LiveCD) but running 2 operative systems at once will make Ubuntu and Windows slower, to try Wubi just put the LiveCD in and it will prompt you to try Ubuntu from Windows (very easy).



There are many games that run natively in Ubuntu and there are others that will only run with wine. But probably not the latest ones.



To customize Ubuntu just go to http://gnome-look.org there you can download and install themes. Also enter this command in terminal "sudo apt-get install compizconfig-settings-manager", it will install the compiz effects cofiguration program, or even easier install a program called Ubuntu-Tweak.



If you install Ubuntu in a separate partition, or just try it with the LiveCd you will NOT lose your Windows programs or files. But remember to always make a backup of your files before making a big change to your system, just in case something goes wrong.

Answer 5

Installing Ubuntu as a dual-boot with Windows without partitioning

https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Wubi



You keep Windows as it is, Wubi only adds an extra option to boot into Ubuntu. Wubi does not require you to modify the partitions of your PC, or to use a different bootloader, and does not install special drivers. It works just like any other application.



Wubi keeps most of the files in one folder, and if you do not like it, you can simply uninstall it as any other application.



Boot in to windows insert the Ubuntu 10.04 LiveCD and you will offered the option of installing inside windows which is where the Wubi installer comes in, you will be asked how many gigabytes you wish to allocate to Ubuntu (I recommend 8gb) then you set a password for your installation then click install and thats it.



Once Ubuntu is fully installed upon starting your PC you will be given a choice of which operating system you want to use Windows or Ubuntu



Ubuntu 10.04 Download

http://www.ubuntu.com/desktop/get-ubuntu/download



Ubuntu 10.04 (Lucid Lynx) User Guide

http://ubuntuguide.org/wiki/Ubuntu:Lucid



Linux Mint 9 has a similar feature called mint4win and the directions given above for Wubi can be followed



Linux Mint 9 Download

http://www.linuxmint.com/edition.php?id=52



Linux Mint 9 User Guide Download pdf.

http://www.linuxmint.com/rel_isadora.php



Ubuntu 10.04 and Linux Mint 9 can also be run straight from the LiveCD without touching your Hard drive



If you do not have a CD/DVD Drive the Wubi installer is available as a standalone download (not available for mint4win)

http://wubi-installer.org/





LUg.