About Linux , Can you answer those questions?

Question

I've heard Linux is free and its like windows xp, windows vista, windows 7 as in its a program you use similar to those. Can I download it on my windows xp and change my windows xp to linux? if so how?

Answer 1

Sure you can. There's quite a few distros out there and some will even let you burn what they call a live disc so you can try it out without installing it.



I run OpenSuse here but I'm not quite as happy with version 11.4 as I was with 11.3 but I may not just have it tweaked right yet.



You might look at Ubuntu as a distro to try.



As for installing it, yes you can install it on your computer and a lot of the distros offer what they call dual boot meaning you can choose which OS to run at boot - windows or Linux.



Good luck!

Answer 2

You can't convert Windows to Linux.



You can do any of these:

- install Linux on another partition of your existing drive

- install Linux on a different drive (recommended)



With a boot manager, like GRUB (comes with Linux), you can chose what operating system to boot.



Setting the above is not trivial, and you should not risk your existing Windows XP by installing Linux on the same drive.



The safest route to take is to install Linux on a separate drive. This way, you can always remove that drive and still have a working copy of Windows.



If you install on a different hard drive, there is no need to install a Boot Manager, as you can change the booting drive from BIOS CMOS Setup program.



Sergiu FUNIERU

Answer 3

I am using Ubuntu, it is free, it is actually an operating system, it works separately to windows , you go to their site and download , once downloaded when you first turn your computer on you will have a black window with white writing that says ubuntu linux and further down you will see windows 7 or xp select which one you want to use and press enter, it is faster and uses a lot less memory. But i feel you need to make enquiries as to whether you can use it with XP

Answer 4

Seems that you are very news in linux.

So the easiest way for you is to download the .iso file, burn it and install it in a fresh hardware. I do not say in a new hardware but in an empty harddrive.



It is possible to install Linux in a same machine that runs windows by using a separate partition and using GRUB boot loader (for example). But it is for experienced person.



So the alternatives for you are: install Linux in a new disk or install it in your existing disk with all the risk of data loss if you do not care.



The famous linux distro that you can start with is Ubuntu http://www.ubuntu.com.

There is also Linux Mint http://www.linuxmint.com/

And other and other....

Answer 5

Sure you can. There's quite a few distros out there and some will even let you burn what they call a live disc so you can try it out without installing it.



I run OpenSuse here but I'm not quite as happy with version 11.4 as I was with 11.3 but I may not just have it tweaked right yet.



You might look at Ubuntu as a distro to try.



As for installing it, yes you can install it on your computer and a lot of the distros offer what they call dual boot meaning you can choose which OS to run at boot - windows or Linux.



Good luck!

Answer 6

Overall a Linux based platform can perform most of the tasks equally as well as a propietary platform using the likes of Ubuntu and its derivative distros. However Linux does have its limitations with some applications and in particular gaming. For example I retain a dedicated Windows partition to run specific applications such as Office 2010 etc.

http://apcmag.com/how_to_dual_boot_windows_xp_and_linux_xp_installed_first.htm



Installing Ubuntu as a dual-boot with Windows without partitioning

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



Download Ubuntu Desktop Edition

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



You download the ISO. image of Ubuntu 10.10 then you need to create a Bootable LiveCD for installation

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



Ubuntu 10.10 can also be run straight from the LiveCD from Boot without touching your Hard Drive



Download Ubuntu Desktop Edition (Windows installer standalone Download) no LiveCD needed

http://www.ubuntu.com/desktop/get-ubuntu/windows-installer



Ubuntu 10.10 (Maverick Meerkat) User Guide

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



I thoroughly recommend Linux Mint 9 LTS and Linux Mint 10 Main Edition which are built upon Ubuntu 10.04 LTS and Ubuntu 10.10 they are easy to install and easy to use plus they come with much of the software you are likely to need preinstalled



Linux Mint has a similar installer called mint4win (mint4win works the same as the Ubuntu Windows installer so the instructions outlined above are almost identical)



You keep Windows as it is, mint4win only adds an extra option to boot into Linux Mint. mint4win 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.



mint4win 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 Linux Mint LiveCD and you will offered the option of installing inside windows which is where the mint4win installer comes in, you will be asked how many gigabytes you wish to allocate to Linux Mint (I recommend 8gb) then you set a password for your installation then click install and thats it.



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



Linux Mint 9 LTS Download

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



Linux Mint 10 Download

http://www.linuxmint.com/edition.php?id=67



Linux Mint 9 LTS User Guide

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



Linux Mint 10 User Guide

http://linuxmint.com/rel_julia.php



Linux Mint 9 LTS and Linux Mint 10 as with Ubuntu 10.10 can also be run straight from the LiveCD from Boot without touching your Hard Drive





LUg.

Answer 7

People are telling you about Ubuntu, because that's the only Linux distribution they know about, There are many different Linux distributions far better than Ubuntu that work out of the box, In other words everything is set up for you. You don't have to do any tweaking to get the 3D desktops to work.



I have downloaded and tested 30 of the latest March 2011 Linux releases. there are different types of desktops which can be confusing to new users, It also depends on what you want to do with your computer, and what your computer system set up is. for example

(1) is your computer old Linux will run on old computers with 512 megabytes of ram

(2) has it got good 3D graphics

(3) do you want to play action games

(4) do you want to learn (education)



No mater what you want to do there is a Linux distribution for you. Linux is fast secure and stable



for the best Linux distributions here are my recommendations all these work out of the box

http://distrowatch.com/table.php?distribution=ultimate brilliant if you have a good 3D graphics card

http://distrowatch.com/table.php?distribution=mint excellent release

http://distrowatch.com/table.php?distribution=sabayon excellent release

http://distrowatch.com/table.php?distribution=pardus excellent release



If you want to know more then send me a message with details of your system and if you have any problem then I will help you out,