I will be going to Mexico for 3 to 6 months. For a variety of reasons, including stupidity, I did not get my desired cheapie Dell Desktop ordered until too late. I can still get an emachines W3115 in time for the trip. It is probably W3115 or nothing at this time.

The obvious question is: can I run Linux on it? I googled extensively and found another emachines model and a person who can't get video to work on it.

I have some experience with video problems. On Mandrake 9.x we had to virtually build the X system with vi...

I do have a number of CD/distros. Mandriva 2005/2006/2007 rc2. Live Mandriva. Knoppix 3,4,5. Kanotix. debian latest version of sarge all 14 CD's (No Internet in Mexico but tons of time.) Freespire. pclinuxos 0.92 and will try to get 0.93 before I go. CentOs 4.1,.2,.3. Puppy 1.06/2.01,.2,.3 Kubuntu.

Any thoughts? I have even considered taking it as an XP machine if Linux won't work. Blush.

Yes, linux will should work. You should be more worried about the emachines though, they have poor power supplies that nacker the bad motherboard. Anyway, the video card should work. Most of nvidias cards have linux driver. The one you would be after is here.

Why don't you take kubuntu live cd down to the shop and ask the staff if you can boot of the cd to see if it works?

I ordered it online, since local stores are briefly out and I have to travel to Mexico next week.

Thanks for info. Googling did not produce much information on Linux versus emachines, so I appreciate the advice on the high probability that Linux will work. If it doesn't, I would be limited to using it as a repository for files, and maybe a 'reader' for the 1200+ books I have downloaded from the Gutenberg Project, of which I have read over 800. I can store them on a CD, I don't need a computer for that.

I will post here what happens when I try to install. I have been frantically downloading 64 bit distros, starting with Kubuntu, though I understand standard distros will also work. I figure as many distros as I have, one will work or I can tweak it as we used to have to do on Mandrake 9.x

Emachines originally had a terrible reputation. My son bought one 6 or 8 years ago, and it was so bad he simply took it back. What information I found via google on emachines mostly reported that quality is much improved, and has improved more since Gateway bought the company -- or emachines bought Gateway, I'm not sure who ate whom.

Just in June 2006, Consumer's Report did a report on Desktops and Laptops. So, I dug that out just to see what they reported. See June 2006 CR page 24. It includes tech support data, and emachines was #2 there, well behind Apple, but I was only interested in repairs and problems.

(Consumer's Report critics please read note below before commenting on CR.)

As every CR subscriber knows, every year every subscriber receives a long questionnaire from CR asking about a lot of items commonly purchased and used by most people. Their big thing is car repairs, but they also ask about a wide range of products. In the June 2006 issue, they reported what the subscribers reported on their computers in the survey.

I was frankly surprised how well emachines fared, because of the poor reputation emachines had in the past.

Data was based on 85,000 responses from those who bought computers between 2001 and 2005. Apple; Sony; and Dell had fewer problems or needed less repairs than emachines. IBM; Compaq; HP; and Gateway had more problems or needed more repairs than emachines. While there was some variation, there were no "Yugo" brands.

I could type in the numbers. But, CR doesn't like their data excerpted. I think that is more than a copyright issue. They get sued a lot, and so they prepare for lawsuits by printing test and survey methodology with the results. I suspect that data excerpts without that methodology are totally different legally.
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Note to CR critics: This note is not for the helpful person who answered my question. I have read CR since I was a kid, and I am 64 now. Over many decades, I have read their methodology, and I have observed the lawsuits by companies desperate to CYA for their junky and/or dangerous products. If you have different needs than most people, their methodology information can help you to make an informed decision that is based on your special needs.

Always, let me repeat, ALWAYS, when I quote CR, there is someone who instantly spouts that CR is biased and gets paid to print things. If you have any proof of that, don't tell us about it, because I am going to dismiss you as a common troll; contact almost any large corporation with your proof so they can sue CR into the next universe. Since you have no proof, you're just spouting off, please don't waste the bandwidth.