Could I effectively install Linux on the Toshiba Satellite L445D-S5976 laptop?
Linux - Laptop and NetbookHaving a problem installing or configuring Linux on your laptop? Need help running Linux on your netbook? This forum is for you. This forum is for any topics relating to Linux and either traditional laptops or netbooks (such as the Asus EEE PC, Everex CloudBook or MSI Wind).
Notices
Welcome to LinuxQuestions.org, a friendly and active Linux Community.
You are currently viewing LQ as a guest. By joining our community you will have the ability to post topics, receive our newsletter, use the advanced search, subscribe to threads and access many other special features. Registration is quick, simple and absolutely free. Join our community today!
Note that registered members see fewer ads, and ContentLink is completely disabled once you log in.
If you have any problems with the registration process or your account login, please contact us. If you need to reset your password, click here.
Having a problem logging in? Please visit this page to clear all LQ-related cookies.
Get a virtual cloud desktop with the Linux distro that you want in less than five minutes with Shells! With over 10 pre-installed distros to choose from, the worry-free installation life is here! Whether you are a digital nomad or just looking for flexibility, Shells can put your Linux machine on the device that you want to use.
Exclusive for LQ members, get up to 45% off per month. Click here for more info.
Could I effectively install Linux on the Toshiba Satellite L445D-S5976 laptop?
I have heard people say that they had trouble using Linux on a Toshiba laptop. Also, what would be a good distribution to use for a little programming and web browsing?
To be honest, from the way you word your question I'm guessing the main thing you are going to be concerned with is KDE vs Gnome. These are the two window managers that most of the major distributions use (OpenSUSE uses KDE and Ubuntu uses Gnome, for instance). This choice is mostly based on their look and feel, but some apps are specifically written for KDE or Gnome, so you'd just have to check that you're not going to develop a sudden need for Gedit... Other than that, you might want to look at how easy it is to install new programmes (Ubuntu and Kubuntu both have nice programmes to do it automagically for you, others use "yum" - I'm not an amazing fan of yum though).
With regards to laptops, I haven't had a problem installing on any toshiba laptop (except for one, but that was decrepit and had a really really really old BIOS and no working CD drive...)
Well I've installed on my Toshiba 30+ different distros and they all worked well.
Programming and browsing you say, well since you're a noob, I recommend Linux Mint 9 with GNOME. Burn the image, install the distro and then via Synaptic install all that you want related to programming, because browsing is covered by default.
You can save yourself a lot of time and effort by thoroughly testing a distro as a "Live CD" prior to installing. If there are any incompatibilities with your hardware, you can identify them in Live CD mode and save yourself the wasted time of a failed install. Keep trying Live CDs until you find a distro that you like and that runs well on your hardware.
LinuxQuestions.org is looking for people interested in writing
Editorials, Articles, Reviews, and more. If you'd like to contribute
content, let us know.