Okay.

I need the most basic help I can get.

I want to put linux on my Vista based Acer Aspire Laptop... but I want to do it as a partition. Back 15 years ago, I partitioned my 486 laptop with Win 95 and Linux and coped... sort of. My linux guru and I broke up and linux and I sadly parted.

I don't even know where I can get a complete download of linux, so that I don't have to use my 3g internet downloading while I am working my linux woes out.

I am going to be away from my high speed internet for a while and though this would be a good time to work at this task.

I need to have everything I might possibly need to have on disk before I depart. I have minimal internet while I am away. I want to save my wireless for question asking and not downloading.

So...

What do I need, where do I go to get it and where are the how-to manuals and software.

I want to have some specific software that I know linux GNUs offer rather than high priced Win versions.

Please help.

Christy

Well your asking a very broad question, you can find guides and walkthrouhgs out there by the tons on dual booting Linux and vista/xp/NT windows. But basically as a push in the right direction all you really need to do is download a live cd( a distro specific linux OS with minimal components needed to boot linux on your computer) and just copy it (usually in .iso form) to a cd and simply just boot your computer from the cd rom, and it would do the rest. Most linux distros today are very simple and have a self installation kit. Ubuntu for example you can now even install from windows without any change to your MBR, so the vista longhorn bootloader will stay intact. I hope this helps.

Okay. I will google Ubuntu and see what I come up with. I assume it must have a web address.

Where is the best place to locate software by categories?

If you decide to go with Ubuntu, here is a good site to help you get started with Ubuntu:
http://www.psychocats.net/ubuntu/
Ubuntu is a good choice for beginners; or even for people who have been away from linux for a long time .

Ubuntu is also a good choice for experienced users who just don't want to mess with Xorg files. Just install it and your up and running with a desktop environment like Gnome or KDE. Linux Mint might be a good one for someone who has forgotten everything. It's almost too easy to use.

Hi,

You could look at 'The LiveCD List' to test drive a LiveCD.

Just a few more links to aid you;

Linux Documentation Project
Rute Tutorial & Exposition
Linux Command Guide
Linux Newbie Admin Guide
LinuxSelfHelp
Getting Started with Linux

The above links and others available from 'Slackware-Links'. More than just Slackware® links!