Hey everyone! Just here because i've been a looooong time Microsoft supporter, slowly turning over to the Linux OS. And I am 100% confused on literally everything. Ive tried to read up on the Different Distro's, and what Linux actually is... but still not clear on some parts, I hope you guys can clear things up for me.

Here is my system.

Dell XPS M1710 (Laptop; 32 Bit Processor)
Intel Core 2 Duo T7200 (@2.00 Ghz ea.)
1GB RAM
Phoenix ROM BIOS (1.10) A07
Nvidia GeForce Go 7900 GS

From what I've read Linux runs on even the oldest systems...But just double checking on compatability. Ive read that NVIDIA has good driver support for linux, so that is good, but the thing that worries me is the Intel Processor, is there, or has there been problems with some Distros running with Intel Core 2's or Intel Processor's in general?

Second, What kind of Memory support does linux provide? My system is upgradable to 4gb of RAM, but my Current OS (Windows XP Media Center) will only recognize 2 gb (if I remember correctly) What kind of Limit does Linux have? IS there even a limit?


Third, I was thinking of Starting with the Ubuntu Hardy Heron Distro, one of my co-workers had the CD and he gave it to me because he knew I was looking for a New OS.

Fourth, anything else I should know about Linux?

Thanks alot! and please dont kill the newbie!

P.S. When I said I was 100% New.. I meant it lol please bear with me if anything I said was wrong, or sounded confusing.

Thanks so much for your help& Info!

Hi -

Many distros (including Ubuntu) allow you to try Linux running off the CD, without having to alter anything on your hard drive. I encourage you to try a couple, and see what you think.

I don't think you'll have any compatibility problems with the hardware you described.

And no, there are no arbitrary memory limitations in Linux, like there are in Windows. A 32-bit CPU can directly address up to 4GB of RAM - so all 32-bit versions of Linux can use all 4GB you might happen to have installed.

Virtually all Linux distros support uniprocessor and multiprocess versions, and 32-bit and 64-bit versions (often available on the same install CD or DVD). If you have a 64-bit CPU, and install the 64-bit version of Linux, then you can access all the memory you have.

It's as simple as that :-)

'Hope that helps .. PSM

I haven't heard of any particular problems using intel processors with GNU/Linux. No more than using any other processor.

Gnu/Linux will happily work with as much ram as you would like to throw at it. The most you will need to do is have the correct kernel version running to take advantage.

I advise you start with the newest available version which is Intrepid Ibex (Ubuntu 8.10) problems that existed in the previous version(s) will have been addressed.

Yes, depending on what level you want to take it to, GNU/Linux can be quite a learning curve to begin with. Having patience and doing your research can be of great benefit.

Ubuntu hardy is a good distro that I have been using for some time now. I upgraded it from Gutsy, the previous one. Hardy is a good choice in sense that it is LTS. It will be supported for upto 3 years. That is indeed a long time. The Ubuntu cd, if not alternate, is a live cd that you can boot from and use without changing anything in your system. This will give you an idea how well your hardware is supported. I do not use Nvidia graphics card but I know that the drivers are available through synaptic package manager that you can install in no time. And if you are concerned with memory or want to upgrade upto 4gb then go and put it. It will be supported.
And still if you are not happy with Hardy, then you can still download some other live distributions and try them and use one that suits you the best.

Welcome to LQ and happy linux.

Thanks alot in answering my questions guys! Really appreciate it.

Ive been reading up on linux for 2 days now. Some stuff ive read just boggles my mind... but hopefuly i will learn it just as well as I learned Windows. thanks for the advice though =)

Ive been using linux for just over two years now.
I started with a live cd.
Then dual boot with xp.
And now I only use linux slackware.

It will take a while to be fully comfortable with linux.

Rute has a great linux tutorial. http://rute.2038bug.com/index.html.gz

I agree that ubuntu is a good distro to start with.

I am using GNU/Linux since 18 months. Started with fedora distribution. It is quite fine. I am quite comfortable with it.

One more question guys.... in terms of Applications.... do all or most windows applications work on linux? Or does nothing work if it doesnt have its own linux download? And versus that, will the 64 Bit version of Ubuntu be able to run said apps? whats different in a 64 bit version of a distro as apposed to a 32? and lastly what would you guys recommend based on my specs?

Thanks again =)

You can not run windows applications natively on linux.You will need some emulator like wine to run them on linux. Wine should be available through repositories in most of the distributions. So it should not be much of work for you to install it. But not all the applications run under wine and you should check the supported list.
If you are in confusion about using 64bit and 32 bit then go for 32 bit. It will run on 64 bit architectures. But it would not be able to take most out of it. But 64bit OS would not run on 32bit systems.
About using a distro a lot has already been said and I already recommended Ubuntu. You can try any version of it. Be it Kubuntu or Xubuntu. Ubuntu is easy to start with so just try it.

For Windows applications, look also at CrossOver (the commercial port of WINE). They have a free trial version.

The best way to answer many of your questions is: Install Linux and start working with it.

For a choice of Linuxes

This is the standard live-cd list. Any of them should work well on your system. There are some specially adapted for partitioning and rescue among them. Good Luck

http://www.livecdlist.com/