Linux - NewbieThis Linux forum is for members that are new to Linux.
Just starting out and have a question?
If it is not in the man pages or the how-to's this is the place!
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.
I'm pretty new to this Linux stuff, but I'd been hearing a lot about it lately, so I decided to read up about it. Needless to say, I was intrigued.
Now, my main computer is a fairly recent Vaio, but I don't want to go through the bother of backing up all my files and partitioning and what not if I'm not going to like Linux.
However, I have an ancient Toshiba Satellite laptop that'd I'd be willing to make some adjustments to. It has a relatively small amount of files, so it'd be easy for me to back up.
So I was wondering which distro would work best for it, that is, for the most part, user friendly. I am willing to learn about how to use it, with all the commands and stuff, that's one of the things I found interesting.
Here is a spec sheet for said vintage laptop. It's the CDT model.
Go to distrowatch and pick any distro in the Top 20. Better yet pick a few that have livecds and play with them on your desktop, then when you find one that you like put it on your laptop.
I'm pretty new to this Linux stuff, but I'd been hearing a lot about it lately, so I decided to read up about it. Needless to say, I was intrigued.
Now, my main computer is a fairly recent Vaio, but I don't want to go through the bother of backing up all my files and partitioning and what not if I'm not going to like Linux.
Linux is available on live CDs that you don't even need to install to check out and Ubuntu offers a WUBI install to a Windows partition. No need to fool with the old laptop first. If you learn some Linux you WILL be able to continue to use that old laptop as long as you wish.
I'd just take a shot at trying install anything. There's a good chance the hardware isn't supported. Debian sid - minimal installation with windowmaker or something like that.
Anyway, that will not be the same linux you get on a modern computer. Try the ubuntu live-cd. Ubuntu realized that it's not much fun if you can't install anything. The wubi install option doesn't partition your drive but creates a fake partition inside a file on your windows partition. The worst that can possibly happen is that it screws up your mbr, and you have to fix it with a win recovery cd (very easy)
the best idea is always to try a few distros and find one that works best for you and the one you like the most, because no one can tell you which one is for you, you have to find it out for yourself.
With specs like that, I would say definitely puppy linux. You might be able to get Slackware to run on it, (Slackware.com) Slackware is one of the oldest managed distros out there, they still have links on it's site for floppy disk installs of it's latest release, and unlike other distros that I've tried it gives you a list of what software packages to install (You might want to deselect KDE, you will get xfce, blackbox, and window maker, and you can play with those to see which one wants to work for you.
If that fails, FreeDOS or Puppy Linux/DSL.
LinuxQuestions.org is looking for people interested in writing
Editorials, Articles, Reviews, and more. If you'd like to contribute
content, let us know.