I am a new comer to this site, I am a W7 user and know nothing about Linux but whilst on the net I came across this distro Zorin 9 LTS 64 bit. My PC a moderate self built bit of kit and I am considering to cross the line and desert Microsoft cash cow. Zorin seems to be a stepping stone that a PC user like me, I know nothing about the technical side to software, I can put a PC together but that is as far as it goes and need something a windows user can use straight away. What advice can you give me in simple term as I am a simple man. Oh I am running Intel Quad 8200 2.33gz, Ram 8gb, hard drive 2TB. As I have said I am a user so please be gentle and no technical terms please.

Having noticed you've tried installing Ubuntu in 2010, Linux Mint 10 in 2011 and Linux Mint 13 in 2012 I think we can safely reverse things and ask you if you've read the Zorin documentation and what your proposed plan for installing Linux is. Just tell us what you'll be installing Linux on (partitions, secondary disk, external drive, etc, etc), the steps you intend to take and we'll take it from there. *Note there's also Live CD's or virtualization in case you never installed or ran any of the aforementioned Linux distributions.

Exactly.

And if Zorin doesn't work out for you, have you considered Pinguy OS?

Checking my friends list. Yeah. You are still there.

Instead of Zorin. Knowing just a little about you.

I think Mint 17 Mate would suit you better.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l3sRAkwHEyM

But if stuck on Zorin, cuz I know how stubborn old marines can be.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s3lXbwc_AaM

Edit: sweaty and tired from 102F so I missed th 9 part.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x0yoMDEKYzk

Here's some advice based on my own experiences and observations:

Whatever distro you pick, stick with it for a while (I'd say at least three months of regular use) until you get the hang of how Linux works. Then, if you wish to try additional distros, you will have some background.

On the desktop, using Linux is not much different than using Windows, at least as regards the distros that you have been considering: You click on icons or the menu to start programs, then use the programs. The layout of the desktops and menus and the names of the programs may be different, but they will function in similar ways.

Don't be afraid to use the help files. You can also search YouTube for various programs and desktops and find video tutorials on how to use them. A web search can also be very useful, especially when you include the word "Linux" or the name of your distro in the search string. Most distros have documentation sections on their websites. The Arch wiki, in particular, can serve as an excellent general-purpose resource.

Under the hood, Linux is very different; the file structure, file naming conventions, installing and uninstalling programs (in Linux, they are called "packages"), etc., are different. Expect Linux to be different and don't ask questions about, "Why is Linux different from Windows?" (The answer to that is that Linux comes from the Unix tradition, and Windows comes from DOS; they have different bloodlines and different DNA.)

Expect that, when you ask for help in a technical forum such as this one, you will be asked to run commands on the command line to provide information. That is because there are many different desktop environments and window managers for Linux and different GUI tools for doing administrative tasks, but the command line is the same on all distros--it is the lowest common denominator among the many different distros, Linux's Babelfish, if you will.

1 members found this post helpful.