Ok I give up , I am at the point now where all I want to be able to do is use my netbook again for more than just surfing the net . What operating system can I download straight onto the thing without messing about with external devices . There has to be a way to download an operating system direct from the internet that will allow me to boot up and run with a desktop that looks something like windows xp with icons and simple to use and download programs again in the future like I can with XP on my PC. Im such a novice that even if I could get to my Xfce or terminal it wouldn’t really help . From what I can make out a live download is what I need but from where and what program .Anything except linux lite .

Search here (and on Google). There are lots of articles on putting different versions of Linux on that netbook, and there are links to relevant forums.

hello drfhm,

hard question really if you don't want to mess round with external drives etc.

OK here's what i am thinking, its not about the operating system as such but i'll give you a couple of links at the end of this post for you too look at, it will all depend on what you like really.

if i understand correctly, you are wanting to install an OS without having to use a CD/DVD drive or any other device for that matter.

so the only other method i can think of is to partition your harddrive and create an installation media on it, Then install the OS from that partition.

basicly, partition your harddrive into two parts, create one of 4GB or more and the other for your OS. Make the 4GB partition primary and active so that the machine will use this partition to boot from.

once you have created the partitions then copy the installation media over to the 4GB partition. The way you do this depends on what OS you chose but instructions are easy to find by search for install MYOS from USB stick and its the same but instead of a USB stick its on a partition.

ok hope i didnt blab on to much,
Heres a few links

Fedora (this is what i use)
OpenSUSE
Ubuntu.com

Check the links in my sig for install guides for various linux Distros on the AAO.

I run Debian with the LXDE desktop on mine, and like it... but we all have different tastes.
LXDE can be loaded on any Distro, and it's lighter than XFCE, so it uses less resources which is good for a netbook.


LXDE Screenshots..
http://saxenos.com/lxde/screen1.png
http://lxde.org/image/tid/1


.

I certainly don't want to discourage anyone from using linux. But if you want an OS that is exactly like XP, why not install XP? That being said, nearly any Linux distro can do what you want, if you're willing to put in the time and effort to make it look/feel the way you want. As others have suggested, there are numerous sites out there dedicated to installing various flavors of Linux on most of the major netbooks. If you have specific questions, myself and millions of others are willing to lend a hand.

Closest thing to Direct download would be creating a bootable USB Flash drive that will do an install of the OS over the internet to the netbook. many of the hosto's I provided a link to use this method. It's how I installed Debian onto my AAO.. Directions for doing this are usually part of the how-to itself.

Thank you all for your sugestions but i dident give al the info here before it seems so these are the posts I made in an effort to solve my problem and hopefully explains everything, sorry if I repeat myself there.....

I removed xfice to get Gnome and Banshee to work , they were removed and installed it said but my screen went black and i just have the search bar at the top right and the taskbar at the bottom , all i can do now is use the internet but nothing on the machine , all my files are there i can find them but cant open anything as their now in grey not black type , all i get is error messages. if i could i would like to use another operating system other than limpus linux lite as i miss the windows xp desktop im used to on my pc .When i bought the netbook I did manage to change it to firefox 3 add skype and the icon also plus vlc player hoping i don’t have to do that again as i had real problems 1st time round.Dose anyone know if using the uban remix program will work and will it leave all my files in place , if i have to use anything from the old operating system to install it then im sunk . One last thing the alt f2 doesn't do anything at all .The odd thing is that i was using the package manager and only did what it told me to resolve dependencies and conflicting programs , said xfce was conflicting with gnome so remove it and it did .How was i to know it would have this effect , there should be some sort of safeguard .

I no longer have XFCE so I have only a black screen with search bar top right and the taskbar at the bottom . The search worked both for the internet and desktop . I would like an opinion as to whether or not I still have the Linux Lite operating system and how can I re enable it given that I cant type in any commands as I cant access the terminal of any part of the system other than search , F2 dosent do anything , I have tried downloading small irrelevant programs to test if that works, the download box appears and when downloads are completed a right click and open will show the box with all the sections of the download in but that’s all I can do , once I close any boxes I have no way to open them again .I have used search to find my files and they are all there but the only ones that will open are on the built in media player,PDF files etc wont .I don’t like Linux lite and would like to have windows of some sort installed if possible so I guess my second question should be where do I get it and can I install it with my netbook in the condition it was before i tried to get Banshee. Scrub that last statement , sod the existing files, just anything that will do what i listed below but not linux lite if i have to louse everything then hopefully it will be for a more user friendly simple system.The odd thing is i was able to follow someone’s instructions here when i first bought the netbook and enabled the advance menu ,( if that’s the thing i used to right click on ) , im not thick honest , just confused and very much a novice .I still get message to imput password if i leave computer unattended for a short time as i always have plus im writing this with a wireless router that’s always worked without problems, now i just logged on and firefox wanted to add an update i accepted and it was installed successfully so it informed me , all reason why I think I still have an operating system working if only I could get to it .

I don’t need games and I still have internet fine from searchbar but i need spreadsheets and word processing plus skype, media player and something like banshee for the ipod , would be nice if i can download programs and be able to find them also haha .I don’t have a clue what type of memory stick i would need.i have a windows PC but as i run on solar and wind turbines the netbook is perfect in the evenings without draining my system in the winter . By the way if anyone needs advice on something im used to then ive installed solar systems for friends costing anything from a grand to 40 grand and would be happy to help anyone with advice .

I would be so grateful for a simple solution , that’s if there is one .

All I can sugest is to look at the how-to's in the links I provided. Theres Ubunttu, Arch, Slackware, Debian, Open Suse, and more.. Look at the different OS's web sites and decide on one to use.. I can't explain how easy or difficult the installs will be any better than you would be able to tell by reading The how-to's...

Well said farslayer. My suggestion to drfhm would be to pick a commonly used distro like Ubuntu. It seems to be very popular on the netbooks and there's a ton of how-to's specifically for using Ubuntu on netbooks. If you're willing to put a little effort into it, I think you'll find that Linux can do everything you want plus a whole lot more.

Thank you everyone for taking the time to help me out , hope im not pushing my luck here but im so close now , haha .
At last I got something to work .I went to http://www.pendrivelinux.com/usb-ubu...remix-install/ and installed Ubuntu Remix 9.04 on a 1gb flash drive . IT WORKED and I now have an Operating system again but of course I lost all my Photos , Music , Files and Settings . I’m hoping someone here can just help me with a few minor problems that ive came across .
1 . How can I Back up everything so I don’t have to reinstall everything again if I have problems in future including downloaded Programs and files and settings .
2 . The wireless light no longer lights up to show that its finding a wireless network .
3 . Limpus Lite that came pre installed would automatically connect to my Net gear Wireless router without me doing anything , now I have to left click on the top and select it manually although it’s the only one listed and shows its already been recognised .
4 . I downloaded Limewire and can find it but the advice from http://www.unixmen.com/index.php?opt...rials&Itemid=2 was to install it with the Ubuntu Package installer , WHERE IS IT ? I only got Synapic and when I click on the Limewire file it says open with Gibie ?
5 . CAN Freecall or any other VOIP telephone system be installed on the system .
6 . The recorder dosent work either via the built in mic or a plugged in mic , just gives a clicking sound when I playback .There has to be a way to fix that or they wouldn’t have included it as standard pre installed .
7 . Where can I see a tree like schematic of the components of a system , im confused with all the diferent names , I want to know what is what , i.e. , Linux , Fedora , Ubutu , Deban , im not even sure what I have other than Linux Ubantu with Firefox .

Well if you had followed and read the suggested links and viewed the link for the Ubuntu install several of your questions would have already been answered.. They are in one of the how-to's I suggested you read,..

If you ignore the information that has been offered, I for one am not going to sit here and spoon feed you. Sorry if that sounds harsh, but information has been provided and then reinforced you should read it in a second post, and now here's a third post telling you yet again read the ubuntu docs for the Aspire One.

A few answers...

1. I'd suggest that you copy the critical files to an external hard drive or perhaps simply another computer.
2. The lights don't have to work to get a wireless connection. Do you have a connection?
3. You can set a default network to connect to. With a little research, I'm sure you'll find out how.
4. If the advice given was to install it with Synaptic, then I'd install it with Synaptic.
5. There's a ton of VOIP apps for Linux, I'm just not familiar with any.
6. I'm guessing you need to run alsaconf, but without more info I can't be much help there.
7. Linux is an Operating System. Think of it as ice cream. There's a ton of flavors like Debian, Fedora, and my favorite Slackware. They're all Linux, just different flavors. Then there's the applications that you install or come pre-installed. Think of those as the sprinkles on your ice cream. You don't have to have them, but you might like them on there. Some people like lots of sprinkles and some only like a few.
8. Since you didn't, I'll add number 8. Learn to use the internet and search engines. If you want to learn about Linux, then learn about it. You obviously have a working computer with a browser. Go to your favorite search engine and search for "learn Linux", and see what comes up.

One last thing, learn to read the documentation and README files. They're in there for a reason...

Again my thanks to those that have helped me so far with valued advice , 2 things sorted now , a back up system and voice recorder, the back up and the voice recorder . A few anomalies I noticed after spending some time fiddling about that may be unique to me or general problems so I will list them incase anyone else has noticed them also and are worried .
1. Both the card slots only work if you install them before you boot up , once u boot up you can remove them , change them , whatever you do the system will recognise them , if you haven’t booted up with them in the slots they cant b found on the system .
2. When your in the terminal and type a command and are asked for the password , it appears your keyboard isn’t responding as nothing shows , the curser dosent even move , if u do as I did , just tapped and pressed return it will say , incorrect password , if you then type the correct password it will take it to be a bad command , you have to type in the password and press enter even though there is no asterisks or anything happening.
3. The voice recorder dosent work the first time you open the application , the 1st time you use it after opening it , you just get a clicking sound , you have to just do a dummy recording of a few seconds then make your recording the second time for it to work .This is for each ocasion you use it .
4. If you record webcam and voice on Cheese you wont have video , just voice
5. The recorded video in Cheese is very choppy and freezes every few seconds .
6. Some of the icons are a bit fuzzy as if out of focus .
7. When you try to remove some of the un needed Icons they remain in place .
8. If you select Accessibility and look at the options your stuck with the icon top right of the screen next to wireless netwoork bars , you cant get rid of it .