Hello, LQ Community. I'm researching the viability of discontinuing use of Windows as much as possible due to the privacy concerns of telemetry introduced in Windows 10 which they back-spread to previous versions of Windows via updates after Windows 10 went live. Mac is not an alternative, imho. That leaves Linux. I am unfamiliar with Linux, but Mint seems to be a decent distribution to start with.
I have used MS since Windows 3.0, and "upgraded" Windows 7 Home to Windows 10; and it's not too late for me to undo that "upgrade".
I am not afraid to get into configuration settings or the registry to make adjustments as long as I'm fairly certain that I know specifically what I am doing. I am willing and able to follow instructions.
My cursory Cybertron Assassin GM2242A computer hardware specs as purchased are as follows:
Processor: AMD FX 4170 4.20GHz Quad Core / Motherboard: AMD 970 Chipset / Memory: 8GB DDR3 Ballistix SDRAM (expandable to 32GB) / Hard Drive: 1TB (7200 RPM) / Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
Graphics: 2 x AMD Radeon HD6570 1GB Cards in CrossFireX Configuration / Optical Drive: 24X DVD±RW Dual-Layer Drive with LightScribe / Audio: High Definition 2/4/5.1/7.1 Channel / Integrated 10/100/1000 Gigabit Ethernet LAN
Expansions: Bays Total (Free) - 3 ( 1 ) External 5.25" / 6 ( 5 ) Internal 3.5" / 2 (2) Internal 2.5" / Slots Total (Free) - 2 ( 2 ) PCI / 3 ( 3 ) PCI Express x1 / 2 ( 0 ) PCI Express x16 / 4 ( 2 ) DIMM 240-Pin
Connectivity: 1 x PS/2 Keyboard / Mouse Combo / 2 x USB 3.0 / 9 x USB 2.0 [1 front, 8 rear] / 1 x RJ-45 Network Ethernet 10Base-T/100Base-TX/1000Base-T / Audio / 2 x D-Sub VGA / 2 x HDMI / 2 x DVI
Chassis: In-Win MANA 136 Mid-Tower Gaming Case with 600 Watt Power Supply.
This is my family home desktop. It is used for everything from gaming (MMORPGs mainly), to high school homework which could include anything up to AutoCAD, if necessary. It is connected to a Frontier DSL line via a Westell Model 7500 (Model: A90-750044-07).
I first experimented with a Live Disk of Mint 17.2 Cinnamon 64bit on a USB stick in a laptop. It worked just fine with connectivity straight away (WiFi). Trying out the same on my desktop (wired) is yielding frustration. Mint on either USB or DVD does not resolve my issue with wired non-connectivity. The OS will boot up, but the networking applet sticks in a loop of trying to connect, failing, disconnecting, and retrying. I cannot install Linux until I get this issue resolved. Yes, the current router configuration works admirably for Windows, so I'm not sure what to do for Linux. Most advice I've run into so far yields assurances that Linux will automatically have internet access from a wired connection, but that isn't true to my experience. Also, Linux isn't interfacing with my desktop's USB mouse and keyboard immediately after booting up. I have to unplug these USB devices and reconnect them in order to interface with Linux.
A call to Frontier might yield positive results concerning modem settings and Mint settings, but I haven't tried that yet, because I believe they have stated that they don't support Linux.
My experiences are very much like the fellow in this thread
http://forums.linuxmint.com/viewtopi...ct+to+internet, but his issue never gets resolved. Some of the results he gets are identical to mine when I run the same commands, i.e.: "Network card: Realtek RTL8111/8168/8411 PCI Express Gigabit Ethernet Controller driver: r8169."
I can't think of anything else pertinent to share at this time, but I am anxious to hear ideas on how to approach this problem. Thank you for your interest, and thank you for your hospitality.
--Phin
