[SOLVED] It's about to get serious: putting Linux on my main laptop...
Linux - Laptop and NetbookHaving a problem installing or configuring Linux on your laptop? Need help running Linux on your netbook? This forum is for you. This forum is for any topics relating to Linux and either traditional laptops or netbooks (such as the Asus EEE PC, Everex CloudBook or MSI Wind).
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If you want to customize packages during the install process, the most configurable options are distros where the install process is not automated - Gentoo, Arch, etc. You can pacstrap additional packages from the Arch install CD, and you can just chroot and emerge with Gentoo. You'll probably want to write a shell script if you need more than a few extra packages.
Also, openSUSE Express may be of interest.
Since this is opening up a whole other issue and since hard drive diagnostics are a new thing for me and Linux, what are some good command line and/or graphical hard drive utilities I can download to continue checking on the health of my hard drive? I'm not sure with this reallocated sectors count message if this means my drive is starting to fail, if it's going to last a few days/months/years, or what the case might be. But I'm going to at least do some reading on it and continue to keep an eye on my drive. Going to also keep most mission critical data off of it until I kinda have an idea about what's going on or at least have it backed up so I won't lose it. And if it comes down to it, I'll get a replacement drive.
Thanks for the info beachboy2. I installed the smartmontools and GSmartcontrol last night. At this moment, I am actually running the extended test to see what it finds. I'll post the results once it finishes.
It actually managed to pass the extended 3 hour test. I am going to mark this thread as solved since it was about trying out different distros and the hard drive thing is a whole new can of worms. I have posted a new thread on the hard drive situation at the following link:
Running: sudo apt install msttcorefonts in terminal will add Microsoft Windows fonts to LibreOffice so you can copy MS Word documents in LO Writer.
Use TAB and ENTER to pan thru the Microsoft EULA.
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