Can I install Linux?

Forums: Computers, Linux, Windows, Windows 7, Operating Systems
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I've got a Dell Inspiron mini with Windows 7 starter. It's pretty slow these days, and I don't use it that much. Was wondering if I could install Linux on it. It doesn't have a CD/DVD drive. Would need to be able install it from a USB drive.
Can it be done?

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@Wilso,

Last year, I asked the same question on another forum with a lot of tekkies on it. Downloaded something or other to a USB and tried to follow their instructions. The conclusion I reached was
a) It can be done.
b) Damned if I can do it.

But you may have more skills than I do. I just gave up.

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I really hope someone can help me with this. The old PC is so slow on Windows it's basically useless. But that makes it perfect to try something new on.

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@Wilso,

Yes, it can be done.

Make sure you have already backed up anything on your old drive that you want and then go to Pendrivelinux.com and follow one of their step by step methods. I recommend Linix Mint as a good version to use.

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@rosborne979,

Will give that a go tomorrow. Cheers

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@rosborne979,

rosborne979 wrote:

Yes, it can be done.

Make sure you have already backed up anything on your old drive that you want and then go to Pendrivelinux.com and follow one of their step by step methods. I recommend Linix Mint as a good version to use.

Now running Linux mint on the little netbook. Seems pretty good. Haven't worked out the wireless yet.

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@Wilso,

Wilso wrote:

Now running Linux mint on the little netbook. Seems pretty good. Haven't worked out the wireless yet.

Glad to hear you got it installed. I installed it onto a very old Dell Laptop a while ago and the wireless worked just as soon as I gave it the password. You do have to get used to the Linux interface just to figure out where the basic settings are, but once you get used to it I think you'll find it's very fast and almost as easy as Windows.

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I have been using Linux since the late 90s (the dark ages). Things are a lot easier to set up now then they used to be.

The first question is; do you want to "dual-boot"? On a dual boot machine can switch between Linux and Windows (and other operating systems) at will (you have to restart the machine each time). I am curious if you did this on your laptop?

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@maxdancona,

He probably formatted the hard drive and got rid of windows because I believe earlier in the thread he mentioned that his motivation was that Windows was running very slowly and he didn't really need this machine any more.

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@maxdancona,

maxdancona wrote:

I have been using Linux since the late 90s (the dark ages). Things are a lot easier to set up now then they used to be.

The first question is; do you want to "dual-boot"? On a dual boot machine can switch between Linux and Windows (and other operating systems) at will (you have to restart the machine each time). I am curious if you did this on your laptop?

Nope. Backed up the files I want, then blasted the hard drive. Linux all by itself.

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@Wilso,

Congratulations! Have you looked at the software manager yet? One of the great things about Linux is the amount of quality free software... and a package manager to find and install it easily and safely.

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@Wilso,

Wifi can be tricky if it doesn't install automatically.

You can usually find decent directions online how to do it but some of them could be out of date. You will need to run some of them in the terminal window and then try to dig through the results to find what you need.

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@parados,

Got that going. Found a youtube video with directions. Had to enable some proprietary driver. Wireless icon came up, detected the network, typed in the key and off it went.
I've got a tower that's a few years old that had been running an Eastern European hacked version of XP. It was getting a bit cumbersome, but now I've got this worked out, I'm going to try to fire it up again using Linux.

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@Wilso,

Might as well. Linux will do most things you need to do with a computer.

There are a few things you can't do with linux or at least not easily.
Playing Netflix videos is one of them that comes to mind.

When you do run into a problem, it can sometimes take some work to solve it but that is part of the experience. My recent upgrade to Ubuntu 14.04 on one machine causes the machine to crash about ever fourth time it goes to sleep. I still haven't figured out a fix yet.

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@parados,

It is easy to watch Netflix videos on linux. You just have to use the Chrome browser.

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@maxdancona,

Thanks Max. It looks like they started that a couple of months ago. I wasn't aware of it.

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mark

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So the MINT came with Firefox. What's the suggestion? That or Chrome? Given this is a little machine with only 1GB of RAM, I'm assuming the lightest applications are the way to go.

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@FBM,

Your computer will need at least 4.5 GB of free space. You will want more than this if you want to install programs and create files. If you are installing on a laptop, make sure that it is connected to a power source, as installing can drain the battery faster than normal.

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@Wilso,

i think you have to format your pC and install newer version of windows, if it is not working then replace old processor by latest one.

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Can I install Linux?

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