Linux Operating Systems.

[longbridge]

Crikey I must have been a dill over five years ago, all I did was look up Linux Mint found one with a 32 number in front of it and shoved it on, it worked well enough for me to take my Win XP discs complete with a Driver Disc out into the back yard and do a sacrificial disc smashing with a hammer, best thing I ever did.

Whiteswan as Allan has already posted, if you run an Intel PC use a 32bit download, if you run an AMD Computer download a 64bit OS.

Mint 13 is a long term distro that is it will receive auto updates for a period of 5 years, there is still about 4 years to go, by that time another long term OS will have been released and you will know Linux like the back of your hand, my choice is the Cinnemon Desktop which is much like Win XP, I tried the Mate desktop and wasn't that impressed.

As I live in a block of 10 units/flats I am the geezer that goes around fixing tenants computers when they have problems, they all run Windows XP, Vista or 7, my goodness I am starting to forget how to use Window they are so darn complicated  it is so easy to flop back into my computer chair and use Linux 

[Caz]

I was downloading the 64bit MATE initially and then read your post so stopped download and changed to 32bit MATE, now stopped again and download 32bit Cinnamon, hope I've got the right one now. 

[longbridge]

I was downloading the 64bit MATE initially and then read your post so stopped download and changed to 32bit MATE, now stopped again and download 32bit Cinnamon, hope I've got the right one now. 

Well done Caz you are on the right tram 

[Caz]

Well, here I am, connected using Linux and Mint via a DVD, cool or what.   

Although running from the DVD is seems to run pretty fast, quite impressed.  I notice there is an install option on the desktop, if I install, will this overwrite all my XP stuff or create a dual boot option?

[EtchedPixels]

Well, here I am, connected using Linux and Mint via a DVD, cool or what.   

Although running from the DVD is seems to run pretty fast, quite impressed.  I notice there is an install option on the desktop, if I install, will this overwrite all my XP stuff or create a dual boot option?

You can do either. I would however strongly recommend making a backup before doing an additional OS install of any kind !

[RChook]

Has anyone else tried Puppy Linux?

Yep, and very good it was, long time ago, didnt realise that it was still supported, cant help on the Wireless settings tho' I am surprised that it didnt, there was a very active and supportive forum, if that is still around then a Q there might result,, .

If you like, as I did, small Linux's then you could play with DamnSmallLinux, that seems to be still supported. Knoppix was a big one that had good hardware support (but not for my modems ) and Feather was a small version of it but looks like it is undeveloped since about 2006
Meanwhile it seems that Mint has grown so big it will nolonger fit on a CD !

what is PAE?

Physical Address Extension - to enable the operating system to address RAM greater than 4Gb

[RChook]

Well, here I am, connected using Linux and Mint via a DVD, cool or what.   

Result !!!

Although running from the DVD is seems to run pretty fast, quite impressed.

Have a good inquisition of the documentation, there may be an option to run from RAM (if you have a big enough ram installed) which will be even faster than dvd but will not rubbish your Windows partition.
( I dunno for Mint, but that was an option in days of yore with ummm errr, knoppix or puppy or I forget which ! Anything written to your Linux in RAM got written back to your CD upon exit ready for your next reboot, - oh arr, click memory bank - needed re-writable media
I'm sure some of the more up to date cognocenti ereabouts can fill you in ! }

I notice there is an install option on the desktop, if I install, will this overwrite all my XP stuff or create a dual boot option?

Pass, above my pay grade !
It used to be a great worry some years ago (involving resizing of partitions), but I expect "they" have made it all a bit more fool-proof now ymmv !!

[longbridge]

Its all here for installing Linux Mint onto your PC


How To Install Linux Mint 13 "Maya" (parallel to Windows, Mac OS X or other OS)

Thankfully Linux Mint is now installed from a DVD, in the old days Most Linux distros would fit on a CD but back then a user had to find and install Drivers for their hardware, install several software programs to bring it up to what most people expect from a Linux OS, totaly different today as all the hard work has been done for you with lots of drivers and useful software included with the install.

The Geek days of Linux and particularly Mint are long gone, the systems are very user friendly, I congratulate Clem and his team for the great work they did to make the Linux Mint experience a pleasure to use and install because of its easy to use Windows feel.

[keithfre]

cant help on the Wireless settings tho' I am surprised that it didnt, there was a very active and supportive forum

Yes, I did use the forum at the time, and the consensus seemed to be that Puppy had a problem there that was not likely to be fixed.

[longbridge]

I had Puppy on an Asus ee notebook for about one day, kicked it off and loaded Easy Peasy, had that on for about a week and kicked it off as well, loaded Mint 8 on it and it worked like a charm so it stayed on.

[Caz]

Well, I even cooler now, installed Mint onto a 32GB USB drive, works a treat, thanks guys.  Next task will be to install something like Wine to all me to run my old WinXP proggies , but that can wait awhile as I can now just reboot and take out the USB and I'm back to Win. 

[Jerry Howlett]

I use WINE for all my operating systems

Sorry Caz

[Caz]

        

If i do, then I usually end up having a disaster with the computer as after two glasses of Rioja I get quite squiffy.   

[Caz]

Just to show I've not started on the Rioja yet I've got my first Win program (my Genealogy program) running under Wine without any problem, on boy, am I pleased. 

Tried my Adobe programmes, Acrobat 10 and CS5 but they don't seem to want to run, nor Railroad & Co's Traincontroller. 

[longbridge]

Caz if you like "Acrobat" you can run the same thing and download it for free in the Mint "Software Manager" only its called "Acroread", it runs without Wine.


There is also another PDF reader that is as quick as Lightning called "Foxit" another amazing freeby in Linux