I didn't forget about our conversation....was on a mini vacation.
Did think about the options of installing using a VM or alongside one another. As I am clueless about which is better I will have to go with what has been suggested, as members who have installed using VM or alongside are far more experience in how the install will go.
Then it was suggested that Lubuntu might be better but I would have to do some research on that as I never heard of it or if I did I might not have paid enough attention.
I guess the first place to start is upgrading the RAM and I placed 2GB (2x1GB) in a shopping cart, as Crucial states this pc only allows 2GB. Wanted to make sure if there is anything else that would need to be upgraded before I placed the order.
As soon as they arrived then I'll be ready to install Ubuntu or Lubuntu if you think that would be a better way to go.
Hopefully tomorrow I will have time to back up the computer.
Either Lubuntu or Ubuntu Mate, would be fine, Though, Lubuntu would run faster on your machine as it is very lightweight.
Additionally, Lubuntu can be tweaked to look very much like either Windows classic or, even, Ubuntu Mate, I have it installed on an Acer ONE notepad I intend to use as the brains behind a CCTV system I am creating. Iām just going to boot that up and post a video of it on here in the next hour or so to let you see what kind of set-up you could have with it.
Thanks for all the information and Iām looking into Lubuntu.
Is Lubuntu being lightweight the real big difference between the two?
v3xx ā¦thanks for the link. Of course my laptop is a pain in the butt to install memory on. One memory card is simple to replace (and I have done that on another pc) but with this model of Dell you have to take the keyboard outā¦grrrr.
steveā¦I will check the video out. I am sure it will be extremely helpful.
From a user point of view:
You have a complete desktop with both, but Lubuntu will tend to use packages that use less resources (less frills) to get the same job done.
Can you download the live DVDs for both and give them both a test drive before installing? Has that been suggested? This can also be done with a flash drive as long as your laptop will boot from usb.
I did download and burn the live DVD for Ubuntu and have downloaded the one for Lubuntu. Iāll burn that one tomorrow and give them both a try. It might have been suggested but Iām not sureā¦too lazy right now to read back thru the posts. lol!
Installing Ubuntu and getting the hang of using it is relatively easy even for someone totally new to linux, the install itself is basically just clicking next. Iād say its more easy than learning Windows on the first try. You get basic programs out of the box that you have to install separately on windows and you get all updates from the same place.
But installing a dual boot system with multiple OSās on the same computer (especially with windows) and working with partitions and boot records, or using a virtual machine to run another OS inside your OS is trickier and daunting at first, until you understand how it works. And you can really mess up big time and lose all your data.
Then you can rest easy experimenting, trying out what distro (lubuntu, ubuntu mate etc) works for you, since you can easily get your full current system back with just a few clicks.
Good luck and have fun! Personally I have just linux on my laptop and a desktop with windows for my specific windows needs.
Right, got to go an fix a ground pipe on a property 50 miles north of here. Wont be back for around 24 to 48 hours. Will post up video tutorial for how to set up dual boot when I get back. Had intended for today, but this came up. Sorry.
Okay, got back home an hour ago and just did a quick test in a virtual machine to create a dual boot Windows/Lubuntu setup. Worked really easily and so i will do a proper tutorial on it tomorrow for you.
However, as a teaser, here it the system running lubuntu. The second video shows me actually dual booting between windows and lubuntu
Thanks to both of you for all the information and suggestions. Making the choice much easier for a newbie. Sometimes the more you read the more you confuse yourself. lol. Having the information and answers all in one place by people that are experienced in this is much easier than surfing websites and getting bits of info from here and there and then forgetting what you read or where your read it. Hereā¦I can come back and reference what I read.
Many thanks for the videoāsā¦they are super and really showed me how easy it will be to have both on the computer. Canāt believe you went and did that job, drove back and created to videoās. Fantastic.
on a side noteā¦so your British. My grandmother and three of her 8 children where born in Manchester. Mom was born on the boat as they traveled to America.
Okay, as promised, here is a full video, from start to finish, showing how to install Lubuntu alongside Windows 7. You should note, the instructions in the video more or less hold true for installing any version of Ubuntu alongside Window 7 or, indeed, any other version of Windows. The only proviso being that you might need to manually configure your grub boot-up menu with other versions of Ubuntu. For Lubuntu, however, as you can see this is not necessary. It just does it all automatically.
One final thing; make sure you take a backup of all of your important personal files from your windows partition to a USB stick before you do the installation of Lubuntu alongside. Things can and do go wrong with computers and so it is always a good idea to take backups of files before doing any major operation.
Anyway, here is the video. I hope and trust it all goes easily for you. If, however, you encounter any problems, then donāt hesitate to get back to me here and I will help you resolve them.
Finally, please excuse my son having a pee and flushing the toilet next door to my computer room right at the end of the video. This bloody microphone picks up everything!
This is fantastic. You made the installation look quick and painless. Thank you for taking the time to make it for me and Iām sure anyone reading the thread will agreed you did a super job.
I will back up the computer tomorrow. I have burned the Lubuntu CD and order additional memory. As soon as that arrives Iāll be ready to install. Hopefully it goes as flawless as your video did. If I have any issues Iāll post it here.
I will be so good to be able to use the laptop again.
Just been messing about with the Lubuntu virtual machine to see how closely I could theme it to look and act like Ubuntu Mate. The answer is quite a lot!
Thanks again and super job. You really did make it look like Ubuntu Mate.
My first call for help was for Ubuntu Mate and that really was the only choice I knew about.
Then it was suggested to use Lubuntu because of my system. Of course was/am clueless about all the differences other than be being lighter.
I will be upgrading the memory as I said in the next few days. In doing that would be system be able to handle Ubuntu if I donāt use a VM? It was suggested that due to my system a VM would make the computer slow. Using it without the VM option doesnāt bother me but something keep drawing me back to Ubuntuā¦maybe a gut reaction.
So after the upgrade would Ubuntu be a option or are there other factors of my system that would make Lubuntu better?
Dual core and 2 gig of ram. I would go with dual boot for best performance and I would run mate. IMO Mate brings in extra packages that I think makes for a better user experience.
Lubuntu would run a little faster, but I do not think the you will find anything wrong with mate performance. Lu is good for a low ram system, but your upgrade makes you good for mate.
Running a virtual machine on a dual core and 2 gig of ram can be done, I have done this. But mileage will vary from machine to machine. Your on the bottom end for resources.
Yeah, I wouldnāt disagree really. Lubuntu is very light and so would undoubtedly run the fastest on first installation. However, while Ubuntu Mate is heavier, itās not that much heavier. Itās a fine call and, in the end, it has to be your decision. However, I am going to tell you now what I would install, if it was me.
I would install Ubuntu Mate. The only issue would be if, after installation, it was too slow. If it was, for me this would be no big deal as I would then just overwrite it with Lubuntu. In other words, I would have nothing to lose by trying Ubuntu Mate first and everything, potentially, to gain.
If you do decide to try Ubuntu Mate out first and it is a bit too sluggish for you, donāt worry unduly. Come back on here and I will show you how to overwrite it with Lubuntu. Or, if you go with Lubuntu as a first option, then itās all good anywayā¦
Edit to add:
I have just done an install of Ubuntu Mate alongside Win7 and can confirm it install with no problems in exactly the same way as Lubuntu did in my previous video. So, you can rest assured that you wonāt encounter any problems if you decide to go with Ubuntu Mate.
Assuming you install Ubuntu Mate alongside MS Windows first and then, following installation, find it to be too slow, I have just tried overwriting the Ubuntu Mate partition on a Win7/Ubuntu Mate dual boot machine with Lubuntu. I can confirm that it works and is easy to do. I have included a video that shows you how:
So, the above being the case, you have absolutely nothing to lose by trying Ubuntu Mate first. If it runs too slow for your machine then you can easily overwrite it with Lubuntu, which will definitely run well on your machine.
goodnight and till tomorrow