@valvegamer posted a new topic, subject "Want to go linux". It read:

   Ok i got 220gig partition on my 1tb drive was wanting put linux on there i remeber hearing it was free back in the day. I know nothing about it or where to get video drivers and shit someone direct my through this ?
    
    Specs
    
    fx-6100
    
    gpu-gtx560ti
    
    7200rpm 1tb
    
    8 gig ddr3 1333
    
    gigabyte am3+ mother board dont remeber exact one

@bacondrinker replied

    Most linux distribution's are free (I think red hat is the only paid one, but its for enterprises and you don't have to worry about it).The most popular linux distribution is ubuntu, but if you are just coming from windows and have no background at all with ubuntu i wouldn't reccomend it.
    
    Logan uses a distribution based off ubuntu called Zorin OS which you can get over at http://zorin-os.com/. It is a distribution of linux built for windows users and thats why it looks so similar to the latest versions of windows. If you want to try out ubuntu and get a feel for it then you can get boydrobert@example.org (I would reccomend moving to ubuntu after using zorin os for a while and getting used to linux).
    
    There are many other linux distribution's out there like fedora and centOS that you can look into if you want, I'm sure you can do a simple google search :P
    
    If you want to try out these distribution's without having to install them on a seperate partition then you could try boydrobert@example.org. It is a free virtualisation software that is great for getting used to linux without having to go through the pain of installing on a seperate partition.
    
    As a last note, ubuntu has an installer for windows that makes it easy to install ubuntu onto a seperate partition on your hard drive (and uninstall). It is called wubi and you can find it by doing a simple google search.

Then @valvegamer said

    gonna go with nroin fre one ill let u now when i download it later have no idea how to install this do u do it from windows or boot disc like windows

After which, @eastexas added

    Boot it from a bootable USB drive. I make a bootable flash drive with Unetbootin(free) and the Linux ISO you download. Boot into the USB drive from start up. You can boot from a CD you burn if you like.

Then @Shadowxxpanda said

    One more thing, Nvidia does not support linux ,and linus even said that they don't even try to give a driver for linux.

Then @XDroidie626 said

    Ubuntu is good, works very well and worked well when i used my Nvidia 250GTS back on my old system, although nvidia is not supporting Linux AMD do, but not as much as windows which is kinda a shame, if its your 1st time go for Ubuntu or Zorin free, get Crossover XI if your looking to play games or use windows apps, but its free for like 14 days, adding to this, try learn the terminal a bit, its a heck of a lot faster than the GUI rather good if you need help with them i can send you some guides im currently reading :)

@virtualmatrix258 replied

    I read this last night, downloaded Zorin to a flash card and had it up and running in 30 minutes. I really like the layout although it doesn't seem very much like Windows, that might just be me. I'm glad I know my way around Ubuntu. Good thread, especially with Steam for Linux on the way :)

To which @valvegamer replied

    i got it downloadgotta get flash drive from my bro unless a 8gig mp3 player will work with usb cable

Then @virtualmatrix258 said

    I've had to do that before, it worked. I was using an old RiO MP3 player from 2004 and a USB cable. I felt quite accomplished. Give it a try, it can't hurt anything.

So @crystylizd replied

    Im surprised no body mentioned LMDE. Was told it was faster than Ubuntu and much more supportive in my case. I have an AMD based laptop and it runs great on it didnt have to install anything but the OS to get things running.

To which @Ferman replied

    I would say go Zorin OS.. Ubuntu is nice but unity is dreadful. Im switching to zorin as we speak.

Then @EGC_Rocco said

    I'll post this link again for anyone who wants to play with Linux distros without loading it to your machine...
    
    http://www.livecdlist.com/
    
    Check them out, all live bootable ......

@The_Space_Bear replied

    Start with Ubuntu or Mint. once you get your feet wet I recomend you try KDE (mint KDE or Kubuntu) well pretty much try all the diffrent DEs you can to see if you like any

So @GigaBusterEXE replied

    there is a special kernal that makes the FX AMD CPUs faster, probably want to ask ztrain about that

@RH00D replied

    I've tried a lot of different Linux distros over the years including Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Fedora, openSUSE, Red Hat, etc. I've used a multitude of versions of each and Linux Mint is by far my favourite for general/consumer use. The current version of Linux Mint is 13 "Maya" and I reccommend using the Cinnamon desktop variant. You can download the 64-bit version here, http://www.linuxmint.com/edition.php?id=106. You can download a tool called UNetbootin here, http://unetbootin.sourceforge.net/. That tool allows you to select the Linux disk image (.iso) and automatically properly configure it on your flash drive so it can be booted and installed.
    
    To be honest though, it doesn't sound like you have a lot of experience in Linux and if you're not doing an actual task that requires Linux then in most cases I would reccommend just sticking with Windows. Linux really shines in server and administration environments and personally I find using Linux instead of Windows for general/consumer use usually causes headaches and more problems than it solves. Because Linux is a vastly different world than Windows, there's a lot of things in Windows that you probably take for granted and you won't realize how much you miss it until you don't have it.
    
    For some examples, pressing down on the scroll wheel on a web page will not bring up that little thing to allow you to quickly scroll in which ever direction like it does in Windows. There's also less program support, for example there is no foobar2000, no iTunes, no MS Office, no Adobe software. I can't even think of any multimedia editing software for Linux that is on the same level as Adobe or Avid. Gaming support is still minimal. Windows has superior driver support, etc. There's just all these little things here and there that start to add up, that's why I still prefer Windows to Linux in general/consumer/gaming scenarios.
    
    The two paragraphs above aren't meant to bash Linux, it's just that Linux is very good at certain things, but not boydrobert@example.org. I just think there's still some areas where Windows is a better option.

Then @Coltaine said

    I usually promote dual booting, that way you can have both Win and Linux on the same setup. It's not hard to do at all with the Linux installer. That's a very good way to start getting into Linux IMO.


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