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Hi there, I've got a 2005 Packard Bell EasyNote R9260 (laptop) Intel Celeron 2ghz processer 1024ram 160GB HDD Nividia Geforce Go 6200 Graphics card (512 designated ram) Realtek sound card (don't know the spec's) various network cards I've damaged my master CD for this device and I'm not spending huge amount on a new set or a new XP / Vista OS. I've been keep an eye on Linux for some time and now from what I've read many people are very happy with their various Linux distro's however I'm not looking at playing around with different type's (at least not till I'm comfortable with Linux and until I learn how to modify them, use line commands and so forth.) I'm looking for a [b]complete[/b] package with drivers so my Com is at optimal performance and not lagging, one that will be as [b]easy to Install as windows and reasonably easy to use[/b] form what I've done read up’s on the full Feroda 9 and the New Ubuntu seems to be the right ones, however I want to know what would work the best on my Com. without hassles from the word go. Any recommendations? Thanks!

well... definition of complete is different for everyone... most distros don't even need to use the commandline for regular desktop stuff, so don't worry much about that. the Mex is right, get the DVD iso as the CD isos are very much trimmed down version of distros. a quick distrowatch search yields this (http://distrowatch.com/search.php?category=Live+DVD&origin=All&basedon=All&desktop=All&architecture=All&status=Active ) ubuntu does not come out of the box with DVD and other grey area stuff like playing some sound files and such... jsut a few clicks (and an internet connection) to get it working though. most installers are pretty straightforward. If you've installed windows before then you won't find anything too scary when installing distros (exception for me is DreamLinux and DSL) but pretty much my advice would be to try different base distros and find one that you kinda like, then try their derivatives. For example, Ubuntu is based off Debian.

Hi SKay, You should really take some time to read some beginner references on what linux is and how it works. It'll help you to fiddle around a bit. Look on the internet to find how-to's and background information. Now for your questions: ad 1. : this maybe just the way it is. Many applications for Gnu/linux are developed and maintained by private people (i.e. volunteers) and in some cases, they do not include help files. If your window manager just includes a help button by default but there were no help pages included, you may be able to look on the internet to see if you can find some FAQ or forum where people may be able to help you. ad 2. : apt-get has an elaborate how-to on the internet: http://www.debian.org/doc/manuals/apt-howto/index.en.html Read it, read all of it and then see if you can find a solution. After reading this, you will know about /etc/sources.list, how you should add a repository to the file and what you should do if you just added a new repository to this file. As a general pointer, you may want to have a look at synaptic (which I expect to be installed by default) and see if this particular package (python) is already present on your computer, but not installed (in which case the command wouldn't be apt-get, but probably dpkg, which is explained in the how-to I pointed you to, but you could then also use synaptic to install it for you). ad 3 : see if netconfig works, it has an explicit option to use a gprs modem. use it from the command line, though. This is actually a more important issue than the perl thing, which you may not even be able to resolve if you do not get internet up and running. I have no experience with this sort of modem, so I hope someone else can explain about this. In fact: this may easily be the solution to your question number two too (I have a feeling this may rhyme). Maybe you can google a Vodacom linux how-to? ad 4 : From what I understand from your question, it is more likely this is a configuration issue, using a wrong video mode for you card or screen. read this for some more information: http://www.linux.com/articles/54945 (look at point 7 for the Xserver) ad 5 : The live DVD's give you more applications, usually. I only use a liveCD for rescue purposes, so I really can't comment. I would simply choose a distro and stick with it for some time (I mean months). The newer distro's can detect most hardware and have really simple installations. Even debian is simple to install nowadays. Just stay away from the source based distro's (e.g. gentoo or LFS), as these may be a little intimidating for a novice user (on the other hand, it is a sure fire way of learning linux as you have no choice). But, we are all different, so the best advice I can give you is: do what YOU think is right. Choosing a distro is a matter of taste (to some it is a matter of religion). I like the feet-in-the-dirt distros (like LFS, slackware, gentoo and so on), you may like distros that aim for ease of use (like ubuntu, knoppix, Freespire or what not) yet someone else may want to abandon linux and go the BSD route. Taste, that's what it is... Perhaps others have other ideas about my comments.