Also, for lower end laptops, you may want to run a distro that goes off of LXDE or Xfce, it will just plain run better. If you are going to upgrade your system then it probably won't be a big deal. But if you plan to use your current setup as is for a while, then LXDE or Xfce is a good call.

LXDE version of Ubuntu: http://lubuntu.net/

Xfce version of Ubuntu: http://xubuntu.org/

And the worst Ubuntu based distro for system resources (but arguable the best looking):

KDE version of Ubuntu: http://www.kubuntu.org/

Dear Gerry,

Welcome to the forum!

About wiping Windows XP, Do Not Do It! For this reason and this reason alone: if you also use your laptop for business, you're just going to need some Windows exclusive apps. (Microsoft Office, maybe Photoshop, etc.) So you will want a dual partition (% of Linux, % of Windows). This is incredibly easy to do, when you boot into Linux and begin to install, it will ask you how much of your disk (HDD or SSD) you want dedicated to Linux, it will also let you know how much Windows still needs to be a functioning OS. (Though I would never give your Windows partition anything less than 20% of your disk space, unless your disk has about one Terabyte of space.)

A distro is a unique Linux OS. It is a fully functioning OS just like Windows or Mac OSX. You would just download the distro from the distro holder's website.

Which distro to use depends on your needs, really. If you live in the US, Japan, or other country that requires you to BUY your codecs, then the distro that includes non-free codecs is not an option for you. (Such as some flavors of the Linux Mint distro.) You would then have to BUY your codecs from third party vendors, such as Fluendo (I have done this and they work fine.) Or some other codec purchasing company.

I'll give you links to the two most popular Linux distros, and you can judge for yourself.

Ubuntu: http://www.ubuntu.com/
About: The most popular Linux OS on the planet, you can only use the Unity interface if you use Ubuntu (you can get Xubuntu or Lubuntu, or even, Kubuntu, more on that in my second post here), very comfortable to use. Uses .deb packages.

Fedora: http://fedoraproject.org/
About: The runner up for popularity in the Linux world. You can pick from four interfaces: GNOME, KDE, LXDE, and Xfce. Uses .RPM packages. The DVD version has a MIND BLOWING amount of apps included, dwarfing Ubuntu's STARTING base of apps. (You can always download tons of apps for Ubuntu from the Ubuntu Software Center). I find Fedora isn't nearly as user friendly as Ubuntu, but it's not bad at all for those who know what they're doing.

Hope this helps, and again, welcome to the forum,
Izzy

@ Bell,

Say please. ;) Welcome to the Linux.com forums, glad to have you.

As far as that net connection problem, I'm going to need some details. Which version of Ubuntu are you using, what is your internet connection type, every little detail that you could give would be great.

Hope we can help,
Izzy

Hey Broyl,

Sorry for the horrible response time. I have to admit, this seems a bit daunting, but maybe I can help.

So, to start off with, what fixes did you try? And how did you do it? All the details you can muster, please.

Then, which didn't you try? Maybe I can help walk you through the steps.

Again, I am sorry for the long wait, and I hope that I can help.

Izzy

Bondasfillip,

Okay, so there are some options:

You might be able to click on printer options and have Linux try and download the correct drivers off of the net, or...

Direct Download from the XEROX site: http://www.support.xerox.com/support/workcentre-3550/downloads/enus.html?operatingSystem=linux&fileLanguage=en

I think that the last option has the best chance of working. Let me know how it works out.

Izzy

Wow, looks like Mfilpot was right! I apologize for the misleading information.

Hey Z,

Short answer, neither are better, just different.

Fuduntu generally does last longer in terms of support, but it's also using older software. Fedora has a shorter support period but is using newer software. Really it's tried and true software that's showing its age (Fuduntu), vs newer software that still has some bugs (Fedora). Fedora expects you to upgrade your OS sooner than Fuduntu, so this is also another facet to consider.

It depends on what you want really, if you just want a GNOME 2 desktop, then Fuduntu would be an excellent option. If you want a multiple choice desktop (GNOME 3, KDE, LXDE...) then Fedora wins out easily. You are pretty much stuck with the Fuduntu interface (though it is good), where as you have more options with Fedora (though it is not as finely tuned, it has a bit more of a bland, generic flavor to it.) In terms of interface it's a lack of options vs a less elegant design.

Both have the same level of stability. The last time I used Fedora it was stable except for the use of the Fluendo video player (crash) and Fuduntu with involuntary file lockout (such as a USB device, even with safe hardware detachment in use.) Though, these are only my experiences. You may have different results.

One last thing to consider, Fuduntu uses less system resources because of its older software, where as Fedora uses more because of its new software.

I hope this helps,
Izzy

The reason why the OS is asking you for your password is because it is a Linux OS: almost every version of Linux will do this. Why? Think of it like this: when Windows sets you up as an a admin, every program has the right to run whatever at any time. (Though UAC is helping to stop this exploit) Linux/Mac OSX/BSD, etc. naturally asks you if a certain program has the right to run on your computer, and it will ask for your password to verify this. This is just the way Mint and MANY MANY any other versions of Linux are. You would have to find a specialty version for Linux not to do this.

Hope this helps,
Izzy

Exactly, "Freedom" is WAY to broad of a term when it comes to software. Do you mean as in the right to modify? View source code? Affiliation with Free Software/Open Source? Until then, we really can't recommend a specific distro.

Though, to be blunt, nearly all Linux distros are freedom orientated. Aside from some far out enterprise Linux distros (Oracle), you can pretty much view every source code, modify any app/OS component, etc. It's pretty hard to make a wrong choice.

Let me know if this helps,
Izzy

Good Point, Mfillpot