On 14 Oct 2009 at 21:09, Loy Pressley wrote:

> Good morning,
> 
> I want to learn to use Linux. MS Windows is becoming more and more
> trouble and much more intrusive. Learning and using the Linux
> operating system is a way to begin weaning myself from Windows. I have
> an old Dell 800MHz computer on my home network. The hard drive in it
> is one of a number of backup locations for my data files. Turning it
> into a Linux based machine would help me to learn the operating
> system.
> 
> The Dell currently has WinXP Home as the operating system, 512K of
> ram, and lots of empty disk space. Should I format the hard drive and
> install Linux on it? Would it be better to dual boot and install and
> run Linux in a separate partition on the machine? How do I install
> Linux and set it up to dual boot with Linux and WinXP? Will I loose
> connectivity with my home network if I install Linux on the Dell
> computer?
> 
> Thanks in advance for the help and guidance.
> 
> Loy

  I've recently put Ubuntu Linux on my Acer AspireOne netwbook, 
dual boot with the Windows XP Home that came on the machine.  It 
was refreshingly easy!

  BUT...

1) You need to be able to boot to an installation volume. It was 
surprisingly easy to format and rewrite a USB stick for this 
purpose, and boot from it; your machine is old enough that 
booting from a USB device might not be an option.  You might 
have to download an image and burn an install CD/DVD....

2) There are a number of "live" Linux CD images available, which 
let you boot from the CD/DVD and run Linux without ever 
installing it to the hard drive.  You might want to play with 
two or three of those while planning how you will install it.

  The "live" version is also a good chance to make sure all your 
crucial hardware is supported.  For instance, the built-in 
Ethernet port on my netbook has no Linux driver, so I've 
invested $15 in a USB Ethernet adapter that Linux will support.  
(Linux does support the built in wireless adapter.)

David Gillett

         PCBUILD maintains hundreds of useful files for download
                     visit our download web page at:
                  http://freepctech.com/downloads.shtml