A Complete Neophyte

[Lynn Miller]

Good day to all,

I am a complete neophyte in the Linux world and much of the computer world. But I am also I very frustrated Windows user who believes there must be a better way.

A bit of background. I have been a casual computer user since 1998, when I bought a IBM Aptiva with a AMD K6-2 300mhz and bravely entered the world of silicon. I have been amazed by computers and have learned as much as I can in my spare time, but never ventured to deeply into the actual workings of a computer. I just recently upgraded by installing a Intel CA810EAL board with a Pentium III 800 EB and 320mB of ram, only to find that I have gained virtually nothing in speed, only the ability to run AutoCAD14 a little better. Actually in running Internet Explorer, Word and Excel has become slower.

I have no loyalty to Redmond, WA, so I am looking to move to Linux in hopes of better utilizing the hardware I have. Unfortunately, though I must keep some compatibility with Windows, since the office that I am affliated with uses all Microsoft Apps, Word, Excel, Power Point, Access, and AutoCAD14. I understand that there is somthing called a "Windows Emulator", would that allow me to run some Windows programs after I convert my box to Linux?

Since I know nothing about Linux or how to install it, would anyone be interested in helping a "total newbie" step by step make the switch to Linux?

Here is my current system -

Intel Pentium III 800EB processor
Intel CA810EAL motherboard
320Mb of PC100 SDRAM
5.9Gb 5400rpm hardrive
32X CDROM
Floppy Drive
Iomega 100Mb Internal ZIP Drive
Onboard Video, Sound, and LAN
Motorola SB4101 Surfboard Cable Modem
Windows 98 SE operating system

Thank you for your time,

P. Lynn Miller

[fancypiper]

First, I would make sure all my hardware would work in Linux. I won't do that for you, though. :D

Linux Hardware Compatibility HOWTO (http://www.tldp.org/HOWTO/Hardware-HOWTO/)

If you have chozen a distribution, their site will have a similar document.

I would replace anything needed (winmodem, toss, get a hardware or jump through extra hoops) to perform well with Linux.

Cheap Linux Box (http://www.ls.net/CheapBox.html)
The Ultimate Linux Box (http://www.tuxedo.org/~esr/writings/ultimate-linux-box/ulb2001.html) - update (http://www.tuxedo.org/~esr/writings/ultimate-linux-box/update.html)

Read the installation NHFs (http://linuxnewbie.org/nhf/Installation) carefully and be sure you understand.

Select and obtain your distribution

Discount Linux CDs (http://www.edmunds-enterprises.com/linux/)
Linux Central (http://linuxcentral.com/)
Cheapbytes (http://cart.cheapbytes.com/cgi-bin/cart)

Install and enjoy. :D

Welcome to freedom and choice.

[Lynn Miller]

fancypiper,

Thank you for your reply. I have done my homework, but cannot find answers to 3 of the questions. I have listed below the relevant hardware in my box along with the answer and the source of the answer -

Intel Pentium III 800EB processor – yes - Linux Hardware Compatibility HOWTO

Intel CA810EAL motherboard – yes - Steven Pritchard steve@silug.org of Southern Illinois Linux Users Group

320Mb PC100 SDRAM – yes - Linux Hardware Compatibility HOWTO

Creative Sound Blaster Audio PCI 128V - ?

Crystal Semiconductor CS4297 AC '97 codec - ?

Intel 82559 Fast Ethernet LAN on Motherboard - ?

Quantum Bigfoot 5.9Gb 5400rpm hard drive – yes - Linux Hardware Compatibility HOWTO

ATAPI 32X CD-ROM drive – yes - The Linux CD-ROM HOWTO

NEC 1.44Mb floppy drive – yes?

Iomega ZIP 100Mb Internal drive – yes – www.iomega.com

Logitech Cordless PS/2 Mouse & Keyboard – yes – www.logitech.com

HP Scanjet 6200C USB – yes - Brian Beattie beattie@beattie-home.net & SANE http://www.mostang.com/sane/

HP Deskjet 895Cse USB – yes - http://www.linuxprinting.org/

Where would I go to find the compatibility of the 3 devices with the question marks behind?

Thank you for your time,

P. Lynn Miller

[l01yuk]

check out http://www.linux.org/hardware/index.html
In particular I would recommend looking at the LhD link.

linux.org has a pretty good set of resources in general, it's worth a look.