Larry from Conway, SC writes:
I am running XP and do not want to upgrade. I am considering a dual boot of Ubuntu. Is there a` tutorial available written for non-geek old folks which tells us step by step how to download, install, and operate the basic system?
Larry, click here for a link to an article hat will help get you started on the process. But I have a word of advice for people about Ubuntu and other Linux based systems. Unless you are a bit of a geek at heart and enjoy fiddling around with tech and learning new systems, it may not be for you.
As an open-source operating system you’ll have to look for help and ask questions in forums for the system you’ve installed. Now for some people, this process goes smoothly, but others find some hiccups along the way that have to be ironed out.
If troubleshooting is something that frustrates you, it may not be a good option unless you know someone who understands Ubuntu and is willing to give you a hand if you come up against any roadblocks because often there’s not just one answer for your problem.
~ Cynthia
Cynthia is 100% correct about Ubuntu. I wanted to do the same thing and convert one of my systems to Ubuntu, so I went thru the whole process but for some reason something happened and although my system would look like it started in Ubuntu I never got any kind of ‘desktop’, After plowing thru multiple forums, and getting all kinds ‘answers’ that didn’t work (luckily I had a second system that I could research with) I finally gave up and just over wrote the drive and took it to the recycling center. That’s just my experience, you may have better luck, but be prepared to get a lot of answers that don’t fix your problems (and may cause others)