Reformat A 64 Bit Win 7 Hd And Install Linux?

Hello,
(first poster here)

O.k. this is what i want to do. I have an old Dell Vista laptop running a Hp Win 7 64 bit hard drive. (took some doing but i got it to work lol) Any way, now that i finally got a new laptop i would like to reformat and install Linux.

#1 Is this possible and what (free) software would i need?
#2 Install some form of Linux - Suggestions on what Ver.
(I am a Linux newbie, although many years ago like mid 90's i think i did successfully install a copy of free bsd )

Thanks in advance to all for any input!

Rob

 

I always suggest that people test a few different linux distros before deciding what to install. The reasoning behind this is to see if a distro likes the hardware. If the display doesn't work properly, there is no sound or you can't seem to get on the internet, that distro(s) is useless.

I assume the laptop can boot from a USB stick. Get a few 8GB USB sticks. Download some ISOs for different flavors of linux then head here http://www.pendrivelinux.com/universal-usb-installer-easy-as-1-2-3/
That bit of software will make the stick bootable.
Step one, you'd select a distro.
Step two, you find the ISO and make sure the path is correct in the address bar.
Step three, select your flash drive letter. I triple check that I have the correct letter before I do anything else by opening My computer to be sure the stick is the letter showing in the program.
Step four: optional. Some distros allow persistence. That means any changes you make, like adding bookmarks to a browser are saved to the USB stick so the next time you fire it up, it isn't starting from square one.

Finally, be patient as the ISO is "written" to the stick. It takes some time and it might appear that nothing is happening but it is working. Also if you select some persistence, that will take time and it will look like it is stalled but it isn't.

All live distros have an icon on the linux desktop that say install. If you like the distro and are comfortable with it, click the icon and it takes care of the formatting and installing.

My current favorite is LXLE Desktop because it includes a lot of programs and the default browser (suite actually) is SeaMonkey which reminds me of earlier versions of FF. Since FF used to be my default browser, I feel comfortable with that.
http://www.lxle.net/

Here are some other choices the right hand column shows popularity
http://distrowatch.com/

#2 is Debian. Unfortunately the founder, Ian Murdoch, just committed suicide a few days ago so I'm not sure about its future.

 

Have been using Linux Mint for well over a year now, for gaming, work and literally anything that I used to do on Windows. Can easily recommend the distro as one of the most stable and with loads of out of the box features (a great feature for Linux newcomers), 17.3 is currently the latest version. There are of course other distros and as plodr said you can take a look at the distrowatch page (notice that Mint is in the no.1 place).

One word of advice I can say is - As a newcomer you might want to avoid Ubuntu, it's a Shark disguised as a fish. Despite it's popularity, it's not the easiest distro out there and might give you headaches unless you know the ropes

 

Hi all,

Thanks plodr and Jonny! Sorry for the late response. Lots of good info there. Will let ya know how I do... (my be a lil bit) I live out in the boonies and forgot the flash drives last time I went to town. lol Still transferring stuff off of the old one anyway.

Thanks again!
-Rob

 

We'll still be here when you find the time to try anything and re-visit this thread.

 

Thanks! -

Configuring the USB was a cinch, Laptop booted right up with LXLE 64 bit. (can't get the display brightness to remain at 100% keeps reverting to 50%) But any way looks good so far! Will try Mint on the other flash drive i bought. (Unless i can multi-boot the flash drive i put LXLE on?)

Now is there a diagnostic program I can run while booted in with the usb to check that all the hardware and stuff is working properly?

Thanks again!
Rob

 

There is a way to create a multiboot USB stick but I haven't tried it.
http://www.pendrivelinux.com/yumi-multiboot-usb-creator/

I like 1 distro per stick so if I don't think the distro is for me, I format it and try another one. Also as the distros get old, I might remove them by formatting and get a newer version.

I'll ask about a diagnostic program.

 

Thanks!

 

Here's what I found:
1. In linux there is a diagnostic program in the repositories. It is called HardInfo.
This gives details about it: https://help.ubuntu.com/community/HardInfo
I have never been able to successfully install anything from the repository to my USB stick.

2. There are 2 ways to get information from the Dell before Windows loads:
a) tap F12 when the system boots, and choose the "pre-boot diagnostics" option. I'm not sure if all models have this feature but it is worth a try.
b) you can download an ISO and create a disk that will help
http://www.dell.com/support/home/us/en/19/Drivers/DriversDetails?driverId=W0R66
scroll down to see the download link.

 

You are very helpful! Thanks so much for the info!

 

You're welcome.