Compaq Laptop

I have a Compaq Presario F761 US Notebook PC and was wondering how compatible it would be with linux? I also wanted to know about abandonware and roms if they were easy to run in linux. My biggest concern is losing freeware I run in windows, however I think I can make the transition after visting gizmo freeware. I am concerned about drivers for periphrials I use such as game pad printer and mouse in compatibility with linux.

 

Are you tired of Windows?

I believe this little laptop can handle 2GB of RAM with no problem. You could simply run Ubuntu from a disc, and leave Windows intact.

What are your current specs, and how intense is the gaming you are planning on running?

Most emulators have a Linux version.

http://emulator-zone.com/

 

You have a lot of questions here.

What freeware are you afraid of losing?
What kind of mouse- the touchpad on the F761?
What brand of printer- HP has the best printer support in Linux and there are Linux native versions of the toolbox - HPGUI available.

The F761 is said to be an equal to the G6000 on TigerDirect.com

Seems issues are the Atheros driver for wireless and the NVidia card-

http://verens.com/2008/04/12/hp-g6000-in-linux/

This should not be a problem as it was back in 2008 as in the last 12 months much has been developed for Networking Utilities.

What version of Linux are you attempting? This link suggests PCLinuxOS. Download LiveCD Here Great Support for this version and there are some PCLinuxOS users on MG.

Let us know how you progress. :major

 

What freeware are you afraid of losing?

I have a long list of freeware I cant possibly name them all as I am kinda of a pack rat when it comes ton computers.

What kind of mouse- the touchpad on the F761?

No a basic logitech mouse with a cord.

I am a noob so please be nice I am just barely learning linux, registry, html and css.

I wanted to upload to linux but I have massive freeware downloaded is there a way to keep my downloads with the installation

 

Jack421, You should be able to download and boot any Live CD. This will allow you to test the system prior to installing. Running Live does not pose any risk to losing your existing data, but the best alternative is to backup your data. The newer Linux kernels are somewhat "out of the box" working as far as basic wireless and touchscreen.