Distro for laptop

zwling

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Currently running Windows 7Pro
been thinking about switching to linux but not sure which distro to choose
something simple, lightweight yet modern and fast, since i wont be doing much.
I have a Dell Inspiron N5040
Intel core i3-380M 2.53GHz
8GB
1TB HardDrive

What distro would you recommend?
Im new to Linux.
 


G;day zwling, and Welcome to linux.org

I like your words : something simple......

Make it easy on yourself....LINUX MINT
Cinnamon Mate Xfce
(heavyish) (very light & fast)

They all have tons of support.

In your thinking about "the switch"....have you spared any thoughts for dual booting ?

I dont do it, but some do. makes the setting up a trifle more complicated.....but still easy enough
Dual boots with Win 10 are quite common. I also note that after a while many blow away the Win 10 and just use the Linux. (unless they are gamers....they seem to need win 10)

I dont dual boot. I run Linux Mint Exclusively

I do all the usual surfing, facebook, youtube, emails by the ton, forum work here , etc etc etc etc

.....and I consider it the best OS I have ever used

I also download and use all sorts of weird stuff on it, and because I use Timeshift (more later) i have never broken it (oops....that was a lie...I have broken it, but thats another story....I simply reinstalled and away I went again )

Have a look at Distrowatch....it will surely confuse you....there are more OS's available there than you have had hot breakfasts.

Best Advice ....Keep It Simple

Play with Linux for a while until you are either happy or in need of more stimulation.

One Question : Is there anything on your Win 7 PC that you need to keep?....like Pics, Music, Documents/data, Movies, TV shows....etc ???
If you simply Install Linux as the only OS (operating system) on the PC, then everything.....and I mean EVERYTHING will be wiped out on the hard drive.


Want to try one out ? you will need to READ this a few times to get an understanding of what is entailed.......after the second or third read you may discover that it is not as complicated as it first appears


ps. Someone else will no doubt talk to you about splitting that 1 TB hard drive up into partitions, so that you can put the OS on one partition and the rest of your ":stuff" movies, pics, music on another slice.....etc
 
Last edited:
@Condobloke
I'll second that choice of Linux Mint!!!
I have tried about 12-14 different Linux distros and have found that LM is the absolute easiest transition from Windows to Linux - hands down.
Perhaps those very familiar with Linux may have forgotten the transition period they went through.
I think someone coming to Linux from Windows wants the 'look' of something familiar.
Once they use Linux a while, they will then see things differently.
These are just some thoughts from a 'dangerously thinking Old Geezer'.
Anyhow, "Linux Mint is King of the Transition!" LOL.
Old Geezer
TC :):cool::D:oops::rolleyes:
Post Script:
Has anyone noticed that almost all the emojis are BALD?
 
Currently running Windows 7Pro
been thinking about switching to linux but not sure which distro to choose
something simple, lightweight yet modern and fast, since i wont be doing much.
I have a Dell Inspiron N5040
Intel core i3-380M 2.53GHz
8GB
1TB HardDrive

What distro would you recommend?
Im new to Linux.
I'll 'third' that choice of Linux Mint.
With those specs it should run just fine on your machine.
It is not exactly what some would consider "lightweight" but it is modern and fast. It will get out of your way when you want it to but has the tools needed to roll up your sleeves and get tinkering if you should so choose :)
 
Glad to see your replies
I was already thinking about Linux Mint since I see many users like it, but needed to ask someone with experience just to be sure I make the right decision for this laptop.
Xfce caught my attention the most since the main page describes it as Light, simple, efficient.

I didnt consider dualbooting since i been wanting to do a "fresh start" for a while now, and thought this to be a great opportunity.
My stuff is all backed up in GDrive as well as in other devices

Thanks for replying,
what do you think about Linux Mint Xfce? Tell me if theres anything else I need to know
Looking forward to being a Linux user.
 
@zwling
I personally like LM Mate.
Maybe it just seems better to me. It's very stable as I have not anything go wrong since I have been using it.
Old Geezer
TC
 
Read the article I linked to at the bottom of my first post.

It shows you how to take any Linux distro for a trial run without complications.

It makes the OS run LIVE in RAM....it does not install it to the hard drive....so you can quite happily and safely 'test out' as many OS/distros as you like. Just download a distro..."burn" it to a usb stick....boot the pc to that usb stick and take a look at what that particular distro is all about. If you dont like it, just 'burn' another distro onto the same usb stick (it will overwrite the one already there) and try out another one....and so on and so on.....
 
Linux Mate is a good choice.......but then so is Xfce.......try them both........the OS's are FREE.....what have you got to lose ????!!!!

Welcome to the wonderful world of Linux.
 

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