Johnson Ubuntu 10.04 LTS -12.10 Linux Help

Ubuntu can be the perfect operating system for computers which are five or more years old, and are still in good condition.

Nearly all versions of Ubuntu Linux like 8.04, 9.10 10.10, 11.04, etc can run very well on a computer with a 1GHz CPU/Processor, 512MB of RAM/Memory, CD-ROM drive, 5GB free hard drive space, a basic video and sound card.

Many older computers built in the last 5 years are powerful enough to run Ubuntu Linux without to perform any major upgrades like a new CPU.  In some cases, you may need to upgrade to more memory, so Ubuntu runs more smoothly, and is better at multi-tasking. Unfortunately, not all video cards and sound cards work with Ubuntu Linux, but if you use a popular brand of video card like ATI, Nvidia, or Intel onboard graphics. Ubuntu would probably work on your computer in my experience. Realtek, and C-Media sound cards also work with Ubuntu in my experience. Nearly all computers built-in the last 10 years probably have 5GB of free space to install Ubuntu onto. If you do not need to save your work, you can just run Ubuntu from the Live install CD which is in your CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drive. You can save your work to a USB flash drive. Ubuntu Linux is one of the few popular operating system which you can run from a CD-ROM drive, and don't even need a hard drive to run off of.

Before you upgrade to the latest version of Ubuntu, you should check if your computer is compatible with Ubuntu by reading the system requirements which you can find at Ubuntu.com . If your computer is fast enough, you should not have a problem installing the latest version of Ubuntu on your computer. You can also use the Ubuntu Live CD of the latest version, and test it out on your PC from starting your computer from the CD to test it out before you install to make sure it runs well on your PC.

The simplest way to upgrade Ubuntu Linux to the Latest version of Ubuntu Linux is by using the Ubuntu Update Manager which gives you the option to upgrade to the Latest version of Ubuntu Linux when it is available for download. This means you can keep all your Apps, data, and folders if you use the Ubuntu Update Manager to update to update to the latest version of Ubuntu Linux.

You can also start your computer from a copy of the latest version of Ubuntu Linux CD, and upgrade through the CD.

To be on the safe side, you should back up all your important files like photos, video, documents, work, and other files to CD-R, DVD-R, USB Flash Drive, or another drive in the rare case you lose all your data because of a failed upgrade.

There are a few ways you can try out Ubuntu Linux without making any physical changes to your computer's hard drive, or risk deleting files on your Windows or Mac hard drives. The few ways are using the Ubuntu Linux LiveCD or Live Flash drive, Installing Ubuntu onto windows with the Windows Ubuntu Installer (WUBI.exe) which is found on your Ubuntu Live CD, and Virtualization software.

With the LiveCD or LiveFlash Drive which you have Ubuntu burned to, all you have to do is tell your computer to boot into the LiveCD or Live Flash Drive which is inserted into your computer's CD drive or USB port. In many cases, all you have to do is leave the CD or flash drive in your computer, and your computer will boot your computer into the Ubuntu Live CD or Live Flash Drive. Now you can try out Ubuntu without making changes to your computer's hard drive. A Ubuntu LiveCD is easier to make then a Ubuntu Live Flash Drive. However, the Live Flash Drive  is faster, and more stable then a Live CD in many cases. You may need to set your computer to start up from a CD disc or USB flash drive in the boot manager for your BIOS/CMOS or your start up manager. Check your computer manuals or the startup screen to look for help on how to set up your computer to look for a CD or Flash drive to start up from before it looks for a hard drive to start up from. If you are planning to burn your Ubuntu Live CD, you need a CD-R disc with 700MBs of free space. For making a live Ubuntu Flash drive, you need a USB with at least 1GB of storage space.

In many cases problems related to Ubuntu Linux is related to hardware drivers, or hardware compatibility problems. The simplest way to deal with this problem is just to buy a new expansion card like sound card, video card, network card, TV tuner card, and other types of expansion cards which you know is compatible with Linux by reading the manuals for the hardware online or in the instruction booklets online.

If you are experience bad performance with Ubuntu Linux, upgrading your RAM, Video Card, and CPU could make Ubuntu run a lot faster. Using Lubuntu or Xubuntu which are lighter versions of Ubuntu could also make Ubuntu faster on a lowend computer which is too slow for the official version of Ubuntu from Ubuntu.com .

After installing Ubuntu, or Upgrading to the latest version of Ubuntu Linux, you should run a Ubuntu Update on Ubuntu since most updates fixes bugs for software and Ubuntu by installing patches, and fixes which can improve the usability, performance, and stability of Ubuntu Linux and software on Ubuntu when you update Ubuntu.