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Linux Mint 16 "Petra" - Cinnamon (64-bit) on DELL Inspiron 1420 Laptop??? :thinking:

Halla74

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Linux Mint 16 "Petra" - Cinnamon (64-bit) on DELL Inspiron 1420 Laptop??? :thinking:

Hey Peeps! :hifive:

Hating Windows 7 and its inability to update to SP1 on my old Dell Inspiron 1420 laptop.
Have used Linux Mint v10 years ago on an old desktop and loved it.
Thinking of using the following on the Inspiron 1420 laptop:

Linux Mint 16 "Petra" - Cinnamon (64-bit)

DOWNLOAD:
http://www.linuxmint.com/download.php

Any thoughts, tips, tricks, accusations, warnings, or wisdom of any kind before I install this new OS and see how it fares?

Thanks for any insights you wish to share.

Cheers!

:solidarity:

-Halla74
 

Usehername

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I've been using Cinnamon on my 7yo desktop that runs Ubuntu. I love the prettiness of Cinnamon! :wubbie:

I, too, would've preferred Mint because it's a little more elegant of an OS than Ubuntu, but my CD drive doesn't work and someone had a stick with Ubuntu and then I never changed it because I finally had a reliable desktop for school.

The only downsides I've been having are:
  1. Google Drive works just fine when it's my files or shared files, but when people email me attachments via gmail, the attachments aren't playing nicely with my Linux rig on any browser and only pretend to download (but are fine on my Macbook so it's obviously my OS). I've been working around it by downloading it on my Macbook but this is a temporary solve until I can actually figure out the glitch.
  2. Amazon Instant Video needs a plugin that you can't install the easy way and actually need to have some terminal knowledge. I figured it out with Ubuntu 12 whatever with the help of a friend, but when I installed 13.1 it stopped working again and I haven't taken the 30-45 minutes that it would take a non-programmer like me to solve it.
  3. My mouse freezes about 2x a workday and I have to reboot. Not sure if this is the OS or the mouse but the hardware seems fine.
  4. Spotify for Linux can get a bit moody but if you go in the terminal and command "killall Spotify" while it's running it will restart Spotify just fine and work for another day until you need to do it again.


If you aren't having these problems on Mint, let me know and I'll finally make my intended switch! :hifive:
 

JAVO

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Maybe try installing it as a dual boot, even if you have to use an external drive for it. That way you can still get things done. :newwink:

I played with using Linux around 5-6 years ago with a triple boot of Windows XP, Ubuntu (Hardy Heron), and openSUSE. It was fun, but I grew tired of playing with the OS for an hour every time I wanted to do something slightly different. Video playback was completely unusable, but there might've been something I overlooked. Hopefully things have improved since then though!
 

Usehername

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It was fun, but I grew tired of playing with the OS for an hour every time I wanted to do something slightly different.

This is very true. It has actually been useful for me as a busy student though as it motivates me to use my computer for work as much as possible. #BackhandedComplimentToLinux
 

Rail Tracer

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I've used it for a year and I loved it.

However, I don't know about the older versions compared to the recent ones.

But the new ones allow you to encrypt the information on your laptop. So that is one thing you may be willing to get into.

A lot of things can be downloaded at the time of install if you wanted to, you can choose to download them right away if you want to. (the ones with or without codecs)

Depending on your laptop graphics, you might need to do some proprietary downloads to make it work properly.

Same with getting that wireless connection working... but since it is Mint, it will more than likely work immediately.

Gaming on Linux Distros are still harder to come by, but for the more popular games, they may already have it working optimally with Wine. But considering it is Inspiron, don't think it will be used for gaming.
 

Halla74

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I've been using Cinnamon on my 7yo desktop that runs Ubuntu. I love the prettiness of Cinnamon! :wubbie:

I, too, would've preferred Mint because it's a little more elegant of an OS than Ubuntu, but my CD drive doesn't work and someone had a stick with Ubuntu and then I never changed it because I finally had a reliable desktop for school.

The only downsides I've been having are:
  1. Google Drive works just fine when it's my files or shared files, but when people email me attachments via gmail, the attachments aren't playing nicely with my Linux rig on any browser and only pretend to download (but are fine on my Macbook so it's obviously my OS). I've been working around it by downloading it on my Macbook but this is a temporary solve until I can actually figure out the glitch.
  2. Amazon Instant Video needs a plugin that you can't install the easy way and actually need to have some terminal knowledge. I figured it out with Ubuntu 12 whatever with the help of a friend, but when I installed 13.1 it stopped working again and I haven't taken the 30-45 minutes that it would take a non-programmer like me to solve it.
  3. My mouse freezes about 2x a workday and I have to reboot. Not sure if this is the OS or the mouse but the hardware seems fine.
  4. Spotify for Linux can get a bit moody but if you go in the terminal and command "killall Spotify" while it's running it will restart Spotify just fine and work for another day until you need to do it again.


If you aren't having these problems on Mint, let me know and I'll finally make my intended switch! :hifive:

I will do so, I promise!
Thank you for these details - they are important! :happy:

Maybe try installing it as a dual boot, even if you have to use an external drive for it. That way you can still get things done. :newwink:

I played with using Linux around 5-6 years ago with a triple boot of Windows XP, Ubuntu (Hardy Heron), and openSUSE. It was fun, but I grew tired of playing with the OS for an hour every time I wanted to do something slightly different. Video playback was completely unusable, but there might've been something I overlooked. Hopefully things have improved since then though!

I just installed it and it is rocking out over my Wi-Fi network, unlike previous editions of Mint, so far so good - will keep you posted! :hifive:
P.S. I was really interested in Ubuntuu Studio for DAW (digital audio workstation) high quality/ASIO audio codecs a few years ago but somehow lost the wherewithall to install it on a machine - I still mgiht do it though! :yes:

This is very true. It has actually been useful for me as a busy student though as it motivates me to use my computer for work as much as possible. #BackhandedComplimentToLinux

If you're busy and can dig it, then I am more than willing to give it a try - no shit! :solidarity:

I've used it for a year and I loved it.

However, I don't know about the older versions compared to the recent ones.

But the new ones allow you to encrypt the information on your laptop. So that is one thing you may be willing to get into.

A lot of things can be downloaded at the time of install if you wanted to, you can choose to download them right away if you want to. (the ones with or without codecs)

Depending on your laptop graphics, you might need to do some proprietary downloads to make it work properly.

Same with getting that wireless connection working... but since it is Mint, it will more than likely work immediately.

Gaming on Linux Distros are still harder to come by, but for the more popular games, they may already have it working optimally with Wine. But considering it is Inspiron, don't think it will be used for gaming.

Wow, really good stuff here, Rail Tracer. Gaming is not an issue for me, but audio/video is. So far wireless is good to go.
Will keep you posted on progress.
This laptop has been a disaster on Win 7 - could not even upgrade to SP1 with a legitimate license for Vista before and upgrade to Win 7 - so I am eager to see the comparison to Mint, and glad to share my findings.

Thank you all for your feedback!!!

:solidarity:

-Halla74
 

Rail Tracer

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Gaming is not an issue for me, but audio/video is. So far wireless is good to go.

Yes, if you download the version with codecs, you can immediately watch videos, listen to music, and all those good stuff unlike Windows where you have to download most of the codecs.

To add to what I have said (since I just remembered more!)

Most things you have on Windows can be done similarly on Mint and other Distros.

Software and Update manager will be the goto for software and updating (sometimes have to look online.)

Printing might be a problem if you plan to print outside of your home computer. There was a roundabout way that I spent a whole day to get to work, but it worked nonetheless. You will more than likely have to find the proprietary software for your home printer if the generic way to get it to work doesn't suffice. So if you are ever going to print anything outside of your home printer, get to know how to get something to print at your work or favorite coffee/drink place.

Linux Distros do not contain as much viruses compared to Windows and Apple, but there are still some viruses. I believe ClamAv and one other one can be searched through Software Manager, but it isn't like the ones you have on Windows or Apple. Don't know if there will be a dedicated Anti-Virus software that would be semi-easy to use for Linux in the future.

There is a thing called SELinux where the NSA(?) developed and the Distros have looked into. That will probably come in handy, but I've personally never touched it.

I'll keep posting if I can find more. :D
 

maybetmp

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OP: I'd boot a live cd on it first. Check to see if the WNIC is working with it. If not, you might have to download drivers. Run `lspci | grep etwork` and see if there are any drivers available for your card so you don't end up wasting time installing an OS that can't connect to the Internet.


Yes, if you download the version with codecs, you can immediately watch videos, listen to music, and all those good stuff unlike Windows where you have to download most of the codecs.

To add to what I have said (since I just remembered more!)

Most things you have on Windows can be done similarly on Mint and other Distros.

Software and Update manager will be the goto for software and updating (sometimes have to look online.)

Printing might be a problem if you plan to print outside of your home computer. There was a roundabout way that I spent a whole day to get to work, but it worked nonetheless. You will more than likely have to find the proprietary software for your home printer if the generic way to get it to work doesn't suffice. So if you are ever going to print anything outside of your home printer, get to know how to get something to print at your work or favorite coffee/drink place.

Linux Distros do not contain as much viruses compared to Windows and Apple, but there are still some viruses. I believe ClamAv and one other one can be searched through Software Manager, but it isn't like the ones you have on Windows or Apple. Don't know if there will be a dedicated Anti-Virus software that would be semi-easy to use for Linux in the future.

There is a thing called SELinux where the NSA(?) developed and the Distros have looked into. That will probably come in handy, but I've personally never touched it.

I'll keep posting if I can find more. :D

SELinux is pretty solid software. It does have a tendency to cause issues with some programs that weren't written to be aware of it though, so if something seems amiss, I'd check the logs.
 

Coriolis

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I gave up on Win ~5 years ago, and have been running various versions of Ubuntu on my desktop and netbook ever since. Can those of you who have tried both tell me the pros and cons of Ubuntu vs. Mint? I played around with a version of OpenSuse early on, and opted for Ubuntu (ver 8 at the time), but have no exposure to other distros. I have had few problems with Ubuntu, save for not liking a wireless card until I upgraded to 11. I actually enjoy the little scavenger hunts when I need to do something new; it's a great way to learn.
 

Rail Tracer

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I gave up on Win ~5 years ago, and have been running various versions of Ubuntu on my desktop and netbook ever since. Can those of you who have tried both tell me the pros and cons of Ubuntu vs. Mint? I played around with a version of OpenSuse early on, and opted for Ubuntu (ver 8 at the time), but have no exposure to other distros. I have had few problems with Ubuntu, save for not liking a wireless card until I upgraded to 11. I actually enjoy the little scavenger hunts when I need to do something new; it's a great way to learn.

Many of the things you have for Ubuntu will be similar/same as Mint. Mint uses the same depositories as Ubuntu. It was initially a fork of Ubuntu while still using the Ubuntu files.

The biggest difference is the interface Mint uses compared to Ubuntu. If you are a Mac user, Ubuntu is right at your alley, if you are more used to Microsoft, Mint is more up your alley. With enough experience, you can change the desktop interface (I don't know how to do that yet.)

Many of the things you've learned in Ubuntu is applicable with Mint.

The recent one should be able to read your wireless receiver quite easily(no need to install anything) and anything you need to install... both Ubuntu and Mint have a lot of helpful information online because both have the biggest populations out of the Linux distros.
 

Coriolis

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^ Thanks for the information. My pre-linux background was primarily with MS (used Macs off and on, but like them even less than MS), but I had no problem getting used to Ubuntu. Sounds like it's 6 of one, half dozen of another with Ubuntu vs. Mint.
 
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