Ubuntu troubles. What version will work? If any?

You will want the 64 Bit edition. It probably already has the drivers for your system built in and for that which it doesn’t it will tell you and go out and search the net.

I switched to Ubuntu several months ago and don’t regret it.

Maybe ask over at the Ubuntu Forums for more specific details about your equipment.

Start here:

http://www.ubuntu.com/desktop/get-ubuntu/download

Download the 64-bit CD. Boot your computer from the CD and choose menu item “Try Ubuntu without installing.” Your system will then boot into a “live” environment similar to what you would get by installing Ubuntu. You can test your hardware in this environment. If something doesn’t work right, you can report it to launchpad.net or post it as a question here on Fluther or PM me about it if you like, and I will be happy to help you troubleshoot it.

If you have problems with the 64-bit version it’s just possible that switching to the 32-bit version might help. It is unlikely that making the switch will be worth it. The main exception is Adobe Flash: Adobe has abandoned support for the 64-bit Linux plugin. The most recent version still works, but is aging rapidly and does not offer hardware acceleration; Flash videos on my 64-bit Athlon X2 4800 with 3GB RAM and GeForce 8800GTX play back more slowly than the same videos on my Pentium M 1.2GHz laptop with 1GB RAM and Radeon Mobile graphics. Sad but true.
This is one more reason why I hate Adobe and want them to fade into the historical obscurity they so richly deserve.

Ubuntu will work just fine, as will most any Linux.

The question is this: what programs do you really really need to work out the box?

great answer koanhead ill take this into consiederation when coming to my finnaly conclution

the100thmonkey, i supose….hmm…well im doing alot of torrent downloads

im working in word alot, writing and brain storming for a my graphic novel

idk…i supose i am a pretty general user, and once i find a nitch task i need done i am sure ill be able to, with ease, find a program that suits those needs with open source

so…i supose the real question is…why haven’t i started yet lol

thanks for all the help…ima hope back on this little task in the morning…((put a pin in that))

namaste

Really follow @koanhead and try the live environment, it will run slower than an actual install, but you can easily see what will work and what might not.

For things like torrent downloads you’ll have plenty of applications in Ubuntu. Word doesn’t exist for Ubuntu, there is an application that can make it work, but it’s not very well integrated, and you still have to pay for Word. Ubuntu comes with OpenOffice, which is more than likely capable enough for you. However, if you already have large complex Word documents (i.e. that end in .doc or .docx), they might not be displayed perfectly in OpenOffice. To ease the transition, you can already install OpenOffice for Windows and see if it works for you – it’s free or charge.

Also, be sure that, if you have installed Ubuntu, be sure to check the manual that was installed with it, as it should guide you around most basic tasks.

Have fun! :)