New to linux - need some help

I'm trying to get one of my old desktops up and running again, and want to install Linux on it, however I've never done it before and am completely ignorant of the process. I've uninstalled windows and was wondering if there was any way to boot Linux from a disc I burned the ISO onto. Or are they all bootable?

Sorry for my lack of knowledge, but I would love to be able to put Linux on my blank computer and don't know how to go about it. Any help would be great. Thanks guys.

 

Im gonna go ahead and ask you to consider using Ubuntu. The ISO is a bootable /installable disc that you can just pop in and let loose (install)

However, if you give us some of your computer's specs, we can give you more accurate suggestions =)

 

I will also endorse ubuntu. It's really friendly and they have a LiveCD so you can play around with it before installing.

 

Why don't you read the Linux Distro Sticky for Newbies? That way, you can get an idea of what Linux distro you need. Keep in mind that distros that offer LiveCDs mean that you can play around with the OS without touching your hard drive at all. Also, you can take a simple test to see what distro will be good for you at

http://www.zegeniestudios.net/ldc/

Check that out, once you have found out the distro you want, download and burn the ISO for that distro so you can install it. Come back here if you have any questions.

 

Did you use burning program that does iso or did you just burn file on to disc

iso file are cd images you need to burn them as image file not data

 

You have to use a program to burn a bootable CD. I use ImgBurn personally, and have burned several OS' with it (including Ubuntu 6.06, 6.10, SUSE Linux 10.1, Vista Beta 2, Vista RC1, Vista RC2, PC-BSD) and only had a problem once with Vista RC1 because the disc burned too fast for the DVD. Now I cap the write speed at about 4x and have never had a problem since. You can get ImgBurn here.

 

Many distributions have LiveCD's these days. I would recommend that you try Ubuntu because it is very nice and the LiveCD is the same as the install CD if you wish to install the OS. As Gautam said, the sticky at the top of the page is very useful, and will tell you which distributions listed have LiveCDs.

 

Ubuntu seems to be the overwhelming favorite among Linux lovers, so I'm gonna go ahead and try it out. I burned the ISO onto a CD-R using Alcohol 120 at the slowest rate (4X). And yes it was burned as an image. I've never heard of these "LiveCDs" before, are they essential or just an alternative to using your own discs?
Thanks again for all the help.

 

naw... a livecd will basically boot the whole operating system into RAM, and will decompress data from the Cd as it's needed. this will allow you to try the system out without changing anything on the harddrive, however, because it relies on the optical drive, it can be pretty slow if you're opening something for the first time. it's also a great way to see if all your hardware will be fully functional after install.

 

Ah, I see, it's more like a Linux insurance policy. That makes sense. I think I'm ready to give it a shot (just to need to setup a partition), I'll let you know how it goes.

 

must linux distros that ive seen have something to take care of that for you. i know the (k)ubuntu ones are pretty simple to follow. no need to make a partition in windows, linux can make its own

 

I don't know if you've done anything already, but you don't need a partition to run the LiveCD. You just boot from the CD; nothing on your hard drive is touched. You will of course need a partition to isntall the OS, but that will usually be handled by Ubuntu fairly easily.