WINDOWS SPECIAL..... AN ALTERNATIVE Why Ubuntu?

AN ALTERNATIVE    Why Ubuntu?   Users who are running licensed versions of Windows 7 or 8.1 on their PCs get a free upgrade to Windows 10, but those running Windows XP or Vista  will have to buy Windows 10. Well, Ubuntu is a free user-friendly Linux based operating system.  Yes, absolutely free, including future updates. Secondly , it is extremely light on PC hardware, so you can even install it on  computers that are 3-4 years old, and it will run smoothly . Besides, if you buy  a brand new PC without an OS, you could consider running Ubuntu on that too. Ubuntu lets you do everything you can do on Windows, and just as easily... You can edit documents, work on spreadsheets, create presentations and  more with LibreOffice ­ a fully functional productivity suite. It comes with the  Ubuntu installation and supports Microsoft file formats. You can play music files on its Rhythmbox player and install software like  VLC Player from the Ubuntu Software Center to watch movies. You can also browse the Ubuntu Software Center for games, photo editors, drawing tools, utilities, themes and more. And lastly , Ubuntu is easy to install. Read on, we're telling you how... We understand that moving to a new OS on your computer might make you nervous, so we will be taking you step-by-step through an installation guide  that lets you create a dual-boot set-up. This means at startup, you have a choice whether you want to work with your  older Windows OS or with the new Ubuntu.  In case, you're not comfortable with setting up Ubuntu by yourself, we suggest you take the help of a tech-savvy friend. BEFORE YOU BEGIN... Take a backup of all your important files on an external storage device. This is a precautionary measure that should always be done before making any major change to your computer, so it pays to be prepared. Once you have completed taking a back up... Visit http:www.ubuntu.com download desktop and look for  Ubuntu 14.04.3 LTS (Long Term Support). Click the dropdown list under Choose your flavour and select the 64-bit version.  If your PC has less than 4GB RAM, then select the 32-bit version and click Download. PREPARE THE INSTALLER 996MB ISO file will be downloaded A to your machine. You will need to use  this `image' to create a... Bootable DVD: Use your favourite DVD burning software to create a `bootable' version of this ISO file. (Or, refer to help.ubuntu.comcommunity BurningIsoHowto). You will be able to boot your PC from this DVD to start the Ubuntu installation. Bootable USB pen drive: If your machine does not have an optical drive,  then you can install Ubuntu from a bootable USB pen drive. To do this, you will need a pen drive with at least 2GB of space. Download UNetBootin from unetbootin.net. Use this tool, along with the ISO file you just downloaded,  to create a bootable pen drive. UBUNTU FAQ Can Ubuntu be installed on older PCs? Yes, you can install Ubuntu on PCs that have at least 1GB RAM and 5GB of free disk space. If your PC has less than 1GB RAM, you can install Lubuntu (note the L). It is an even lighter version of Ubuntu, which can run on PCs with as little as 128MB RAM. Can I try Ubuntu before making the switch? You can take the online tour at ubuntu.com tour or select the Try Ubuntu option after booting your PC from the Ubuntu DVD or USB pen drive (see Install Ubuntu). The second option will load the full operating system  from the bootable media. This may run a little slow but will give you an idea of how Ubuntu looks and functions. Can I run both Windows and the Ubuntu OSes on my PC? Yes, both can reside on your machine. At the time of installing Ubuntu,  you need to choose to install the OS “alongside Windows“ (see Install Ubuntu). Can I run Windows applications in Ubuntu? You cannot do this directly in Ubuntu as the OS does not support  Windows `.exe' files.While there are ways to do so, they are recommended for advanced users only.

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