Installing a new linux OS

I have the Aspire with the 8GB SSD and Linpus lite installed as the OS. I've not really changed much from out of the box really.

I am a bit bored of Linpus so was thinking of installing MINT perhaps using unetbootin from a USB stick.

Will this overwrite the 'recovery partition' that enables you to go back to Linpus if things go drastically wrong? Presumably that would be the smallest partition on the hard dirve.

Thanks.

 

I didn't have a recovery partition on my AAO ZG5 with Linpus and I don't know how well Linpus will function with Grub for dual booting so I my help in that area is limited. However! There should be no problem installing any Linux distro without effecting the recovery partition but there may be a problem in making the recovery partition function once you change the MBR (Master Boot Record). I have seen it interfere with Windows recovery partitions.

Now for the part about the USB stick I don't understand what you mean. Are you talking about running an OS from a USB stick or just using the USB stick to install the OS?

In the event you want to make a Live USB stick to run Linux from and have the option of installing it to your 8Gb SSD then I do have recent first hand experience with Linux Mint and Pendrivelinux.com's tool for this called Universal USB Installer from...
http://www.pendrivelinux.com/universal-usb-installer-easy-as-1-2-3/
and I know that the instructions from...
http://www.ehow.com/how_5760028_install-mint-usb-flash-drive.html
and the instructions from the Pendrivelinux.com's site do work. I also know that using Linux Mint on a AAO ZG5 with the 8Gb SSD works quite well without having to make any modifications, in fact I have not found anything that does not work. I can't imagine any way that you would want to revert to Linpus once you tried Linux Mint, not even to sell the computer later as it would sell better with Linux Mint as you can do more with it and it is much more like being in Windows with the advantages of Linux.

I sound like a sales person for Linux mint. But I have tried many different distros and have found that for the AAO ZG5 it is by far IMO the best and easiest.

 

Thanks donec,
I think I'm gonna go for it!!

I'm not going to dual boot, I'm not installing Windows. (Is an 8GB SSD a little small for a Windows install?)

As for the USB stick, I have read articles on a piece of software called unetbootin that you can install on a USB stick and it will go away and download you any/most linux distros and you can then use it as a live USB stick or go ahead and install.

I have heard good reports about MINT so I think I'll have a go.

You are right, once I install another distro I will probably not need to go back to Linpus anyway!!

Thanks.

 

Try Mint 9 Isadora and you will never go back to linux limpus. so much easier to do everything! I tried several distro son acer aspire one a150 and this is by far the best. enjoy