Laptop without Operating System

[johnnymk]

I found a deal for a laptop without an OS. What do you do for drivers? I know that drivers can be downloaded from a website to another computer and then burned to a CD. But without the driver for the display, will anything even show up to get the whole process started?

[ray]

standard VGA drivers will be installed on the system when you install your OS. resolution will be a whopping 640x480 most likely, but you will be able to navigate.

[Airencracken]

Why not give linux a spin on the thing?

[johnnymk]

Why not give linux a spin on the thing?

good idea...are drivers for linux compatible?

[MrGreg]

Depends on the laptop. My experience has been that most ThinkPads work quite well out of the box. With an older Dell 5150 I had to do some driver-fu to get the wireless to work. I'd imagine the newer the machine, the better your odds.

Edit:

You could probably google your laptop model # and linux to see what the known issues are.

[Airencracken]

good idea...are drivers for linux compatible?

Drivers tend to come with the install or are loaded when you connect to the internet. It depends on the distribution you decide to put on there. I use Ubuntu and I've had good compatibility with it in the past, even with some troublesome hardware.

The good thing is that you can use it as a LiveCD and try it before you install it.



Edit:

You could probably google your laptop model # and linux to see what the known issues are.

Not a bad idea, but don't forget to be specific about the distribution.

I like Ubuntu, but there are many distributions to choose from.

[MrGreg]

I like Ubuntu, but there are many distributions to choose from.

:stupid: I just got my super-cool "Powered by Ubuntu" stickers from these guys. http://www.system76.com/article_info.php?articles_id=9

[mechmike0034]

There's a new version of Puppy Linux (http://puppylinux.com/) out you should try...

[Airencracken]

There's a new version of Puppy Linux (http://puppylinux.com/) out you should try...

Puppy is great. One of the first distros I used. However, Ubuntu is a bit more full-featured.

[johnnymk]

Is virus protection necessary?

[MrGreg]

Is virus protection necessary?

I don't use one. There are a ton of articles on the net about "how to secure a linux box". Mainly they talk about shutting off any services you don't need (ftp, ssh, etc.) and probably configuring iptables (your firewall).

[Airencracken]

Is virus protection necessary?

Not really. It doesn't hurt to have a firewall enabled, but for the most part there aren't many Linux viruses in the wild.