I'm trying to ditch Windows for Ubuntu on my Samsung netbook but first I want to know if the computer is "ready" for the transition.
So, if I run Ubuntu Live on my computer, how this is a good way to predict how my computer react to the actual leap. If, say, Wifi worked fine with the Live version, does this mean that it will work as great later?
Using the LiveUSB/CD will not install / make any changes to your system
This should give some indication of what will work out of the box - however, there are updates / workarounds (ndiswrapper and other list of workarounds) in place should you need it.
You may wish to consider looking at the support for your wireless card and perhaps looking at the manufacturers website you may be able to find out more about your netbook and if there is any compatibility issues
You can insert your model here to give you an idea
Also, this has been a popular choice to view device setup
Once you have a clear list of peripherals, such as wifi etc, you can have a look at existing lists, such as this one
I hope this helps.
There are some differences between a live-cd/live-usb installation and an installation, but in most cases if you have no troubles with the live-cd you should be fine with a native installation. The majority of differences don't affect hardware support like wifi devices, but some potentially could. For further testing purposes you can always install Ubuntu to a usb stick not as a live-usb but as a normal installation. As long as you don't overwrite your Windows boot manager it won't affect Windows. The only way to know for sure if your system will work with Ubuntu is to install it.
Some software packages present on the live-cd will be removed when you install Ubuntu. This won't affect hardware support as it's not kernel related. For more on that check out this posting: Which Programs Are Included In The LiveCD That Are Removed Upon Installation?
The live-cd only contains about 3/4 of an Ubuntu installation. If you want to get the rest you must have an internet connection, and in doing so some updates will be installed even if you have the updates box unchecked, because they don't fall under the "updates" category. This includes kernel updates which affects hardware support such as wifi. For more on that check out: What Does The Installer Download During The Installation Process?
During the installation process you will have the ability to decide if proprietary 3rd party software is installed, and if updates are installed. Some wifi drivers fall under the 3rd party category so if you don't install them you could have no wifi if your system needs one of those packages.
If you want to try out a Ubuntu installation running from usb rather than a live-cd/live-usb before setting it up on your hard drive just follow the normal proceedures for installing Ubuntu, but choose "something else" during setup. Then instead of selecting your hard drive/ssd choose your usb stick (which can't currently be running as a liveusb), and make sure to specify the boot manager be written to the stick as well so that it doesn't overwrite your Windows boot manager. For more on that check out this answer: https://askubuntu.com/a/163544 . That posting is for usb hard drives, but it doesn't matter as the steps are the same. This will allow you to try Ubuntu without loosing Windows, because it's installed on a usb stick rather than your hard drive.
If you have a UEFI system don't attempt a usb stick installation because sometimes the installer writes to the wrong ESP even if you've specified the correct one. This would affect your Windows installation.
On UEFI systems an internet connection is required during the installation process as the UEFI files aren't included on the disc.
Before attempting to install Ubuntu you should find out if you system is BIOS or UEFI as the installation process isn't exactly the same.
Usb stick installations are typically very slow, like a live-cd but worse, because many sticks have poor read/write.
I want to say “yes”; but there was a case it got better after installation, and this makes me doubtful if it can get worse while it can get better!
However, based on my experiences with installing Ubuntu on more than 20 different systems after trying it live, I can say yes, if it works great, it will do the same.
