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I have a 2007 Windows Vista laptop that I am wanting to make the switch to Ubuntu on. These are the questions I have.

Q. What is the stable version? A.

Q. What size USB do I need? A.

And steps on how to make the switch.

BTW I do not need anything to come of the laptop. And I will add full laptop name when I find it.

Caeden B
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  • you need a tool for writing a bootable usb drive the iso file from ubunti download page, (15.10 is stable and today the new long term version will be released which is 16.04, you need about 8 GB usb stick to be sure. – Videonauth Apr 20 '16 at 23:15

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If you wait until 12:00AM UTC (so about 50 minutes), you can pick up the latest version of Ubuntu, as it is going to be released then. Tomorrow's release (16.04) is an LTS (Long-Term Support) release, meaning it will be supported by Canonical and AskUbuntu for a very long time.

To install it, you need either a DVD or a USB stick. You should use a USB stick that is at least 4GB. Download the Ubuntu ISO from the website (16.04 won't be shown until it is released), and burn it to the USB stick using Rufus. Don't follow the instructions on the Ubuntu website. The program suggested is terrible.

In the installer, you should eventually be prompted with some options on how you want to install Ubuntu. Choose the option resembling Erase Hard Drive and Install Ubuntu to do exactly what that says. Let Ubuntu install, unplug the USB drive when it's finished and reboot into Ubuntu.

Remember, Ubuntu is more than a little different than Windows, but there are countless tutorials online and we on AskUbuntu are (mostly) here to help. When you ask a question, just make sure it is a clear and detailed as possible. Also do your research before asking a question, as it may already be answered. Questions you may find about relatively recent Ubuntu versions (I'd say 14.04 and up) should be recent enough to work for 16.04.

Good luck, and happy Ubuntu-ing!

EDIT:

As some people have pointed out, there are more lightweight alternatives to normal Ubuntu. If your computer ends up not running very well, it may be a good idea to try out Lubuntu or Xubuntu.

TheWanderer
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  • It's also important to check and make sure your system is powerful enough to run Ubuntu. There's a bit of an older post on Ubuntu's website in regards to the minimum recommended specifications to run Ubuntu here: https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Installation/SystemRequirements. If your system isn't quite up to snuff, don't fear. There are official Ubuntu derivatives like Xubuntu or Lubuntu that are built for older/lower spec systems. – ExplodingKittens Apr 20 '16 at 23:52
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    @Sil Those minimum specs could be matched by a computer from 1997. I think 2007 is fine :p. – TheWanderer Apr 20 '16 at 23:54
  • That's true, although I had problems getting Unity to run properly on a 2011 laptop. Then again, that laptop doesn't play nicely with Lubuntu, or even Windows for that matter, so it's probably just a bad machine. :P – ExplodingKittens Apr 21 '16 at 01:04
  • My 2010 netbook struggles with Ubuntu but runs great on Lubuntu. It's good for the OP to know that there are alternatives. – Organic Marble Apr 21 '16 at 01:59
  • @OrganicMarble I can edit that in – TheWanderer Apr 21 '16 at 02:04