[TheZookie007]

Not on my own Athlon PC (I wish... the thing would be great if it weren't for Win2K) but for a friend who despite my total ignorance of all things Linux and almost-total ignorance of most things PC (I only know what I need to know) insists that I help him with this.

No problem swapping out his old hard disk (we'll leave that with his Windows install fully intact in case we have to backtrack or he later decides he doesn't like Linux) for a new one. And he's got a retail package of SUSE Linux (which I'm told is easy to install/use and a favorite among home users). I had a brief look at the dox, and it seems pretty straightforward, and since he has a 2-3 year old Emachines PC it's unlikely that there's anything inside so exotic that the Linux distribution won't recognize/support it. My main area of concern is his DSL connection... a DSL modem plus a router.

I'll probably figure out what I need to know as I go along (two and a half decades of messing around with computers has got to come in handy sometime <img src="/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" /> ) but if anyone out there familiar with Linux in general, or with the SUSE distribution in particular has any advice, guidance, warnings, etc..., I'm all ears. TIA!

I wish I could have waited two weeks for the twentieth anniversary of the start of this thread, but I have no idea where I'll be in two weeks. Carpe diem!

TheBostonUrbanist, 25 August 2023:"Can Linux save this old laptop from obsolescence?"
Today, I'll be attempting to revive this 16-year-old ThinkPad with Linux. In doing so, I'll try to answer the question: Have computers of this age entered a state of complete obsolescence, or can they still prove useful for everyday tasks when paired with the right operating system?

[TheZookie007]

DCTekkie, 21 August 2023: "Unlocking Linux's full potential: Must-have utilities"

[TheZookie007]

The Linux Experiment, 30 August 2023: "Why Linux is better for (most) developers!"

[Hiram]

I've been using Linux on and off since 1997* - but it was mainly a hobby and something to tinker with and I'd use Windows for work.  But over the lst few years I've been Linux 100%, two laptops and two desktops all Linux. I'd say 90% of all my needs are met, some small annoyances, but overall I prefer the experience to Windows.

And none of that "please sign in to your Microsoft account", and er "we're installing a new feature", oh no your not!
*Installing Linux in the late 90's was an trial of persistence.  It is completely the opposite now. Unless you install Arch BTW.
There is a lot of innovation in the opensource space at the moment - immutable file systems for one that is tempting to try out.

[TheZookie007]

I've been using Linux on and off since 1997* - but it was mainly a hobby and something to tinker with and I'd use Windows for work.  But over the lst few years I've been Linux 100%, two laptops and two desktops all Linux. I'd say 90% of all my needs are met, some small annoyances, but overall I prefer the experience to Windows.

And none of that "please sign in to your Microsoft account", and er "we're installing a new feature", oh no your not!
*Installing Linux in the late 90's was an trial of persistence.  It is completely the opposite now. Unless you install Arch BTW.
There is a lot of innovation in the opensource space at the moment - immutable file systems for one that is tempting to try out.

I've switched entirely over to Mac OS X which is largely based on BSD Unix, so I'm pretty close to being on a Linux machine

Development-wise, OS-wise, UI-wise, Windows totally blows compared to OS X and Linux.

I have a couple of older (late-2010-ish) Dell laptops in storage, if they still work I will probably nuke the Windows install on it and install a Linux distro instead.

[Hiram]

I have a couple of older (late-2010-ish) Dell laptops in storage, if they still work I will probably nuke the Windows install on it and install a Linux distro instead.

Linux will really shine for that task.  It is the often modern hardware that seems more of an issue, whereas older stuff usually work great.

I'm running Debian 11 on a 10 year old desktop next to me, it runs well. Much better than Windows 10 would run on it.

[TheZookie007]

The Dell that I was able to retrieve from the attic no longer powers on

[Hiram]

The Dell that I was able to retrieve from the attic no longer powers on

Oh no - it has happened to me too.  I have an old ThinkPad that is the same - its dead Jim.

I assume you've tried without the battery and have done the hold the power button down for 30 seconds?

[TheZookie007]

Sadly, the battery can't be removed. Or maybe it can and I don't have the screwdrivers to do so.

[TheZookie007]

It's FOSS, 15 November 2023: "10 YouTube Channels Linux Users Should Explore"
Exploring YouTube channels to learn Linux? Here are some recommendations for Linux users.