[ubuntu-uk] Netbook Ubuntu v. plain Ubuntu

[Dianne Reuby]

A friend has asked me to look at her husbands netbook, which is running
Linux. He bought it from Tesco two years ago, so I think it probably
*is* Ubuntu.

His problems are mainly that it doesn't recognise USB devices when
they're plugged in, and it downloads updates but doesn't install them.
He wants to do more than email and web browsing, which is all he feels
he can do at the moment (it has shortcuts on the desktop for email and
firefox).

If it's two years old, and he hasn't upgraded, will it be pre-Unity? As
I've never used a netbook, only Ubuntu on desktops and laptops, will I
be able to find my way around it?

She thinks his cunning plan is to break it so he can buy a new one, but
I don't want to be the one that breaks it! :)

TIA

Dianne