Inquiry

[Eberhard Roloff]

Hi,

wellcome to the world of Ubuntu Linux.

Rev. Jason Jay White wrote:
> *To Whom it may concern:*
> ** 
> *I had a friend recommend that I go to http://www.ubuntu.com and upgrade 
> my desktop computer from Window XP to Linux* *OS**.  

This is generally good advice. However Linux will especially be 
beneficial, if you do not feel well with your current windows 
installation. What is it that you do not like on Windows?


I went to the
> website and it tells me to download an iso called ubuntu and make a 
> bootable CD from the iso.

To actually make the iso, have a look here
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/BurningIsoHowto

   I read the information on the website,
> however, I have not been able to find anything that mentions the Linux* 
> *OS**.  Can someone please respond and let me know if this is in fact 
> Linux 

It definitely is. For a good introduction to Linux, have a look here
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linux

To read more about ubuntu, go to the Ubuntu Website.


and if I do install it on my system will it wipe out my old
> operating system 

No. It will free up some space from your harddisk and install there.

or will I be able to uninstall it if it turns out to be
> not for me.  

surely, you will be able to either uninstall Windows or Linux or you 
might continue to use both.


Also, I have a lot of files on my computer, am I going to
> have to back them up to DVD before installing the above mentioned OS 

YES!!! However this is not Linux specific. If your data is on your 
harddisk, you will need to have a recent backup! Otherwise you will some 
day be without your data. Period. BAcking up to DVD is one possibility. 
There are others like external disk, usb flash drives, Tapes....

This applies to any operating system. It is especially important before 
doing anything that might potentially mess up your existing 
installation, such as installing a new version of windows or installing 
Linux to an existing windows installation.

and
> will this OS have the drivers I will need for the hardware on my 
> computer?  

In order to get an answer, you might let us know what hardware it is 
that you want to operate with Linux.


Thank you for your time and I am looking forward to hearing
> back from someone regarding this matter.*
> ** 
> *Respectfully,*
> ** 
> *Rev. Jason Jay White*
> 

Kind regards and again, wellcome to the world of Ubuntu Linux.

Eberhard