I've decided to fix an old PC of mine and install Ubuntu. It's a Pentium 3 and was very slow running Windows 98. I recently formatted it but am having trouble installing Ubuntu. Everytime I run it, it wants to run virtually without actually installing. Am I missing something?

I'm not sure on the latest, but 7-8.04 would boot off the disk into a 'live cd' mode, and then on the top left of your desktop there was an option (icon) to Install. Double click that and it begins the install process.

Does it boot up OK and run live?

It installs from the desktop once you get it booted.

But since that is an old machine, it is possible that you'll need an older version of Ubuntu since the recent kernel was compiled on an i686 machine. In other words, if it won't run from the CD, it won't run from the hard drive. You'll need at least 512 MB's of RAM for the latest Ubuntu releases.

ubuntu can be used for hacking thats not your not allowed to talk about stuff like that on this website.

i read it once on google this thread should be closed!
from
haidar

Lots of things can be used for hacking. This thread has nothing to do with hacking though.

Lets leave the decisions on the closing of threads to the mods.

Did you burn it as an ISO image on your CD disk so that it would install?

The other thing I'd suggest is that you try Xubuntu instead of Ubuntu. It is terrific for older PCs that have less processing speed and memory. That's because it is smaller and leaner, but still does all the neat stuff that Ubuntu does.

oh ok im really sorry about that because i only knew the part where this software can be used was the hacking part.

sorry once again

thanks
haidar

No problem. But Ubuntu is one of the most popular Linux distributions and is a well-known and legitimate OS. It is included with some new computers. Considering the vast number of Linux versions out there, and the differences between them that make them incompatible, if Linux is ever to have a chance of becoming more widely used, there needs to be some agreement on which version most people will use. So I always recommend Ubuntu since it is one of the best, has loads of software available for it, and is under active development. It is also free in the real sense of not costing anything, unlike many Linux versions that you need to keep paying for.

My newest dilemma is figuring out which version of Ubuntu (or a different flavour of Linux) would run on a P3 500MHz PC. Any suggestions?

xubuntu is probably your best shot if you plan on googling for help a lot and want to use ubuntu guides.

Here is a link that might help you with finding something to run on old hardware: http://www.linux.com/feature/52134

I believe that the newer Ubuntu distros want 384MB minimum RAM for the install.
Does that make or break the deal?

An excellent alternative would be Linpuslinux, it is currently used on the Acer One. check this distro out at your local bestbuy and if it's what you need to run on an older machine it can be hade at the linpus-linux site.