Having succesfully installed mandrake 9.2 with a little help from here, I now need a little help starting to understand how to use it.

Nodsu: I like your suggestion about deleteing my win XP D: partition, especially as I have an image of it to burn back to the partition, but I have a problem.

Guys, I'm stuck, and I'm not afraid to admit it. I've never used linux before other than to download files from ftp directories with MSIE. I use my computer largely for the internet, as does my partner, but to do so, I need to install a modem driver.

I don't know how to install a driver in linux, how to install software, emulators, or even change my screen resolution! This is basically because very little seems to equate to windows, and if it does, I can't find it! If anybody could help me with just one or two of these things, I would be a very greatful person indeed.

To get started with Linux, I suggest you have a lookk at the "Linux Bookmark" thread started by Phantasm66. There are various sites that you might find interesting and useful.

http://www.linuxheadquarters.com/

http://www.linuxworld.com/

http://www.linuxlaboratory.org/

http://www.linuxgazette.com/

TY very much guys. For some reason, When searchjing with even google, I find it difficult to find the info I want on a subject I have never approached before. Especially so now that some silly sod came on my computer and downloaded "Internet Optimiser" and installed it on my windows xp partition. I haven't really been bothered to get rid of it yet.

Anyways, Thanks again. I'm off to have a look.

Another bit of good advice: Your experience with Linux will only be as good as the knowledge you have of UNIX commands. Buy a book on UNIX and don't stop reading it until you at least know your way around the file system and can use the top 20 or so commands. Its a bit like MS-DOS, except that its A LOT SMARTER. Its more like a programming language (and indeed these shell commands can be joined together into scripts, etc.) Just start at the beginning with the "ls" command and keep going.

Here, this book will do:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...glance&s=books

Buy it, and with Linux installed open up a command prompt and start playing.

I will probably get slammed for this, but if you are a windows user, (in my experience) Lindows is probably the easiest way for you to port to linux. They do have tech support, and a very "windows" like shell.

www.lindows.com