Solved Buying a netbook with no OS?

[alicedolan]

I'm in Bangkok and thinking of buying a netbook here. only thing is is that they dont come with an OS already installed and charge you to put one on.
i wanted to know if its possible to put one on myself. i know very little about computers, only how to use them and the netbooks do not come with a cd drive.

am i right in asuming that even if computer doesnt have a OS it can still turn on and you can acess internet?

thanks for your help.

 

[Thorsen]

Ubuntu is probably the easiest free OS around. easy to install and get used to.

http://www.ubuntu.com/http://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop

Otherwise Windows for a netbook would probably be best to use windows 7 starter

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/14422-compare-windows-7-editions.html
This is usually pre-installed from the manufacturer tho...

Here is a comparison of the windows 7 versions:

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/14422-compare-windows-7-editions.html

 

[Thorsen]

Also, it is possible to create a bootable Thumb-drive to install the OS.

Here is the tutorial for Ubuntu: http://www.ubuntu.com/download/help/create-a-usb-stick-on-windows

Ah and here is the tutorial for creating a win7 flash drive: http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/2432-usb-windows-7-installation-key-drive-create.html

These might be a little daunting at first glance, but with the help of people on this forum, downloading and installing Ubuntu should be no problem.

If you are tight on money it is a great option.

 

[gregrocker]

What I would do in that position if I don't like Linux as well as Windows is to install the Consumer Preview of Windows 8. It's not supposed to be for production use but it is as rock solid as Win7, just with a bit different start page which actually starts with windows and allows you to configure it as buttons. It takes some getting used to, but is much easier than Linux. And it's free.

Visit our sister site Windows 8 Forums to find out all about it.

If it unfolds like Win7 did, you'll have opportunities for half-price pre-purchase and freebies when it is released which likely won't be for at least a year.

 

[F5ing]

...am i right in asuming that even if computer doesnt have a OS it can still turn on and you can acess internet?...

It'll turn on, but you can't do anything with it and no internet.

 

[Night Hawk]

Welcome to SF! alicedolan

You have a few option as far as which OS or which edition of Windows you can go with. If you want to stay with Windows besides getting familiar with how to create a USB Install Key as pointed to in the guide Thorsen posted you may want to read how to see 7 installed with an upgrade disk. http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/31402-clean-install-upgrade-windows-7-version.html

As for which Linux distro to go with if you decide on the other OS there are other more user friendly distros besides ubuntu which sees a new version every six months or so! Linux Mint or Linut Mint Debian being a little larger in size will include options to install numerous Linux type desktop apps.

As for 7 generally the 7 Home Premium or Basic edition would be the lower cost options as far as which edition to run on a netbook. The Starter edition mainly the stripped down to basics edition. When considering buying a netbook here for a family member if not for my own use I would have likely gone with the Home Premium.

With any Windows installation you follow the onscreen instructions and options. With a usb key you would select the Custom install option and then select the one drive on the netbook itself. With 7 you would use the drive tools option to partition and format the drive during the installation.

With any any Linux distro the home site will have it's own tutorials for installation to follow. With 7 or the upcoming WIndows 8 Release Preview discussed over at the eightforums.com site Windows will include native usb support since any new apps you install may have to go on by way of a usb optical drive if not downloaded from the web.

In general for someone just starting out Windows is the preferred OS to learn since most softwares are written with Windows in mind. And as Thorsen also pointed out there's plenty of Windows users that can help out here at SF and over at eightforums.

 

[windude99]

Does the netbook have a product key on the bottom? we could use that and get you the version of widnwos you need. I generally don't advise people use Linux, because if something goes wrong, it isn't a simple system restore or something. It is getting into nitty-gritty terminal stuff. Linux is a geek's toy, not a consumer os.