How to test a laptop

[ryy705]

Hello,

How can I figure out if a laptop is compatible with Kubuntu without installing it?
Will running the live cd work? Will the wireless connection and sound work with live the cd?
Many thanks in advance for your help.

[Ole Juul]

Re: How to test a laptop

The Kubuntu CD is a live distro by default and it will automatically run without touching your hard drive. It is safe to just stick it in and reboot. When it comes up, you will be able to see how things work. From there you can install if you like, but it won't do it without asking you very clearly if that is what you want to do.

Another useful way to learn about your laptop model is to put the make and model of your laptop into a search engine together with the word "Kubuntu" - preferably adding 9.04 or whatever version you have. That will bring up other people's experiences.

If you know what you have, a more technical approach is to search on specific chipsets together with the word Linux.

[ryy705]

Re: How to test a laptop

Thank you for your response.

Please give me a little more information:

1) Will the live cd pick up wireless concection?

2) Does kubuntu have something similar to device manager? This way I can check if the live cd found all the hardware drivers.


You see, I bought my current laptop after doing a lot of research online . I found several people who bought the same model and installed kubuntu on it without any problem.

But when I bought it, it would not work. Because Dell did not use the same chipset for all the computers. I did manage to get both sound and wireless to work after many weeks of labor. But they both give me a lot of trouble on a regular basis.

So, my plan is to walk into a store and ask them to boot from my kubuntu cd before purchasing.

[Snowhog]

Re: How to test a laptop

In 'general,' if, when running from a LiveCD you have 1) the Desktop, 2) sound, and 3) access to the Internet, then they will also work when installed. Keep in mind, that if these three work from a LiveCD, it simply means that the 'basic' drivers that are packaged on the LiveCD work with the hardware on the PC. That is not a 100% guarantee that they will 'work out of the box' when actually installed.