As a kettle, Ubuntu set. All night long. With the sequel.

Whether from cracks to Adob ​​is sad, or 10 years in the stolen Winda lay down on the conscience of a heavy burden. In general, in the people, they say, there are designers who successfully solve all their tasks on open source products. I decided to try to join them and translate my laptop into open source products. The first step to this is installing a Linux-based operating system. Without thinking, I swung Ubuntu 7.10 Live CD (Gutsy Gibbon), clearing the laptop's screw from all important files, put a CD into the Boot Setup and restart the piece of hardware. Recklessly ...

The installation went without overlays - the laptop a couple of times swore at the lack of a network for updates, showed a couple of screens in pixel-art style, offered to reboot itself and warned that the disk should be removed (again, he did both things) generally wiser before his eyes.

However, everything was just beginning. The system offered for the screen, which in Windows works with a resolution of 1280 by 800, to live with a resolution of 1024 by 768, digging in the settings and setting the parameters manually did not yield anything. And what surprised me, in the monitor settings you could change the frequency. As far as I know, this parameter does not make sense for LCD at all.
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I set (as it seemed to me) the correct Windows parameters of the screen, decided to click Ok without preliminary testing. The machine offered to reboot - could not refuse it.

After that, with the new settings, the screen refused to show anything at all. I had to insert the disk again and repeat the installation.

Parallel surfing in the internet for another computer, trying to find something native and useful. From everything downloaded, Picassa and Google Desktop got up normally (just clicked on the file, the installer started and it all worked). Inscape as downloaded in different variations, then pretended to be an archive (which is not clear where to unpack), it did not open at all. I heard that if I put Ubuntu with a connected network, there somehow everything is downloaded and installed by itself, I also heard the terrible word “repository” - like everything is there. But the native provider Exie refused to connect the machine on Linux, and the provider is brutal in general - you have to pay extra for each computer in the house.

Reinstallation did not change anything, besides it turned out that because of the resolution mismatch, the system stretches the fonts and images - it is just awful. Having smoked and nervous, I decided to download a DVD - maybe there will be all the necessary firewood. I will not retreat. In an extreme case, I'll go to a Wi-Fi cafe and try to upgrade there (unless of course Ubunt’s drivers fit the laptop's Wi-Fi adapter).

Here is the dividend, but there was no empty disc for it, which means continuation
The dance program will start at about 10:00 Moscow time, when the first stores will open.

So to be continued ...
All good advice will be glad.
Cross post

UPD: Thanks to jaikonavtov jahy , ivant , partyzan for the support and help and for finally convincing me to switch to Linux (at least on a laptop).