# Noob Ubuntu question



## FreedomEclipse (May 11, 2013)

Ive tried looking for a solution to my question on google but its turning up no hits, either no one has asked the question or im wording it badly.

so heres the relevant stuff:

I have a HP DM1 running Windows 7 Ultimate at the moment, a few days ago I decided to give another OS a go and decided that ubuntu would be a good candidate given the fact that a lot of DM1 owners are running it on theirs.

and heres where the question starts...

I have 8gigs of DDR3 in my DM1 so Im guessing I need the 64bit distro of Ubuntu. I also have an oldskool non-uefi aka 'legacy' bios.... but on the Ubuntu download page it says that systems that have a UEFI bios should install the 64bit distro but I cant find anything about installing a 64bit distro onto a machine with legacy bios.

Is it still possible?? Obviously I can burn the latest distro to disk and try it out for myself but Id rather save time and ask someone who knows what their dealing with when it comes to ubuntu.

Thanks.


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## Deleted member 24505 (May 11, 2013)

I'd try it, does it say the 64bit distro requires UEFI?


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## FreedomEclipse (May 11, 2013)

_"If you have a PC with the Windows 8 logo or UEFI firmware, choose the 64-bit download...."_

Is what it says. I dont have the win 8 logo or UEFI but i do have 8gigs of ram. I could trial and error it but I dont want to wasting my time incase it doesnt work


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## TheLaughingMan (May 11, 2013)

Yes it is still possible. That is for people who do have UEFI or Win8 in which case 64-bit distro is the only option. Since you do not fit into that catagory, you can use any distro you want 32-bit or 64-bit.

I personally have never used a non-64-bit Ubuntu distro and I still don't have a UEFI BIOS.


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## Maelstrom (May 11, 2013)

It works to my knowledge. I'm running Ubuntu 13.04 64 bit on my laptop, which doesn't have uefi.


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## FreedomEclipse (May 11, 2013)

Thanks,

Will install it and give it ago tomorrow if not later in the week


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## Aquinus (May 11, 2013)

All they're saying is that if it's a Windows 8 ready UEFI system, use 64-bit regardless of how much memory the system has. Otherwise use 64-bit for 4Gb or more machines. 64-bit Ubuntu does not need UEFI and to think that it did would be absurd.


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## ThE_MaD_ShOt (May 11, 2013)

You will need the 64 bit distro because of your 8 gb of mem. I have run ubuntu on everything from a Socket A rig to the Phenom II x6 I am running it on now. I have used the 64 bit version on all rigs from My Athlon 64 x2 to present. If you have a 64 bit compatible rig then always use the 64 bit version.


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## Geekoid (May 12, 2013)

It doesn't matter too much about the 8 GB RAM. While a 64-bit system is your best choice (to be able to address > 4GB), 32-Bit Ubuntu has PAE suppport anyway.

The "LTS" editions are Long Term Support editions. Stick with an LTS edition if you don't like change. Server editions are very good with Ubuntu. They come headless, and hence are perfect as servers. The server edition also makes a good desktop, as you can add whatever you like - rather than get full Desktop edition and cut it back. You will, however, need to know a bit about what you want to do and so as a "noob" I'd stick with a desktop release.

13.04 is the current Desktop release - and is good to go for another few months before you should upgrade.

You may also like Linux Mint. It is based on Ubuntu, but they make some changes based around desktop use:

http://www.linuxmint.com/


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## FreedomEclipse (May 12, 2013)

whats the difference between Ubuntu and mint?


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## BbigTree (May 12, 2013)

FreedomEclipse said:


> whats the difference between Ubuntu and mint?



Well, both come from Debian, or better:

Debian -> Ubuntu
Debian -> Ubuntu -> Mint

It does not matter which of those u choose, maybe since their origin is Debian.
I would look at their way to handle the desktop, which is quite different, aka different desktop environments (DE).

It is true, that u can have all DEs if u choose, but the best user experience comes from the default installed DE.

On a side note: If u like KDE more than Gnome (the largest Linux DEs out there) try OpenSUSE.org

~Bbig


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## hellrazor (May 12, 2013)

FreedomEclipse said:


> _"If you have a PC with the Windows 8 logo or UEFI firmware, choose the 64-bit download...."_
> 
> Is what it says. I dont have the win 8 logo or UEFI but i do have 8gigs of ram. I could trial and error it but I dont want to wasting my time incase it doesnt work



So it's saying that UEFI needs the 64-bit version, and doesn't mention anything about non-UEFI hardware? I don't see what the question is.


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## FreedomEclipse (May 12, 2013)

Been looking at Cinnamon, I think its definitely one i will try first!! thanks for everyones input


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## ThE_MaD_ShOt (May 12, 2013)

I run it and its pretty cool. Here's a screen shot from when I was running it on my A64 x2 rig. 

Ubuntu 12.04 LTS running Cinnamon


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## Peter1986C (May 12, 2013)

Linux Mint has got Cinnamon by default (switching DE is tricky for newbies, IMHO).


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## FreedomEclipse (May 12, 2013)

ThE_MaD_ShOt said:


> I run it and its pretty cool. Here's a screen shot from when I was running it on my A64 x2 rig.
> 
> Ubuntu 12.04 LTS running Cinnamon
> 
> http://i865.photobucket.com/albums/ab220/gsdewd/putercrap/desktop.png



are all them gadgets on the right hand side installed by default or do you download it from some place?


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## Solaris17 (May 12, 2013)

FreedomEclipse said:


> are all them gadgets on the right hand side installed by default or do you download it from some place?



you can get it via a gadget called conky iirc but i think cinnamon has gadgets installed by default they just need to be enabled.


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## FreedomEclipse (May 13, 2013)

So i got mint installed...

Looking at how to configure it and stuff and boy oh boy is it gonna take me a while to figure my way around this OS...

Im gonna need someone to walk me through the steps about how to optimise Linux for SSD, Ive got a guide up and im reading it but im still lost.


----


Oh my god there is so much code to configure. part of me is wondering if i can be arsed trying to learn to use this.


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## Aquinus (May 13, 2013)

Depends on what you're configuring, but yes, in the end almost all configuration is some form of text file. It takes getting used to. The terminal becomes your best friend if you really want to tweak, optimize, manage your system though.

There are a number of people, myself included, that can offer some assistance if you have any questions.


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## hellrazor (May 13, 2013)

Aquinus said:


> The terminal becomes your best friend if you really want to tweak, optimize, manage your system though.



This, this, this, and more this. Fucking learn it.


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## Aquinus (May 13, 2013)

hellrazor said:


> This, this, this, and more this. Fucking learn it.



This is what I was feeling deep down inside but I kept my feelings to myself as Freedom is just learning. I wouldn't be so aggressive on the topic but you do need to learn to use the terminal if you want to do anything useful in *nix IMHO... granted what I consider "useful" is everything Windows can't do or doesn't do well.


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## FreedomEclipse (May 13, 2013)

Is there any guides with terminal commands and stuff that i can read?


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## RCoon (May 13, 2013)

hellrazor said:


> This, this, this, and more this. Fucking learn it.



This will become evident to all new Ubuntu users when they attempt to put a shortcut on their desktop, realise they cant unless they load up terminal and dump a few hundred lines of code to make that one shortcut.

I run Ubuntu 12.04 LTE on my VM's


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## insane 360 (May 13, 2013)

http://ss64.com  i use this sometimes as a quick reference guide to any of the cmd lines i have to get on, but its not a huge help when learning out of the gate...

check some youtube tut's...

the best way i learned was needing to do something different on my system and then either google or youtube to see how others do it and learn the ins and outs of those commands, then move to the next issue/change

its a lot of fun


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## ThE_MaD_ShOt (May 13, 2013)

FreedomEclipse said:


> are all them gadgets on the right hand side installed by default or do you download it from some place?



I downloaded them. The program is Screenlets.


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## FreedomEclipse (May 13, 2013)

well Ive given a lot of thought about switching back to Win7 because that to me 'just works' but at the same time i really would like to experience something new...

Im gonna trial Linuxmint for a week or 2, If i still cant work it then I will go back to Win7


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## Geekoid (May 13, 2013)

Its pretty easy to work - with most things being the same as other operating systems. And if you get stuck, just like on Windows, you can ask here


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## Aquinus (May 14, 2013)

FreedomEclipse said:


> well Ive given a lot of thought about switching back to Win7 because that to me 'just works' but at the same time i really would like to experience something new...
> 
> Im gonna trial Linuxmint for a week or 2, If i still cant work it then I will go back to Win7



I find that Ubuntu almost always works out of the box. It's when I want to change how it works that it takes more effort. What exactly isn't "just working"?


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## Mindweaver (May 21, 2013)

Yea, Ubuntu is built to just work. I would say mint has a steeper learning curve, but with ubuntu's new look I'd say Mint will feel more normal coming from windows. I like both so you can't go wrong with either. Have you tried using KDE desktop on Ubuntu? or you can use Kubuntu. You can also try Xfce Desktop Environment.  The best part of Linux is all the options that you can choose from.. I've not ran a vanilla linux version in forever.. I always change stuff the way I want it.


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## FreedomEclipse (May 21, 2013)

Unfortunately I couldnt get around it so I reverted back to Win7. It wasnt so easy to straight out customise and i had no idea how to change things because Im not totally familiar with the syntax and everything surrounding it and that. Maybe I'll put together and old system and revisit it again sometime otherwise Win7 is the more straightforward 'direct' approach that I know my way around


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## Mindweaver (May 21, 2013)

You could create a dual boot option or just use a liveCD to play around in.


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## Aquinus (May 21, 2013)

FreedomEclipse said:


> Unfortunately I couldnt get around it so I reverted back to Win7. It wasnt so easy to straight out customise and i had no idea how to change things because Im not totally familiar with the syntax and everything surrounding it and that. Maybe I'll put together and old system and revisit it again sometime otherwise Win7 is the more straightforward 'direct' approach that I know my way around



I would recommend a virtual machine or a separate partition so you can run *nix next to Windows. Either way, you shouldn't need another box to play around with it. VirtualBox is a good, cheap option if VMware Workstation isn't an option.


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## FreedomEclipse (May 21, 2013)

I dont mind having an older machine to run it. I might put it on a HTPC for the front room at a later date. but i think learning the code and customise it will always be the worst part about it unless someone theres to hold my hand through it.

Or i could just got to my library and get a linux for dummies book....


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## Geekoid (May 21, 2013)

Be interesting to know what it was you couldn't get around, especially as I find Windows to be the confusing (and annoying) one! It still confuses me why I can't resize some windows in windows  I guess it depends on which OS you tried first.


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## Zedicus (May 21, 2013)

my wife and kids use debian on most of the home computers.  we have a windows 7 laptop for when someone 'needs windows'.... luckily it goes unused most of the time. i hate cleaning spyware off of windows.  my wife likes to say she prefers windows, but she gripes about the laptop more then anything so i must assume she says she prefers windows just to irritate me.


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## fisheater (May 26, 2013)

*no spoon-feeding*



FreedomEclipse said:


> I dont mind having an older machine to run it. I might put it on a HTPC for the front room at a later date. but i think learning the code and customise it will always be the worst part about it unless someone theres to hold my hand through it.
> 
> Or i could just got to my library and get a linux for dummies book....



Go to a search engine like ixquick and type in "Linux command line tutorials".

No one "needs" windows any more than one "needs" GNU/Linux or Android or another OS.
But, don't expect spoon-feeding from a linux forum!


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## johnspack (May 26, 2013)

I have been playing around with linux in vms for a while now...  the easiest and most productive distro to me has been opensuse.  Very easy to configure the way you want.  Of course,  as with any linux distro,  you will have to pop open a su term box.  Just not as often as with some of the other distros.  And of course,  research,  research.  I found out the hard way linux users don't like giving answers all that much....


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## Aquinus (May 27, 2013)

johnspack said:


> And of course, research, research. I found out the hard way linux users don't like giving answers all that much....



Us Linux power users and system administrators expect you to know what you're talking about before we try to use those blocks to build a pyramid. If you don't know how to use regex or sed, I'm not going to want to have a discussion with you about it.


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## johnspack (May 27, 2013)

Yes,  if you can't open a term box and issue su,  probably should stick to windows.  Even suse has peed me off to the point I forced myself to learn command line syntax for basic stuff.  Linux isn't windows,  although it does have a buttload of power when you learn how to use it.  I'm still struggling with it...  got full codecs installed under opensuse now,  can play dvds ect,  what a pain....  had to go to a term session just to do that.


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## Mussels (May 27, 2013)

thread title

Noobuntu


Lold


[/off topic]


i've got ubuntu in a VM, and i can say its useful for basic tasks. you can set up an office program and media player, and leave it be as a child/idiot proof system. it cant do as much as windows without a steep learning curve, but its set up out of the box for average joe.


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## Geekoid (May 28, 2013)

Mussels said:


> i've got ubuntu in a VM, and i can say its useful for basic tasks. you can set up an office program and media player, and leave it be as a child/idiot proof system. it cant do as much as windows without a steep learning curve, but its set up out of the box for average joe.



For me, it is Windows that has a steep learning curve and is limited. Another quick and recent example - customising my logon screen. I didn't even have to think with Linux as everything was just intuitive; a couple of clicks and I had my cool new logon screen. I've been trying to do the same thing in my Windows vm and... well. I've looked in just about every menu possible and I can't find anything.

For me, Office and a media player just came with Linux, no setup required. Like you say, its all there "out of the box." Nothing came with windows, so I figured I'd just go with what came with my Linux - LibreOffice. At least that was easy enough, though quite long-winded without a way to easily install software like in Linux. I tried the usual way; I searched for "programs" and then selected "Add or remove programs", but couldn't see any way to add LibreOffice. Eventually I had to go outside what the OS gave me and grabbed stuff from the website. Pretty sure they've fixed this with Windows 8, but for now I'm stuck on 7. 

The media player with Windows sort of works, I suppose. Can't switch it out of American though, so I'm stuck with things like "organize" instead of organise. Localisation settings just don't seem to work.

(TL;DR) And the moral of the story? I still think that whatever you start on, whatever you have the most experience of, to you that is the one that seems easiest and best. Switching to something else requires getting into a new groove, and that means learning to dance to a new beat. Of course, once you've learnt both you can go on to do and learn more!


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## Black.Raven (May 28, 2013)

Google is your friend. 2 minutes search.  i know, its not standard capability but it works.

http://tweaks.com/software/tweakslogon/


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## Mindweaver (May 28, 2013)

Geekoid said:


> For me, it is Windows that has a steep learning curve and is limited. Another quick and recent example - customising my logon screen. I didn't even have to think with Linux as everything was just intuitive; a couple of clicks and I had my cool new logon screen. I've been trying to do the same thing in my Windows vm and... well. I've looked in just about every menu possible and I can't find anything.
> 
> For me, Office and a media player just came with Linux, no setup required. Like you say, its all there "out of the box." Nothing came with windows, so I figured I'd just go with what came with my Linux - LibreOffice. At least that was easy enough, though quite long-winded without a way to easily install software like in Linux. I tried the usual way; I searched for "programs" and then selected "Add or remove programs", but couldn't see any way to add LibreOffice. Eventually I had to go outside what the OS gave me and grabbed stuff from the website. Pretty sure they've fixed this with Windows 8, but for now I'm stuck on 7.
> 
> ...



Those are good examples. One thing you have to remember is that Windows isn't Open source like Linux. You're never going to have the customization ability in Windows as you do Linux. Sure, you can [sic]hack windows.. Meaning using 3rd party software like what Black.Raven suggested, or blindly changing settings in the registry to see what works, etc... 

And I totally agree that some things in Windows that seems easy to one can be difficult to a Linux user as is something simple to a Linux user can be difficult to a Windows users, but is it impossible? No... It just takes time as does everything else. 
*
EDIT: Oh and I like this sentence! "Switching to something else requires getting into a new groove, and that means learning to dance to a new beat."*


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## caveman59847 (Jun 3, 2013)

*Linux Lover*

Quite a few flavors of Linux have made vast improvements over the years. I had actually found a rare gem of a program and had to sit and contemplate what I needed to do to compile a installer. Mint and Ubuntu hav made it super easy to do everything i used to do in Windows with far less crapware syware and junk. It's exactly the reason I prefer the Android phone OS as well. Microsoft Phone OS is crap. Sorry I apologize to all of the Microsoft Fan Boy 








Corsair Vengeance Series C70 Military Green Steel ATX Mid Tower
AsuS M4A79 Deluxe AM3/AM2+/AM2 AMD 790FX ATX AMD Motherboard
AMD Phenom II x6 1100t Black Edition 3.3 GHz overclocked to 4.1 GHz
Transcend AxeRam (2x 4GB) 240 Pin DDR2 SDRAM PC28500 1066
Corsair Hydro Series H100i Water Cooler
HIS Radeon HD 7870 GHz Edition 2GB 256 Bit GDDR5 PCI Express Graphics Card
XFX Pro 750W Black Edition Single Rail PSU
7 Noctua (NF-F12 PWM) 120mm Two Speed Focused Flow Fans 1500-1200 RPM


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## Peter1986C (Jun 4, 2013)

Windows has brought the PC to common people, before it was something only business folks had. So I disagree with the second picture, MS has done a lot for the industry. A more neutral position and a more objective look on things might be better.

*Edit:* Thanks Black.Raven for the tip.


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## caveman59847 (Jun 4, 2013)

*Now Thats just funny*

I apologize if I offended anyone who is a Microsuck fan. I have been in the I.T industry for a long time and have done Desktop Support as well as Networking and Server support for Microsoft and Linux. There are some good things Microsoft has done but the future is fast becoming more Linux based and not just like the past where Linux was only though of as a Network Operating System. I was just having some fun poking at Microsoft


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## hellrazor (Jun 4, 2013)

Chevalr1c said:


> Windows has brought the PC to common people, before it was something only business folks had. So I disagree with the second picture, MS has done a lot for the industry. A more neutral position and a more objective look on things might be better.
> 
> *Edit:* Thanks Black.Raven for the tip.



I agree they *have* done a lot for the industry, but they are screwing it over now.


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## Mindweaver (Jun 4, 2013)

Guys stay on topic this is not a "_Why I don't like or like Microsoft_" Thread.


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## FreedomEclipse (Jun 4, 2013)

Mindweaver said:


> Guys stay on topic this is not a "_Why I don't like or like Microsoft_" Thread.



I think the thread has served its purpose - I might be going back to mint again seeing as I don't use this DM1 for anything other than web browsing and surfing the internet. I do have a few games on it though but this thing is so weak and the resolution is so small it makes it a waste of time playing games on. 

you may close the thread if you wish  or keep it open for more noobuntu tips


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## mDee (Jul 8, 2013)

Interesting read. I'm in the same position as the OP as I want to try Linux for the first time. I'm willing to learn the more complicated stuff needed to customize, but for now I want to just experience the most complete distro out of the box without the need to tweak or install, ie web browsing (preferably Firefox), Open/LibreOffice, PDFs etc, and a media player. I'm still researching but so far Ubuntu, Mint, and Kubuntu are at the top of my list. 

Ideally, I'd like to run my HTPC (FM2 system with an A4-5300 Trinity APU) on a Linux distro, hopefully one with decent HD playback without to much of a headache on my part. I'd also like to have a copy alongside Win7 on my desktop to try it out. 

Looking forward to it. Windows doesn't always make sense to me so maybe that's a good sign.


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## sanadanosa (Jul 8, 2013)

I just installed Mint 15 cinnamon on my pc, it works great, but when I install it on my notebook (AMD C60 use xorg something built in driver), it become full of lags and can't even run 720p h264 videos properly. I heard that AMD driver is not so good on Linux, is it true?


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## Aquinus (Jul 8, 2013)

sanadanosa said:


> I just installed Mint 15 cinnamon on my pc, it works great, but when I install it on my notebook (AMD C60 use xorg something built in driver), it become full of lags and can't even run 720p h264 videos properly. I heard that AMD driver is not so good on Linux, is it true?



It used to be true. I've found FGLRX to be much more stable and perfomant than it used to be, at least in Ubuntu. It's worth giving it a shot. Make sure to go with the stable version whatever it is in the package manager. I don't recommend using the installer from AMD's site.


```
# This should do the trick.
sudo aptitude install fglrx
```


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## sanadanosa (Jul 8, 2013)

Aquinus said:


> It used to be true. I've found FGLRX to be much more stable and perfomant than it used to be, at least in Ubuntu. It's worth giving it a shot. Make sure to go with the stable version whatever it is in the package manager. I don't recommend using the installer from AMD's site.
> 
> 
> ```
> ...



thank you for the suggestion, I should give it try


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## sanadanosa (Jul 20, 2013)

Aquinus said:


> It used to be true. I've found FGLRX to be much more stable and perfomant than it used to be, at least in Ubuntu. It's worth giving it a shot. Make sure to go with the stable version whatever it is in the package manager. I don't recommend using the installer from AMD's site.
> 
> 
> ```
> ...



I use fgrlx now. It is better than built-in driver but not by much, not even at the same level as windows driver. Maybe there is problem with linux runing on C60. It's a bit of disappointment.


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## Aquinus (Jul 20, 2013)

sanadanosa said:


> I use fgrlx now. It is better than built-in driver but not by much, not even at the same level as windows driver. Maybe there is problem with linux runing on C60. It's a bit of disappointment.



What are you doing to judge the performance between the two? 2D performance isn't better in FGLRX, you use FGLRX because you want 3D performance. Plus, the C60 doesn't exactly have a powerful iGPU, you have to keep that in mind as well.


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## sanadanosa (Jul 21, 2013)

Aquinus said:


> What are you doing to judge the performance between the two? 2D performance isn't better in FGLRX, you use FGLRX because you want 3D performance. Plus, the C60 doesn't exactly have a powerful iGPU, you have to keep that in mind as well.




I don't use it for playing games or something like that. I know HD 6290 is not a good gpu for 3D. What I'm talking is about 2D performance. UI responsiveness is improve with fglrx but 720p video playback still horrible compared to windows. I use both vlc and built-in video player. Am I missing something like plugins? Or maybe I should use MATE version instead? I'm sorry for being dumb. All of these linux things is just new for me


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## Aquinus (Jul 21, 2013)

sanadanosa said:


> I don't use it for playing games or something like that. I know HD 6290 is not a good gpu for 3D. What I'm talking is about 2D performance. UI responsiveness is improve with fglrx but 720p video playback still horrible compared to windows. I use both vlc and built-in video player. Am I missing something like plugins? Or maybe I should use MATE version instead? I'm sorry for being dumb. All of these linux things is just new for me



What are you using to play the video back with? Is it possible that whatever you're using isn't configured to do GPU offload and it's being done on the CPU? What does your CPU usage look like when you're playing video?


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