Should I use a Torrent, or a download mirror, to download the ISO?

If you have enough speed (above 4mbps) go for mirrors
otherwise torrent is safe option....{download the regular image called katya of linux mint}

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Yes it is. You will be given an option to format a partition(s) if you wish. Which Acer Aspire do you have? Do you have just the SSD drive? or do you have the Acer Aspire One with 160GB drive? If you have the larger drive, you could leave Linpus on it and create another partition on which to install a different distribution of Linux you have chosen. That way you would still have Linpus which you are familiar with to use while learning the new system. You should try to connect to the internet with the Install CD in case things get messed up so that you will still have some access and be able to come here for advice.

If you need to use a USB/flash, unetbootin and pendrivelinux are good programs to use.

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Your system probably also only has 512 MB memory. Might be a good idea to try something more lightweight as the lubuntu that I mentioned in your other thread.

And unless you want 'problems' that you currently can't handle due to lack of experience, don't try a dual boot if you only have 8 GB disk space. A distro will take about half of that leaving the other half for your data. Add a second distro and you don't have space for data

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Yes, it's 512mb.

So with lubuntu I will have to start getting instructions from scratch for installation. Or will I find it much the same as Mint?

Also, someone was asking if I had a 16 GB hard drive. No, it's 8 GB. So only one OS will fit it.

Here's another issue:

which is from yancek. Since I have to download one of these I run into the basic problem I have, which is that I can't get downloads to install.

unetbootin is available for windows and mac as well; do you have access to a second computer?
If so, use that to create the bootable pen drive.

Be aware that creating a bootable pen drive will destroy its current contents

I am not familiar with the term "pen drive". Is that just a USB flash drive?

I will have to ask my brother if I can use his computer. Are there any particular dangers that I should tell him about before he decides to do it?

He can safely do it; he must just make sure to write to that specific usb stick and not another one or his hard disk. It's just your pen drive (yes, usb memory stick) that might loose it's current data.

|I recommend Linux Mint|

Ok. Now let me get this straight. We download unetbootin. Then we run it and it tells us how to download the OS that I ultimately choose. Then it tells us how to use the downloaded OS to make a bootable USB drive with it.

Or is it that it doesn't tell us how to download the OS and we just do it without instructions. Then we run unetbootin and it tells us how to use the downloaded OS to make a bootable USB drive.

Please clarify.

What about the size of USB stick. Is 2 GB enough? 4?

Thanks.

Several people have recommended Mint. Can anyone comment on Lubuntu? Please note that my computer only has 8 GB hard drive.

Download the iso first. Also dowload a file with the md5 sum (often ending with .md5). For windows also download digestit2004 (or another tool to check the md5 sum) and install it.

Open the md5 file and copy the long 'number'. Right click the downloaded iso, select digestit2004 -> verify md5 and paste the long number; click OK (I think iit's called OK). If the verification is successful, it means that the downloaded iso is not corrupted.

Next insert the usb memory stick, start unetbootin, select the option where you can select the iso and select the iso that you want, select the drive where to install and click OK. Once it's done, it offers to reboot (so you can check) on the specific PC; you can do so or cancel that step

I suggest that you try the reboot option on your brother's PC to see if it works and to see what happens; it is safe as long as you don't attempt to install or access your brothers harddisk. I have recently used unetbootin for the first time for zenwalk; if the result is similar, you will have a whole pile of options (that do not even all fit on the screen). Scroll down with the arrow keys to find your iso. Don't select 'default' or 'english' as you will probably end with a czech keyboard layout (unless that problem is zenwalk specific).

Good luck

If the ISO is corrupted do we keep repeating the download until it is loaded uncorrupted?

Yes.

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I just checked the mint site. Is this the MD5 number that gets compared?--010bad6bf2bb58f61fea8e437366576c