Re: [CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO] Installing Linux Ubuntu

> Hi All:
> This is somewhat OT but I hope someone can help.
> My son is learning Linux at school and wants to download Ubuntu onto
> his laptop, which doesn't have a CD drive.
> Is it possible to download from the Ubuntu site onto a USB memory stick
> instead of a CD?

It is but the laptop must be able to boot from usb to do this. Check what
options are in the bios, its usually accessed by pressing delete or a
function key at boot.

> If the drive on the laptop is then re-formatted to load up Ubuntu, can
> the laptop be made to boot from the memory stick so the install can
> happen properly, or does wiping the drive of the existing operating
> system make it unable to load from the USB port.

Depends entirely on the bios.

> The machine already has a version of Linux on it...does it even need to
> be wiped to install Ubuntu or will it just overwrite the OS that's
> already running like Windoze does?

Configuration is entirely up to you, you could have 3 versions of windows and
5 versions of linux on the same hard drive if you wanted.

Couple of questions:
What make and model of laptop?
Does it have a floppy drive?
Does it have an easily removable hard drive?
Does it have a built in network card?

cheers

No idea if mach3 has a native linux version, however if not I would expect it
to be usable with wine (software to run windows apps on linux and other
unix-like systems).
It could also be worth trying the live cd from here:
http://www.linuxcnc.org/