INSTALLATION:
As for installation here’s a quick tutorial on how to install steamos:
http://www.maximumpc.com/how_install_steamos_2013
You can also use a program called “unetbootin” to use iso files you find off the net to install to a usb drive. This works as well if you want to make a backup repair usb for your computer.
If you want to dual boot, aka run windows and linux on the same computer, then what you do is that you first shrink your windows. A easy tutorial here.
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/magazine/gg309169.aspx
I suggest you dualboot for the love of god. If you want to dualboot then when installing
http://www.tomsguide.com/us/how-to-dual-boot-steamos,review-2015.html
Skip to step seven. For step 11 I would personally give it a large swap space. Swap space essentially acts as backup ram space on your computer hard drive, the larger the swap the less likely it is for programs to crash, but the more used the slower it is. If your computer is prone to crashing a large swap space is good.
INSTALLATION OF VIDEO DRIVER
If you have a nvidia video card here’s how you install the driver:
Press Ctrl Alt T and a thing called “terminal” will pop up, this is the equivalent of command prompt from windows, then type in “sudo apt-get install nvidia-current”, press enter, let it install.
The way you upgrade to the latest version of the driver every time it updates is you press Ctrl Alt T and then type, “sudo add-apt-repository ppa:ubuntu-x-swat/x-updates” press enter, then type in, “sudo apt-get update” press enter, then type in, “sudo apt-get dist-upgrade” press enter, let it update and done.
ADVICE
Some important information if you do decide to use it:
If you still want to use windows, but don’t feel like having to reboot every time you can use a program called “virtualbox”. Here is a quick tutorial on it.
The way you install linux programs, almost all of them are free by the way, is go into your start panel, preferences, ubuntu software center.
http://www.wikihow.com/Install-VirtualBox
You’re going to need java a lot. You can install this through the ubuntu software center.
You may or may not need gparted. Gparted is a partition resizer/creator/deleter. Do not ever touch your windows partition though.
If your computer is crapping out use “unetbootin” and put “smart boot manager” onto a usb drive, this will fix most booting problems when starting a computer.
Virtualbox let’s you run a operating system inside of a operating system, yo dawg. Keep in mind that doing so will be running two operating systems at once. Running windows xp is quick and painless, running windows 7 in it requires a really good computer.
Install “wine” and “winetricks” sometimes you can run windows programs in it, sometimes not. Winetricks you can download needed windows files to help things windows programs run. It takes a bit of getting used to, but you can figure out what you need easily; just run a program, it’ll tell you what it’s missing, go into winetricks, go to select the default wineprefix, install a windows dll or component and look for it.
MOST of the time after fidgeting with it for a bit it’ll work. Sometimes programs don’t like linux and won’t work though or sometimes if you’re trying to play a japanese game the font text is broken.
If you don’t like how linux looks/feels you can install a thing called a “desktop environment”. These will change how your desktop and such looks and so forth. Some of them are if you want to make your computer faster; others are for if you want it to look nicer. Personally I would suggest lxde, it’s fast and visually looks good enough.
Also with vdpau and gnome player you can play hd videos in linux with no frame loss. You just install gnome player from the ubuntu software center; here’s how to install vdpau to play hd videos:
http://community.linuxmint.com/tutorial/view/136
I use both windows 7 and ubuntu 12.04 I use windows 7 for games and adobe creative; I use ubuntu 12.04 for everything else. Warning though; there is a definite learning curve for linux. The first week and half you’re going to have trouble figuring some stuff out.