Am I able to run Linux on this mobo?

[ricechippy]

Would I be able to run Linux on this mobo with all the needed drivers?
http://www.asrock.com/mb/Intel/G31M-VS2/?cat=Download&os=All

 

[das_stig]

Linux will work with the motherboard. Drivers should be available within the distro as your board is a couple of generations back. Your other hardware like the video card is hit or miss.

 

[skittle]

Yes this motherboard will work with any modern Linux distribution.

Practically all video cards will work with modern Linux's as well, not sure what previous poster meant...

 

[ricechippy]

Yes this motherboard will work with any modern Linux distribution.

Practically all video cards will work with modern Linux's as well, not sure what previous poster meant...

Would I be able to install Ubuntu on it if it has no OS? I plan on putting Ubuntu on it since I wouldn't have Windows for it.

 

[Aristotelian]

Yes, Ubuntu would be your OS. It will work fine without Windows and will actually be much easier to install if you are not trying to dual boot. Since it is an older motherboard (and presumably CPU to match) I would recommend a more lightweight version of Ubuntu such as XUbuntu or LUbuntu. The main version of Ubuntu has the "Unity" desktop which has a lot of eye candy that may not work well on an older computer.

 

[ricechippy]

Yes, Ubuntu would be your OS. It will work fine without Windows and will actually be much easier to install if you are not trying to dual boot. Since it is an older motherboard (and presumably CPU to match) I would recommend a more lightweight version of Ubuntu such as XUbuntu or LUbuntu. The main version of Ubuntu has the "Unity" desktop which has a lot of eye candy that may not work well on an older computer.

Are there any differences between them? Are they able to use WineHQ?

 

[Aristotelian]

Yes, Ubuntu would be your OS. It will work fine without Windows and will actually be much easier to install if you are not trying to dual boot. Since it is an older motherboard (and presumably CPU to match) I would recommend a more lightweight version of Ubuntu such as XUbuntu or LUbuntu. The main version of Ubuntu has the "Unity" desktop which has a lot of eye candy that may not work well on an older computer.

Are there any differences between them? Are they able to use WineHQ?

Yes, there are differences. Basically they represent a range from the most simple (for old computers for example) to incredibly complex with tons of features and eye candy. Some have very different looks, such as desktops in the shape of 3D cubes. They also come with different combinations of software pre-installed. However, they will all be able to run the same major programs (provided that your hardware can handle it) and any Linux distribution can be customized after it is installed. The good thing about a lightweight distribution (such as LUbuntu or XUbuntu) is that you can build anything you want on top of it. It is harder to start with a bloated distribution and remove stuff.

I dont have much experience with WineHQ but any major Linux distribution should be able to run it.

I ran LUbuntu on an old Celeron D (a generation or two older than yours) and it did just fine except some stuttering on Youtube videos.

 

[skittle]

Also its not WineHQ... It is just Wine.
http://www.winehq.org/about/

Please do not come into the Linux world expecting all of your windows applications and games to run under Wine... You will be surely dissapointed.

 

[ricechippy]

Would Ubuntu run smoothly with;
Intel Pentium Dual-Core E2220 at 2.4 ghz
4gb RAM
Integrated Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 3100


Also my bad, and I didn't expect much from wine, just wanted to know if it worked with Lubuntu or Xubuntu as I barely own any games myself.

 

[Aristotelian]

Would Ubuntu run smoothly with;
Intel Pentium Dual-Core E2220 at 2.4 ghz
4gb RAM
Integrated Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 3100


Also my bad, and I didn't expect much from wine, just wanted to know if it worked with Lubuntu or Xubuntu as I barely own any games myself.

Not sure about Ubuntu. LUbuntu would definitely work great. The cool thing about Ubuntu is you can try it before installing. If you prefer the full Ubuntu desktop you should try it out for a few days and compare it to LUbuntu, then decide. (You can also run both and have them run side by side).