Yesterday, my much anticipated Dell XPS 1530 arrived at my local FedEx office. I was fortunate enough to be able to pick it up just before they closed down for the day and being a Friday night, I now have a whole weekend to get things rolling on this thing.

First of all, the XPS 1530 comes loaded with Vista. I am no Vista fan and if you have read any of my posts before, you know that I’ve grown quite fond of Ubuntu. Yes, I guess I could have purchased a Ubuntu laptop from Dell right away but I have found that there are things that I really do need Windows for and I can always create a dual boot situation just like on my desktop.

So, with the computer out of the box and the basic stuff like installing some of my more used applications such as Firefix, iTunes, Picasa etc., I just finished burning a new disc with Ubuntu 8.04 on it and I ran the Live scenario to see how it held up.

Seems to work good. Next, it’s time to install Ubuntu on there and it seems to be pretty straight forward. For those interested in how I will be doing this, these are the guides I’ve found and will be relying on to get this little project to work.

http://apcmag.com/how_to_dualboot_vista_with_linux_vista_installed_first.htm
https://wiki.ubuntu.com/InstallingUbuntuOnADellXPSM1530
http://jesperdj.pbwiki.com/Ubuntu+on+the+Dell+XPS+M1530

Will it work? Without a doubt. It’ll just be a matter of time.

Having said that, I have to mention that the XPS 1530 is a great computer. After less than 24 hours with it, I’ve found that it’s perfect for my needs and I will be installing plenty of the software I need in the coming days and weeks.