NEW TO LINUX

This is more of a matter of personal taste, but considering where you've asked I'd guess the general answer would be Ubuntu. It would be a good place to start anyway!

If anyone wants to say otherwise, please go ahead.

Taked from https://wiki.ubuntu.com/LaptopTestingTeam

here there is something related:

https://wiki.ubuntu.com/LaptopTestingTeam/DellInspiron9400?action=show&redirect=LaptopTestingTeam%2FDellInspironE1705

http://www.linlap.com/wiki/Dell+Inspiron+E1705

All the Ubuntu releases can be installed in dual boot mode

Give a chance to the i386 latest Ubuntu 7.10 "Gutsy Gibbon"...

ubuntu-7.10-desktop-i386.iso

http://releases.ubuntu.com/7.10/

ok let me ask this i herd the infomus brodcom1390 wireless card they was having probs with ubuntu reconizing it is this the same with 7.10 or would u know

There are some workarounds for the broadcoms and some rumor that it was addressed. Best way to tell is use the live CD and see if it works. All Ubuntu desktop CDs are live CDs. Just boot it and play.

ok can i down load and burn the live cd or have i got to order it

Certainly. Just visit http://www.ubuntu.com/getubuntu/download

The most recent is version 7.10. Get the desktop one and i386 for best compatibility. You may also need info on burning the .iso file since windows can't do that.

https://help.ubuntu.com/community/BurningIsoHowto

Enjoy

ok do i need to save it to a disk or what when i down load

Save it wherever you normally save files when downloading. It's just a file - albeit a rather large one.

Yes James, save to disk.

HTH

ok my computer has the infomus broadcom 1390 wirelss card in it what can u tell me about compatibity with it

Boot the live CD. It won't do anything to your system. If it configures wifi - great. If not, you will have to do some extra work to get it to work. Broadcom cards can work but it's not a guarantee - at least not unless something has changed.

Opps. Lots of good info here too.

https://help.ubuntu.com/community/WifiDocs

hey jim i got ubuntu burned got the cd to boot but still no wireless what i need to do use firmware or ndiswrapper to exstract the files off my driver

From the live CD open a terminal (apps-accessories) and type

lspci

Look for your wifi card and paste the details here.

Oops, nevermind that. You said it was a 1390. See this:

https://help.ubuntu.com/community/WifiDocs/Driver/1390

can i istall indswrapper on windows and do the mods to the driver or has it got to be on ubuntu

the wireless software is there it just not detecting a signal but when i boot windows i have a signal can get online with no prob

Windows is irrelevant to how Ubuntu runs. You need to set up the driver in Ubuntu. It works in windows because your laptop maker installed the driver for you. Broadcom cards have poor Linux support so you have to use workarounds to make it work. Following the directions on the page I linked above should work.

ok can i download ndiswrapper and burn it and install it from the disk in linux

Easiest way would be to install Ubuntu first, boot it and then follow the directions in the link. You will need a network connection to add the files so use a wired connection until it's set up. There might be a way to do this from CD but I don't know how, and I think it would be a pain. You want to use the proper tools for installing packages in any Linux distribution. The tools are simple, safe and are part of what makes Linux great.