Hello maddy_in65,
First about your warranty issue
No the warranty will not get void but you will not get support on another OS apart from bundled one with your Laptop from HP. for Linux support you have to depend on the web based support channels(refer: How to Get Help)
HP will not assist you if you can play MP3's in linux, but your hardware support will be as it is. like if your Cd drive went out of order then they will change it..
so you can say apart from Linux related queries, you will get support on all other things.
Now Install Ubuntu, well installing Ubuntu is easy,
Check this Video Tutorial
Ubuntu WIKI page said:
How to ask for help
If none of these resources led you to a solution, take a moment to formulate your question before asking for help. This is important! If your question is unclear you are less likely to receive answers. If someone does reply they may need to ask for more information in order to help you. This process requires time and effort on both parts which could otherwise be avoided.
Here are some simple ideas which will help you to ask your question effectively:
- Describe your problem clearly and precisely. Explain what you did, and what you saw when you did it.
- If you have received an error message, reproduce it exactly as it is shown on the screen, for example via cut-and-paste or a screenshot.
- Whenever possible, provide a step-by-step procedure which would allow anyone to see the problem for themselves. Given this information, most bugs are much easier for developers to isolate.
- Avoid making assumptions about what the problem might be, since this may greatly confuse the issue if you are mistaken.
- Don't ask whether it is OK to ask a question. Go ahead and ask! One question is better than two.
Along the same lines, don't ask whether someone will help you. If someone is willing to help you, they will respond to your question when you ask it.
also your Questions were not clear, so please read the above^^^^
