First, I start off with a fresh install of Lubuntu 12.04. I use Lubuntu because, first, it gives us great access to the Ubuntu repositories, and secondly, because it comes with the LXDE desktop environment. LXDE is one of the most customizable and easiest configurable desktops Linux has to offer.
OK, I recommend practicing this on a virtual pc, like VMware or Virtualbox. That way if you accidently break it, your main computer is still functional.
So, let’s go. The first thing to do after installing Lubuntu, is to open a terminal and type: