Gerund/to infinitive

ting

Don't start trying/to try to learn aibebra before you have fininshed learning to do simple things in arithmetic.

If u can't fix that old thing, try to hit/hitting it with a hammer

zubat

1. I think both are acceptable.
2. try to hit

It seems that "start+to infinitive" and "start+gerund" have no difference in meaning.
However, it does in the case of "try".
"Try+to infinitive" means to attempt to do sth. (嘗試)
"Try+gerund" means to test whether sth is good, satisfactory, effective, etc. (試用/試驗)
e.g. Have you ever tried windsurfing?