Hi,

I noticed from previous posts that some of you were not using windows are there operating system, it was a surprise as I didn’t think there was an option and that the only way out was to buy a Mac…yes I know I am a computer numpty.

Now after pounding my poor keyboard into a rickety mess from all the crashes, lockups and evil viruses that seem determined to spoil my fun, I have decided windows sucks to much and has to go.

Can anyone advise then a good cheap (preferably free ) replacement for XP. Also how do I do this? are there any sites that tell you?? I haven't a clue to be honest, I just want to get this sorted

please help

www.ubuntu.com

Its free, its a version of Linux but it works and it has usefull stuff like auto updates etc.

Download the CD and you can boot on it and try first, no need to install

[Edited on 9-2-2008 by onzarob]

[Edited on 9-2-2008 by onzarob]

thanks for that I'm off reading site now ohh scary stuff

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Originally posted by Mr Whippy
thanks for that I'm off reading site now ohh scary stuff

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I use pc-bsd (freebsd based OS) myself but use Linux at work. I can recommend Open SUSE 10 and Fedora 8, both written by big commercial LInux vendors, so get regularly updated etc. CentOS (also from Redhat stable) is also worth a look. (all these are free too)

It will look and feel different at first, I'd suggest using KDE as a desktop to start with as it's as close as you are going to get to Windows on Linux. Once you get used to it you'll wonder why you didn't do it sooner.

Good Luck

[Edited on 9/2/08 by givemethebighammer]

Mint is another Linux distribution that is very easy to install and use.

Download a copy of Ubuntu or Mint as suggested above. Burn it onto a CD-ROM, put it in your drive and reboot the PC.

Hopefully it will load up from the CD and run as though it was installed - it won't affect your existing setup at all. The only major downside is that it will run ultra-slow as it has to keep getting files off the CD. However, it will let you see how the system operates and whether you like it.

I use Ubuntu and I now get cross when I have to use Windoze stuff at work - I keep looking for features that don't exist in Windoze, or have to be paid for.

None of the Linux systems are perfect and sometimes they can be a PITA when they wrong - but when an application crashes you'll find that your system stays up and running.

If you like the look of Linux you can install it as a dual-boot system, leaving your Windoze install alone. The install disk puts a program called GRUB in the boot sector, which comes up when you start and gives you the option of booting into Windows or Linux. If it turns out that you hate Linux, or don't see any benefits for yourself, then you can simply remove it and continue as before (not *quite* that easy, but not far off).

Forgot to mention - the Ubuntu disk (probably Mint as well) comes with a complete suite of office software, Firefox, a top-rate graphics program (Gimp), and a host of other great utilities.

When you first install it's fairly sparse and simple - you can make it as complex as you see fit.

Oh - you may well find that your machine runs faster too - but I won't swear to that one!

[Edited on 9/2/08 by David Jenkins]

The only problem I found with Linux was that most of my existing software wouldn't run on it (which happens to be MS stuff) and the emulators just seem so clunky I gave up and bought Vista - best OS imo. You just need a fairly beefy system to run it properly and it is rock steady.

I like to run all sorts of software but Windows seems to be about the most versatile - try running graphics progs like Corel or Photoshop and then switch to Midi music, then a Dyno prog and mapping the ECU ..... you get my drift?

[Edited on 10-2-08 by RazMan]

You could also be a Mac user, The OS is stable and based on Unix though you never need to get near to a command line. There are good PC emulators for Mac now so you can always run Windows to remind you how crap it is Try finding someone with a Mac and take a look it is a lot better than windows and easier to get on with once you get the idea!

Caber

With linux are you able to use printers etc? Do you need to load the drivers in the same way and how is this done if booting off the cd?

Mint probably is probably the best for a noobie, Mepis or PClInuxOS a close second and third. With only one major release a year PCLinuxOS tends to be more conservative than Mint and dosen't include the latest gizmos.

At the moment Mint and Mepis are both basically tailored versions of Ubuntu (which in turn is version of Debian) aimed at hassle free installation on desktop PC.

Mint includes support for windows multimedia files and comes with graphics drivers for the two most popular brands of accelerated graphics cards.

Most printers are well supported with the drivers supplied in these distributions --- HP particularly have very good Linux drivers often better than the Windows drivers.

Although Ubuntu based, Mint has better support for wireless network cards than Ubuntu but don't expect all wireless PCI and USB cards to be supported.

The main problem with Ubuntu itself is that the 6 monthly new releases can sometimes cause hardware problems and regular updates aren't always stable. Because of this the creators of both Mepis and Mint are planning to break away from Ubuntu.

You do need drivers for things like printers. Most of the common ones are built-in, and the more enlightened ones (like HP) provide their own utilities and drivers for download (In HP's case, it's called HPLIP).

This is one of the weaker areas of Linux - the hardware manufacturers know that they have to interface with Windoze if they're going to make any money, but some totally ignore Linux. All the big names are covered though - Epson, Canon, HP, and so on.

Well i am at this very moment writing this via Firefox within Ubuntu. All looks ok so far. I downloaded the programme and copied the image onto disc, popped it into my lappy and it asked what i wanted to boot too so i chose Ubuntu CD and here we are.

Not had a look round yet and will install onto my sons old PC so i can get to grips with it propper.

Very Intereting!

All looks very good and much quicker than windows and it should be slow due to getting everything from the CD rather than the HDD. The internet is blisteringly fast but i cant seem to print anything. It seems to see my printer but i get this message when trying to print:

CUPS server error

There was an error during the CUPS operation: 'client-error-document-format-not-supported'.

Any ideas? Is it because i'm running from CD?



[Edited on 11/2/08 by donut]

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Originally posted by RazMan
The only problem I found with Linux was that most of my existing software wouldn't run on it (which happens to be MS stuff) and the emulators just seem so clunky I gave up and bought Vista - best OS imo. You just need a fairly beefy system to run it properly and it is rock steady.

I like to run all sorts of software but Windows seems to be about the most versatile - try running graphics progs like Corel or Photoshop and then switch to Midi music, then a Dyno prog and mapping the ECU ..... you get my drift?

[Edited on 10-2-08 by RazMan]

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quote:

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Originally posted by donut
All looks very good and much quicker than windows and it should be slow due to getting everything from the CD rather than the HDD. The internet is blisteringly fast but i cant seem to print anything. It seems to see my printer but i get this message when trying to print:

CUPS server error

There was an error during the CUPS operation: 'client-error-document-format-not-supported'.

Any ideas? Is it because i'm running from CD?



[Edited on 11/2/08 by donut]

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Well it just seems quicker...perhaps it isn't!

I have downloaded LinuxMint too to give that a try. If you hate windows and don't want to buy another PC (MAC) then Linux seems pretty damn good if you understand that it is different to Windows and just takes a while to get used to. I'm deff going to install onto my son's old PC so i can have a good play and get everything working so i understand it all.

It would be very hard to dump windows as there are programmes that are not available on Linux but for simple computing i.e surfing, mail, word processor stuff and media it's pretty damn good and FREE!

[Edited on 11/2/08 by donut]

BTW: I forgot to mention one very important command to remember

Ctrl - Alt - Backspace

No OS is perfect, and sometimes Linux will go screwy. This key combination will reboot the X-server, but leave the computer running. This will untangle most screw-ups. All you'll have to do is log in again.

This is far better than Window's Ctrl - Alt - Del that reboots the whole machine.

That's interesting to know, thanks. I'm quite enjoying Mint at the moment and can see this being a 'locost' Operating system!! providing you don't want to do anything too strenuous

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Originally posted by David Jenkins
This is far better than Window's Ctrl - Alt - Del that reboots the whole machine.

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quote:

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Originally posted by donut
That's interesting to know, thanks. I'm quite enjoying Mint at the moment and can see this being a 'locost' Operating system!! providing you don't want to do anything too strenuous

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If you really want some fun, get a terminal screen and login as root.

type rm * -r <press enter>


































Hold on don't...It will delete all files and all folders and all files in those folders...untill there is nothing left!!!!

It deletes everything in the current directory and recurses all sub-directories

If you want to really understand Linux get a terminal window running and learn the commands and how it bolts together

the xkill command is very useful for killing off out of control apps.

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Originally posted by MikeRJ

quote:

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Originally posted by David Jenkins
This is far better than Window's Ctrl - Alt - Del that reboots the whole machine.

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Not since the days of Windows 95/98! Ctrl-Alt-Delete takes you to a log in dialog box under NT variants.

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