My husband is hating Windows with a passion. Even more so, he has a serious animosity with XP. He just bought me a brand new computer, and of course...it's operating system is Windows XP. Currently, his computer has XP on it as well. He hates it and wants to switch to Linux. Question is, if he does so...will we be able to network?

His computer is the primary host connected directly to our LAN/DSL modem. Mine would be internet connected through a network from his with two ethernet cards?

Can the two systems work with networking?

Yes they can with proper configuration and services running.

Does that entail alot of programming knowledge? Or - just a matter of placing the correct IP's. I'm asking because he's really set on getting it...but before he installs it...he would like to know how to properly go about it. He's one of these men that calls the computer every bad name in the book! I just smile and give him room...LOL...his growl is worse than his bite.

But if you could, or if someone knows the steps - we would really appreciate direction for doing it. He's already said, from now on, whatever new computer comes through the door...he's having them install Linux...and then gave me a pointed look. I'm willing to switch over...but I would first have to see all the utilities that work with Linux.

I use, Microsoft Office XP Professional, paying alot of money for it...I'd want to make sure I could still use it, as well my other software utilities...Paint Shop Pro 8 & Photoshop 7. Incredimail...all of that.

Anyway, not to get sidetracked...
The steps to go about it...Please

I will probably be flamed for what I'm about to say but maybe it's better you stay with windows.

Programming skills are not required to make it work but you have to know what services to install, configuring services by editing text files (very few graphical wizards), each service has a different way of configuration...

About Microsoft products or other programs you use in windows, you will be able to run some of them using a windows emulator like wine. But then again, you'll have to know how to make wine work! There other programs in linux that can replace those in windows but if you're paying for it maybe it's better to keep using it.

To be able to access files on another computer in you local network like you do in windows, you would have to install and configure samba. This may not be easy if you're a newbie.


I'm used to Gentoo linux which is a distro with no (or very few) graphical wizards. I do most configuration using a text console and text editors. Maybe more user friendly distros like Mandrake or Fedora can be easier but I never tried them. Someone else may know more about this than me.

Thank you for your honesty...the last thing we need is more headaches. I'm not certain he would have the patience for what it may mean to make it work.

Again, thanks!

Go and buy a netgear wireless router 814 for about $22 from newegg.com after mail in rebate. Then everything else will be dependent on the distro that you choose.

Right now, we are swapping our modem connection from one computer to the other because, our networking no longer works between the two computer - both running Windows XP. It use to work...but something happened...some worm, or PCDoctor or Virus removal program. We set it to delete found viruses instead of repair.

After running PCDoctor & Virus removal...we have no been able to network connect. Well let me clarify that. I can recieve emails...but I can't surf the internet. Only thing that will come up is Google! Or some other search engines...however, links are useless.

This is what has driven my husband to anger against Windows XP - if it's not one thing - it's another. The reason he would like to switch to Linux.
In the meantime...is there anyone who can tell us how to get our network connection back to working?

Or - how we might harddrive clean my husband's computer without booting from CD...because that particular drive no longer works. Is there another way?

Hmmm, I read that...it leaves out some info...okay...here's a better summation of our networking.

My husband's is the Host computer. The older computer - the one that would be directly connected to the LAN/DSL modem. Used for emailing, surfing, chatting for our son. Research and the normal computer use. Located in family room for general us...where the cable connection and modem reaches and was first installed.

My computer is the client computer, the newly purchased - that is connected to an ethernet card inside of his computer. This one is in our office and used for our writing, web design, Graphics and loaded with all of our Microsoft Office Suite software. Must remain in office for work to be done.

Networking worked upto two weeks ago before PcDoctor & Virus worms found, and deleted.

We wish for the present time to clean wipe his harddrive but we can't through the method of booting from the CD - because his DVD/CD-ROM drive is not working.

How can we otherwise swipe his harddrive besides the method of booting from a Windows disk?

We believe that by restoring his computer back to a clean start, we will be able to network again.

Then...he wants to focus on moving his system to Linux. Perhaps by placing it on a partition.

Without a CD rom drive it's going to be impossible to reinstall Windows XP on your husbands PC. From earlier posts I understand that his PC has 2 ethernet cards and therefore you connect to the internet via his which is using internet sharing. Therefore your networking on your office computer is also dependant on the other one working - which could be a problem.

I would recommend buying a new ADSL modem/router - I've just bought a Belkin one which has 4 ethernet ports (and also has wireless) - that would enable you to share the ADSL connection without going through his computer and also give you NAT and firewall which will reduce the chance of getting viruses etc. Also if one PC does get a virus you only have to rebuild that one - the other should still work.

As regards linux - although there are ways to run Microsoft Office and other Windows products under linux - they can be tricky to set up and you may have to buy linux software to allow you to do it successfully. Therefore probably it would be better to leave your PC alone for the moment and let your husband try linux on his machine - after you get the router and you can use the internet without his machine.

There are linux products that do most of what you do with your Windows products - for example openoffice is the free office suite. You can download a version for Windows and try it out - it can read and write MS format files - although if you use complicated formatting it will struggle.

Good luck.

Let me explain about the CD-ROM drive...the PRIMARY is not working. There is also a CD/RW drive that does work. But it's not the drive the computer looks to for applications. It seems that it will only boot from the CD from the main DVD/CD-ROM drive. But his computer has a second CD-ROM drive that works...we use it for software applications, only we just can't get it to harddrive wipe from there with the Windows XP disk.

Try switching cables for the CD drives inside the machine.

Did that...no good. And then we removed the bad CD-ROM completely so that the computer could only find the one remaining...but it still recognized it as the E: drive instead of the primary D: drive.

You can change drive letters from Control Panel .. Administrative Tools .. Computer Management .. Storage .. Disk Management. If there's nothing using D then right click on your CD drive on E and choose Change Drive Letter and Paths.

Oh...we'll try that...thanks...will let you know how it turned out.