At least til someone decides to start writing linux virii 8) Then all bets are off.

-Viz

Just a suggestion to consider. Many versions of linux have LiveCDs which you can download, burn to CD, and then boot directly from the CD without installing to the hard drive.

This is an easy way to see if a particular distro is something that you like.


Here is one download link for the PCLinuxOS LiveCD.

This is the distro I use, I like it because it's very much like the Windows interface and that makes it pretty easy to 'guess at' things when you're trying to do something for the first time. Command lines are powerful enough to scare me, I don't know enough to use them safely without help. I try to stick to the GUI based packages unless I'm really stuck and PCLinuxOS is good in that regard.

This is also a very nice CD to keep handy for those times when your system is having problems. You can always boot from the CD and get the system running, then look around to see if files are corrupted on the hard drive.

I'm sure there are lots of LiveCDs out there for the other various distros as well. Download a handful and burn them to CDs, try them out and see if they are what you're looking for.

I think most of it has been said already, all I'm saying is you're better off forgetting about you Windows days and learn it all over for Linux. If you try to use linux exactly how you use Windows you will fail. Adapt, good luck, I'm sure you won't regret it.

Your XP problems could be like the Windows 2000 problems that developed on my computer back in 2003.

Brand new computer supplied with Windows 2000 worked for 2 years, then sometime in 2003 Windows 2000 just crashed the whole time.

I Disconnected the computer from the network (ie: completeley quarantined), formatted the hard disk, Re-installed Windows 2000 from original CD and it still kept crashing.

Dumped Windows 2000 and installed Debian Linux and then later Ubuntu. That computer has never failed once since. I am still using it today, its P3 that can keep up with P4s that are running Windows Xtra Problems.

My opinion (tin foil hat on), is that Windows 2000 has planned obselesence built in. Wouldn't be suprised if Windows Xtra Problems has same deal.

I run multiple copies of Win2K every day all day in VMWare. I find it to be a robust operating system. It never crashes.

kde or gnome ?
it's confusing newbie of linux.
any advice.

Yes, try them both!

"My opinion (tin foil hat on), is that Windows 2000 has planned obselesence built in. Wouldn't be suprised if Windows Xtra Problems has same deal.

I run multiple copies of Win2K every day all day in VMWare. I find it to be a robust operating system. It never crashes."

I have also been using Win 2K in a 5 node network for a restaurant. Been running nearly around the clock for over 5 years with few problems. Has outlasted a motherboard and hard drive on one machine.

For REAL protection I use dual boot Win98 at home because who would be trying to hack into Win98 any more? Safety in obsolesence. It's cheap and it works.

Meh, as I said, Win2K stopped working one day and everytime I tried to resurrect it by formatting HD and reinstalling Win2k from the CD which came with the computer, the Win2K has never worked reliably since.

So I changed to Linux and that computer has worked 100% ever since.

There is something fishy there, maybe its a Win/DELL thang?

But it doesn't matter because if Windows was a man it would touch little boys 'coz its so gay.

mdaaa. windows users becoming more and more annoying with THEIR problems.

Hi ya'all , Linux Mint and PClinuxOS are 2 good distros.. Linux mint is built on Fiesty or ubuntu 7.04 but has KDE characteristics blended in..It comes with a program called mintdisks that will mount the ntfs partition.. I haven't tried it yet , Dapper is on my dualboot Box W/winblows.. It is a nice distro ,it's called LinuxMint 3.0 Cassandra...For a small investment you can pick'em up and try both..Just buy'em all and boil yur brain :::: checkout this website [ on-disk.com] PClinuxOS is a KDE enviorment, which is very simular to winblows...

Absolutely agree with this..I have Ubuntu 7.10 and XP Pro...and I love it...I will soon make my Linux partition larger and leave XP much smaller for certain things( Quake, NFS, and other games with High graphics.) I love the set up I have now. Lets you have the best of both worlds.

I would also suggest investing in an external HD (doesn't have to be massive). allows you to back up all 9 GB of those important files just in case...but with your errors you may have to do what I had to do to my Girlfriends computer and wipe your current HD clean and reinstall XP and then continue with installing Linux on the other partition.