Well I did it, I installed Linux.

Being a newbie I just got Mandrake 9.1 because I hear its pretty good for first time people.

It asks me how want to handle partitions and asks if it should just "Remove Windows(TM)" and partition the disk itself...

Ahh, screw it!! Yes, Remove Windows(TM). No dual boot for me.

Installed very smoothly.

First I messed around with the games that got installed and tried Tux Racer where I discovered I don't have any Nvidia drivers. After some searching and finding good instructions I begin the process. I was sure it wouldn't work because I had no idea want the instructions were actually doing (ie: X Server? WTF?) but I did them anyway.

Wow! The Nvidia logo popped up and it worked!

So I have now been without Windows for a week and I'm not sure I really miss anything... Well except maybe my VC++ IDE

Brave soul! Welcome aboard.

# Mandrake links
Mandrake home page
Mandrake Users website
Easy urpmi config for Mandrake
urpmi mini-HOWTO
Easy software management: Red Carpet
Maximum RPM
rpmfind
You didn't install the developmental packages? As root, command:
urpmi gcc
An Introduction to the Midnight Commander. You can install it by commanding:
urpmi mc
Midnight Commander home page

Thanks for the links.

Got any for switching over to programming for Linux in C/C++? I already found a few differences.

You've got more guts than I do. It took me about a month of dual booting before I got all my applications moved to Linux.

it was about 6 months before I took the all-linux plunge, but back then things weren't anywhere as easy to set up as they are now. This was redhat 5.2, when gnome was something you installed at your own risk.

You'll find linux to be 100 times better than windows. Welcome to linux