Who still uses Windows XP ?

[kwondo]

I HATE windows 8. enough said by me

[supergnome]

I dislike XP and adding different "security products " is no more than a strong perfume in a sewage works. If you must stick with the MS brand the W7 is the best route to go but it will cost.
At no cost you could download a free linux operating system such as Ubuntu orr Linux Mint. An option to at least explore. I have used it for over 10 yrs and it now easier than ever to install and run.
Have a go, David

[rustic]

Thanks for all the advice, I will look into it.

When I did some research on the internet, it seems that odd numberered windows applications and versions, are much superior to the even numbered ones.

[Thomas-the-Terrano2]

like idea of trying another os, away from ms, suppose could play with one on old tower.

is it viable to have say linux based as dual boot?

[bry]

Yeah you can dual boot with Linux/Ubunti etc.

[clivvy]

Linux is absolutely fine to be honest, most things work as you would expect - Internet, email etc well worth trying ad its very easy to install/configure.

[supergnome]

You can try it without changing anything on your pc or laptop by downloading from the link and burn to a disc. Change the bootup order to cd,insert the disc and it will run in memory installing nothing to your pc. At the options choose TRY,enter and when installed enjoy. To use the internet you will need your password for your router if you're wireless.
When done follow the instructions to close and remove the disc. Nothing has been added to your pc and nothing removed.

This is the easiest version of linux to start with, there are 100's more. You may be using a verrsion called android.

http://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop

If you run from disc it may seem slow as it has to fetch data from the disc each time. When installed it is fast. Look it up on google, youtube etc. Any questions just ask. David.

[clivvy]

Originally Posted by supergnome

You can try it without changing anything on your pc or laptop by downloading from the link and burn to a disc. Change the bootup order to cd,insert the disc and it will run in memory installing nothing to your pc. At the options choose TRY,enter and when installed enjoy. To use the internet you will need your password for your router if you're wireless.
When done follow the instructions to close and remove the disc. Nothing has been added to your pc and nothing removed.

This is the easiest version of linux to start with, there are 100's more. You may be using a verrsion called android.

http://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop

If you run from disc it may seem slow as it has to fetch data from the disc each time. When installed it is fast. Look it up on google, youtube etc. Any questions just ask. David.

I second this - have used it at work for some of our Linux machines and it works a treat - can even RDP from Linux into Windows and it works well. Very fast once installed, most things are sorted for you automatically such as networking, wireless, display etc (unlike in the old days of Linux). You juts have to remember that it isn't windows, and things are done differently, but essentially the basics are the same.

In fact....now we have started this conversation, I might go back to Linux myself and see how things have changed in the last year....

[trophymick]

Linux Mint is a good starter for Linux virgins.

And Zorin is very intuitive and windows like.

http://zorin-os.com/


ETA: Go for the free version of Zorin.

[supergnome]

Forgot to add if your pc is oldish use the 32bit desktop version.

[clivvy]

Originally Posted by trophymick

Linux Mint is a good starter for Linux virgins.

And Zorin is very intuitive and windows like.

http://zorin-os.com/


ETA: Go for the free version of Zorin.

well worth trying this one - ive used it a few times before and totally forgot about it, very good bit of software.

[darryl]

could i set up a partition on the hard drive and install there or would i need another hard drive
if im not going to run it from cd as said you could earlier

[clivvy]

Originally Posted by darryl

could i set up a partition on the hard drive and install there or would i need another hard drive
if im not going to run it from cd as said you could earlier

yes, though you need to be very careful, here is a good guide:

http://lifehacker.com/5403100/dual-b...erfect-harmony

[The Patrolman]

We have 8 windows in our house and they all work really well, apart from the one in the loft...
They are Brown if it makes any difference