When my version of Windows XP Home started acting up... as in taking way too long to boot (about 1 min) and lack-luster performance... I backed everything up (burning compressed files to five... 5!!! CDrs) and decided to give a flavor of Linux a whirl. I am currently running Ubuntu. It comes prepackaged with Gnome (GNU Object Model Environment - basically the menus and visuals of your computer) which allows you to fully customize your desktop from the aesthetics to the functionallity.
After I got my wireless card working, which-by the way was probably the hardest thing to do; however, once I figured out what I was doing wrong (a stupid mistake...) it was actually quite easy which means that everything else was even easier- I installed the other graphics manager KDE. Both are awesome and work very well, but I think I like gnome better.
And from my 3 days of experience, I would have to say I am VERY pleased with the performance and the ease of use. Applications that I used in Windows start up and even run faster in Linux.
Pretty much every application that you use in windows (except iTunes) has been made avaliable or re-created for Linux. You can use a free and very similar version to the Microsoft Office suite (it can even open and save into the M$ format), OpenOffice.
However, I would have to admit that I partitioned my hard drive to have one for Linux and one for Windows so that I could still play my favorite games and so I can create those AWESOME videos on my site... LOL!!! My video editor that I use only comes for Windows unless I try using Wine which emulates Windows programs.
Has anyone else here tried a version of Linux? If not, I would recommend it to any computer enthusiast who want a faster and more appleasing experience. I know I'm sticking with it!
Oh yeah, concerning the title of this thread, what OS (operating system and it version -ex: Windows XP, 2K....) do you run?
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Ubuntu (Gnome/KDE - Kernel 2.6.10)
Windows XP Home
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What OS do you run?
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bmxmomof2racers
- Wyoming Correspondent
- Posts: 63
- Joined: Tue Mar 29, 2005 3:27 pm
- Location: Gillette, WY
Travis, my windows XP Professional has just recently started acting up too. It was right after I renewed my Norton Antivirus. I've had nothing but problems with my computer. Since I know nothing, and I mean nothing about computers I was thinking of calling someone in to take a look at my computer. I work from home on my computer all day long and have had to resort to shutting my computer down several times a day because it either locks up or slows down so much it can take as much as 5 minutes to switch from differents screens. Someone told me that Norton has had some issues with Microsoft outlook too. Have you heard of anything like this?
Toni
Toni
Toni: was your computer "fast" when you first got it? You either A: have an older/slow computer (if so either buy a new one or getting some RAM might help) or B: you may have a virus. Personally I wouldn't use Norton as it bogs the computer down WAY too much and I have heard from others that it really doesn't find viruses on a computer. I would recommend using AVG, click here for free version. It's light weight and it even caught a virus that my browser had acquired!!!
To get your computer running faster, first I would make sure you have all the upgrades and patches from Microsoft (get there by going Start>All Programs>Update Windows . Then, download that virus scanner/destroyer afore mentioned and see if it catches a virus running on your computer. If not, If that doesn't solve the problem your going to have to take the long road of reinstalling the Windows operating system on your computer. Before you do that, make sure you back up all of the files that you want to keep (scan them too, just to be safe).
Might I ask you something? When you are using Windows, are you surfing the web and doing all of your daily stuff on a "limited account"? In other words, do you have a username/password when you start up and do you have limited access to some features in Windows? The biggest problem with people who use Windows is that they are running off a "Administrator" account. When you do this, it makes it easier for viruses/hackers/spyware/etc to basically take over your computer and do whatever the heck they want with it because you are running in what some might call the "root" level on the computer. This would be a word of the wise to everyone, "DO NOT USE WINDOWS WITH A ADMINISTRATOR ACCOUNT FOR DAILY USE, UNLESS YOU WANT VIRUSES/HACKERS/SPYWARE!!!" Now you won't be completely immune, but by being in a limited account it makes it tougher for these things to happen.
So for you: either: A) ReInstall Wndows (find someone who knows what they are doing and make sure to back up your files) B) Get AVG free and make sure you have all the updates from M$ C) Purchase a new computer or D) Put Linux on it... (hehe!!!) <-- That would of course depend on if you use a program for your work that only runs on Windows, but there are ways around this in Linux!
To get your computer running faster, first I would make sure you have all the upgrades and patches from Microsoft (get there by going Start>All Programs>Update Windows . Then, download that virus scanner/destroyer afore mentioned and see if it catches a virus running on your computer. If not, If that doesn't solve the problem your going to have to take the long road of reinstalling the Windows operating system on your computer. Before you do that, make sure you back up all of the files that you want to keep (scan them too, just to be safe).
Might I ask you something? When you are using Windows, are you surfing the web and doing all of your daily stuff on a "limited account"? In other words, do you have a username/password when you start up and do you have limited access to some features in Windows? The biggest problem with people who use Windows is that they are running off a "Administrator" account. When you do this, it makes it easier for viruses/hackers/spyware/etc to basically take over your computer and do whatever the heck they want with it because you are running in what some might call the "root" level on the computer. This would be a word of the wise to everyone, "DO NOT USE WINDOWS WITH A ADMINISTRATOR ACCOUNT FOR DAILY USE, UNLESS YOU WANT VIRUSES/HACKERS/SPYWARE!!!" Now you won't be completely immune, but by being in a limited account it makes it tougher for these things to happen.
So for you: either: A) ReInstall Wndows (find someone who knows what they are doing and make sure to back up your files) B) Get AVG free and make sure you have all the updates from M$ C) Purchase a new computer or D) Put Linux on it... (hehe!!!) <-- That would of course depend on if you use a program for your work that only runs on Windows, but there are ways around this in Linux!
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bmxmomof2racers
- Wyoming Correspondent
- Posts: 63
- Joined: Tue Mar 29, 2005 3:27 pm
- Location: Gillette, WY
Travis, my computer is only 1 year old and was very fast when I first got it. I am running under an administrator account so that information was very helpful. You are also the second person who has mentioned the AVG virus protection so I will now be checking into that. It sounds like I need to get someone over here that knows a little something about computers to help me back up all of my information and get out of the administrator role. I do a lot of internet surfing during the day and work with information from the web. I'm also sending lots of emails since most of the people I work with work from their homes in others cities and states so my outlook is my key to the outside world. Thanks for all the helpful information. I will let you know how it goes.
Toni
Toni
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Curtis Newkirk
- Photog Extraordinaire
- Posts: 821
- Joined: Wed Jul 14, 2004 1:02 am
- Location: Riehen, Switzerland
- Contact:
Okay, I have been in a quandary deciding if I was going to reply on this topic. See, I manage a team who develops some pretty cool federal web apps running on open source software (SuSE Linux/Jboss this month). I do have a few PC's loaded with Linux and I will say that for Travis I think it is great that he is getting familiar with it. There is a future there, but for the most part, any flavor of Linux is still a technical persons toy and not really designed for business use.
There are lots of aps that either just don't run on Linux, or if they do, they run poorly. In the business world it is almost impossible to escape Microsoft. On a daily basis I use Office, Visio, and MS Project. While there are reaplacements for office (StarOffice & Open Office), and for the most part they do okay, they just don't fly in todays business world. This may change some day, but its not this day.
See, the problem is that Linux is a kluge. It is basically an ad-hoc patchwork of different services running on a somewhat common kernel derived from a twist on UNIX. Does it work, yes, but frankly the Apple OSX is a much better developed OS based on a more stable UNIX kernel. If I was to replace my PC it would definitely be a Mac. Matter of fact, I drool over Macs. About two years ago I toured the One Infinity Drive Apple HQ and frankly that company rocks. I was building the IT infrastructure for the University Ortho Center at the U at the time and some of the docs really pushed Macs. But there was the age old problem of not being able to run Windows Aps (at least well) in a Windows world.
Apple paid a pretty penny to take us out there and give us the special tour, but sadly we ended up buying...nothing.
So for now, most of us are held hostage by Microsoft. Its just the reality and if you can't beat 'em, join 'em.
On the other side of the coin, from a server perspective, my team has built a pretty impressive architecture on the SuSe platform. It works well and is stable. We get no attacks, but that is because of the way we have structured our Web, Application, and Oracle servers with appropriate firewalls and DMZ's.
Now to Toni! Trav gives some great advice, but I would like to add to it. See, I run in Admin mode (root level), have no antivirus software, and have never had a virus or an attack. How? I sit behind a pretty tight firwall runing NAT. Most ISP supplied routers these days run NAT as the default. This basically works as a forwarding post office with your IP address so the outside world cannot see your PC. I also NEVER open an attachment unless I can verify who it is from. AND NEVER use a preview pane in any email program. I only open email from those I know and trust and limit my surfing to sites I know and trust. I do run anti-spyware and AdAware, but I use them only in manual mode and not running in the background. This setup may be too risky for the average user though so don't follow my advice unless you know what you are doing.
One of the things that kills speed is background services such as antivirus software, anti-spyware, and all of those little icons you see in your system tray. Also, loading software (and even uninstalling it) also builds your registry and slows the boot process. In many ways, older PC's can run just fine if people just back up and do a CLEAN reinstall of Windows. If nothing else, this just clears the registry and limits the TSR's (background stuff) to the Windows default. You have to watch those too now days. A lot of the Microsoft Security Suite (?) is pretty resource intensive so I turn most of that stuff off,.
Now, I know most users should not run as 'open' as I do so here is my suggestion: have a computer guy come over and backup then do a clean install. Go ahead and load a basic AV software like AVG and the MS Security Suite. Then, like T said, start a non-admin user account. You will have to switch back to admin to install your apps again, but start logging on outside of the root level. Make sure you are also running NAT on your firewall. You should be set!
There are lots of aps that either just don't run on Linux, or if they do, they run poorly. In the business world it is almost impossible to escape Microsoft. On a daily basis I use Office, Visio, and MS Project. While there are reaplacements for office (StarOffice & Open Office), and for the most part they do okay, they just don't fly in todays business world. This may change some day, but its not this day.
See, the problem is that Linux is a kluge. It is basically an ad-hoc patchwork of different services running on a somewhat common kernel derived from a twist on UNIX. Does it work, yes, but frankly the Apple OSX is a much better developed OS based on a more stable UNIX kernel. If I was to replace my PC it would definitely be a Mac. Matter of fact, I drool over Macs. About two years ago I toured the One Infinity Drive Apple HQ and frankly that company rocks. I was building the IT infrastructure for the University Ortho Center at the U at the time and some of the docs really pushed Macs. But there was the age old problem of not being able to run Windows Aps (at least well) in a Windows world.
Apple paid a pretty penny to take us out there and give us the special tour, but sadly we ended up buying...nothing.
So for now, most of us are held hostage by Microsoft. Its just the reality and if you can't beat 'em, join 'em.
On the other side of the coin, from a server perspective, my team has built a pretty impressive architecture on the SuSe platform. It works well and is stable. We get no attacks, but that is because of the way we have structured our Web, Application, and Oracle servers with appropriate firewalls and DMZ's.
Now to Toni! Trav gives some great advice, but I would like to add to it. See, I run in Admin mode (root level), have no antivirus software, and have never had a virus or an attack. How? I sit behind a pretty tight firwall runing NAT. Most ISP supplied routers these days run NAT as the default. This basically works as a forwarding post office with your IP address so the outside world cannot see your PC. I also NEVER open an attachment unless I can verify who it is from. AND NEVER use a preview pane in any email program. I only open email from those I know and trust and limit my surfing to sites I know and trust. I do run anti-spyware and AdAware, but I use them only in manual mode and not running in the background. This setup may be too risky for the average user though so don't follow my advice unless you know what you are doing.
One of the things that kills speed is background services such as antivirus software, anti-spyware, and all of those little icons you see in your system tray. Also, loading software (and even uninstalling it) also builds your registry and slows the boot process. In many ways, older PC's can run just fine if people just back up and do a CLEAN reinstall of Windows. If nothing else, this just clears the registry and limits the TSR's (background stuff) to the Windows default. You have to watch those too now days. A lot of the Microsoft Security Suite (?) is pretty resource intensive so I turn most of that stuff off,.
Now, I know most users should not run as 'open' as I do so here is my suggestion: have a computer guy come over and backup then do a clean install. Go ahead and load a basic AV software like AVG and the MS Security Suite. Then, like T said, start a non-admin user account. You will have to switch back to admin to install your apps again, but start logging on outside of the root level. Make sure you are also running NAT on your firewall. You should be set!
~Curtis
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