Has anyone left Windows permanently?

Has anyone left Windows OS permanently? If so what did you switch to and why?

reply to post by TinFoilHatMan55


Yes, I switched to Linux after 15 painful years on Win 3 years ago. I use Slackware distribution because I'm quite conservative and I had previous experiences with distributions based on Slackware.

I moved to mac about 6 months ago, mainly for music production reasons, where it definitely seems to be more stable that on a windows machine.

Everything just seems so much more user friendly and easy to use.

I've got a computer repair shop in Central Florida.
I installed Linux for people that couldn't seem to stop getting viruses on their computers.

Some people....are just way to entrenched in Windows to switch to anything else. They want a magical program that will safeguard them against all malware. I usually get blamed for their infections if I have recently formatted & reinstalled Windows on their PC. Nevermind the fact that the first thing they did when they got it home was to spend all night cruising the seediest porn sites and THEN have the cojones to call me the next morning and tell me that I did not fix it properly, or that antivirus that I put on their computer wasn't working. Ahh...digression.....
Approximately 35 to 40% of the people switching from Windows to Linux like it enough to keep it. Other ones that believe the only way to surf the internet is with IE, and the the ONLY way to burn a CD is with Media Player want their Windows restored.
Granted, when I first got into the Linux scene...it took me a while to get accustomed to concepts such as "Package Manager" instead of just snatching something off of the web.
My wife is a die hard Mac fan. I do not touch her Mac. I don't have to. The thing about Macs is that most computer dudes (like me) have so little experience fixing them that they're foreign to us.
The common public can either use a Mac (which are expensive), use Linux (which has a learning curve to it), or learn to use Windows PROPERLY.
I analyzed over 2,500 computers in around 2 years and was asked probably about that many times "How do you stop getting viruses", and also "What antivirus program do you use".
The answer to the latter is - I don't. I don't even have a firewall enabled on my PC. My router has a firewall, set to medium.
I wrote a paper, printed out about 100 copies, and hand this out everytime I'm asked. I know that it is not all inclusive, but if someone follows the rules on it, the chances of a viral infection are greatly, greatly slimmed down.

10 Commandments of Virus-Free Computing

Common sense will keep your computer safer than any free or commercial product.

1. Don’t use file sharing applications. If I see Limewire, Bearshare, or Kazaa on a program list in a PC I can find malware approximately 100% of the time. There is simply no way to safely download with these programs because you can’t trust the source. If you DO use these programs, you WILL get infected.
2. Never open an email attachment if you don’t know what it is. Even if you know the person who sent the email beware of attachments. Many computers with infections will send out email to everyone on their address book without the owner ever being aware.
3. If you get pop-ups when opening a web page don’t click inside the pop-up to close it. Always click the red “x” in the upper right corner. The “cancel” or “close” button in the pop-up might have unintended effects.
4. If you get a message from your computer warning you that it is infected and you need to download suchandsuch software to remove the virus, don’t do it. At this point you are already infected, downloading the fake virus remover will only make it worse. No legit software ever uses this tactic.
5. Avoid free downloads unless you are absolutely sure you can trust the source. Often these freebies are packaged with a good deal of adware, so be careful. Screensavers, games, “smileys”, ringtones, and torrents are an excellent way to get infected. Even DEMO versions of some programs include Adware.
6. Avoid the adult oriented websites. These are quite frequently packed with adware that can infect your system without your knowledge.
7. Myspace / Facebook are the targets of hackers planting adware/malware/viruses. They do this because it’s popular, and rather easy to entice teens to click on the ads or play the games or videos on the site which can possibly infect your computer. MySpace WILL at some point in time lead to your computer getting infected.
8. Game Hacks, Cracks, Cheats / These are often loaded with Trojan Horses.
9. Avoid downloading commercial software (software that you would normally PAY for) for free. Usually these are pre-infected by whoever posted the files in the first place.
10. READ WHAT IS ON YOUR SCREEN BEFORE YOU CLICK! A great portion of adware/spyware is installed on the computer by the USER AGREEING TO IT! Avoid anything that mentions toolbars, search enhancers, smart shopping. ERR on the side of caution! If you aren’t sure, then DON’T DO IT.
But then again, I do have a family to feed – so…ignore this advice.

I remember Win '95 and '98 I had getting a lot of viruses. I became an expert at formatting and reinstalling lol. I have on my HP laptop Windows 7 and Linux. I did buy a Macbook Pro a few months ago, just because I never owned a Mac. It's nice but I doubt I'd keep spending to buy a new one every few years. Linux is free and I can install it on pretty much any laptop that I could buy, benefits being cheaper hardware. Macs are pricey. Cheapest laptop they have is $999 13.3 inch screen and you can get a Wintel one for half that.

Linux has gotten way easier to use. I played around with it when I was younger and in High School. Now installing it is a breeze and a lot of stuff out of the box. Even installing .deb packages downloading off the net you can easily have installed by opening it up in Ubuntu's software center and Kubuntu opens and installs them automatically.

reply to post by TinFoilHatMan55


i have been using different flavors of linux for the past few years for various server functionality ( like phone system , web server , database server etc..)

reply to post by TinFoilHatMan55


If you're gonna go for it, Ubuntu is probably the way to go.

www.ubuntu.com...

I can't switch full-time because I have to use certain programs that are Win/Mac only, and won't run under Wine, but I did set up a windoze/ubuntu dual-boot so I can use it whenever possible. I also installed it on my PS3, mostly just for kicks, but it turned out to work pretty well.


-TheAssoc.

Originally posted by sykickvision
1. Don’t use file sharing applications. If I see Limewire, Bearshare, or Kazaa on a program list in a PC I can find malware approximately 100% of the time. There is simply no way to safely download with these programs because you can’t trust the source. If you DO use these programs, you WILL get infected.

My own experience disagrees with that. The only people who get malware from file sharing are those who don't know what kind of things to look out for. In 12 years of computer use I've gotten one virus - AV Soft - that I removed manually myself within about 20 minutes. Then again the kind of people who usually have to send their computers out for repair usually don't know enough about them ^_^

I stopped using windows completely.
about 8-9 months ago.
Using only Ubuntu now and it's the best OS ive ever seen/used. lol

After a week of using Ubuntu , I decided it was time to kill windohs for good,
and my PC never ran better, not even when it was brand new, 7 years ago. :lol;

Ive also "killed" windows on many other peoples PC's, and switched them to Ubuntu..
many of them completely computer illiterate..
and they can use Ubuntu without any trouble at all, and they love it!
as do i. lol

Originally posted by TinFoilHatMan55
Has anyone left Windows OS permanently? If so what did you switch to and why?

Yes, more than a few years ago. I was running Windows 2000 Pro with a hacker style firewall and running JAP for a proxy server, but still was getting hacked. Seems I made a few people mad by posting some things I perhaps shouldn't have. Anyway, a friend gave me a copy of Ubuntu, which I installed, and the rest is history. I have been running Fedora since FC 5, yes, it is considered cutting edge, and not for the novice, but it runs quite well for me, and I have learned it's secrets. The absolute best thing about Linux is there is no "support line" to call. You must go to the proper forum and learn how to fix it yourself, which breeds in one responsibility and knowledge of their operating system. Some people are quite dumb when it comes to computers. I repair them, and two days ago a man brought in a Dell Dimension with a bad virus. I asked what OS he had on it, he said Windows 7. Actually he had Windows XP Pro with IE 7. As you can imagine, and I am sure all PC repairmen here can attest that 99% of PCs that come through the door are running Microsoft products. I have learned through the years how to harden a Windows computer, and I have yet to have one come back for a software problem, or a virus invasion. I use Zone Alarm Pro, Aivira Anti-Virus, SpyBot Search & Destroy, and set everything on high alert. Also in "Internet Options" I click on "Do not save encrypted pages to disk," and "Empty Temporary Internet Files folder when browser is closed." This dumps all the cookies, and believe me, I have seen drives that had over 3,0000 cookies on it. I once had one with a 160 Gb drive, and the drive was full of temp files. The PC was three years old.

Everyone with a car needs to learn how to fix it.
Everyone with a computer need to learn how to fix it.
Everyone needs to leave billionaire Bill Gates and use a free operating system, one that never gets a virus, and is difficult to hack.
distrowatch.com...
linuxtracker.org...

reply to post by TinFoilHatMan55


Not to piggy back on your thread OP...but....

Could anyone point me towards a website that can instruct me on how to switch from Windows to Linux?

I have a 6 year old computer that, threw hard use and abuse due to my ignorance the first first few years of having it, is on it's last leg.

Originally posted by iamsupermanv2
reply to post by TinFoilHatMan55

 

Not to piggy back on your thread OP...but....

Could anyone point me towards a website that can instruct me on how to switch from Windows to Linux?

I have a 6 year old computer that, threw hard use and abuse due to my ignorance the first first few years of having it, is on it's last leg.

Hey there,

at this moment, as you are runnning windows..
your PC may seem like it is on its last leg~
But Im pretty sure if you tried Ubuntu..
your PC would act like new again!

Seriously..
Ubuntu has saved at least 5 computers of people i know (including mine),
these PC's were just about ready for the trash, or so it seemed.
But now, with windows gone, and Ubuntu installed..
these old PC's run better than new machines running windows vista or windows 7.
No joke.

my main PC is almost 8 years old..
old dell dimension 2350..
2.2 GHz CPU with 1GB RAM.
and it runs better than any windows machine i know.

And, my mothers PC,
seemingly "died".. and nothing I did would recover it,..
I have fixed windows machines for years..
but could not get this one past the BSOD [blue screen of death]..

So, I stuck an Ubuntu CD,
it booted right up,
so i installed it...
and she has never been happier with her PC.
and it runs amazing.

Same for everyone else Ive installed it for.

First, Grab this~ ubuntu-manual.org...

then maybe~ www.wikihow.com...
and www.pcmech.com...

I was a complete Linux noob about 9 months ago,
but i had no problems whatsoever switching.

I think Ubuntu would be your best bet.
I think it is anyones best bet. lol

I think youll be floored when you see how fast your PC runs with a real OS on it..

You can also just run Ubuntu from the CD first, to test it out.
No need to install anything at first.

g'luck,
if you need any help, feel free to ask.

peace

reply to post by Ahmose


Awesome, thanks for the info.

I'll be doing this on my next day off.

I really hope you're right about reviving my computer, I could really use that money on other things.

reply to post by iamsupermanv2


If your specs will allow run Ubuntu as a live disk to see if its what you really want.The first time I used Ubuntu it was a live cd and loved it so I did a full install. I have a dual boot Ubuntu and windows 7 box i use windows for work and Ubuntu for every thing ells. Try looking at distrowatch for other flavors of linux and open BSD.

Linux Mint is also a good beginners distro. You might want to look into that too. Link to website.

Originally posted by iamsupermanv2
reply to post by Ahmose

 

Awesome, thanks for the info.

I'll be doing this on my next day off.

I really hope you're right about reviving my computer, I could really use that money on other things.

No problem.

I am pretty confident that you will actually like your computer again!
maybe even ?love? how it runs? lol

i hated my PC with a passion whnen it ran windows..
I really couldnt care less if it broke or died, or whatever...
It ran that crappy! lol

But now, I love to use this machine! lol

Its been like 9 months..
no virus software,
no slowing down to a crawl, no freezing, no intrusions,
nothing but awesomeness my friend.

After 9 months, and my PC still runs as amazing as it did when I installed Ubuntu on it!
I never knew computers could run soo well! lol

and I always (for some reason) had the thought that Ubuntu/Linux would be too "hard" to learn or switch to..
but, tht was old FUD,
and it was all but hard, even for my noob a$$. lol

I actually learned Ubuntu faster than I ever did windows.

Im happy you are thinking about making the switch mate.
I think you wont regret it.

Feel free to write anytime.
Ill help all i can.

Originally posted by iamsupermanv2
reply to post by TinFoilHatMan55

 

Not to piggy back on your thread OP...but....

Could anyone point me towards a website that can instruct me on how to switch from Windows to Linux?

I have a 6 year old computer that, threw hard use and abuse due to my ignorance the first first few years of having it, is on it's last leg.

No problem, here ya go:

How To: Switch From Windows to Linux

(Linux is Not Windows)

Learning Linux with Ubuntu

How to Learn to Use Linux

Remember...when you download a Linux Distro, (short for distribution) what you will have is an iso image. This has to be burned as an iso image, and not as a file. Once the image is burned, just start the computer on the CD drive. Some distros are "Live" in that they boot up to a live version, you can install from there, or, they install from the boot sequence of the computer. I use Fedora, the full DVD version. When I start on the DVD, it boots to an install dialog. If I boot on the live CD, I can test drive Fedora without installing it.

I've been using Linux since 1999. Redhat, Slackware, Debian, Ubuntu. I currently use Slackware, and Ubuntu. I've been on, and off with Windows depending on what my job required, but have pretty much totally been rid of Windows for the past 2 years.

I do a lot of IT support jobs... typically servers (not Windows servers'), so maintaining a valid Windows system isn't as important for me as it may be for other people. I get a few calls now and then where someone needs support on a Windows computer, and I have Windows installed through VirtualBox so I can be familiar enough with the system to use it, and answer any support calls.

My biggest reason for using Linux is the openness of the OS. What I mean is I can be pretty sure that all that is being installed is what I want, and there is nothing hidden invading my system... whether it be software purely coded for malicious intent by some kid, or software hidden in an install so a software vendor can pry into my system. Linux has really come along way from when I started using the system, and it is becoming a viable alternative. Is it good enough to win people over, and create a sudden movement away from windows? Probably not. There is a lot of polish and behind the scenes stuff Windows does that some distributions like Ubuntu are progressing towards but aren't there yet. Even without this "polish" can it be used as a viable system, and a complete alternative to Windows? Yes, in most cases.

Keep in mind just because there aren't many viruses infecting Linux systems does not mean it isn't possible. Exploits can be written for any OS, and a big part of keeping the system clean is user awareness.

Alright guys, I finally downloaded Ubuntu. My windows was constantly crashing so I dove straight in. My only problem as of right now is that I have no wireless card.

I'm trying to sift through info I'm finding, but it's quite confusing in all honesty.

Anyone willing to help walk me through this?

Nevermind guys, I don't know what I did, but I got it working!

I think it may have been me going back to windows, toggling my connection on and off and then went back.

Regardless I am now a proud Ubuntu user...and am liking it a lot

would all my current windows game work on linux?