So, one of my PC's has been acting up lately. Failure to boot every now and then, very slow, no apparent virus infestation.
Finally it would only boot up into Windows' diagnostic screen, which let me run a disk diagnostic that indicated hard disk problems. (Maybe. I could be remembering this wrong.)
So I tried donig a system restore, which appeared to work but refused to boot.
So I tried a clean install from the super-special Windows installation partition (or something) on the hard disk. That appeared to work but also refused to boot.
So I made a live CD of Ubuntu Linux 9.10 and tried it out. It also indicated there were hard disk problems. I did the install anyway, but it refused to boot.
So I went to Fry's and got a 500 GB Toshiba hard disk for $59.95 and installed it in the computer.
Then I installed the Ubuntu Linux again. It's about as easy to use as Windows, and even my kids can use it with no help.
Networking works, Firefox works, playing music and videos works (after downloading a few codecs).
It's amazingly simple, particularly since it sees my Windows network and the two Vista machines on it, and can access shared Windows files, mostly music and videos, but also my model rocketry folder where I keep all of my, er, model rocketry stuff on an external USB hard disk on one of the Vista machines.
Finally it would only boot up into Windows' diagnostic screen, which let me run a disk diagnostic that indicated hard disk problems. (Maybe. I could be remembering this wrong.)
So I tried donig a system restore, which appeared to work but refused to boot.
So I tried a clean install from the super-special Windows installation partition (or something) on the hard disk. That appeared to work but also refused to boot.
So I made a live CD of Ubuntu Linux 9.10 and tried it out. It also indicated there were hard disk problems. I did the install anyway, but it refused to boot.
So I went to Fry's and got a 500 GB Toshiba hard disk for $59.95 and installed it in the computer.
Then I installed the Ubuntu Linux again. It's about as easy to use as Windows, and even my kids can use it with no help.
Networking works, Firefox works, playing music and videos works (after downloading a few codecs).
It's amazingly simple, particularly since it sees my Windows network and the two Vista machines on it, and can access shared Windows files, mostly music and videos, but also my model rocketry folder where I keep all of my, er, model rocketry stuff on an external USB hard disk on one of the Vista machines.
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