Reinstall Windows, reformat, re partition hard drive

vio said:
Doesn't Linux and Unix use word commands to get around and is not a graphic interface? that's what i'm scared of. having to memorize all that directory changing commands and stuffs.. make a short vid of u using Linux so i can see how it works. :)
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Let me elaborate a bit more. Linux has grown up since the old days, a lot. If you're doing geeky stuff like programming or configuring mail servers then yes, you will spend time at the command prompt. But for web browsing, mail, word processing etc. it's all graphical and a lot like windows.

If you download Mint and put it on a DVD or USD stick, you can boot it live and try it out without touching your hard drive. If you want help with that let me know.
 
rodr said:
Let me elaborate a bit more. Linux has grown up since the old days, a lot. If you're doing geeky stuff like programming or configuring mail servers then yes, you will spend time at the command prompt. But for web browsing, mail, word processing etc. it's all graphical and a lot like windows.
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there are likey to be driver issues with a 10+ year old computer (linux compatibility is notoriously bad with certain wifi and video chipsets; not so much linux's fault but the closed/proprietary nature of the chipsets).

i installed ubuntu on a chromebook - took 2 weeks to get it working properly. had to setup new key bindings, add swap disk, suspend wasn't working, setup user accounts properly, audio isn't switching properly when transitioning from laptop display to hdmi display. that's not even including the work involved to find replacements for os-x and windows software.
here's a long but incomplete list of crap that needed to be tweaked to get linux running on an acer c720: http://www.reddit.com/r/chrubuntu/comments/1rsxkd/list_of_fixes_for_xubuntu_1310_on_the_acer_c720/

and this was one of the easiest laptops i've installed linux on.

i've been using linux at home and at work since the 1990s (slackware on a i386 with 4MB, not 4GB of ram). i've always love linux, but i would not recommend it to someone who wants a working system with minimal effort.

for the casual user that doesn't want to spend weeks tracking down tons of minor but annoying issues, linux only really makes senses if it comes pre-installed and the desktop/laptop vendor has already worked out all the kinks so that it runs well out of the box.
 
mike23w said:
there are likey to be driver issues with a 10+ year old computer (linux compatibility is notoriously bad with certain wifi and video chipsets; not so much linux's fault but the closed/proprietary nature of the chipsets).
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My experience (almost 20 years with Linux) is that older computers are well supported because the developers have had time to figure out their quirks.

Your Chromebook experience sounds like quite the adventure. Thanks for the linked article. I've installed Ubuntu 12.04 on one Asus laptop and Mint 17 on another recently, and everything worked out of the box.
 
Burning1 said:
I've been using 7 for a while. It's a big improvement over XP. My wife is on 8. We're not sold on that yet, but it works on her tablet well enough.
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I recently bought a laptop with windows 8 and once I got it upgraded to 8.1, I don't mind it at all. I find myself spending most of my time on the standard desktop, and it works just like 7 but with more refinement. I even prefer the start screen to three old start menu, as it's more easily configurable for the software I use all the time, and searching for the software I use infrequently is easily accomplished.

I just wish the full screen "metro" apps from the windows store was less of a junk show. There's a lot of wasted potential there.
 
That computer is really old and you may just want to think about upgrading to a new machine. Dell has some really awesome deals for baseline computers and that should do everything you need it to do.

I know rodr suggested Linux but in all honestly you don't seem like the computer type and a new operating system is just going to get you frustrated and lost which will imo kill any want to use the machine.

I truly believe the best option for you is to buy a bottom of the barrel Dell on the cheap and get the 3 year warranty. If anything goes wrong hardware or software wise on the system under the warranty then Dell will help you.

Hey does anyone remember having to change the himem.sys setting in Windows to play video games? Those were the days! Go 386 go!
 
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