I want to replace windows....

waynesurvey

...but not sure what to replace it with.

I'm sick of windows, and I seem to have a virus that won't go away despite wiping the hard drive and re-installing XP.

Is there any way to run Mac OSX on the computer, or is the chip set up to only allow windows products? I wouldn't mind trying Linux or Unix, as they seem to be visually easier to work with than ever before. My only issue really is that we have Photoshop (legit version) which I think will only run on XP, and I don't want to have to fork out for a different version of it.

All other software I want to use should be fine on Linux (I'm using OpenOffice and Mozilla on the XP anway, prefer them to the MS products).

Are there any issues with say printer drivers and the like? Are Linux versions available so that I can still use my peripherals?

Is there any consensus on what the best replacement for XP is? Based on the fact that I'm not interested in programming, it's the most end-user-friendly OS that I'm after.

Thanks.

Karoma

Is there any way to run Mac OSX on the computer...

Short answer: maybe. This would violate the Apple's T&C & it's hardware-specific and will most likely involve more hacking that you would like (Google 'hackintosh').

My only issue really is that we have Photoshop (legit version) which I think will only run on XP, and I don't want to have to fork out for a different version of it.

Wine will probably let you run it. See WINE's app. database for more details.
Failing that, you can (relatively) easily install VirtualBox and install Windows in that - so that you're running a copy of Windows under Linux... cross that road if it comes to it.

Are there any issues with say printer drivers and the like? Are Linux versions available so that I can still use my peripherals?

If all you want is basic 'get stuff from computer on to page' - very little issue. Take a note of the make&model of the printers you'll use and do some web searches to be sure.

Is there any consensus on what the best replacement for XP is? Based on the fact that I'm not interested in programming, it's the most end-user-friendly OS that I'm after.

Short answer: No, not really. I think an awful lot of people would agree that in terms of default UI, app. selection, software installation, driver supply, and user support: Ubuntu is a good option. It's free, give it a shot and if you don't like it: try SuSe or any of the others...

loldog

waynesurvey wrote: »

My only issue really is that we have Photoshop (legit version) which I think will only run on XP, and I don't want to have to fork out for a different version of it.

There's an image processing package called Gimp that you can use on Linux. It depends on how advanced the Photoshop stuff you do is? Gimp can do most of what Photoshop does, but for professionals, Photoshop would still be necessary.

waynesurvey wrote: »

Are there any issues with say printer drivers and the like? Are Linux versions available so that I can still use my peripherals?

Yes, drivers are always an issue. It all depends on the make and model of printer, there may be drivers available for Linux, or there may not be.

waynesurvey wrote: »

Is there any consensus on what the best replacement for XP is?

Lets look at it another way... how much RAM have you got? Give Ubuntu a go, for starters. Load up Live CD or Live USB session, that will give you a good idea of what to expect.

.

trompele

My only issue really is that we have Photoshop (legit version) which I think will only run on XP, and I don't want to have to fork out for a different version of it.

Try crossover for either mac or linux
http://www.codeweavers.com/products/cxlinux/

Eliot Rosewater

The "best distro for a newbie" is a long thread about what is, self evidently, the best distribution or version of Linux for someone who hasnt used it before.

I use Ubuntu myself. It works completely fine with my HP all-in-one printer and scanner (although I recall hearing the HP are the special case when it comes to Linux compatibility...) It comes with Open Office and Firefox. Once you install Ubuntu you would just want to install codecs to play video and music, then you'd be about set really. Well, once you change the awful looking default desktop

Linux distros are usually free, so theres no problem with trying it out first to see if you like it, and installing it fully if you do. (Ive 4 distros installed on my PC )

The *nix forum here on Boards is commendable. No matter how simple your question is someone will be willing to answer it. If your having trouble, or want someone to elaborate on something, just say. You could post up any problems on this thread (and we will consider you posting from a fully installed *nix OS the end goal!).

Johnboy1951

For an XP user trying out Linux I recommend PCLinuxOS.

It will run live from a CD or USB flash stick without touching your HDD. You can then check out if you like it and if it suits you before committing to installing it. You can also check if all your hardware is supported too.

www.pclinuxos.com

Help and advise is available from the forum
http://www.pclinuxos.com/forum

The various options are listed here
http://pclinuxos.com/?page_id=10

but I would recommend the KDE full release
http://pclinuxos.com/?page_id=180

I would suggest you take time over your decision and try a few different distros to see which suits you best, before installing any of them.
Others I suggest you look at would be
Mint
Mepis

Good luck with your research.

regards.

BopNiblets

+1 for Mint
Latest one based off Ubuntu Karmic is excellent and I think it would be a little more familiar than Ubuntu coming from windows, just for the menu system/taskbars.
http://www.linuxmint.com/rel_helena_whatsnew.php

HashSlinging

I've done a dual boot on my Laptop with ubuntu, but the thing is I like it so much I'd like to kill the windows partition and boot straight into ubuntu but without loosing my doc's etc I'm running low on disk space also so it makes sense now.

What I'd like to do is make an image backup of my XP install and copy that over to a shared folder as an iso, I've vmware installed on my main PC.

Is it possible to do this ? without messing the whole install up.

duffman85

HashSlinging wrote: »

I've done a dual boot on my Laptop with ubuntu, but the thing is I like it so much I'd like to kill the windows partition and boot straight into ubuntu but without loosing my doc's etc I'm running low on disk space also so it makes sense now.

What I'd like to do is make an image backup of my XP install and copy that over to a shared folder as an iso, I've vmware installed on my main PC.

Is it possible to do this ? without messing the whole install up.

VMWare Converter is what you wanthttp://www.vmware.com/products/converter/

It will convert a physical machine to a virtual one that can be run in VMWare.

I would still backup all your files from the windows partition anyway, just in case.

There could be an issue with licensing if Windows was installed by the manufacturer as they usually tie the license to that specific machine.

But I might be overthinking it.

you can also use the dd command in a terminal to create an image of the partition. Type:

man dd

to see how to use it.