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[Scottiesmum]

HELP  ....  I have Windows XP3 and as everyone, I imagine, knows that the support is being pulled on the 8th April, I'm in a quandary about what to do.   A new computer is out of the question at the moment.....   I'm awaiting developments through my brother in the UK,  but in the meantime I want to feel secure .    I do not use Internet Explorer at all. I use Fire -fox and Opera depending upon which one is behaving  !  In this case is it necessary, for security reasons, to change the OS ?
I have no intention of using Windows 8 and not keen on Windows 7.   OR, because I don't use IE is the necessity less  ?  I have already replaced Microsoft Essentials, which to me was a pity because I have found it to be perfect for me, but because MS are withdrawing updates for that I felt that changing to another AV was a priority.

I have been reading about Linux in various articles and have had a look at the very comprehensive details that Eric has posted on here. I have to admit that I don't relish the idea, and  wonder, if I did decided (depending on advice) to 'go for'  Linux would I be better getting a CD (as mentioned  in Tutorial one by Eric).  In this event, which Linux version would be most suitable (most simple  ) ) for me  ?   I have read that Linux Mint 13 LTS Mate would be a good replacement for older XP systems ... although looking at Eric's link , it appears that this may have been superseded; because I am completely in the dark with this -I've no idea if that makes sense or not !!

IF I don't need to change I'd rather not.  I know there are a few people on here who praise Linux, but in my current circumstances I can do without hassle.  However, I don't want the hassle of my Windows system going 'belly up' due to end of support from MS.   It's not a case of doing it for doing  sake -  more,  needs must.

I would appreciate  the Linux users unbiased advice please, and thank you in anticipation. 

[Blackeagle]

Linux is probably not the scary operating system you think it is !!  It's no more difficult to install than Windows, and apart from menu bars and icons looking different, I think these days the user experience is virtually the same, if you want it to be.

That said, there is no reason to swap from XP simply because Microsoft have dropped support for it.  As long as you have a decent A/V scanner and updates to it's definitions are still forthcoming then your system should be reasonably secure. It's unlikely any 'belly up' issues will arise, although common sense tells me it will be more of a target for hackers when MS stop patching. As long as your antivirus is up to date then you shouldn't be any worse off than now.

If you want to try out Linux without affecting anything, then you could download a 'live cd'.  Booting from that will let you experience Linux without actually making any changes to your PC.  If I were to suggest a Linux version, I think in your case it would be Zorin-OS, but I really wouldn't worry too much about the dropped support.   

There, I have tried to be as unbiased as possible, in spite of the fact that none of the kit in my house runs Windows anymore (nor will it ever again!!) and my personal preference for Linux would be Ubuntu.  That might be too big a change though which is why I suggest Zorin.

[broadstairs]

I would suggest for the short term that you dont panic. If you have a good AV package installed and are very careful about opening Word documents or spreadsheets you may be sent, then at least for a while you should be fine. Keep Firefox and Opera up to date and make sure you update your AV regularly. I suspect you will be fine.

Now for Linux you can get versions which you can download and burn to a DVD which are called Live Versions, that is you can boot your PC from the DVD once created and try out various Linux editions without having to do anything with XP, it will still be there on your hard disk when you remove the DVD and power up or reboot as normal. That way you can see how well (or otherwise) you get on with Linux. As and XP user I would suggest you find a Linux version which uses a desktop called KDE (the other major desktop used by Linux is Gnome but there are quite a few). KDE looks very much like Windows XP in that you have a start Icon at the bottom left of the desktop screen which you use to access all the programs. Not sure which ones come with Firefox though as standard and most dont have Opera.

The other thing I would say is dont discount Windows 7 - its not that bad.... I still use it very occasionally for a couple of things which I cant currently do in Linux.

Stuart

[roseway]

The articles which I wrote on the subject are a few years old now, and although the principles remain much the same, the details are a lot different. Mint 13 is certainly a bit long in the tooth now - it's currently at version 16.

I can understand that you don't want hassle, and there's no certainty that you won't get hassle with Linux. What you could do is get a live CD (or DVD) version of one of the popular distributions. This would enable you to play with its features, go on the internet, etc, without writing anything to your hard disk. (A Live CD boots directly to a working system without installing anything). A good one to try would be Mint 16 KDE (because the KDE desktop is very similar in appearance and function to Windows XP).

If you fancy trying that, we can guide you through the necessary steps to get it running.

[MartinGoose]

A good one to try would be Mint 16 KDE (because the KDE desktop is very similar in appearance and function to Windows XP).

I agree that KDE is a good choice if leaving WinXP, although my preference is for PCLinuxOS which I have been using since 2007.

[Scottiesmum]

Thank you ALL so much.  That has given me lots ot think about and look at.  I shall report back once I've progressed.
   Kate

[Scottiesmum]

Hello again ...Well I quite fancy having a look at the Mint 16 KDE version, and I have downloaded it ready to burn to a CD.  I see that the download size is 1.3 GB and my CD-R is only 700 MB      So I'm stuck at the first hurdle.   DO I simply buy CD with a bigger capacity or is there some magic way to squeeze it all in ?    I have the download safe and sound and shan't do another thing until I hear from someone here.  Many thanks.      Kate

[MartinGoose]

I see that the download size is 1.3 GB and my CD-R is only 700 MB

That is sized for a DVD or 2GB+ thumb drive.

PCLinuxOS has a mini-me version that fits on a CD. This gets you installed and you then add your choice of software from the repository.

I don't know whether Mint offers something similar.

[roseway]

Your CD/DVD writer should be able to write DVDs. You need to buy some DVD-R discs and write the .iso file to one of those. When you write the file, you must write it as an ISO image, not just copy it as a plain file. Depending on what software you're using to write the disc, this should be one of the options offered.

[Scottiesmum]

Thank you both.

Eric, I spotted some DVD -R discs on our shelves     but then saw they had some good films on them     ( I didn't know that the CD writer would do that  !!  I hope it does  )
 .....  I'll get some tomorrow and then  'have a go ' following your instructions carefully - and no doubt I'll be asking for further instructions  Many thanks  ...

 

[Ronski]

If it's just a CD writer then it won't, but if it plays DVD's and writes then it will be a DVD writer to. Check on the front of your drive and see what it says.

[Scottiesmum]

Ah !    It just says 'Compact Disc Rewritable' .   I have just tried to play a DVD and nothing happens     ....  I think I'm on a non starter with that one.
Is there a way around it as per MartinGoose's post ? 

For now, bonne nuit !

[MartinGoose]

Is there a way around it as per MartinGoose's post ? 

You can create a bootable USB thumb drive with unetbootin
http://unetbootin.sourceforge.net/

I use the linux version but there is a windows version.

The potential problem is getting the PC to boot a thumb drive. If it is so old that it does not have a DVD rewriter then the BIOS may not support booting a USB thumb drive.

Either get a friend to create a bootable DVD for you or start small with PCLinuxOS MiniMe
<http://www.pclinuxos.com/get-pclinuxos/kde/>
After the initial installation you just install the additional software you want from the repository.

Try the 64 bit version first and if it complains that your CPU is only 32 bit then try again with the 32 bit version.

[burakkucat]

At the moment, Martin, we don't want S*mum to actually install any version of a Linux kernel based OS on her system but just to try it out and see if it is something that she could use . . .

Hence the recommendation to use either a LiveCD or a LiveDVD. 

[Scottiesmum]

Thank you all the same Martin, but B*Cat is quite correct.

Thank you B*Cat -   is it possible to buy a Live CD  ?    ( I know I am probably revealing how very little I understand all this  )     If I can send for one I'm more than happy to do that ....       If it's going to be over complicated I really can't cope with that and will continue with my XP; I keep my security up to date and for what I use the PC for is not as important as if it was for work. Stuart mentioned spreadsheets and word docs. I don't use spreadsheets or receive them ... and the amount of Word docs I receive are minimal and I can check those before opening.   I'm really only  tootling about on it, using the radio, shopping  !!! coming on here, reading newspapers,  and of course  emails.   

I will be backing up a lot of my stuff onto an external hard drive, which I do every so often anyway.   I also have a back-up with my Chrome-book .....so for the time being I wouldn't be cut off from the world    but if I can 'try out' this Live CD, I would like to.