Topic: !!!FILE MAYHEM!!!

[-<WillyP>-]

A virus is software, and just like any software it needs a compatible operating system. Windows machines have more viruses because more viruses are written for windows.
And the reason for that is because there are far more Windows machines than there are Mac or Linux. So, to hit the most number of machines attackers go for the biggest target. Just like a terrorist would likely target NYC, not some little town in Montana.
Also I think Linux users tend to be more computer savvy, and therefore less likely to make the mistakes that run of the mill Windoze Sheeple would make, like opening attachments or downloading and running any random software they find.

[VANGUARD]

I think it was 9/11 when they did evacuate the Mall of America. Which can make sense, because it's the Mall of America. But it was funny to hear they evacuated small malls like Ridgedale.
If you don't know the Minneapolis Minnesota area, just imagine any mall.

Alieo: I don't blame you for wanting to be rid of Windows. My girl friend is thinking of using my laptop which has Mandriva 2009.1 on it.
I stopped using Windows myself, and find the iMac pretty nice overall.
Anything can get hit with viruses. The odds are obviously, as WillyP pointed out, greater on Windows, and slim on Linux or Mac.
No operating system is perfect.

Linux does have a feature where you can dual boot with Windows. I think, and maybe it's with some VM something or whatever, Linux can run on Macs.

But if you want to perform a clean sweep on Windows, you can have linux or mac take up your entire PC with no Windows in sight 

[Alieo]

Wait a minute, I can have MAC on my hard drive too? I thought it needs to be a different kind of file format to accept MAC? Or does Windows 7 allow the hard drives to "swing both ways" so to speak?

Also, when it comes time for conversion, should I (and I probably know the answer to this, kinda feel stupid for asking) but do I need to transfer all documents that are to be desired to be saved into an external hard drive first and THEN do the transfer? I would think they wouldn't survive as I would want to do a full hard drive conversion, no partitioning.

But before I do anything, I should probably at least obtain the necessary install files of the Linux based programs from my "Linux Essentials" list from a few posts back.

I wonder why MAC and Linux systems don't get hit with virus as often as Windows systems. Are they harder to hack? [EDIT: WillyP Said "A virus is software, and just like any software it needs a compatible operating system. Windows machines have more viruses because more viruses are written for windows." OKAY! I overlooked that! Makes sense now!]

@Vanguard: What made you want to switch from Linux to MAC? Or am I misunderstanding you and you are actually using a MAC computer to operate Linux?

[VANGUARD]

you can tell I am bored, because I am replying like...right away

I'll try not to make this tooooo long.

First of all, what I know. Windows, linux and mac can be on a system all by themselves. a no brainer. everyone knows that.
What I have done in the past is use Windows and Linux on one machine, called a dual boot.
According to Mandriva Linux, some have purchased an iMac (so we're talking the hardware, monitor, etc is from Apple) and using Linux on it as well.

here is the forum where people post about it:

http://forum.mandriva.com/en/viewforum.php?f=8

So, a typical Windows based computer can have Windows and/or Linux on it. An iMac based computer, I guess can have Linux on it, may be one of those VM things or whatever.
An iMac operating system, from what I understand can NOT be installed on a windows based OS. but the way technology is, it may be possible, but I don't think so, last I checked, which was late last year.

-----

onto other section: I use to own Windows. my dad got me started on a Mandrake Linux system, 8.1 or 8.2, can never remember, but it doesn't matter.
I fell in love with it QUICKLY. I later wanted to try an iMac, or macintosh, whatever they were called then. only problem, it costs $$$, unlike Linux where it can either be free or if you get a DVD/powerpack (as mandriva calls it), it may be some money, but still less than Windows and far less than the iMacs.

I kept Linux, tossed out Windows. Overall, Linux can do 99% of what I wanted it to do, but not everything and I don't want Windows. So one day, after having no internet connection on my latop for a few months, I bought an iMac so I can do more. have more options of buying whatever, or viewing stuff and knowing I have a better chance of using it on either or both machines.

As far as Linux being on there, no it doesn't. I prefer to keep that part separate for now. If I get more comfortable with how the iMac works, and how linux would work on it, I may do a dual boot thing, but nothing yet.


last thing: If I get the netcard working on the laptop or decide just to buy a desktop (not too fond of laptops), I will put Linux on that. I have nothing against Linux, and in some small ways, I prefer it over the iMac.
Both are very nice. I like them both more than Windows.

[Alieo]

@Vanguard: Yeah I've stayed logged in here because my MP3 player died so I'm listening to my music files in my gallery as my player recharges. Check out those 3 remixes I did when you get a chance. I seriously am thinking about converting, but I need to research and see if my essential uses for a computer are covered with Linux. I'm sure the programs out there are much more vast than they were, say, 10 years ago before the big MAC boom.

@Scyphi: I still haven't looked into those audio and paint programs you recommended but I will start there. Thanks.

[VANGUARD]

if anything, like I said, try a dual boot. That way, you can still use your Windows system the way it is now, and when you want, reboot and try Linux.

[Matthew]

Windows and Mac can be installed on the same computer as well, but you might need to use a different hard drive format to share files. At my school they have Windows XP and Mac OSX installed on a Mac desktop using Bootcamp.

[VANGUARD]

that's right. they did talk about bootcamp. thank you.

[Alieo]

So y'all think I should try Linux out with a dual boot program first before going all the way Linux?

[VANGUARD]

its typically the best. that way, in case you hate linux, or on the wrong system, or you need something done and you don't know how to do it yet on linux, you still have Windows.

and if and when happy with Linux, clean out Windows completely if you wish

[D2Disciple]

The easiest way to do a dual-boot machine with Linux and Windows is as follows:

1. Boot into Windows (assuming you have Vista or Windows 7, though I believe the process is very similar in Windows XP).

2. Open the start menu. Right click on "Computer" and select manage (make sure to click "okay" if User Account Control tells you that you must be an administrator).

3. On the left-hand column, select "Disk Management." Your disks should show up in the bottom-middle section. Right click on the volume size box of your primary partition, it should say C:\ and NTFS (most often it's the disk at the top, but check the volume to size to make sure). Select "Shrink Volume."

4. After determining the available shrink space, enter in the size you want to dedicate to your Linux partition (I usually use around 40-60GB, which is quite a bit for a resource-friendly operating system like Linux). Make sure you input the number as a size in megabytes (for instance, 40,000 MB ~ 40GB). After shrinking, your primary volume will subtract the shrink space from itself and place it aside as unused (raw) space.

Now you're ready to install Linux. Vanguard uses Mandriva, which is a really good option for those used to a more Windows-like environment. I also highly recommend the most popular flavor of Linux: Ubuntu Linux (which just so happens to have a new release - 11.04 - rolling out tomorrow). Linux Mint 10 is also a good option, but I don't advise using Fedora - it's more for the Linux expert.

1. Download the image file (.iso) of the distribution you want. Most distributions of Linux come as a Live CD and are designed for both 32-bit (x86) or 64-bit (x64) processors. Select the one that works best for your machine.

2. Burn the image file to a disc. Windows 7 allows you to do this by double-clicking the .iso file, but XP and Vista will require another program to do this for you. I typically use imgburn (http://www.imgburn.com/index.php?act=download). If you use imgburn, simply select the .iso file and select your medium (the CD or DVD you want to burn to).

3. Place the newly-burned disc into your system. Reboot the machine, and make sure that your computer will boot to a disc before booting to a hard drive (you can change the settings in your BIOS if you need to, but most newer machines do this by default).

4. The Live CD environment should boot and give you the options to install the distribution, boot into the Live CD environment, or boot into a safe mode, or test memory using memtest (not all distributions have all these options available). Boot into the Live CD if you'd like to play around a bit more, or select Install if you're confident this is the distribution for you.

5. If you're in the Live CD environment, an icon in the desktop or main applications menu should direct you to install the operating system. If you're installing, then move to step six.

6. Follow the super-easy prompts to install the operating system. When you get to the partition manager, make sure you don't install to the whole hard drive (obviously, this will erase your Windows NTFS partition). Instead, select "Manage Partitions Manually" (or an option that is similar to it).

7. Find the extra space on your disk, which should have no filesystem installed. The partition manager should recognize the Windows partition as NTFS. Select the extra space, and click format. It should bring up several options. Use the entire space, save for about 1 GB. Format the partition as "Ext 4 Journaled." Select the mount point as "/". Click "OK."

8. Select the extra 1 GB of free space and click format. Use the whole space, and format the partition as "Linux Swap Space." Click "OK."

9. Check to ensure that this is what you want. Only the Linux partition and the swap space should have a check-mark under "Format." If there's a checkmark by the Windows partition, or the Windows partition is not present in the list, you know you're either about to wipe the disk or are about to install Linux over Windows (or both). If everything is ready to go, click "Next."

10. Follow the rest of the installer.

11. Enjoy!

Now, whenever you boot your machine, the GRUB bootloader should bring up a screen allowing you to select your operating system, whether that be Windows or Linux. Easy, eh?

Some links:

Mandriva Linux One Download: http://www.mandriva.com/en/downloads/one/
Ubuntu Linux Homepage: http://www.ubuntu.com/
Linux Mint 10 Gnome Download: http://www.linuxmint.com/download.php

Mandriva Linux uses the KDE desktop environment, which is a slightly prettier but slightly more resource-heavy operating system. Ubuntu and Linux Mint 10 use the Gnome desktop environment, which is a little more minimalistic but is very efficient. Certain applications work better under the KDE environment, and others under the Gnome environment. It's completely up to you. Ubuntu and Linux Mint also come in a number of different flavors (including KDE, as well as others, such as LXDE or XFCE), but I highly recommend the standard Gnome environment for Ubuntu or Linux Mint. Hope that helps you get set up and running without a hitch! 

[TechPro]

On Macs that have Intel chipset, you can use Fusion or VMware to run both Mac and Windows (even Win7) at the same time and exchange files.  I know that VMware also allows Linux but I don't know if Fusion does Linux.

[VANGUARD]

i knew it was some VM thing. i never used it

[Alieo]

@D2Junkie: Thanks for the info! Hopefully I can convert my computer tomorrow!

So my external hard drive finally gave out completely, but I was able to rescue ALL my files, thank goodness, but they're sitting in my Win7 Laptop's C drive. It was tedious. I couldn't just drag and drop the whole hard drive's contents onto a folder in my laptop, I had to do each directory one by one. It would suddenly lock up and "eject" randomly on me. The thing is going to the BBQ grill when I get a moment.

I'm planning on going with the Ubuntu OS. I like the reviews on it that I saw on YouTube and I like their philosophy on being free and open-sourced. "Humanity towards others." Reminds me of that OS that was in Tron: Legacy, but when Jeff Bridges' character slipped into the technological world, greed took over his old company, until his son took it back. (I only saw it once and am not familiar with the characters!)

Tomorrow I am going to buy a new external hard drive. What kind of external hard drive do I need? Will any HD that works on windows work with Linux? What I'm thinking I'm going to have to do is transfer all my important files to my external, install Ubuntu partitioned with Windows, try it out and see if I can get all my "essential functions" of my computer established for Ubuntu. Then, I will play around with Ubuntu hands on. If I like it, I shall employ myself a "Window Wiper" so to speak and convert fully to Linux. Then, I imagine I can transfer my files onto my Linux-formatted internal hard drive from my external hard drive, then format the external hard drive and bring my files back onto the external as a formatted Linux hard drive.

That sound like what you guys would do in my situation as far as dealing with getting my important files established on an external hard drive?

[-<WillyP>-]

I tried Ubuntu for a while and I didn't like running stuff under wine. Just seemed a little clutzy, maybe if I had stuck with it I would have got used to it and maybe learned some trick to make it easier. But, then there were a couple of things that didn't run in wine at all.

And I really had no good reason not to use Windows, not even a good reason to duel boot. So I removed Ubuntu and put Windows XP back on.