I am sick of Windows. I need HELP

It sounds like you've already made up your mind, I'm not quite sure what kind of "help" you're looking for...

But I should warn you that virtually all laptop and desktop systems use the same basic Intel-compatible processor architecture whether they run Windows, Mac OS or one of the many flavours of Unix/Linux. Even the processors from AMD still use the same basic instruction set. And both the Mac OS and most Linux variants can run Windows emulators.

1. There's no such thing as a unix-like processor.

2. Macs are nothing like PCs. The hardware may be similar but the software isn't.

3. You have two options. Try a Linux system, or give up computing. Only you can decide which of the two suits your needs best.

Just as a matter of interest, what is your problem with Windows? I doubt that you're going to find another system as easy to use.

Here is a fully stable system to use that you never have to worry about crashing or changing to a different standard.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Etch_A_Sketch

You may as well ask "I need a car, but what if in the future gas will run our or they make flying cars, what do I buy"

If I get sick of my wife is an affair the way to go or do I re-boot her? She says she is just a Mother - bored.

most Linux varints are easy to install, but, good luck with any games...or getting your newest printer to work....or (the list goes on)

go with mint or ubuntu!

Wow, some of the answers are really weird. Anybody here who can even type in a couple sentences in comprehensible English?

Anyways, ptmx2- If you don't like Windows or think they are monopolizing and overcharging, get Ubuntu. A lot of Windows based programs also run on this 'fully free' Operating System when you run a program called WINE

Nobody needs Windows unless you actually run a few specialized apps which have no support for OSX or Linux.

As area 51 says, Mint, Fedora etc. are all viable options along with a million other Linux distros.

And Happy Holidays to you too  

i can float youmy 2 cents.i have ubuntu and it really depends on what you need your p c for.i LOVE macs had 2 but cant afford em anymore.i am now using win 7 and it is constantly causing me problems.the whole m s op systems since xp is awful.ubuntu wont play or let me rip bluray discs so thats why im still using windows.the linux-ubuntu set up has all free apps,but it takes a lot of work to figure out the ones that work best for each job.dont be fooled by the WINE HQ promise either.you just cant run many windows programs on linux.period.if i didnt love my music and dvd backups id stick with my cheap laptop running xp and just play internet poker.sorry i couldnt make up your mind for you,but good luck.

thanks to most everyone for some piece of info i can use. my hardware and XP_3 are about 8 years old now and i have been thinking about an upgrade.

why windows annoys me currently are mysterious shutdowns/restarts that can and do happen at any time.
i am also experiencing windows error messages regarding executable files and requesting me to send a problem analysis file to MS.
i am tired of wiping my C:\ partition and doing a clean install of XP with all its patches, fixes, and security upgrades and then re-installing the applications i used. Despite all the frustration that i think comes when one uses MS Windows, it is, as someone mentioned, convenient and easy to use.

so, based on the comments and links here, i think i will try to see IF i can dual boot my computer to XP and some type of Linux system to see what using Linux is actually like on a day to day basis. I could always shut Linux down and boot into my existing XP install if I really need to get something done that i can not do at this time with Linux. I know I do not want to run a windows emulator.


i am curious about sminlal's comment regarding MAC OS_X.
Does he mean i can install the MAC OS plus its web browser on my existing PC as a separate OS and access the Internet as easily as I could if i were doing a new or clean install of windows for the first time?

No. You cannot just install OSX on your PC. For that you'll have to turn your PC into what is referred to in common parlance as a Hackintosh.

You need very specific hardware for that most of the time. For instance, an i3-540 on a Giga H55 board is known to work - and other such 'specific' combos. Not all discrete GPU's will work on that either.

You can however download and install Apple's browser if you want to - Apple Safari. Uncheck iTunes if you don't want excess baggage. And you need not provide 'em with your Email ID either, so uncheck that as well.
A. What kind of error messages? B. Is it random restarts or shutdowns? The two might indicate different issues.

Random shutdowns might indicate power supply issues. Get that checked if you can. Also check your memory 1 stick at a time in different slots with memtest86

> why windows annoys me currently are mysterious shutdowns/restarts that can and do happen at any time.

I ran Windows XP on my home system for 6 years and administered it on many corporate systems for just as long, and I gotta tell you that XP itself is very solid. You've either got a hardware problem or some kind of bad application or driver software that's causing you grief. Windows itself is very unlikely to be the cause of it.


> i am curious about sminlal's comment regarding MAC OS_X.

The standard MAX OS-X requires an Apple-branded system to run, so no - you can't run it on your existing machine. If you want to try something different on that hardware then it'll have to be a Linux variant (which fortunately can be had for free).

But even so, the Apple systems that the MAC OS does runs on still use exactly the same Intel CPUs that Windows systems do, so the core of the underlying hardware is basically identical. There really isn't any easy way to run a desktop computer these days which doesn't use the Intel/AMD 32- or 64-bit architectures.

As you posted in the Windows 7 forum I assumed that you were running Windows 7, but it appears that you are still on XP. Try 7 - it's much more stable (in my experience) than Windows 7. I've never had it BSOD on me or felt a need to reload it.

My apologies for posting to the Windows 7 forum rather than the forum for XP..! Thanks to the moderator for the patience.
ijack. just to clarify; are you recommending W7 based on your experience, or are you saying something else.

thanks for keeping the thread alive.
regarding my current WXP woes, i did check each module and module slot for problems and all work fine.
I have an Antec TruePower 480 PS and their tech support advised me to check the voltages with a meter which i have not yet done.

Regarding Mac OSX, I knew I had to change motherboards and upgrade my processor and maybe more to run OS-X.
But since most mac users are thrilled with their MACS, its application productivity and all around stability, I thought since it was time to upgrade, I would try to put one together...
maybe use Open Office for my work related tasks if it is available for Mac OS X.
But I would have to be convinced that the MAC OS X has the stability it is famous for to run all the hardware and mac software before I invest in Mac related hardware. Once I start I would not want to turn back.

Maybe those in the know, like SMINLAL, will share their thoughts on the stability of a well maintained MAC OSX machine and applications.

This topic has been moved from the section Windows 7 to section Windows XP by Mousemonkey

tl;dr "Waa waa qqq I don't know how to computer"