Can anybody help a noob?

[Strom]

I know I may have no business asking for help, but if there is a kind soul that would not hack or root me please...I am desperate.
I have never used linux before let alone ubuntu, and I am not doing to well with it. I refuse to use a windows platform or a mac so this is my operating system of choice now.
I may already be rooted as I do not know how to defend myself.
It has been close to a year since I last used any forums or computers other than to check e-mails.
I may have angered an elite in 2009...that was the last time my security was stable
Thank you for your time.
I have been humbled.
Strom.

[FuturePilot]

I know I may have no business asking for help

Nonsense. Everyone is welcome here to ask for help. After all it's the whole point of this site.

Now, what makes you think that you have been rooted?

[pricetech]

troll ??

Unless you set up services /servers on your computer, you shouldn't have anything to concern yourself about.

If you're that worried though, you can always back up your data and do a fresh install of the latest LTS or the latest release.

[tubezninja]

I know I may have no business asking for help, but if there is a kind soul that would not hack or root me please...I am desperate.
I have never used linux before let alone ubuntu, and I am not doing to well with it. I refuse to use a windows platform or a mac so this is my operating system of choice now.
I may already be rooted as I do not know how to defend myself.
It has been close to a year since I last used any forums or computers other than to check e-mails.
I may have angered an elite in 2009...that was the last time my security was stable
Thank you for your time.
I have been humbled.
Strom.

Well, it would kinda help if we knew what your question was, exactly....

[Strom]

troll ??

Unless you set up services /servers on your computer, you shouldn't have anything to concern yourself about.

If you're that worried though, you can always back up your data and do a fresh install of the latest LTS or the latest release.

I apologize if I appear as if I am trolling, I assure you this is not my desired first opinion of me. I greatly respect this community more than any other I have ever been involved in.
My issue is rather unique. I am a professional musician that had 5 releases on iTunes and many other sites.
In 2009 somebody took over my website, and I have been very paranoid since....it cost me and my family everything. My band name was Brainstrain, and you can still find remnents of me on Vimeo and Bandcamp.
I do not believe I installed a server, but another may have. I was making the terible error of going online with Vista as an administrator, not a user. A "friend" by the name of Lucien asked me the very same thing in 2010...am I a server. I said no...but my computer seemed to be serving remotely from Spain.
I did much studying on the matter and found that I was under what is called a man in the middle attack...impossible to trace.
While going through the deep archives of my old pc...freakin best buy purchase...I found an xml document that showed me exactly how I was got.
Believe it or not I fell for the oldest trick in the book. PC anywhere was installed through a gmail acct. that I opened..or maybe netbus??? Not sure which one, but it had me for years...even duplicated my website, hacked it and began to use my email client to make dozens of seperate accounts for many other people.
I had some pretty important contacts I have lost..Trapcode ( Peder) from adobe, Raja Ram from Tipworld records, Simon from Twisted records and more lost friends I fear I will never meet up with again.
So, in short I thank you for the responses and the unexpected welcome ( I have not had a friendly message since dJ Basilisk warned me to stay off Last FM )
I now know I can feel safe here, and I would like to do as much as I can to help or contribute to the Ubuntu community as humanly possible.
Thank you so much for restoring my sense of humanity in this crazy world
Much respect to all,
donnie.

[Thewhistlingwind]

Thank you so much for restoring my sense of humanity in this crazy world
Much respect to all,
donnie.

Okay, that's *insert synonym for bad here.*. However what are you asking us? How to secure your box? Set up apparmor? Stop yourself from being rooted by email attachments? Migrate your windows/mac habits?

Were not sure, so please help us help you.

[Strom]

Okay, that's *insert synonym for bad here.*. However what are you asking us? How to secure your box? Set up apparmor? Stop yourself from being rooted by email attachments? Migrate your windows/mac habits?

Were not sure, so please help us help you.

I would like to know how to set up an email account that is not google, or yahoo. I am so new to this that I do not even know how to configure a firewall.
apparmor is installed, and updated, but I do not know how to use it. I do own the 5th edition official ubuntu book with the forward from Mark Shuttleworth, written by Mathew Helmke and Corey Burger as well as the o'reilly ubuntu hacks book, but it is outdated...2006.
To be honest, I expect nothing but would like to learn everything.
Any help would be greatly appreciated. I know this sounds vague, but I want to watch what I say here as to not disrespect anybody in any way.
A good start would be any recommended reading materials, since I have halted my music I read alot. But in my city there is little resources for Linux users.
Another bizarre discovery is that my gmail acct seems to be a binary program...in my local library it is all zeros and ones....odd???
Thank you for your patience

[Thewhistlingwind]

I would like to know how to set up an email account that is not google, or yahoo. I am so new to this that I do not even know how to configure a firewall.
To be honest, I expect nothing but would like to learn everything.
Any help would be greatly appreciated. I know this sounds vague, but I want to watch what I say here as to not disrespect anybody in any way.
A good start would be any recommended reading materials, since I have halted my music I read alot. But in my city there is little resources for Linux users.
Thank you for your patience

Starting with the firewall.

In bash: (if people say stuff like this they usually mean in bash/terminal)

man ufw

Set it up how you like.

Onto the email:

Some potential choices

(Don't forget a mail client, if you want one.)

Misc:

That's a great attitude to have.

It takes a lot to get me to not help you.

Link to your music? I'm interested.

Read this:

The security sticky

All the other stickies too.

Reference this:

http://ss64.com/bash/

And if you want more, do what I did. Search the web.

[BkkBonanza]

For general Ubuntu help start with the Ubuntu Help Guides. They're not too bad and if something isn't clear they may help you formulate specific questions as it's hard for people to help without a specific question - no one wants to write a book here.

There is a lot of resources easily found with google. You can type in almost any term with the word Ubuntu and immediately find useful info.

To setup an email account without using Gmail or Yahoo or any free online service like that you are talking about running your own email server. You can't do that on your desktop machine as it's likely not on 24/7 - so this involves setting up a server, either your own or renting space on one in a data center. You can read how to do that in the Ubuntu Server Guide but it is a bit of a stretch for a newbie.

There isn't anything inherently wrong or insecure (in a general sense) with Gmail. I've used it for years since they started without any issues. But with anything on the web you do need to take basic precautions that careless users often ignore (and then blame others). For starters, use different strong passwords for each and every resource on the web that needs a password. It's impossible to remember all these and keep them strong, so use a password safe like Keepassx. Make backups of the password file stored in a secure place.

[Strom]

Starting with the firewall.

In bash: (if people say stuff like this they usually mean in bash/terminal)

man ufw

Set it up how you like.

Onto the email:

Some potential choices

(Don't forget a mail client, if you want one.)

Misc:

That's a great attitude to have.

It takes a lot to get me to not help you.

Link to your music? I'm interested.

Read this:

The security sticky

All the other stickies too.

Reference this:

http://ss64.com/bash/

And if you want more, do what I did. Search the web.

As far as links to my music, I have removed all of it from all stores....I kinda wanted to donate them here to the community
I currently have last fm blocked with my router, but there is one free cd I placed there years ago called Around the world ( In Dub ) It was a predecessor to the one I have signed in the U.K. called Aftermath...under SPM Soundtracks...Luke Bredin is the label owner, a great person and friend.
The other Cd's are in my care only, but as I mentioned I wanted to give them to the community for you to do with as you please. I ask nothing in return...they were selling pretty good before I removed them from all stores. Is there a spot I can upload it for everyone?