Tonight I dine in he... I mean reinstall XP for somebody

[SunnyRabbiera]

Ugh I am not looking forward to this, someone I know needs me to reinstall XP for them because they have no idea how to use the recovery disk and they are afraid to use it because they have crap loads of junk on their computer.
But I will come armed, a external hard drive and my copy of Ubuntu Linux.
Ubuntu will mainly be there to pull the files off the disk onto my external.
But I might get a new linux user tonight too, this is not the first time this user has had windows woes.
He doesnt know much about computers though, he only knows about linux from me but he doesnt want it yet because he is afraid he will loose full system compatibility...
He is afraid if I install linux he will loose Internet, his music, his videos, his games.
I assured him that Ubuntu could cover most of those bases but he is one of those Microsoft dudes who thinks only windows that will work...
But maybe I can put some seeds of conversion in tonight, he already knows that I am bringing my Ubuntu disk with me because he is aware that with my linux disk I can recover his system.

[Pogeymanz]

Be gentle...

Sounds like he would benefit greatly from Ubuntu.

How about, while you're moving some files via LiveCD, you say "Oh wait, I have to check something" and fire up Firefox, just to check your email or something. That way he can see that the internet is also Linux-compatible.

[sdowney717]

some people think if everything does not work then it does not work.

[steveneddy]

Maybe VirtualBox along with Ubuntu will do them some good.

If they already own a Microsoft key, you could DL TinyXP and TinyVista. They are little .iso files that boot quickly and install great in VirtualBox.

I use TinyXP in VirtualBox on my Ubuntu laptop (I do own several XP licenses) and use it to do things that can't be done easily on Ubuntu.

If something bad happens, I just delete the virtual hard drive and start over with the TinyXP .iso file.

I like the fact that I can store the .iso file on my laptop and boot to it when necessary.

[tgalati4]

Tell him that you need a small slice of the drive as a "maintanence partition. Say 10 GB or so. Enough to put Ubuntu on there. Just load Windows first, then Ubuntu, otherwise Windows will blast away GRUB on the MBR.

Tell him not to boot into the "maintanence" mode unless he wants to experience the "dark" side.

Just make sure sound, decent video mode, and internet/wireless are working in Ubuntu.

[Chilli Bob]

Hey, if he has the disk space and bandwidth, and you have the time, why not do a dual boot? As long as you set up his video driver and codecs, this is by far the easiest way to convert a new user. Just show him how to access his existing files on the windows partiton, and let him play in whichever OS seems the most comfortable.

Also, just be glad it isn't Vista. You could have days wasted getting drivers to work.

[SunnyRabbiera]

Hey, if he has the disk space and bandwidth, and you have the time, why not do a dual boot? As long as you set up his video driver and codecs, this is by far the easiest way to convert a new user. Just show him how to access his existing files on the windows partiton, and let him play in whichever OS seems the most comfortable.

Also, just be glad it isn't Vista. You could have days wasted getting drivers to work.

He is dual booting as I type this message!

[Chilli Bob]

Exxxxcellent!! Maybe help him find a theme that he likes on Gnome-look as well.

[sdowney717]

tell him millions of people are very happy to run linux and tens of thousands of programmers labor away to constantly improve it.
It really will always be a work in progress.
I love the Google is going to market a linux based chrome OS.
MS must eventually fall.

[SunnyRabbiera]

I know I am necromancing a bit here but once again I get called in to rescue someones computer, but this time I will face the nightmare that is Vista.
Next week I will dine in hell again, and this time the devil is serving raisin salad... I HATE raisins!

[Sealbhach]

If it makes you feel any better, I claimed another desktop for Linux today, won another inch of territory for the movement.\\:D/

Well, I installed Xubuntu via Wubi on a friend's computer because she said she thinks she might have a virus so it's a dual boot. I briefly showed her how to save .doc format in Abiword and set up some handy shortcuts for her on the desktop.

.