Must switch to Ubuntu in a hurry.

[snowpine]

Looking back on my life, the decisions I have made motivated by hate have never worked out the way I'd hoped. Food for thought.

Anyways, I'd encourage you to set up a "dual boot" arrangement with a fresh reinstall of Windows (for your business purposes) and Linux (for music and everything else). If you are more comfortable having a separate computer for each purpose, you'd be surprised what you can find for free/low cost on Freecycle, Craigslist, Goodwill, etc. There's a nice article here: http://kmandla.wordpress.com/2010/10...-old-computer/

Good luck!

[n4pgw]

And is anybody better off with Windows?

YES! Ubuntu isn't windows compatible and anyone requiring windows software and knows how to use windows well will have a serious learning curve when it comes to using Linux.

Open office is great and runs on both OSes, but most windows software will require a virtual machine to run under linux. In other words, you may need to actually run the Windows OS inside Linux.

I certainly prefer Linux over Windows, but I do have my windows Virtual machines for each windows application I use. (one windows VM will run all your programs, but I prefer to keep them separate in case it crashes and I need to reinstall.)

If you know and understand Linux, or if you are willing to go through the learning curve, the change could be great for you.

[DuckHook]

The responses were just that: responses. We were responding to a short initial posting that sounded like it was coming from a person who thought that Ubuntu could solve his problems instantly. Please appreciate that your more complete clarification did not come till later, and we had no way of anticipating your decades of computer experience. Such people do not normally post in the "Absolute Beginners" forum. More often, they come to this forum with very little computing experience and we must assume they know very little.

Despite the fact that we've gotten off on the wrong foot with you, I suspect that you will like this forum. Rather anarchic, if I might say, and a quick perusal of other threads will give you enough facts to make your own determination as to how open we are. If we can put that to rest then, here are my recommendations:

1. It is not practical to move forward on the basis that you will be able to replace Windows. Even with your computing background, you will need at least a few days of immersive use to feel comfortable enough to depend on it.
2. People with urgent reason to migrate often underestimate their dependency on Windows. The last thing you want or need is to suddenly require that spreadsheet or database only to recall that you nuked the only OS that could give it to you.
3. It sounds like you have an older computer. Therefore, in the interest of saving time, I would not even recommend Ubuntu. Download and burn Lubuntu, which can be found here. This is the lightest weight of the various 'buntu flavours and will boot up as a LiveCD. You can (and should) take it for a test drive before actually installing it on your box.
4. It would also help us to help you if you could tell us what HW you have. No need for great detail. Just CPU, system RAM, video chipset, video RAM, NIC and HDD size. These will suffice.
5. What device did you back all of your data to?

That should be enough info to start. Hope this helps and a belated welcome to the Ubuntu forums.

[Bucky Ball]

If your disk if full Ubuntu is not going to help. You have nowhere to install it to for a start and if you did your disk would be fuller.

If you are using pro-level AV Win or Mac apps/software then you will find no alternatives that do that job quite the same in Linux. They just don't exist (not flaming, they just don't).

For instance, if you're using Premiere Pro and Pro-tools then forget it. Stick with what you have.

Bottom line, again, if the disk is full changing OSs is not going to make a jot of difference. In fact, make problem worse because disk will be fuller. Good luck.

(PS: if you have backups of your personal data why not just wipe the drive and start again. Then you'll have a heap of space, but you will need to find a way of securing a second backup (and a third if poss; grandfather, father, son it was once termed as).

[CharlesA]

Why not just wipe the drive and reinstall Windows?

It sounds like Linux isn't a good fit for you because you need to use Windows programs - Access and iTunes.

Oh and +1 to Bucky Ball on those backups.

[userfriendly1992]

This does not sound good. Ubuntu is not a magic bullet that will bail you out of whatever problem you seem to be having. It may not even be the best solution if your box is relatively old and underpowered. In any case, without knowing your computing experience, your HW, your history with Linux distros, why you are in such a hurry, it is impossible to advise you other than generalizations so broad they are almost meaningless.

1. Access is the hardest app of the MS Office suite to port. Haven't heard too many good stories.
2. Excel all depends on complexity of docs. If they contain macros, you are out of luck.
3. iTunes only works on Windows. I've never heard of successful port to Linux. Synced devices depends on the device. You provide no info.

The real danger here is that you are thinking of Ubuntu as a better Windows than Windows and it isn't. Typical migration strategy is to install as dual boot, get used to the OS over a few weeks if not months, then plot out migratory path for docs, alternate apps, etc.

I've helped dozens of people migrate from Windows to Linux. Frantic must-do-today migrations do not work and bring guaranteed pain and failure.

iTunes on Wine is complete garbage. Impossible without some type of crossover software, and even then, still garbage. But remember iTunes also works on Mac, so maybe Mac would be better for you OP? I agree with the rest, this isn't something you just jump right onto. You need to at least familiarize yourself more with Ubuntu.

[userfriendly1992]

The hard drive is almost full, and every time I try deleting old programs it claims to be installing something. I suspect a Trojan. I booted it up twice without running any programs and the quantity of free disk space was way less the second time. It's down to megabytes free.

And is anybody better off with Windows?

Do you have the Windows recovery CD?

[sudodus]

Welcome to the Ubuntu Forums

Your opening post caused several discouraging replies, but after your second post, we understand better.

Looking back on my life, the decisions I have made motivated by hate have never worked out the way I'd hoped. Food for thought.

Anyways, I'd encourage you to set up a "dual boot" arrangement with a fresh reinstall of Windows (for your business purposes) and Linux (for music and everything else). If you are more comfortable having a separate computer for each purpose, you'd be surprised what you can find for free/low cost on Freecycle, Craigslist, Goodwill, etc. There's a nice article here: http://kmandla.wordpress.com/2010/10...-old-computer/

Good luck!

+1

The responses were just that: responses. We were responding to a short initial posting that sounded like it was coming from a person who thought that Ubuntu could solve his problems instantly. Please appreciate that your more complete clarification did not come till later, and we had no way of anticipating your decades of computer experience. Such people do not normally post in the "Absolute Beginners" forum. More often, they come to this forum with very little computing experience and we must assume they know very little.

Despite the fact that we've gotten off on the wrong foot with you, I suspect that you will like this forum. Rather anarchic, if I might say, and a quick perusal of other threads will give you enough facts to make your own determination as to how open we are. If we can put that to rest then, here are my recommendations:

1. It is not practical to move forward on the basis that you will be able to replace Windows. Even with your computing background, you will need at least a few days of immersive use to feel comfortable enough to depend on it.
2. People with urgent reason to migrate often underestimate their dependency on Windows. The last thing you want or need is to suddenly require that spreadsheet or database only to recall that you nuked the only OS that could give it to you.
3. It sounds like you have an older computer. Therefore, in the interest of saving time, I would not even recommend Ubuntu. Download and burn Lubuntu, which can be found here. This is the lightest weight of the various 'buntu flavours and will boot up as a LiveCD. You can (and should) take it for a test drive before actually installing it on your box.
4. It would also help us to help you if you could tell us what HW you have. No need for great detail. Just CPU, system RAM, video chipset, video RAM, NIC and HDD size. These will suffice.
5. What device did you back all of your data to?

That should be enough info to start. Hope this helps and a belated welcome to the Ubuntu forums.

+1

I think that you need your Windows for another few months or years, at least to read your old files. So find a cheap solution (borrow a computer, get a free one or buy a very cheap second-hand computer to play around with linux! I prefer Lubuntu on aging computers. Get the alternate iso file with Lubuntu 12.04, if the computer has less than 1 GB of RAM, otherwise the standard Lubuntu or Xubuntu desktop versions.

[3rdalbum]

You've built your life on Windows software, it's probably not possible for you to completely switch over immediately.

However, with time, you can transition over to Linux.

The only problem I see really is those Access databases. If you keep Windows in a virtual machine or on another computer, with Access, you can still use those legacy databases. For new databases you can use something else that works on Linux.

[jmore9]

If you are using windows , you don't say which one , then i would downloaf malwarebyte and sypbot search and sestry and use them. then i would sonw load ccleaner and use it.

Next i would make a 20 gig partition for windows only and seperate ones for your data and files.

You suppplied no info on what drives you are using.

For example :

If you have a 320 gig as drive C: and a 500 gig as drive E: I would use a partitiioner and make a 20 gig partition at the beginning of the 320 gig drive for windows to be installed to. And the balance of the 320 for you files and data.

Doing this will allow a reinstall of windows with out losing your data. I do this with my windows machine/s. I have some software that will not run or install under linux so i still use windows 7 and winxp.