Linux or Win XP... what to do...

Me | 06/14/2004 | Self

[PaulZe]

I just got a new system from Dell with Windows XP. I am going to network it with my other system which is a dual boot SUSE Linux / Windows 98. they will share a cable modem.
The neat thing about LINUX is that you can view the Windows partitions and copy files from Windows to Linux Windows doesn't even know Linux exists and cannot see any of the files over there. So i will have a side by side comparison Linux on one computer and Windows XP on the other and let them "fight it out" with me being the final judge. This is my first experience with windows XP. The only problem with Linux is when you call for support, the support people are only certified in Windows.

[AlBondigas]

I dumped Norton several months ago (their lib politics)

AVG is great, it's free & you can get daily updates !!

[antiRepublicrat]

For those times I want to run Linux on a Windows machine, I have a Knoppix CD and my home directory and settings on a USB key. I find it amazing that OpenOffice Linux opens faster from a Knoppix CD than OpenOffice Windows opens from the hard drive.

[antiRepublicrat]

I tried a Knoppix CD and it wouldn't boot. I set the computer to boot from CD first and it looked in there and passed on to the C drive and booted XP.

Did you put the CD in upside down? Seriously, that happened to a friend of mine who can't see well. Otherwise, I've noticed that if XP wasn't previously gracefully shut down, it seems to steal the boot from the CD. You might also have a Dell that says "Press any key to boot from CD" on startup if it detects a bootable CD. If you don't press, Windows boots.

[OK]

Thanks. I did try it on a Dell actually. We'll see.

[ShadowAce]

ANother issue could be that the burn wasn't good. You may have just produced a coaster, instead of a viable CD. Did you check the MD5 sums?

[OK]

I bought the CD online for a few bucks.