I'm going to the bookstore and get a linux OS and run it on the backup and get up to speed. F Microsoft.
For ease of use, I recommend either Red Hat or Debian. I personally prefer Slackware, but I've been a *nix hound for almost 20 years now.
Seriously.
4 of my 5 PCs run Linux. It just isn't worth all the money and BS from MS just to have Vista.
Download Ubuntu. If you want to keep all your Outlook Express emails, ask me how.
"I'm going to the bookstore and get a linux OS and run it on the backup and get up to speed. F Microsoft."
You might try running WINE. It will run many (most)windows apps without any Mivrosoft code.
The following is from their website; http://www.winehq.com/
Wine is an Open Source implementation of the Windows API on top of X and Unix.
Think of Wine as a compatibility layer for running Windows programs. Wine does not require Microsoft Windows, as it is a completely free alternative implementation of the Windows API consisting of 100% non-Microsoft code, however Wine can optionally use native Windows DLLs if they are available. Wine provides both a development toolkit for porting Windows source code to Unix as well as a program loader, allowing many unmodified Windows programs to run on x86-based Unixes, including Linux, FreeBSD, Mac OS X, and Solaris.
More information can be read in the articles Why Wine is so important, and Debunking Wine Myths. If you are wondering how well a particular application works in Wine, please examine the Applications Database. For installation instructions and step-by-step help with running Wine, take a look at the User Guide.
Wine is free software. The licensing terms are the GNU Lesser General Public License.
The two best Linux distros for a new user are Ubuntu (or the derivatives) and Suse.
Ubuntu will even ship you a completely free CD if you want one.
https://shipit.ubuntu.com/
Linux sucks. With all the new devices computers have now days you would be lucky to find all the drivers you need. And why do that when Windows does it for you.