Let's just go with that image for a second.
Posted on 05/20/2005 7:35:53 AM PDT by CFC__VRWC
After ten years of working on Windows based PCs, I have finally had enough! The last straw came Wednesday night, when I set my Win XP computer up to run Norton Speed Disk and then went off to bed. In the morning, I found the computer locked up hard, and when I restarted it, it hung up on the opening screen. I tried to do a repair with the XP installation disk - it hung up.
I finally did a clean install of XP on an old 40 GB hard drive I have, and then hooked up my now screwed drive to try to recover what I could. No soap - it's obvious that lots of my files are hopelessly corrupted, and when I try to copy them or even look at them the machine crashes. The only thing I could maybe try is to rerun Norton on the drive, but since I already did an aborted reinstall of XP, I'm pretty sure that the drive is toast.
I can get back most of my data, but even at that I'm faced with my third "wipe and restore" for my PC in the last two years, the second in six months (I think that's what's got me so torqued)! That means a couple of days rounding up CD after CD after CD of drivers, utilities, data files, etc. and sitting at the desk feeding them to the machine, and then weeks of poking and tweaking to get everyhting set up the way I like it.
I'm not playing that game anymore. I'm through, kaput, finis, done. Bill Gates can kiss my big fat hairy white butt.
The way I see it, I have two choices - keep my current box and turn it into a Linux-based system, or buy a Mac. I've looked at the Macs a little, and I have to admit that I've been very impressed. The new Tiger OS seems to be a very sweet system. I played with a G5 iMac a bit at a nearby Apple store and I could easily fall in love with it. It nmight be a bit out of my price range right now, though, so I've been thinking hard about the top of the line Mac Mini, which I could definitely swing.
As far as Linux goes, I'm a complete novice. I know there's several versions of it out there, and I'm sure that each has it's own advantages and disadvantages. One of the things I need to concern myself with is that I'll be stuck with XP platforms at work, and I may need to bring files back and forth occasionally.
Any advice on what I should do?
I have to re-install my windows every month or so... I'm a linux novice also! One day I may make the switch.
Give SimplyMepis a try. It is a Linux livecd and is very, very easy to use for a Windows refugee.
Linux is user friendly, its just picky about who it calls a friend.
:D
Here's a clue: when you switch to your new OS, don't run Speed Disk on it either. A totally superfluous utility, of no value whatsoever.
And do backups of your data. I can't imagine what computer writers are thinking about when they fail to put this at the top of priorities.
I have most of my family's photos digitized (thousands). I burn them to multiple CDs and keep copies at my sister's house. That's pretty much all of what I'd hate to lose, but I also backup email once a year or so.
You describe yourself as a complete novice with Linux.
With Linux you can use the same hardware, but you will have a lot of learning and tweaking.
With Apple you must buy new hardware, but you can basically start working immediately.
I recommend the Apple. I'd try the $600 mini.
Let's just go with that image for a second.
Thanks for the comments. I have used Norton products for years and have never had problems with them up until now. I mainly got the package for the anti-virus anyway, but have used the disk optimizer before, when the drive gets badly fragmented and slows the machine down. Never had it destroy my data before. Did I have to let Norton kill my PC to realize that it's a POS after all? I'll never install another Norton produuct again, that's for sure!
Fortunately I've got backups for most all of the data (I've learend to keep those thanks to the frequent need to reinstall Windows), but damnit, I'm just tired of picking up the friggin' pieces once or twice a year.
The mac mini should be your answer to happy computing. You won't regret it.
There is one Norton product that is well worth having. 'Ghost'. It lets you make bootable backups of your PC. You backup your machine to a CD or DVD and if your machine craps out, you simply put the DVD in your machine, boot it, and it will reinstall everything automagically.
I make an image of my machine before I do anything that could possibly screw with the O/S, like installing unknown software. Then if there are problems, it is trivial to fix them. Makes things very nice.
If you are going to get it, make sure it is a pre-2005 version. They took out some of the functionality in the newer versions. I assume they did it to make the anti-piracy nazis happy. Instead of addressing piracy, they made Norton cripple some of the best software on the market. Oh well, that's progress.
I installed xp when it came out and I run my pc 24-7. I do video compilling, dvd copying, run video intensive games (Everquest, Everquest2, Medal of Honor, Call of Duty) and have never had a problem or had to reinstall xp. I think maybe you should look at your hardware and the software you install on your pc before you immediatly blame windows.
Running anything by Norton/symantic is asking for a crash. Everytime I have ever installed Norton, it has embedded itself into windows and caused numerous problems.
Reinstall windows, keep the junk software off and upgrade if necussary the hardware (I.E. running WinXp on a 500mhz pc doesn't work very well)
Data fragmentation doesn't cause XP to slow down, and if it did, Windows has an adequate defragmenter. This has been tested and confirmed by numerous computer mags.
Slowdown, particularly in internet browsing is caused by a buildup of temporary files, and browsers have options to delete these. In a year of browsing you can easily accumulate 50,000 temporary files.
The other cause of slowdown is services. It seems that every program you install wants to have a piece running in the background. Uninstal any program you don't use.
Task manager will tell you what processes you are running. You can google the names of the tasks and find out what they are and what they do.
I hear you, linux is a good alternative but not without certain drawbacks as well, mostly in hardware drivers. IMO Novel/Suse is a solid distro. Concerning your disaster, I'll bet you were using ntfs and sp2 as it sounds that way when you say the machine crashes when you try to access the bad drive, at any rate I think ntfs causes more headaches than it's really worth.
Have you ever used BartPE? It might be possible to save more data on the bad drive by booting up and accessing it with a BartPE CD. It's really not difficult to create one, head over here: http://www.nu2.nu/pebuilder
Oh man, I ain't that bad off!
Get a mini mac, don't let these guys talk you into staying with windose, it will always cause you trouble.
BigMack
Ny XP system has been up and running for a year on the original installationm and I shove hundreds of GB through it. The only time I had a problem was when a hard drive failed. But even that is not a worry. I just plug in a spare hard drive I keep handy periodically, make a clone of the main hard drive. And when the main drive dies, just swap the clone in and make a new clone. Takes 30 seconds because I keep my drives outside the case.
"Don't use Norton products."
That's what I was thinking too. Norton products do nothing but use memory.
I'd have to second forgjerk's suggestion. It's what I use, and OOo reads and writes MS Office files flawlessly these days. Fedora has a nice GUI interface that's easy to learn and get used to. It's also very easy to install.
Go to Gibson Research.com and buy a copy of Spin-Rite 6.
It is the absolute BEST data recovery tool on the market. You won't believe what you can recover with it. It is money well spent. Believe me. Read the testimonials and everything else on the website and give it a go.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.