Feel free.
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 know - I am just tweaking the Linux geeks- I am a programmer- I work on both Windows and Linus and I love them both for the things each is best at.
You shouldn't use a computer anymore. If you're too stupid to use Windows, then you definitely shouldn't try Linux.
Welcome to the wonderful world of Mac... you won't regret it.
As I understand it, there are TWO mac minis. I highly recommend the bigger one ($600 v. $500 for more of everything).
That's the one I got. So far it's working great. My only gripe with it so far is that I wish it had more memory. But that's fixable - I've already found an article that tells me how to open the case and change out the DIMM. And it's not like I haven't done that task a bunch of times with my PCs.
Thanks for the links - they've been bookmarked!
I'm looking to make the Linux jump and it was a link you posted on another thread recently that finally pushed me over the edge. As I get closer to the move, I might FReepmail you with some questions if that's okay.
I've been running Norton Internet Security and Anti-Virus 2004 since the release date and no problems, except this recent one:
I cannot "disable" or turn off any function: firewall for example.
Furthermore I cannot disable the Norton programs themselves.
I am logged on as Administrator and when I try to do this it is prompting me for a password. 'Cept I never set up a password for any user account on Norton.
There's also this interesting tidbit. Under "User Accounts" there is one entitled ASPNET which if for children. I don't remember that being there before and I didn't create it.
EDIT - Just looked at my User Accounts. I am logged on as Owner. I am "locked out" from logging on as Admin. as the "Log Off" button is disabled (greyed out) along with the "Change Password".
Have I been hacked or is this just the unfortunate by-product of a Norton update?
That's because you or some program installed the .NET framework or a new MS Visual product.
You can't use that Admin account as you are already logged in as Admin, that's for the safe mode Admin account.
For Norton make sure you are in the same account that it was installed from. It was probably installed for "All Users" but it can only be modified from the installing account and should be.
Feel free.
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