I`m still interested in LINUX programs but I tried downloading Ubuntu last year and it crashed my computer to the point I had to take it to the Geek Squad to reload my Windows. Is there anything else that`s easy to use but open source enough to not be henchman to the proglydite statists?
Linux Mint 64 bit on 6 yr old desktop works fine. Loaded it on fresh, new SSD.
Linux Mint with Cinnamon is supposedly the best as of today for ease of use and install.
If you want security in the highest form, OpenBSD has a DVD download that has added security for all the normal packages l, which do come bundled. The complete package should be solid, but not as easy to modify as other BSDs or Linux distributions.
These are the only two worth exploring, in my opinion, unless you jump to Apple.
You might wish to try Knoppix Linux. It can boot off a usb stick or a DVD drive.
You can even install it on your hard drive. It comes with tons of software already loaded. It even includes the LibreOffice group of programs. I did my Christmas cards with that this year. Ubuntu is good, but Knoppix gives you more applications to play with.
Most folks are recommending MINT now instead of Ubuntu. If you have an older computer with limited resources, however, some of the other distros might be a better bet.
Before you load LINUX on your computer, set your computer to boot from the CD drive first (if you have one) or from USB if you don’t. (That’s harder to set up than it used to be if you already have Win10 on your computer, but it can be done).
Then, after you burn Linux to your removable drive, boot from that drive instead of your hard drive. That will let you see how the distro works with your computer without making any changes to your machine. If you like it, you can put it on your hard drive to use instead of windows. If it doesn’t work, discard it and try another.
They aren’t keeping it updated any more, but Puppy will work on almost any old windows computer, but doesn’t have some of the functionality of the larger distros, and might not have drivers for newer hardware. (If you have an old Win98 machine lying around, Puppy is your dog).
Spend some time on Distrowatch looking at the features of the various top releases. http://distrowatch.com/
Good luck and have fun.
Get a new HDD (or, even better, an SSD) for your computer and remove/save your existing hard drive. Then install the fresh hard drive and load Linux Mint 17.3 LTS (long term support). If you have trouble downloading the OS via the internet, get a disk from osdisc.com for $6. Boot from that, see if you like it and then click install.
Installation should take 15 to 30 minutes. You don’t have to do anything except pick time zone, user name/password.
[[I`m still interested in LINUX programs but I tried downloading Ubuntu last year and it crashed my computer to the point I had to take it to the Geek Squad to reload my Windows.]]
Run it from a disk instead of installing it- and you could run it inside a sandbox or virtual machine
I have Windows 7 on a SSD. It is a pretty small drive, only about 50 gigs. Because of this, there isn’t enough room for Windows 10 to install, so therefore I’m “stuck” with it.
Linux Mint 17.3 on an external bootable usb hard drive works for me. I couldn’t touch my vista install because for some reason my bios wanted to see Windows on my eight-year old HP laptop. Unplug the external drive, and I boot Windows, plug it back in and I boot Linux. I have no reason to boot Windows and Microsoft can go pound sand on Windows 10 (or 20, or whatever it ends up being).