# Lifestyles & Discussion > Science & Technology >  attn: Linnux fanboys/girls

## heavenlyboy34

Windows 7 user here.  Just experienced a virus that wreaked havoc on my system.  I've reset it by reinstalling the OS.  Problem is, I can't get online. (I'm on a network-not the primary computer).  If I switch to Linnux, will it make my life easier? (I use a wireless network, btw)

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## eduardo89

Quit watching porn.

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## LukeP

> Windows 7 user here.  Just experienced a virus that wreaked havoc on my system.  I've reset it by reinstalling the OS.  Problem is, I can't get online. (I'm on a network-not the primary computer).  If I switch to Linnux, will it make my life easier? (I use a wireless network, btw)


I seriously doubt using Linux will make your life easier. Best thing for windows is to have a legal version that has all the updates and a paid antivirus subscription. I recommend ESet's Nod32.

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## RickyJ

> I seriously doubt using Linux will make your life easier. Best thing for windows is to have a legal version that has all the updates and a paid antivirus subscription. I recommend ESet's Nod32.


You mean "easy" like a virus that wrecks havoc? He wouldn't have that problem with Linux and would not need a paid anti-virus subscription.

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## Dary

Have you considered a Hackintosh?

http://www.tonymacx86.com/61-unibeas...-based-pc.html

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## Petar

OS X ftw.

Technological advantages of Linux/Unix, ease of use of Windows.

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## pcosmar

> Windows 7 user here.  Just experienced a virus that wreaked havoc on my system.  I've reset it by reinstalling the OS.  Problem is, I can't get online. (I'm on a network-not the primary computer).  If I switch to Linnux, will it make my life easier? (I use a wireless network, btw)


PCLinuxOS is quite User Friendly. It is designed such,, and has a helpful user forum.
http://www.pclinuxos.com/
I have been using it since 2004. Download it,, burn a disk and try it. Or you can buy a disk cheap.
https://www.osdisc.com/products/linux/pclinuxos

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## Root

You can partition your hard drive to "dual boot" and install both Linux and Windows.  At bootup, you'll get a menu asking which OS you want to boot into.

You could also add another hard drive, install Linux on there and dual boot that way too.

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## fisharmor

Easy?

Depends.  
If you mean "It will run for 365 days straight without requiring a single reboot", then yes.
If you mean "Able to play Netflix", then no.
If you mean "Hits the internet as soon as it's done installing", then yes.
If you mean "Will install and run on any hardware I throw at it", then no.
If you mean "Gives me absolute control over my PC the likes of which Windows users can't even begin to comprehend", then yes.
If you mean "I never have to open and edit a configuration file", then no.

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## presence

> Quit watching porn.


meh

No problems, been w/ linux for a decade with no "antivirus" beyond the stock update manager.   I traverse some of the darkest places on the web to score full text documents and videos via torrents that are virus laden.  Never a problem.

Why would anyone PAY for an operating system that is prone to viruses, hated by hackers, and has a direct feed to the NSA built into its proprietary code... when there are FREE alternatives that are just as fast, just as capable, and more secure?


Check out Linux Mint or Ubuntu

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## green73

> Windows 7 user here.  Just experienced a virus that wreaked havoc on my system.  I've reset it by reinstalling the OS.  Problem is, I can't get online. (I'm on a network-not the primary computer).  If I switch to Linnux, will it make my life easier? (I use a wireless network, btw)


Ubuntu has come leaps and bounds with respect to being user friendly. You could have an issue with your wireless driver. I do. I lose connection throughout the day but can usually reconnect right away. More of an annoyance than anything.

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## pcosmar

> You can partition your hard drive to "dual boot" and install both Linux and Windows.  At bootup, you'll get a menu asking which OS you want to boot into.
> 
> You could also add another hard drive, install Linux on there and dual boot that way too.


I do, I use Win7 for a game (WoW) only. I do not use it to surf, e-mail nothing.
I use Linux for everything else.

Most installers will have the option of Dual boot Partitioning.

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## fisharmor

> Why would anyone PAY for an operating system that is prone to viruses, hated by hackers, and has a direct feed to the NSA built into its proprietary code... when there are FREE alternatives that are just as fast, just as capable, and more secure?


In a word: NETFLIX

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## pcosmar

> In a word: NETFLIX


Never messed with it..
However,,




http://www.webupd8.org/2013/08/pipel...our-linux.html

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## presence

> In a word: NETFLIX


In a word: TORRENT

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## Matt Collins

Ubuntu or Linux Mint are designed for Windows users who want to make the transition. I am using Linux Mint.

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## presence

When you meet people that have made the Windows -> Linux switch on the web, and ask them about it... How often do you come across people that say, "Man that was so foolish, I can't wait to uninstall linux and go back to Windows."?   I find pretty consistently you come across people on the other side that want to help you get there too; which really says something.  


Pick a distribution.  Look into what it takes to install your hardware to that distribution.  If its pretty plug and play for your graphics card, router, etc... then jump on it.  Even if you have to get your feet wet by a quick partition and dual boot install.   Me personally?  I have never paid for a computer or OS.  I find black boxes on the curb... often with simply fouled MS OS.  I scrub the harddrive clean, install linux.  I have thee P4 PCs w/ 19" flat screens.  Cost?  Maybe $200 in power supplies, cords, ram along the way.  Of 5 machines I've curbed picked 3 are running now on networked high speed internet.

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## phill4paul

Did this happen because of a Windows "back-up" automatic download? I had to reboot after it was auto-downloaded and I erased the program and it froze my system because of it. H8.

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## Matt Collins

Actually Windoze 7 isn't a bad OS, especially when compared to Vista and Win 8 which both suck. 

Regarding Netflix, I was able to get it to work through WINE but for some reason it is very choppy and almost unwatchable.

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## pcosmar

> Me personally?  I have never paid for a computer or OS.  I find black boxes on the curb... often with simply fouled MS OS.  I scrub the harddrive clean, install linux.  I have thee P4 PCs w/ 19" flat screens.  Cost?  Maybe $200 in power supplies, cords, ram along the way.  Of 5 machines I've curbed picked 3 are running now on networked high speed internet.


That's only a problem when they have thrown it out through a 2nd story window first.

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## green73

Another problem I have with unbuntu is streaming video. Places like youtube, vimeo etc don't give me problems, but news sites and others who stream their own content tend to mess up my machine so bad that I'm forced to reboot.

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## cjm

Before going windows-free in 2002 or so, I ran windows in a virtual machine on top of linux.  That configuration allowed me to continue using linux while booting windows for windows-specific tasks where the dual boot configuration was all one or the other.  

I can't recommend any particular distros.  I use Slackware but that's probably not a good one to start with if you're new.  On Ubuntu, you might want to note this:  http://arstechnica.com/information-t...acks-searches/

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## presence

> very choppy and almost unwatchable.


try changing the priority level in system monitor; sometimes that helps

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## angelatc

HB, I'm not a geek but I'm more savvy than the average soccer Mom.  My son is a shade geekier than me.  He tried running Linux and Ubuntu because his games wouldn't run on it.

Not that you're a huge gamer, but it's back to the software conflict issue.

If you need help getting back online, I can't recommend the forums at www.majorgeeks.com enough.

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## VIDEODROME

You could give Linux Lite a try just for testing the wireless.  I think it can run as a LIVE Session before installing.  


If you have a newer computer and are willing to switch completely, I think MEPIS Linux is worth a look.  It is based on Debian but has wireless drivers and flashplayer pre-installed. It also has a nice KDE desktop.

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## fisharmor

> Never messed with it..
> However,,
> 
> 
> 
> 
> http://www.webupd8.org/2013/08/pipel...our-linux.html


HB, this absolutely makes my case for me.
Watch this video carefully.  Read up on the commands she's typing.
I'm  sure you can follow what's going on in that video.  What you need to  know is that _you will need to know stuff like that to use Linux  effectively._
I consider everything in that video to be "easy".   But I've also spent years running terminal-only debuggers chasing down C  program buffer overruns on Linux.

I'm sure you can handle stuff  like that, but as a general axiom I do not say Linux is "easy".  My wife  refers to the terminal as "the black box where you talk to the  computer".  I would not expect her to remember the long name flags for  apt-get.

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## GunnyFreedom

It's a stiff learning curve but it's worth it.  If you are security-paranoid one of the BSD distros will provide the best security environment.  It's a bit more difficult to conform to your will than say Linux Mint or Ubuntu, but something like OpenBSD is so ridiculously secure it borders on absurd.  Also, given that Mac OS X operates on a BSD kernel, there is a pretty bright future for porting apps from Mac OS X to BSD, so you would end up with more cross-compatibility in the future.

Long story short, going to any POSIX system instead of Windows is a learning curve but totally worth it.  Specifically OpenBSD is an even stiffer learning curve than most, but even more worth it.

Whatever you do, do not install your primary user as "root," do not log in as "root" for regular operations, and do not even use "root" at all until you are familiar with what you are doing.  It is not the same thing as having an administrator as your primary account in Windows.  it is not the same thing at all.

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## dannno

> If you mean "Able to play Netflix", then no.


Actually Netflix works on linux now and has for a while, but I wouldn't count on it to necessarily work forever.

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## dannno

Linux CAN be very easy, but if you run into an issue you might have to google for it and type in a few command lines - once you get it working you can stop upgrading if you want, I have my non-savy computer user dad who lives 7 hours away on an old version of Ubuntu and he never has any problems. You can also continue to upgrade and get all the newest features, but on occasion you might have to deal with fixing something after an upgrade.

Linux Mint and Ubuntu are good options because you can create an install disk, boot up on the install disk and try it out first!! Make sure all your hardware, sound, etc. works. 

There are some good free audio tools you can download, like LMMS (Linux Multimedia Studio):

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## dannno

I would say it is very well worth your time and effort to become a linux user.

The only exception I would say is if you are really into gaming you might not want to make a full conversion over. I would maybe create a dual boot if you have the hard drive space, but ultimately if I were a gamer I would want to have a separate machine for gaming and then one for everything else.. that way you don't screw up your expensive gaming machine with viruses and whatnot cause you don't use it for anything except gaming. And your other system will always be clean because it is linux.

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## Matt Collins

> try changing the priority level in system monitor; sometimes that helps


Unfortunately it is still very choppy, to the point of being unwatchable. I've got like a 3gHz machine with 4GB RAM

Any other ideas?

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## newbitech

know how hard it is to get rid of a windows virus?  imagine getting rid of that thing in linux.  

i like linux, but its not really built for people who get viruses on their computers.  just sayin.

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## Occam's Banana

> know how hard it is to get rid of a windows virus?  imagine getting rid of that thing in linux.


I've used Linux exclusively since Windows XP Professional came out - and I discovered that Bill Gates required me to call him up and get his permission (in the form of a new product key) in order to re-install an OS I had already bought and paid for. So I said, "To hell with that!" ...

That's 10+ years of continuous Linux use, and I have never - not once - had so much as a single problem with viruses, spyware, etc.




> i like linux, but its not really built for  people who get viruses on their computers.  just sayin.


Baloney. Linux is an excellent solution for the virus-prone.

Just about the only reason a Linux system would need anti-virus protection is (ironically) to protect connected Windows-based machines.

http://www.howtogeek.com/135392/htg-...d-when-you-do/

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