XP support ending--move to Linux?

I’d like to point out there is indeed a learning curve coming over to Linux, it isn’t a big learning curve, and those who switched can ask questions here.

By the way, ignore all those people who tell you that you can install Linux from Windows XP using something called Wubi, don’t let them cheat you from the experience… also, Wubi hasn’t been working for a while, as far as I know…

Few things to notice before installing Linux:

0. Organize your hard disk
I highly recommend installing Linux on a separate hard drive or partition from your Windows drive, if you wish to keep your Windows drive (for now I recommend keeping it).
You’ve owned this computer for a long time, chances are your hard drives are full.
Try to organize it so that you have at least 10GB of spare space on hard drive (the more the merrier).
Actually Ubuntu only needs 4.5GB and other distros probably needs even fewer, but you probably want to install other things, so that’s why I recommend more than 10.
I’ll talk about how to create the partition in the installation section.

1. Figure out if your target computer has a 32bit or 64bit CPU.
On your Windows XP, the only way you can find out is by going to Control Panel -> Systems (Shortcut: Windows Key + Pause)
If it says Windows XP 64 bit, then you have a 64bit CPU, otherwise copy your CPU model, paste it into google and loop up whether it’s 32bit or 64bit.
There’s a good chance your XP machine has a 32bit CPU, since you probably bought it awhile ago, but sometimes it might be a 64bit CPU with a 32bit OS installed. So looking up your CPU model is a good way to make sure.

2. Go to lubuntu.net or ubuntu.com to download an appropriate ISO
Now you know if your CPU is 32bit or 64bit, download the right ISO for Desktop version.
When in doubt, get 32bit ISO, it runs on both, but why waste your 64bit CPU if you have one?
The Ubuntu download process will ask for donation, there’s a small “Not now, take me to the download” link at the bottom, you can donate when you discovered that you love it.
You can use bitTorrent to download the ISO, it would speed things up a bit,the file is 700MB

3. Download the Pen Drive Linux USB creator
There is a giant blue Download UUI button half ways down that page.
You can follow Ubuntu’s Create a LiveUSB Stick on Windows page to create the liveUSB.
It basically involves pointing the Pen Drive software to the ISO file you have downloaded.
This software works with any Linux. Once you’ve installed Linux, there are other easier ways to create a liveUSB though.

4. Plugin your new liveUSB to the target computer, then reboot into the liveUSB
Usually your computer BIOS is setup to boot with USB if a bootable USB exists.
If it goes straight to Windows, then you need to figure out if your BIOS is set correctly/if the liveUSB is created correctly
To enter your BIOS, stare intensely at your screen when it first boots, and see what key it says to press… or just random press ESC/DEL/F1~F12 like a crazy person on every reboot
Since this should be an old computer, you shouldn’t have UEFI issues, but if you do, let me know, the key is disabling the so called “Secure Boot” option in the BIOS.

5. Click Install Linux
Assuming none of the above is a challenge to you, now you are halfway in the Linux world.
Most of the things are pretty straight forward for the installation menu, except for 2 things:
A. Which installation mode to choose (By the way, this is only an issue if you wish to be able to dual boot into your Windows XP)
B. How to allocate hard drive space

6. Which installation mode to choose (First timers choose A)

The choices…
A. Install along side your Windows XP
B. Replace your Windows XP
C. Something Else

Usually these are the 3 choices, but some versions offers more choices.
The simple answer is if you want to dual-boot to Windows, select A
If you all the files you wish to keep are on a separate partition or hard drive from your “C:” drive, and you want the space eating monster that is Windows XP to be gone, select B


You will see something like this when you select A. You can change the size to your Windows and Linux partitions by dragging the separate in the middle.

If you selected either A or B, skip to 8.

7. Unless you wanted C, allocate hard drive space time…
If you selected A or B, you can ignore this section.
If you are advantageous, this is the first learning curve. Things to know

i. Your drives and partitions are called C: D:… under windows. In Linux, each SATA interfaced hard drive is labeled as “sda, sdb, sdc…” Each partition gets a number, so the first physical partition on your 1st hard drive would be sda1, second one would be sda2. There are also logical partitions, which will be labeled in the same way.
ii. You should be able to recognize your C: drive (assuming you want to keep it) by its size and usage pattern
iii. On Linux the equivalent of “C:\Windows” is your root drive, which is marked as /
iv. The equivalent of “My Documents” and all that My xxx stuff is your home drive, which is marked as /home
v. Although swap space isn’t mandatory, I recommend having a 3GB swap anyway

For now what we want to see is:
A. Your old Windows XP in sda1, with enough space to contain all your old files, you can create a new partition from your sda free space, create volume from the rear is a good way to go. Don’t change the filesystem setting of this one.
B. Your Linux root, mount point /, should be either in sda2 or other sda partitons, or another hard drive sdb or sdc all together. This should be at least 8GB, File system should be EXT4.

20GB of / root file system, choose end of space if it shares the same hard drive as your old Windows XP
C. Your home, Mount point /home, in another partition. Keep your home away from your root is a good practice, when you upgrade or install other linux, it won’t mess up your things. This should be as large as you can make it. File system should be EXT4.
D. 3GB of swap, File system should be SWAP.

Then click next, and if you do it right, things are going to be fine, otherwise, just wipe the whole thing and you will have a Linux standalone computer!

8. Login/Password
Choose a good and easy to type user name for login, and give your new computer a short and snappy computer name.
Many Windows XP users can’t get used to using passwords. I say get used to it. Set a good password for your new machine. Use it when you logon, return from hibernation. This is what keeps your computer safe! also why Windows security is such a disaster. Windows 7 and 8 asks for passwords all the time as well.

Congrats, you know have a Linux machine.

I wish I could use Linux, but the tools I use for my work only run on Windows.

Thanks! I edited the title of the thread to reflect what seems to be the overwhelming focus of it :slight_smile:

there’s wine and virtualbox that usually fixes that issue. not ideal of course, but if there are more linux users, the less we have to put up with it.

[quote=“Tempo Gain”]

Thanks! I edited the title of the thread to reflect what seems to be the overwhelming focus of it :slight_smile:[/quote]

I have completed my guide.

I mostly wanted to mention things not usually talked about by walk throughs, so it is best accompanied by one of the hundreds of detailed installation walk throughs with pictures.

Things people often didn’t know before they attempt this is to separate the files they want to keep, leave enough space and how to choose the right hard drive/partition to install, and it doesn’t help if they didn’t know the difference between 32bit or 64bit CPUs or how to get into BIOS…

but i guess going into BIOS is not an easy task for those who doesn’t want to know computers all that well…

If the page for the CPU on the intel site says “Instruction Set 64-bit” that’s what I’m looking for, right?

I’m still lost by this “ending XP is a bad business idea.” You may quit Windows to go to Linux over it, but what would Microsoft gain by keeping a corpse animated? You’d be a Windows user but you aren’t paying anything just to use it…

[quote=“Tempo Gain”]

If the page for the CPU on the intel site says “Instruction Set 64-bit” that’s what I’m looking for, right?[/quote]

yup, you have a 64bit CPU, so you can run 64bit OS.

Having 64bit instructions means you can install more memory in you computer, and allows better performances for streaming, graphics/video/audio processing, and large computations.

people don’t pay a dim to use google, and yet google seems to be doing very well… not saying OS companies should be pushing ads (though plenty of spywares do it on XP) or selling user data, but if you have a large user-base, it’s their own darn bad to not be able to make some money.

Linux distros are free, when a version is at end of service, you upgrade to a newer version for free.

Well, sooner or later I’ll get a new computer. If I’m used to Linux by that time, I’ll probably buy one without Windows installed–I’m assuming that’s even possible :slight_smile: when that was something I hadn’t even considered until now.

[quote=“Tempo Gain”]

Well, sooner or later I’ll get a new computer. If I’m used to Linux by that time, I’ll probably buy one without Windows installed–I’m assuming that’s even possible :slight_smile:[/quote]

not only possible, but cheaper.

For beginners, it’s better to use the 32 bit version.
First of all the PAE extension kernel will make sure that all the ram is recognized and available for use.
The dual core will still do it’s job at full speed.
There is only some disadvantage when using, for example video editing software and reading files larger than 3G into the ram at once, which, the 32 bit version can’t do, even with PAE kernel.
There are some disadvantages with 64 bit Linux.
Not all software is fully supported yet.
For example Activinspire, an interactive white-board can run under 64 bit with the ia32-libs installed, however some functions like the audio playback don’t work.
Another is MyScriptStylus which I use for Chinese handwriting recognition . It works perfectly on a 32 bit install but not at all on a 64 bit install.
There are many others that need fixing. The two mentioned above are the one that let me keep using the 32 bit. The speed difference is not noticeable at all.

For older machines and low graphic cards, make sure to choose the unity 2d mode at the login screen.
After you logged in, open the terminal and type

sudo apt-get update

Enter
your Password
Enter

After that.

sudo apt-get install gnome-shell

Enter
your Password
Enter

When confronted with a screen asking you
gdm or lightdm
check-mark lightdm

When everything is done, log out and choose gnome classic no effects before logging in again.

there’s wine and virtualbox that usually fixes that issue. not ideal of course, but if there are more linux users, the less we have to put up with it.[/quote]
Wine does not work with Dr. Eye. I tried it.

there’s wine and virtualbox that usually fixes that issue. not ideal of course, but if there are more linux users, the less we have to put up with it.[/quote]
Wine does not work with Dr. Eye. I tried it.[/quote]

Stardict
stardict.org/

I have never been able to implement StarDict satisfactorily. I remember it being buggy and crashy, and I have heard stories of its developers having abandoned it. Is it still being maintained?

[quote=“Hamletintaiwan”][quote=“hansioux”]
Now you know if your CPU is 32bit or 64bit, download the right ISO for Desktop version.
When in doubt, get 32bit ISO, it runs on both, but why waste your 64bit CPU if you have one?
[/quote]
For beginners, it’s better to use the 32 bit version.
First of all the PAE extension kernel will make sure that all the ram is recognized and available for use.
The dual core will still do it’s job at full speed.
There is only some disadvantage when using, for example video editing software and reading files larger than 3G into the ram at once, which, the 32 bit version can’t do, even with PAE kernel.
There are some disadvantages with 64 bit Linux.
Not all software is fully supported yet.
For example Activinspire, an interactive white-board can run under 64 bit with the ia32-libs installed, however some functions like the audio playback don’t work.
Another is MyScriptStylus which I use for Chinese handwriting recognition . It works perfectly on a 32 bit install but not at all on a 64 bit install.
There are many others that need fixing. The two mentioned above are the one that let me keep using the 32 bit. The speed difference is not noticeable at all. [/quote]

Most Intel CPUs are not 64bit and has been for years. Most major distros will come with 64bit recommended this year. If someone has a 64bit machine, I see no reason why not to use it. It also really depends on what you do with your computer. Don’t know much about Activinspire. As for MyScriptStylus, since it’s an closed sourced driver, it’s up to the vendors to provide support, and it looksl ike they stopped supporting linux since Ubuntu 8.10.

Alternatives:
risujin.org/cellwriter/
ink2text.sourceforge.net/
ship-project.sourceforge.net/

Gnome-shell also requires graphics acceleration, I think if a computer really is that old, they are better off with LXDE as their desktop environment.

still works, my coworker uses it right next to me.

Well, sooner or later I’ll get a new computer. If I’m used to Linux by that time, I’ll probably buy one without Windows installed–I’m assuming that’s even possible :slight_smile: when that was something I hadn’t even considered until now.[/quote]

The Forumosa geek squad specced out a nice 10K computer (not including monitor) 3 years ago. They know what they are doing and will set you up real well if you ask.

Well, sooner or later I’ll get a new computer. If I’m used to Linux by that time, I’ll probably buy one without Windows installed–I’m assuming that’s even possible :slight_smile: when that was something I hadn’t even considered until now.[/quote]

The Forumosa geek squad specced out a nice 10K computer (not including monitor) 3 years ago. They know what they are doing and will set you up real well if you ask.[/quote]

Challenge accepted!

[quote=“hansioux”]

Alternatives:
risujin.org/cellwriter/
ink2text.sourceforge.net/
ship-project.sourceforge.net/

.[/quote]

I already did that a long time ago but couldn’t get the Chinese characters to show. Tried everything, every imaginable language export script you could possibly run including setting up the whole system in Chinese.
Same problem applies to German or any other language with special characters. Installing fonds via winetricks and or, copying fonds from a windows install, didn’t work either.
English works perfectly,though.

Anyhow, if you want a decent handwriting input for linux 32 bit, hurry up and download the files, since they started changing their website, yesterday.
The company changed their name and possibly the owner as well.

These download links still work.
If you have any questions on how to install feel free to ask me. I can also show you how to create this as a portable app without the need of installing.

[code]
Application
http://download.visionobjects.eu/downloads/myScript/stylus/linuxubuntu/myscriptstylus_3.0.11.36-0_i386.deb
Language support
http://download.visionobjects.eu/downloads/myScript/stylus/linuxubuntu/myscriptstylus-language_0.3.0.0-0_all.deb

additional languages
http://download.visionobjects.eu/downloads/myScript/stylus/linuxubuntu/myscriptstylus-language-ar_0.3.0.0-0_all.deb
http://download.visionobjects.eu/downloads/myScript/stylus/linuxubuntu/myscriptstylus-language-zh-cn_0.3.0.0-0_all.deb
http://download.visionobjects.eu/downloads/myScript/stylus/linuxubuntu/myscriptstylus-language-zh-tw_0.3.0.0-0_all.deb
http://download.visionobjects.eu/downloads/myScript/stylus/linuxubuntu/myscriptstylus-language-da-dk_0.3.0.0-0_all.deb
http://download.visionobjects.eu/downloads/myScript/stylus/linuxubuntu/myscriptstylus-language-nl-nl_0.3.0.0-0_all.deb
http://download.visionobjects.eu/downloads/myScript/stylus/linuxubuntu/myscriptstylus-language-en-ca_0.3.0.0-0_all.deb
http://download.visionobjects.eu/downloads/myScript/stylus/linuxubuntu/myscriptstylus-language-en-gb_0.3.0.0-0_all.deb
http://download.visionobjects.eu/downloads/myScript/stylus/linuxubuntu/myscriptstylus-language-fi-fi_0.3.0.0-0_all.deb
http://download.visionobjects.eu/downloads/myScript/stylus/linuxubuntu/myscriptstylus-language-fr-ca_0.3.0.0-0_all.deb
http://download.visionobjects.eu/downloads/myScript/stylus/linuxubuntu/myscriptstylus-language-fr-fr_0.3.0.0-0_all.deb
http://download.visionobjects.eu/downloads/myScript/stylus/linuxubuntu/myscriptstylus-language-de-de_0.3.0.0-0_all.deb
http://download.visionobjects.eu/downloads/myScript/stylus/linuxubuntu/myscriptstylus-language-el-gr_0.3.0.0-0_all.deb
http://download.visionobjects.eu/downloads/myScript/stylus/linuxubuntu/myscriptstylus-language-hu-hu_0.3.0.0-0_all.deb
http://download.visionobjects.eu/downloads/myScript/stylus/linuxubuntu/myscriptstylus-language-it-it_0.3.0.0-0_all.deb
http://download.visionobjects.eu/downloads/myScript/stylus/linuxubuntu/myscriptstylus-language-ja-jp_0.3.0.0-0_all.deb
http://download.visionobjects.eu/downloads/myScript/stylus/linuxubuntu/myscriptstylus-language-ko-kr_0.3.0.0-0_all.deb
http://download.visionobjects.eu/downloads/myScript/stylus/linuxubuntu/myscriptstylus-language-no-no_0.3.0.0-0_all.deb
http://download.visionobjects.eu/downloads/myScript/stylus/linuxubuntu/myscriptstylus-language-pl-pl_0.3.0.0-0_all.deb
http://download.visionobjects.eu/downloads/myScript/stylus/linuxubuntu/myscriptstylus-language-pt-br_0.3.0.0-0_all.deb
http://download.visionobjects.eu/downloads/myScript/stylus/linuxubuntu/myscriptstylus-language-pt-pt_0.3.0.0-0_all.deb
http://download.visionobjects.eu/downloads/myScript/stylus/linuxubuntu/myscriptstylus-language-ru-ru_0.3.0.0-0_all.deb
http://download.visionobjects.eu/downloads/myScript/stylus/linuxubuntu/myscriptstylus-language-es-mx_0.3.0.0-0_all.deb
http://download.visionobjects.eu/downloads/myScript/stylus/linuxubuntu/myscriptstylus-language-es-es_0.3.0.0-0_all.deb
http://download.visionobjects.eu/downloads/myScript/stylus/linuxubuntu/myscriptstylus-language-sv-se_0.3.0.0-0_all.deb
http://download.visionobjects.eu/downloads/myScript/stylus/linuxubuntu/myscriptstylus-language-tr-tr_0.3.0.0-0_all.deb[/code]