re: Problems in WIN 98SE
Saturday, December 26, 2009 at 2:25 pm
Windows 98 Annoyances Discussion Forum
Posted by gewg_
(4444 messages posted)
Dave A. wrote:
|I also believe it's infected with one heck of a virus.
|
As mentioned, Linux doesn't suffer from that nonsense.
Something I didn't mention: You DON'T have to *install* Linux to try it.
(Unlike M$'s junk, Linux and the apps can be run from the plastic disk.)
Here are 3 "distros" that will run on ancient iron
--and they use lightweight desktops that will run with smaller amounts of RAM;
all 3 include OpenOffice.org.
cache
of http://distrowatch.com/pqui
cache
of http://distrowatch.com/xfld
cache
of http://distrowatch.com/linguasos
(Linux Mint's Xfce Edition and Mint Fluxbox Edition are even better than those,
but those spins don't have DistroWatch pages
that are separate from the heavyweight Mint main trunk.)
If you have the HDD space, you can also set up Linux as a dual-boot.
(Linux does all the heavy lifting setting things up.)
You can also put Linux on a separate HDD (which I recommend).
Having Linux around also gives you a bootable environment for maintenance
when fragile little Windoze breaks.
|[...]do anti-virus programs get rid of viruses
|or are they just to protect computers from getting them?
|
NOT "computers"--WINDOZE boxes.
Macs, Linux boxes, *BSD boxes, Solaris boxes... DON'T suffer from this nonsense.
ONLY Windoze needs that junk. Actually, I should say STILL needs that junk.
A need for anti-xxxx apps is the mark of a defective OS design.
...and to get the kind of "protection" you are referring to on a Windoze box,
you have to be running the anti-xxxx junk all the time, slowing the box down
and sucking up resources that could be dedicated to USEFUL tasks.
Again, since Linux doesn't need that junk, it doesn't waste those resources.
...and to run an alternative to M$'s "equivalent" (ostensibly "cutting-edge" version),
Linux needs less of a computer to start with--about one-fourth, actually:
http://cityblogger.com/archives/2009/12/21/ubuntu-vs-windows-hardware-requirements
Have I mentioned that Linux is FREE?
Have I mentioned that Linux has more recent versions than your ancient M$ junk?
I did mention in this post that you don't need to buy new hardware to run Linux.
...and in reference to your difficulties
getting modern hardware to run under your ancient M$ OS,
Linux has the best hardware support of *ANY* OS.
|I'm getting along fine with the computer,
|it's just that I can't listen to all my music, or download any program
|
Your definition of "fine" is different than mine.
|or online-news item that requires Microsoft DirectX or ActiveX
|
You need to find Web sites with developers who have a 21st Century skill set
--sites that don't exclude users based on what platform is being used.
That was SUPPOSED to be what the Internet was about:
A homogeneous network with a hetrogeneous infrastructure.
...and I suspect that having Internet Exploder / ActiveX running
was how you got infected.
Choosing another browser and eschewing ActiveX
are strongly advised by the US Govt's computer security experts.
|My WIN98SE Updates CD was bought
|
Linux is FREE and doesn't limit you to 1999 technology.
|and installed on top of my WIN98 on July 21, 2000.
|
Ubuntu Linux 9.10 "Karmic Koala" was released the last week of October 2009.
Their Xubuntu spin (using Xfce) would likely run on your box.
There are dozens of other distros that offer similar freedom from Micros~1
as well as providing a **modern** computing environment.
|I've re-installed MS Word 97 a few times
|
The Linux distros I linked to will allow you to run OpenOffice from the CD
--without installing anything.
If you decide to install OOo and/or Linux, you won't need product keys either
--no more constantly being treated like a criminal by M$.
...and by switching to Free(dom) Software,
there will be no more remote kill switches in your software.
http://www.goodbyemicrosoft.net/news.php?item.217.3
It escapes my sense of logic why here in the 21st Century
people still tolerate the M$/payware permission-required meme.
|What I'm worried about is that, because I'm still using
|a very old WIN98SE that certainly is corrupted, if not crawling with viruses,
|tons of my research and .doc files will corrupt a new computer
|if I do buy the latest one with WIN7 installed.
|
Here's a crazy idea:
Let *someone else* buy all-new hardware in order to run M$'s latest bloatware.
When that somebody sells his 6 year old gear[1], scoop that up for a song
and install Linux on it. As mention in the blogger's link above,
you can get by with MUCH older hardware than someone running a recent M$ OS.
Dell, HP, Acer... (as well as Linux-only vendors like System76)
also provide boxes with pre-installed Linux.
...and as I've mentioned repeatedly,
when you stop using M$'s OSes, there are NO MORE INFECTION WORRIES.
|I'd like to give you my website address to get a glimpse of my books
|but I'm afraid the moderator might block this message if I do.
|
We're all moderators here.
...and I've seen a lot less useful stuff included in other posts.
I know I wouldn't object to a small footer containing a link to creative work.
http://www.annoyances.org/exec/forum/win98/config
[1] By getting hardware that is just a few years newer than your Win9x box,
you can run ANY Linux distro (not just the lighter distros).
That also allows more eye candy and bells & whistles, if that's what you're into.
Before you hand over your cash, you can also boot that box to the Linux CD
to assure yourself that the hardware is all compatible with your chosen distro
--something unheard of in the M$ realm.
- Written in response to:
- re: Problems in WIN 98SE (Dave A.: Saturday, December 26, 2009 at 8:27 am)
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 |  | | | | | | | | | |  | ps.... (C K: Sun, Dec 27, 2009, 11:05 am) |
| | |  | re: Problems in WIN 98SE (gewg_: Sat, Dec 26, 2009, 2:25 pm) |
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