Ubuntu 10.10

[johnb]

Thanks Bob for the information, I have two desktop computers one which i use 99% of the time running XP, and the other running ubuntu,which i only use when my XP computer lets me down, so my ubuntu use is minimal, and quite frankly i dont feel at home with it. I need to have someone look at my XP computer in the hope that it can be saved, but at this point even if i managed to get all my upgrades downloaded for the Ubuntu, i would rather use XP, so i think i will have XP installed on my ubuntu computer, then try to rescue files from my sick computer before it curls up its hard drive.

 

thanks

 

John

Edited February 9, 2013 by johnb

[i am bob]

Thanks Bob for the information, I have two desktop computers one which i use 99% of the time running XP, and the other running ubuntu,which i only use when my XP computer lets me down, so my ubuntu use is minimal, and quite frankly i dont feel at home with it. I need to have someone look at my XP computer in the hope that it can be saved, but at this point even if i managed to get all my upgrades downloaded for the Ubuntu, i would rather use XP, so i think i will have XP installed on my ubuntu computer, then try to rescue files from my sick computer before it curls up its hard drive.

 

thanks

 

John

Two things you can do - in either direction.

 

If you like XP for the look, you can get almost the same look in Ubuntu.  After upgrading, go into you Software Center and install the LXDE Desktop.  After it has downloaded, reboot and, before you put in your password, click on one of the boxes below that (one is offers different ways to log in, one is something else I can't think of right now and the other is to shut down at that page) and select the LXDE button.  Sometimes it might just show up as Lubuntu but the LXDE desktop is the one you want.  It looks very similar to Windows XP and is extremely fast.  I use this myself most of the time.  I can boot in less than 20 seconds and be fully online and operational in less than 30 seconds - it takes this long because I'm using a 3G internet stick.   My sister, who has never used anything but Windows, didn't even notice a difference when I gave her my netbook to try - she thought it was XP for netbooks other than it was so much faster than any XP she had ever used.

 

The other option is if you have an XP install cd and you are running (hopefully) Windows XP Pro.  (This does not work on XP Home) If so, reboot using the disk.  It will ask you if you want to try and repair your XP.  Check no.  It will go on and do a few other pages and then come back to tell you that it has found XP on your computer and would you like to try to repair it or reinstall it.  This time go for the repair.  What it will do is go back and check all the files to make sure that they are correct and, if not, replace them with the ones on the disk.  It won't remove any other software you have put on yourself so you won't lose all your good stuff.