"rose" writes:

"Dan Espen" wrote:

Dan, are you saying that installing and working with Linux is do-able
for someone at the novice (not newbie) level?

Yes.

I hate Windows and am not fond of IE. I had to go back to IE after
upgrading Firefox screwed my computer up. I had been using it for years.
But every damn thing I have to install for windows eats up so much
resources. And I really don't know what I Need to install and what I can
skip. I also tried Thunderbird but wasn't crazy about it either. I use
OE.

Can I somehow install Linux over windows--I don't know what a dual boot
is. I will do a bit of research.

You can install Linux over, beside or inside windows.

Over is very easy, boot from the CD. One of the first questions it
asks is do you want to install over.

Beside (dual boot) is a bit harder.
Mainly you have to decide how much space you
want to use for Linux (that's the harder part).
The installer will resize the Windows partition if necessary.
Next time you boot, it asks you want to boot Windows or Linux.

Inside can be done a couple of ways:

With WUBI Linux, you install Linux just like any other Windows application.
Next time you boot it asks if you want to boot Linux or Windows.
The difference is, Linux resides within the Windows file system.

There are a few Virtual Machines. I've used VMWare (which you can
now get for free) and Virtual Box. Both let you run Linux inside Windows
or Windows inside Linux. Both run at the same time. Also very simple
to install.

As I said previously, you don't even have to install it.
You can get a "live" CD or USB key. Then boot from the CD or
USB key. If you're afraid you'll mess something up, the live
CDs are really risk free.