06-29-2011
putting Linux on an old windows PC
Hello, I was just reading around these forums when I had an idea, without being able to really answer my question for myself due to some circumstances, so hopefully someone can give me a hand. I have an old desktop PC that has served me very well. I got an Asus G73JH though, so I mostly used the desktop for downloading random crap that might have viruses and what not. However, the desktop succumbed to a virus that was a keylogger and deleted my file association registry (I think?) so everytime I try to open something, I have to right click, run as... administrator. I tried running my windows XP boot disc, but for whatever reason when I try to boot from CD it either says drive does not exist or there is no OS found. I played around in the BIOS some, but it didn't help. I tried formatting and booting from a USB stick but again it said there was no OS found on the USB sick. So it's been sitting there gathering dust for about a month now, and today I had the idea of wiping it and installing a UNIX OS. So my question is, how would I go about doing this? Do I install a UNIX OS to my USB stick and then boot from that, wiping all the data off? Do I need to free up some hardrive space and make a new partition? I apologize for the length of the post, I just wanted to add some details for my circumstances so I didn't get a "this has been asked 23239048 times, just search the forums" PC specs (that I can remember offhand) 1GB RAM 160GB HDD 3.2GHz CPU (I think?) currently running windows XP Thanks!
8 More Discussions You Might Find Interesting
1. UNIX for Dummies Questions & Answers
:confused: Hey, I can't seem to find out where to to get LINUX or X-WINDOWS. Any help would be much appreciated!
Thnx! (1 Reply)
Discussion started by: Kirkey
1 Replies
2. Linux
Hello,
In our computer lab we are windows networking.We have installed windows 2000 server on our IBM server and created a domain. All the computers are installed with windows 2000 porfessional and are a part of the domain. i have a installed Red Hat linux 9.0 on one system. I want this Linux... (1 Reply)
Discussion started by: vibhory2j
1 Replies
3. UNIX for Dummies Questions & Answers
OKay, I'm a complete dummy when it comes to Unix/Linux. I was under that impression that it's just like Windows, but not windows? I'm sure I sound like a moron.
First of all, I hate windows but I'm so very much a pc user. I'm not all that in love with Macs so, Mr.Gates seems like my only... (2 Replies)
Discussion started by: spaceshiporion
2 Replies
4. Windows & DOS: Issues & Discussions
Hello all
i need to install linux flavor ubunto or sentOs not GUI is needed the only
problem is that in my home computer im using win2k ( don't ask my wife don't want to hear about Linux )
so i guess i stuck with installing some kind of virtual pc and install on top of it the Linux
what do you... (11 Replies)
Discussion started by: umen
11 Replies
5. Linux
What are the differences, advantages, and disadvantages? (1 Reply)
Discussion started by: Advice Pro
1 Replies
6. Linux
1) i want to switch myself from windows to linux OS. i have never used linux before. could u please guide me what distro i should install..
2) secondly i have to buy a new laptop. recommend me any good solid laptop for linux OS. coz i have heard u have to have problems with drivers when it comes... (6 Replies)
Discussion started by: relocate
6 Replies
7. UNIX for Dummies Questions & Answers
I *think* what I want to do is not only possible but easy, but as a "dummy" :) I can't figure it out. Here's what I have:
Linux (Ubuntu 10.04) laptop that is not in my house, but has an Internet connection.
Linux (Ubuntu 9.04) computer in my house that has unfettered access to the... (6 Replies)
Discussion started by: WesleyC
6 Replies
8. UNIX for Beginners Questions & Answers
Hi, totally new to linux base using windows when started learning and using computers.
but i remember that one pc was there , look alike windows desktop, but could not do the task as windows just click and open and view edit etc. But, you could do a little differently even saving in and opening... (8 Replies)
Discussion started by: jraju
8 Replies
LEARN ABOUT REDHAT
purity
PURITY(6) Games Manual PURITY(6)
NAME
purity - a general purpose purity test
SYNOPSIS
/usr/games/purity [ flags ] [ testname ]
DESCRIPTION
Purity is an interactive purity test program with a simple, user interface and datafile format. For each test, questions are printed to
the your terminal, and you are prompted for an answer to the current question. At a prompt, these are your choices:
y Answer "yes" to the question.
n Answer "no" to the question.
b Backup one question, if you answered it incorrectly, or someone is watching you take the test, and you don't (or do) want to
admit a different answer.
r Redraw the current question.
q Quit the test, and print the current score.
? Print a help screen for the current prompt.
k Kill a section of the test. This skips all the questions of the test until the next subject heading.
a Toggle answer mode between real answers and obfuscated answers. Real answers print "yes" and "no", while obfuscated answers
are "Maybe" and "maybe". Obfuscated answers are preferred if you are shy, and don't want people to be able to read your
answers over your shoulder as you take the test.
d Toggle dERanGe output.
s Print your current score on the test you are taking.
l Toggle score logging.
At the end of the test, your score is printed out. For most purity tests, lower scores denote more "experience" of the test material.
FLAGS
These are the command line flags for the test.
-a Show real answers (i.e. "yes" and "no") instead of obfuscated ones (i.e. "Maybe" and "maybe") as you answer the questions.
-d PrINt THe tESt in DerANgeD pRInT.
-f Take the test in fast mode. Only the questions are printed, and not any other text blocks, like the introdution, subject
headers, and the conclusion.
-l Take the test without having your score logged.
-p Print the test without prompting for answers. This is useful for making hard copies of the tests without having to edit out
the prompts by hand.
-r Decrypt the test using the Rot 13 algorithm. This is done as a form of "protection", such that if you read a rot13 test and
it offends you, it's your own fault.
-z zoom through more prompts in large text blocks. The default is to prompt the user for more when a screenful of text has been
printed without any user input.
DATAFILE FORMAT
The format of the datafiles is a very simple format, intended such that new tests can quickly and easily be converted to run with the test.
There are four types of text in a purity test datafile. Each type is contained in a bracket type of punctuation. The definitions are as
follows:
the styles of text blocks are:
{ plain text block }
[ subject header ]
( test question )
and < conclusion >
Plain text blocks are printed out character for character.
Subject headers are preceded by their subject numbers, starting at 1, and then printed as text blocks.
Questions are preceded by their numbers, and then prompt the user to answer the question, keeping track of the user's current score.
Conclusions first calculate and print the user's score for the test, then print out the conclusion as a text block.
If you wish to include any of the various bracket punctuation in your text, the backslash ("") character will escape the next character.
To print a question with parentheses, you would use the following format:
(have you ever written a purity test (like this one)?)
the output would be this:
1. have you ever written a purity test (like this one)?
and then it would have asked the user for her/his answer.
For a generic datafile, use the "sample" datafile for the test.
FILES
/var/games/purity.scores the score logfile
/usr/share/games/purity/* test data files
AUTHOR
Eric Lechner, lechner@ucscb.ucsc.edu
18 December 1989 PURITY(6)