I have an old computer that has alot of virus problems. if i wipe out the harddrive and install linux would that be kinda like restoring it? i dont have anything on it i want to save except some music. i pretty much want to use it as a jukebox. any advice on a good way to do this would be appreciated.

As you have virus problems I assume you are running a Microsoft operating system. Installing Linux is not restoring it - to restore means to get it back to the way it came to you (ie with MS Windows). Linux is a different OS, but yes, if all you want to do is use it as a jukebox Linux would be perfect and you won't get viruses. See this : http://limp-vkk-ver1.sourceforge.net/

I have microsoft xp. i didnt mean so much restoring it but getting it to work again. none of my media players will work. what version would be good to use? i have iriver and a magnivox mp3 players that id like to use with it.

Linux can't be infected by a Windows virus. If you want to install Linux, the easiest way to do it, is select and burn a Linux distro of your choosing, (Ubuntu is a good one for the Linux noob) boot the installation disk and when prompted, tell it to use the whole disk for installation. Windows will be completely removed and you'll have a nice, safe and shiny Linux OS when done. Ubuntu has a nice selection of media players in Synaptic that you can choose from if you don't like the default Rhythm Box. [Modified by: Waxon on January 07, 2009 05:33 PM]

Just be sure to save your music off the hard drive before formatting it during installation.

But how old is your computer? If you have something very old perhaps Ubuntu is not a suitable version (get Xubuntu or, if the hardware is very weak, something like Fluxbuntu).

Its a HP Pavillion 513n i bought it abought 6 or 7 years ago.

what would be the best way to save the music on it. i have 18gb but my flash card only holds 4.

External Hardrive . http://www.newegg.com/store/SubCategory.aspx?SubCategory=414

i dont have an external hard drive. im hoping i can compress them and put them on cdrs.

what are the differences between the different versions of ubuntu? is there a good version for playing music?

All versions are good for playing music. If you wish to do a lot more with Ubuntu just download and install Ubuntu Studio from Ubuntus Package manager, Synaptic. http://forums.afterdawn.com/thread_view.cfm/353950

I was just looking at the specs for ubuntu. i only have 256 mb ram. should i go for a simpler version or could this one work?

You'll probably want something much lighter. Try Puppy Linux: http://www.puppylinux.org/home/overview or antiX: http://antix.mepis.org/index.php/Main_Page

And I run Puppy Dingo and NimbleX2008 on 256 mb ram Laptop. AntiX is also another one that I like also.

thanks for the advice. i think im gonna try the puppy dingo and see how that works.

i downloaded puppy dingo to a flash drive and changed my bios settings to boot from it but i keep gettin "PRESS A KEY TO REBOOT" it keeps poping up no matter what i do. any idea what im doing wrong?

Yep, If you have a floppy drive on your computer, you will need to make a Wake Pup Floppy and select Floppy drive boot first in Bios, then Usb second drive boot. http://puppylinux.org/wiki/applications/dot-pets/wakepup http://www.murga-linux.com/puppy/viewtopic.php?t=7979

This will make Puppy run off the pendrive using the Pendrive as a hardrive. http://www.pendrivelinux.com/puppy-linux-on-usb/

the only floppy drive i have is on the pc that is messed up so i cant make a wake pup floppy. i tried doing it on a cdr but i get the same message. is there a different light version of linux that would be easier to install? also my pc is stuck starting in safe mode would this have any affect on it?

does your bios allow you to disable the floppy?

i think so. ive tried changing the boot path to start with cd rom first then my usb. then i did the reverse of that and still the same thing. right now im just trying to get out of safe mode but it wont let me.

ok im out of safe mode finally but i still cant get wake pup to work.

Could you try installing DSL on USB and see if that gets you going? http://www.damnsmalllinux.org/ [Modified by: Fred on January 10, 2009 04:51 PM]

i tried dsl 4.4.10 intrd but it didnt do anything. i also disabled my flash drive and it didnt help. any idea what else i could be doing wrong?

I know that it takes a LOT of configuring to build a good system with Gentoo Linux, but because you have total control over what is built into the kernel you can get it to support just about any system out there, including old i486 systems with 16-24MB RAM. I used it to build Linux boxes out of an old Dell P-II and an old Gateway 486. It also gives one the best learning experience in hacking Linux systems with a good view into what options are necessary. That said, Gentoo is not good for the technically clumsy, although the worst that can happen is that you end up with a system that won't boot until you "get it right". It took me about a week of evenings to get my first Gentoo system operational to a point where I could use it every day. The biggest issues I found were the compiler build options and determining what specific hardware my system used. That last part required some determined reading of the original system documentation, review of the bill-of-materials for the system, some visits to Dell's web site, and peering at the motherboard and add-ins with a flashlight and magnifying glass (after vacuuming/blowing out all the dust :-)! At least they now have good Live-CD/DVD images to download and check out. They help with familiarizing you with the system, as well as installing it. Much easier, I think, than when I first tried it about 5 years ago! Judging from the age/type of your system it probably has a P-II or P-III pentium processor with a reasonable amount of memory (256MB?). The Live-CD should run just fine. Anyway, if a learning experience is in the cards for you, try Gentoo! FYI, my main workstation is not Gentoo - rather it is CentOS, though I am considering building a Gentoo system disc as I have swappable boot drives with a spare for such experimentation purposes. It's mostly a matter of having the time to get a round tuit.

i think i am burning the disc wrong. do i have to get infra recorder or can i use my windows media player to burn it?

what is better to get infra recorder or iso recorder?

[quote=tdahlke8]i think i am burning the disc wrong. do i have to get infra recorder or can i use my windows media player to burn it?[/quote] You need some kind of software that will burn an ISO image. Most recording software (not Media Player) will do so, such as Alcohol, Nero, EZ Creator, etc. For Windows, I have had the best results with Alcohol 120% for both ripping and burning, except ripping copy-protected DVDs, which requires the use of something like DVDdecrypter.

[quote=tdahlke8]what is better to get infra recorder or iso recorder?[/quote] There are also open source and freeware/shareware burners which you can download from the web, such as the one on this link: http://www.ntfs.com/iso-burning.htm Hope this helps.

thank you everyone for the help. i just got puppy dingo working (finally). i guess i was just burning the disc wrong.

[quote=tdahlke8]thank you everyone for the help. i just got puppy dingo working (finally). i guess i was just burning the disc wrong.[/quote] Congratulations! You have just earned your first badge in the Linux Scouts! :-)