Windows patch?

I'm totally sick of Windows, so I want to completely get rid of it yet still be able to run all of my programs... I've heard from more than one person that there was a Windows "patch" which allowed this, but I can't seem to find it. Any help? In case anyone cares, I bought a computer with XP already installed, but it didn't come with the installation disc. It also came with a whole bunch of programs I didn't want, so I decided it was easier to wipe the hard drive and reinstall windows from a used XP disc. Mind you, this was all before their extremely frustrating "Windows Validation" crap, (as if they need all that extra money >.> ) so needless to say, I can't update nor download any add-ons etc, etc. SO, that is the main reason for getting rid of it, besides the fact that it sucks... In other words, I'd rather not receive advice including "keep XP" or "dual boot". If that is the only option however, I suppose I wouldn't have a choice... Thanks in advance!

[quote=Waxon]Removing Windows and installing Linux is pretty easy. The tricky part is running "all" your Windows programs. Many will run with the aid of "Wine," amongst others, which are Windows emulators that run within the Linux OS. However, not all Windows programs will work even with the aid of an emulator. Most Windows programs have a Linux based equivalent, but no one can guarantee you a 100% changeover.[/quote] Ok, "Wine", I'll start with that, thanks! I guess I'll have to test each program to make sure I can run it. If I can't run them all, I guess I'll have to keep XP. As long as that's the case though, I can't wipe the hard drive again unless I blow some money on Vista... Oh well, what'll you do?

Download the live cd for ubuntu which you can find at www.ubuntu.com. The download is a live cd so burn the iso file to a cd and follow the on screen instructions. After the install start the terminal and use the following command line: sudo apt-get install wine After the visit: www.winehq.org to check the compatibilty of windows programs. When installing an .exe file right click on it and open with wine program loader. For programs that you can't get working you can always try to find an open source alternative such as open office instead of using microsoft office. Let us know how it goes.