Putting Linux on old XP system

[johnson55]

Hi,
I was wondering about linux to install on my XP computer.
Would that be a good idea and would the computer have any updates
with that? Or would it still be a dangerous journey?
What's the pro's and cons of it?

[GR@PH;<'S]

johnson55,

I was wondering about linux to install on my XP computer

It is a good idea there are a few of our Family members that only use Linux and I am sure they would be happy to help you with setting it up you will more than lightly find that your PC will run faster as Linux is not Memory hungry like windows.
Some people are put off using it as they think that the programs will not work that may be the case however for every program that it can not use there's more then one alternative and you will not have to take out a mortgage to set it up.

GR@PH;<'S   :Hammys pint:

[johnson55]

Thanks for that.
Is their security protection from Linux of any kind? That of course is why I don't want
to use XP anymore on the internet.

[GR@PH;<'S]

johnson55

Is their security protection from Linux of any kind?

Yes there are a few take a look at these they are the Top 5 Anti virus for Ubuntu ~ Opensource4beginners.

GR@PH;<'S   :Hammys pint:

[Corrine]

You may also want to check out Bruno's Classroom at Scot's Newsletter Forums.  (Note:  all registrations are vetted so there is a delay after registering for account approval.)  LilBambi is a member here at LandzDown and can also be called on for help with Linux questions.

[LilBambi]

Howdy folks!  :mitch:

XP to Linux is great. I have been dual-booting between Windows XP and Linux on my laptop for years. Now I will continue to use Windows XP OFFLINE ONLY after April 8th, and continue using my Debian Wheezy Linux install on the other side of my dual-boot Sony Vaio laptop.

I have another laptop that used to have Vista on it but I don't have the HP install for it and I put Debian Wheezy on that.

I also have a Windows XP VirtualBox running on my Mac that will be OFFLINE ONLY come April 8th.

Lots of new beginners really enjoy Ubuntu on their devices. I used to play with Ubuntu but don't any longer since I have found what works best on my hardware.

Each person has to find what works best for them and their hardware.

I do also really like Linux Mint and it has all the cool stuff already built in that people want.

As Corrine mentioned, you may also want to check out Bruno's Classroom at Scot's Newsletter Forums.

If you are already using many cross platform things like Mozilla Firefox, Thunderbird, Google Chrome (I use Google Chrome in Linux so I don't have to worry about installing Flash), LibreOffice or OpenOffice.org, you will not miss a beat when you go to Linux.

[R-C]

I have been using Linux and Windows both for years and I think using a Linux distro to replace XP is a smart idea. I have several of my neighbors that are elderly, have been using XP for years, and do not want to spend the money on a new pc when the one they have works fine for them. Most only use it for surfing to a few sites, email, and in some cases Facebook.
A light weight Linux distro should work fine for that on the current computer. Since most already use Firefox and a Web based email everything will still look pretty much the same. I have been helping many of them with answering questions for years and got them using Firefox a while back.
Since I knew this situation with XP was looming on the horizon I have been researching some of the best Linux distro for this particular group of people. I was definitely considering Linux Mint because it's fairly user friendly. But recently came across some discussions about using Linuxliteos. I would highly recommend looking at this very light weight, and user friendly distro. I have been impressed with what I see. It's not heavily loaded with programs but covers all the necessities nicely. It is available as a live dvd so it's super easy to burn it, and run the live dvd. In fact I plan to do that for some of my friends so they still have their windows XP as it was. This will be a good way to get them trying it out as they feel comfortable with it. Then there's the options to dual boot, or wipe XP.
Check out
www.linuxliteos.com