Malware White Smoke tool bar

[toad]

I basically screwed up using my old Vista machine logged in as an administrator because I was/am tired all the time. It was a rootkit called White Smoke. To further compound the problem I messed up more stuff trying to get rid of it than the virus was causing. Should have went for Rkill sooner. Then when I got desperate I couldn't find my old Vista install discs to do a reformat and reinstall. I got ahold of a Linux distribution called Mint linux and wiped out the Vista and Chrome. Of course I can't use Netflix anymore. Looks like I'm going to have to wait for pay day and get a Roku box. At least the Linux pretty much prevents me from accessing the Internet as an administrator.

[Denis]

Congratulations! Consider this your 'Independence Day' from Windows, pay software, viruses and all kinds of crap. You'll never go back.

No worries about payday - you can run Netflix under Linux: video here.

[Greg]

Congratulations on the upgrade. I recently got around to upgrading the software on my desktop PC, now I'm running Mint 14 Nadia myself. My wife and I like it quite a bit.

I ran Vista on my work PC for quite a while and had no real complaints. If you want Windows back for games or something (dual boot, keep Linux and just run Windows when you need to, you'll be happier) you can download media. Win7 .iso's are easy to find, but for Vista it's a little trickier- you download the installer .exe, extract it, then use a utility to make an .iso from the extracted files. There are tutorials online.

[Rich]

Been a Mintaholic for a few years now. No complaints with 14, started with 8, did have a problem with 12 (Destroyed a MOBO trying to properly install it. Don't ask.), 13 was okay, and 14 is looking really solid like 10 was. Finally settled on the MATE desktop for my needs, others swear by Cinnamon.

Go to the web site, and look over the forums. Lotsa good stuff.

[Rich Jordan]

How is Mint for netbooks? I'm using Ubuntu mostly because when I started they had a 'netbook remix' that worked really well, but it went away with the crappy unity desktop.

Screen is 1024x600 pixels (blech). Its all I have until I save enough for a new system

[merll2005]

How is Mint for netbooks? I'm using Ubuntu mostly because when I started they had a 'netbook remix' that worked really well, but it went away with the crappy unity desktop.

Screen is 1024x600 pixels (blech). Its all I have until I save enough for a new system

I ran Mint 13 Cinnamon for awhile on mine and it was fine. I went back to XP because bought a Zune and want to spend the money to replace it.

[Odahi]

New computer? I just built one. I could never have gotten what I built, for anywhere near what I paid. Newegg has a pretty good deal (today only) on a combo. Case, 450-w power supply, AMD 3.8 GHz quad-core, motherboard, 8 GB RAM, 500GB HDD. $284.99 Get yourself an optical drive and a video card, and you're all set.

http://www.newegg.com/special/shellshoc ... hocker-L2B

[toad]

I've bookmarked the youtube video that Dennis posted. It is a neat hack to use the WINE windows emulator to view Netflix.
The latest Roku box though gets you HD but also Netflix, Hulu and some other streaming video sites for the purchase price if I read the specs correctly.

The Linux Mint website has some data on what devices will be compatible with it:
http://community.linuxmint.com/hardware

Just before I crashed and burned, I'd put in an order for a cheapy mulltifunction Canon inkjet printer because I needed(wanted) the flat bed scanner it had to copy some thick items. I'm crossing my fingers that I will or can get a driver for it. I didn't feel like riding the bus to get to some place like Kinko's or one of the commercial mail box rental places to make copies.

[Draven]

You'll never go back.

Unless you need real applications, whose user interfaces weren't designed using the 'million monkeys' technique.