Migration from XP to Linux

[uscra112]

Anybody done it yet?

How did it work out?

Can it run old DOS applications?

Can it run Quickload?

AutoCAD 98?

[Digger]

Been there done that few years back .....
Many different versions out there to chose from .... Ubuntu apparently being one of the most popular ...
Was using it on my main desktop here until my existing old tower died ...haven't had time to convert the last few months with my new machine ,work and all but will .
from what I remember .. you can run a few dos programs "inside" with the provided shell ...
I am sure there will be others here to help out more in depth ...
Linux is the way to go .... just boot and go ... don't worry about all the windows virus , spy bots, malware ...etc.
very dependable , I use the Linux Mint version the last few months on my laptops at work and at home ...
dual boot .. choice of "Mint" or Window's ...for work purposes .. more security with a linux version.
Do a lot of reading where you can ... learning curve and all , but it will pay off.
Was using nothing but a linux version for years until I got a desk job with my company and now get to cuss at windows everyday ..
as I stated before , I am sure there will be more people here in tune with linux at the moment that will respond ,,, you are looking in the right direction.
meanwhile , take a look at this site that shows a lot of the "Linux" distributions available ....
http://distrowatch.com/

[pworley1]

I have moved on to win 7 and 8 from xp, but I still run a linux box. I didn't try to run any of the applications that you mentioned, but there is an almost unlimited supply of open source of Linux applications that will do almost anything you need. The best thing about Linux besides being free, is that it is extremely stable. If you decide to go with Linux, I suggest Ubuntu. You can even download a copy and run it from the disk without making any changes to your current operating system. Check out sourceforge.org.

[williamwaco]

I have done it a couple of times.
There is virtually no software availability even today.
Most recently I tried about six months ago and could not find printer drivers for any of the new printers.

There are two ways to make it work. There are programs called Parallels and another called VMWare fusion.

They allow you to run any version of windows as a linux application and then you can use all your windows software.
the most amazing thing is that you can have multiple installations of multiple versions of windows. It works really great.
BUT neither linux or Parallels of VM Fusion are really suitable for non geeks.

I have tried at least a dozen different versions of linux.
The only one I would recommend for a normal geek is Ubuntu.
All the others require an Uber-Geek.

[archmaker]

It is my primary home system, but I am more of the Uber-Geek type. I would say it depends on what you want to do and understand the limitations. Remember it is not windows, so if you need windows apps then you should go that route. (You don't use your station wagon, to haul your cattle :-D )

An option you may want to consider is dual-boot. Where you install two operating systems on your computer. That is what I have but the last time I booted this box into Windows was probably 2 months ago.

Lot of different 'flavors' out there and if you want to go that route then Ubuntu is the probably the best option for someone new to Linux.

[MaryB]

I will just keep on using XP and keep my firewall and antivirus up to date. I have to much software that will not run under Linux even in a shell.

[kayak1]

you can always install Windows XP or Windows 7 in a virtual machine. (Most versions of Linux ship with KVM http://www.linux-kvm.org/page/Main_Page these days which is a great hyper visor).

Linux won't run Quickload.

As for AutoCAD you can use http://librecad.org/cms/home.html it's a fairly good free Cad setup.

[Duckiller]

#1 son(geek) installed umbutu on last computer. Have had no problems that he coun't fix. Simpler than windows and lets me on the internet.

[uscra112]

you can always install Windows XP or Windows 7 in a virtual machine. (Most versions of Linux ship with KVM http://www.linux-kvm.org/page/Main_Page these days which is a great hyper visor).

Linux won't run Quickload.

As for AutoCAD you can use http://librecad.org/cms/home.html it's a fairly good free Cad setup.

If I can't run Quickload, and AutoCAD 98, I'm dead in the water. :( And while I have several computers, the idea of having to switch to another piece of hardware is o.u.t. No space in the office for one, second I'd be sneakernetting files from the XP computer to the one I would have online running Linux.

Maybe MaryB's plan is mine also..... I run McAfee, despite the hideous slowdown it imposes.

But I'll also check out Williamwaco's info. It was ten years ago, but I did cope with a highly complex software at work that ran under Unix. Thanks!

[popper]

If your machine will do USB boot, you can boot from thumb drive, Ubuntu. You will have a Linux sector on disk for data. Linux is non corporate software that runs the internet and is very safe. Drivers are a pain as they are NOT developed for Linux. Fortunately many actually work for Linux.

[khmer6]

If I can't run Quickload, and AutoCAD 98, I'm dead in the water. :( And while I have several computers, the idea of having to switch to another piece of hardware is o.u.t. No space in the office for one, second I'd be sneakernetting files from the XP computer to the one I would have online running Linux.

Maybe MaryB's plan is mine also..... I run McAfee, despite the hideous slowdown it imposes.

But I'll also check out Williamwaco's info. It was ten years ago, but I did cope with a highly complex software at work that ran under Unix. Thanks!
You can always run a virtual instance of XP from a W7 machine. I don't know what version of quick load you have, but the one I have is X only

[Jailer]

You can always run a virtual instance of XP from a W7 machine. I don't know what version of quick load you have, but the one I have is X only

Or run a virtual instance of XP from the linux disro of your choice. Install just the necessary programs you need to run in windows and run it when you need it.

Or run a dual boot setup of xp and your linux ditro of choice and just boot into xp when you need to use your programs.

Wine is also another option.

It could be done with a little bit of research and planning.

[SciFiJim]

Since Microsoft support for WinXP is going to end on April 8th, I have been seriously considering this.

Right now the cost of upgrading hardware to get the new OS is just too high and it won't run on the old hardware that otherwise does what I want to do.

[Digger]

Since Microsoft support for WinXP is going to end on April 8th, I have been seriously considering this.

Right now the cost of upgrading hardware to get the new OS is just too high and it won't run on the old hardware that otherwise does what I want to do.

That is the advantage of some of the Linux distro's out there , one can still be humming away on an old amd processor machine with it , no biggie .. you can update the system at your own pace , try another version when ever you want since it's all free for the most part.
One of the easiest ways to use it like has been mentioned .....
Rarely are any machines password secured on boot up....just hit the right key to get in the process (as different manufactures use different keys) and make sure the system recognizes USB or the CD , which ever you prefer , before the hard drive and there you go ...
these days , one can have a system on a thumb drive and go from there , use it as any other type , do your work ,plus you can save your work in a separate file on the drive .... shut down , pull the thumb drive out ,
next time let the computer boot back up in it's normal "windows" ... nobody knows you were there if you want.
Of course I have never done that myself ....[smilie=1:

Many different ways to go about it ... dual booting is real handy as described earlier .
In a pinch , sometime the window's files have problems ... you do a thumb drive boot up on a windows machine and you can "look into the existing files" on your windows hard drive ..to recover if you have to ...
Computer people , Horse People and us Gun people all have a hundred different opinions on the same subject .....
(maybe I should use that for my tag line)

[.5mv^2]

I run Linux and like it.

I have a couple of DOS programs that I run on a dos machine. One has 23 years of data.

I can run DOS on my Linux machine using DOSbox Emulator but it doesn't print.

This Linux machine is a cheap walmart gateway that I took Windows 8 off and made it a straight Linux box. I think it was 200 dollars.

For printing on my Ubuntu Linux I use my Brother multipurpose laser.

I don't know much about autocad.

[uscra112]

I'm seeing this a lot - that there are no drivers for printers in Linux. What use is a computer when you can't print?

I've downloaded Linux Mint Cinnamon. The file is 1.1 GIGABYTES. I'm assuming it's compressed, so what is the uncompressed O/S going to load at ??? And I've always been told that Windows was bloated!

The only CAD I know how to run is Anvil1K, which is so old that it will run on a 8086. Been using it since about 1992, so I also have 20+ years of drawing files built up. Several hundred at least.

I hate "progress"..........

[MaryB]

My Laser engraver software will not run under Linux in a virtual machine, pain in the butt to get it to run right under Windows the way it was. Some other ham radio programs that are hardware dependent with zero linux support too.

[Ajax]

I run a dual boot system. Linux on one partition and windows on the other. I select which one to boot at start up. I run Linux Mint. It is a stripped and upgraded version on Ubuntu. I have no problem a web search hasn't fixed yet. Printer works fine. If you have any questions let me know and i will try to help.

Andy

[juzme]

I still won't call myself a "geek" but I've run various Linux versions since the mid-90s, Unix from school in the 70s. Got Win7 on a bootable partition and BSD on another of the same drive but almost always boot to Linux. My favorite version is hands down LinuxMint. It's probably the best for a newbie, too, because there's no tinkering to get everything going and because it mostly uses Debian and/or Ubuntu depositories containing tens of thousands of free software titles. One gal I just helped to transition said she couldn't even install Windows but with hardly any help she had Mint loaded and running on her laptop in about 20 minutes. As for bloat, Linux verison sizes range from a few k to several gig depending mostly on how much software you want to initially install while loading the OS. Some of the tiny distros are screaming fast, too. DOSbox takes care of any of my ancient DOS needs which have become few and far between and other emulators run Winware like e-Sword (fast on Wine) for me. As for drivers, they're out there for free as are very good howtos for anything that comes up. Just use your favorite search engine. Intro to Linux can be had for download by newbies. I've seen Linux for Dummies on Distro Watch and here's a guide I just ran across (just an example, I've never read it): http://www.makeuseof.com/pages/getting-started-guide-linux I'll help anybody out that I can to the extent of my ability. Good luck.
juzme

[Moonie]

If having CAD is a requirement for the OS you will not be happy with Linux. Don't get me wrong, there are lots of things you can do with Linux, and there are CAD programs for UNIX that I'm sure will work. I remember some from my days supporting UNIX workstations at Volvo corporate, but they are VERY expensive.

If I were you I would stick with Windows. This coming from a UNIX/Linux admin, I rarely run windows on anything, but I do not have the same requirements you do.

[dbosman]

Everything good and bad, that was said above, is true.
Windows has been paying my families bills for eighteen years. I prefer Linux for most people, though.
If all one does is browse the internet and standard small office chores, Linux is too simple an answer to ignore.
If you need any number of specialized Windows software programs, Linux isn't going to work for you unless you run some sort of visualization software with a version of Windows. Even then, some programs make calls to hardware that can cause difficulty for a casual user.

If some Windows program is important for income or serious hobby, invest in a 2nd computer and keep the work related machine off the internet.

[Gelandangan]

Due to some software problem my old Windows 2008 server failed to boot last week, with the age of the software I thought to upgrade to newer server OS.
Now I use Ubuntu 12.04 LTS as server.
All run Ok, except that Logitech does not support Linux so my uber-featured mouse and keyboard now become as good as a $10 mouse/keyboard combo from K Mart..

Oh well..

[celem]

I left Windows years ago. The secret for a smooth transition is to first switch to 100% open source applications. Before I switched 100% to Linux I migrated to all open source applications, such as LibreOffice. After a number of months of comfortably operating open source applications I realized that Microsoft was doing nothing but launch open source programs that also run on Linux. At this point I erased Windows and loaded Linux. I never looked back. I run Mint XFCE.

The learning curve of switching from xp to Linux is similar to that of switching from xp to Apple.

I recommend that you look at the link below which is a table of equivalents.

http://wiki.linuxquestions.org/wiki/Linux_software_equivalent_to_Windows_software

[SciFiJim]

I downloaded the Mint ISO and reached for a DVD to burn it to. Looks like my son has been into my supplies again.:???: I have lots of blank cds but am out of DVDs right now. I'll have to order some more before trying it out. The machine I want to use it on is too old to boot from a USB thumb drive.

[uscra112]

Yah, I gotta have my Anvil. I have absolutely zero desire to try to learn a new CAD environment now. Heck, I can't even wrap my mind around the older AutoCAD releases, after having learned on Anvil.

The whole world has passed me by. I don't NEED terahertz processors and terabyte drives. Have zero interest in watching movies, (I haven't even owned a TV since 1977!). Don't play video games, (unless you want to call CAD a video game!). Hate what Breitbart did to their pages to make the tablet/PDA junkies happy. Heck, I was OK with the DOS command line. My first-ever machine was a CPM Kaypro. I learned Anvil1K before Windows existed, was quite happy with Lotus123, and managed quite well with Wordstar. My phone book is STILL on the DOS 2.0 release of Q&A. I'm antediluvian, and proud of it!

Running Linux wouldn't be that hard for me. Sometime in the next few weeks I'll give it a try. I've got four spare Dell C640s around here, so I can afford to dedicate one to the project until it flies or fails.

[uscra112]

That's a very useful list, celem. Thanks!

I already run Firefox, Thunderbird, and OpenOffice anyway. I see there's a substitute for IRfan, which I use often, just for file format conversions.

Anybody know of a substitute for WinTopo freeware? I need that a lot. (Converting scans of old model airplane plans to CAD.) UPDATE: Yes, there are several.

Wonder if Delorme Topo 5.0 will run in an emulator? I use that a lot, too. (It's a memory hog of the highest order!)

Stay Tuned.....

[MaryB]

Unfortunately there are no linux solutions for some hardware dependent applications I run. I really wish there was because I am tired of windoze bloatware.

[Beekeeper]

I would use linux if I could get it to work with several of my programs.
I use reloaders reference and have tried to load it on a Ubuntu linux computer and it will not load.
For a guy that started with windows at age 65 learning a new system that will not do what you want gets to be frustrating so for now I will stick with windows.

If I could and still get everything to work I would go back to win 95.
It is about as simple as you can get and still have a decent homepage.
Problem is none of the new programs will run on it. Not even Mozilla.


beekeeper

[dbosman]

WinTopo runs in WINE on Linux.


Anybody know of a substitute for WinTopo freeware? I need that a lot. (Converting scans of old model airplane plans to CAD.) UPDATE: Yes, there are several.

Wonder if Delorme Topo 5.0 will run in an emulator? I use that a lot, too. (It's a memory hog of the highest order!)

Stay Tuned.....

[David2011]

I've downloaded Linux Mint Cinnamon. The file is 1.1 GIGABYTES. I'm assuming it's compressed, so what is the uncompressed O/S going to load at ??? And I've always been told that Windows was bloated!


I hate "progress"..........

Our corporate load of Win7 including all of the corporate add-ons, Office 2010, SAP and antivirus software is between 19-20 GB before decompressing. 1.1 GB looks pretty good.

David

[a.squibload]

I just installed Ubuntu 12.04 LTS dual-boot with XP, working fine.
In my searching I saw a program that runs DOS programs, think it was the
Dosbox mentioned above.
I'm gonna need route-mapping software to replace Streets & Trips if XP ever bites the dust.
Without security updates, etc., I figure it won't be long.
Other than that I am pretty happy about finally trying a Linux OS, only reason I didn't do it
before this is, well, maybe I'm lazy. Or scared to change. But hey, it works and it's FREE!
(I'll probably go back and donate once I get a chance to see how it works.)

[uscra112]

I just read that there's millions and millions of commercial devices such as point-of-sale data management systems and even ATMs that run under XP. I'm wondering what happens with those? Apparently they are not being replaced or updated. Has Microsoft promised on the sly to keep them updated?

[khmer6]

I just read that there's millions and millions of commercial devices such as point-of-sale data management systems and even ATMs that run under XP. I'm wondering what happens with those? Apparently they are not being replaced or updated. Has Microsoft promised on the sly to keep them updated?

They are usually isolated or behind some heavy firewall. As long as they don't get infected they will be fine. There are still NT. Boxes around

[farmerjim]

One solution to your problem ( as noted by khmer6 above ) might be to add another hard drive, or partition the one you have and dual boot linux and xp on the same computer. Just don't be connected to the internet when you are on XP.
That is what I do on this computer. I also have another windows machine on my home network because I can't get linux drivers for my color Laser printer. I am running Debian, but Ubuntu is easier to use. you can download it ( for free ) burn it to a disk and boot your computer in Ubuntu from the disk to give it a try. It is slower on the disk compared to the hard drive, but will give you an idea of what it is without having to install it. In the 6 years I have used this machine I have never crashed or gotten a virus.

[Dean D.]

I'll be following this thread, my thanks to the OP for starting it! I have a couple XP machines that may end up running Linux. I absolutely refuse to install Win 8 or 8.1 on any computer I own. If I have to re-learn everything I know in order to run the new Win OS I might as well re-learn on Linux and save future hassles.

I hate change for the sake of change. :killingpc

[MtGun44]

Drivers for anything for Linux is a PITA of major proportions. I got full up to HERE
(hand 6" above my head) with it at work, used it for two years as my desktop.

Basic OS is fine, just can't DO anything with it without drama other than surf the
net and check e-mail. Sorry, not a chance I would go to it for a personal machine,
I CAN do all that stuff but do not WANT TO.

IME Win 8 is the worst thing I have EVER seen and I have set up two systems for
non-computer relatives. Each time I visit and help them, my hatred is renewed
and increased.
OTOH - after the Win 8 shocker, I quickly went out and bought three new computers
(had three walking wounded XP machines, been upgraded many times and were
all at least a decade old) with Win 7. Win 7 with Microsoft Security Essentials has
been pretty clean. The wife's laptop picked up some sort of adware and MSE has
found and killed a few nasties on each machine, but they have been running fine
for almost a year. Win 7 is solid. Win 8 is a phone app pretending to be an OS,
with TONS of built-in adware and malware (Microsoft is HELPING YOU, with a
NEW PARADIGM- send us ALL your information and you can use your MS Wallet
while we fleece you) HIDEOUS.

Bill

[.5mv^2]

I have been running Ubuntu on two machines, smart phone, a RaspberryPi computer and a Brother printer/scanner/fax on other network cables. Somehow it works perfect. I only set up the network in the last two weeks. Oh my laptop can be booted into windows as well and still prints fine.

[uscra112]

I'm now stalled in the slot. Downloaded Mint, but need to burn a DVD to start migration on my Dell C640(s). The inbuilt DVD drives are not R/W, so I bought an external. Then I found that, despite the mfgrs. claim, it was NOT plug and play on XP Pro. You have to find and download a 3rd party software, which they don't tell you, so I wasted hours with the thing. Wound up downloading something called Starburn. Could NOT get that to work, and to add insult to injury the USB R/W drive pulled so much juice from my power supply that it was shutting the whole computer down. (Overheat, I think) AND the install disk loaded a whole raft of junkware, without asking, some of which refuses to uninstall.

Sent it back, (and wrote 'em a scathing review).

Anybody got a good suggestion for an external R/W DVD drive that will work with my old Dells?

Phil

[Ajax]

Look up Universal-USB-Installer-1.9.5.1 and install the operating system to a USB drive and look up how to boot from it and you can test and install it from there.

Andy

[.5mv^2]

Small weak system, Try Puppy, It is 139mb It loads the entire operating system in memory. When it exits it will write a file onto your hard drive. Maybe someone will burn you a copy.

[uscra112]

Universal-USB-Installer-1.9.5.1 apparently only works for Windows 7 or 8. I'm starting with XP Pro.

[dbosman]

For anyone still looking for a Linux version, check out http://elementaryos.org/
It's a free download - if you ignore the payment window that opens up.
I generally go with Mint or Ubuntu Studio for Linux installs, but Elementary OS Luna is an easier transition for most XP users.

It looks like a MAC OS but you'll get use to that.
http://itsfoss.com/top-ten-installing-elementary-os-luna/
is a follow up of some things you'll probably want to do.

[a.squibload]

I needed to print a page yesterday,
realized I was on the Ubuntu machine.
Plugged in the printer (HP 1012 USB),
it came right up available.
Wasn't expecting it to be that easy.