Planet Descent
Community => Mess Hall => Topic started by: Alieo on April 25, 2011, 08:43:58 PM
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Oh, dear Jesus... here we go! The whole point of me getting an external hard drive was to avoid file loss. So when "Beta1115," my 2005 Dell Inspiron 6000 laptop with Win XP got infected by malware, I quickly unplugged the external and switched it over to "Gamma1216," my 2009 HP G61 laptop with Win 7. It accessed the external hard drive just fine from 4/17/11 through JUST NOW... it can't read it, it says it "can't read the USB device," and that it could be "damaged. Please reconnect the device and try again or replace the device." WTF???
I am totally convinced the evil Microsoft conglomerate intentionally sabotages files to up sales of their products! A lot of you may looooove Windows, but I am fed UP with it!
I don't need this I don't need this I don't need this! Did I mention I don't need this? I have a LOT of sentimental photos, music files, and most importantly..... PAID PORN (LMAO) on this thing!!! (Also, some nice pics and vids of my ex's, which are !!!IRREPLACEABLE!!!)
I am soooo fed up with Windows right now. If I lost all my files, I'm going to "scrub" my shuttle launch plans for June and buy me a MAC tomorrow! And then, every 6 months, I'm going to purchase a new external hard drive and transfer the files over. Do externals just up and die?
And what to do with Beta1115 and Gamma1216? Two perfectly functional machines? DESTROY THEM before they destroy my history again. I SPIT on you Microsoft! *PA-TOOIE*
I smell a "Delta426" in the making.
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Tee-hee-hee...
Sooooo.... I unplugged the external hard drive from the power source and reconnected everything and it worked. Yep... just like that!
::)
But wait! Now I'm mad! I want to sue Microsoft for an hour and a half of my life back!
I think it would be wise for me to purchase a new external as a backup plan because I don't EVER want to lose files like that anymore. Do externals have a lifespan before sh*t starts going down with them? This one is like one of the first 1TB hard drives from WD. Any suggestions?
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My suggestion: A computer to use as a file server. Might not be do-able option for you.
As for what you just described with your USB external drive... That's actually fairly common. Over time, the USB interface may 'go to sleep' and not 'wake up' which then requires the device to be power cycled. The only time that behavior becomes a concern is when it starts happening a lot or if it happens too quickly to be due to entering low power mode.
Just turn it off from time to time.
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Alright. Thanks. Sorry for panicking. I hate it when I do that.
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When my USB drive died I pulled it from the enclosure and put it directly into my computer and it worked again.
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Trust me. I don't love Microsoft. Windows XP, and their internet keyboard was all I ever liked about them. Everything else, bah!
I bought my iMac on the 3rd of February, and I still love it. I have used Linux since 2006 and find no desire to use Windows.
Hopefully everything will get resolved for you soon.
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Come on, Alieo.
You can't blame MS for hardware issues like a third-party external drive not waking up. The same exact thing would happen with a Mac or Linux box.
I'd also suggest running some checks on the external drive. If it's starting to die, you'd want to know.
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foil as a point. I just like to blame Microsoft for everything ;D
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Just like how in America that when something goes wrong, people like to blame the president, even when (surprise!) it's not always his fault. :P
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sometimes it is, sometimes it isn't.
What I see a lot too is always blaming one side and never the other.
In all honesty, I don't like pointing the finger on people per se, I like to fix things.
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If only the government believed that. Or the rest of the nation for that matter. Personally, I see way too much blame-pinning than actually trying to DO something, whether it be good or bad.
But we're not here to talk politics. ;)
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politics? I thought we were talking about operating system. lol
I am sooooooooooooooooooooo bored right now. hence the reason I keep replying when someone else does. in 45 minutes, I will be done for the day :)
update: 10 minutes to go and then you probably won't hear from me until tomorrow.
does Alieo even mind us being so off topic?
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LOL no because the problem is fixed and the topic is dead as far as I'm concerned. I always love the entertainment! But yeah, operating systems, politics, what's the dang difference? They're all in it for THA MONAY... and I was actually conservative like I usually am with my money and did NOT buy a MAC like I was edging towards. I was doing some research on linux and I like what I see. I like how the folks at wtf it's called, ugubugu or something or another, have made their OS open source. That shows me that they're in it for the humanity and the betterment of society!
Now, I would LOOOOVE to get away from Windows, but I need to know if Linux does the following essential things that I use Windows, or even would-be MAC for. Here are some essential needs plus a few technical questions about Linux systems:
E1) MS-Paint - I'm using this to create some kind of sick Super Mario Bros. 3 calendar maps. Even the Win 7 version of paint is SUCKY SUCKY SUCKY so I dug into my XP's system files and brought it over to WIN7 and works fine. I wonder if Linux has a similar program to MS-Paint that allows me to:
- cut and paste selected items and shows me my pixel dimensions of my crop sizes
- "paste from" so I can paste the individual 32x32 pixel files into the appropriate map grids
- Rotating, increasing and decreasing sizes of objects by degrees and percents respectively
- I dunno, something similar to MS-Paint.
E2) Sound Recorder (or similar) - I use Windows Sound Recorder (also transferred on over from my XP unit because the WIN7 Sound Rec. does NOTHING). Basically I need a program that will record "what my computer hears" in a high quality format. That's how I get a loooot of my songs from YouTube, etc. If I hear it, and it is good quality, and it does NOT have a download link, it's MINE!
E3) Ability to transfer music files from my smartphone or mp3 player to the computer, store music files, etc.
E4) Will my existing picture and audio files be readable as is if I switch to Linux? Will it be as easy as drag and drop or will I have to do some kind of conversion process?
E5) Will my printer work on Linux?
E6) If I attach an external hard drive to my Linux computer, what kind of file format should it be?
E7) Can the hard drive on my current Windows 7 Home Edition laptop be converted entirely to Linux, or just some half-assed file system allocation where it's still partly windows?
E8) How prone to viruses are Linux systems?
E9) Last and MOST importantly, PLAY DESCENT!!! Will D2X-XL work? Could I get such LOVELY graphics for a linux version of Descent? And how would I install Descent? I have both the MAC and Windows version of D1, but of course, I want D2 and D3 as well, which I only have the windows version of. (I only have the MAC D1 because of the music of course! hehe.)
C'mon, Moses! Part the Red Sea of impossibility and get me free from the land of big brother Microsuck and Windope!
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you may mean Ubuntu. A lot of Linux systems, if not all are open source. I used to use Mandriva, but now I use an iMac. just google Linux and you'll get a ton!
E1 - I think there's stuff for you. But I am not big on graphics/art.
E2 - I believe there is some sort of a sound recorder.
E3 - I was easily able to transfer MP3 music from my PC to an MP3 player or even the droid, and visa versa. Basic plug it in and copy/move the files into the "music" folder.
E4 - Almost everything will still be read. Linux can read mp4 files, ogg, etc, as well as mp3, and various picture formats.
E5 - Depends on printer, some will be a basic plug in, and automatic installation.
E6 - no clue
E7 - You should be able to COMPLETELY clean out Windows, like what I have on my laptop. It doesn't know Windows >:)
E8 - Linux RARELY gets hit. I have had mine for 5+ years, not one single virus.
E9 - It played Descent 3 pretty well. Not sure about the other two yet. I just got the other two when on the iMac
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E1- You may want Paint.NET (http://www.getpaint.net/) then. Runs very similar to Photoshop, except it's free. At the very least, it'll easily be able to do the things you'd want.
E2- One word. Audacity (http://audacity.sourceforge.net/).
E8- Just want to point out though, that just because Linux isn't a target for viruses frequently (as I understand it, they have to be geared up for a certain operating system in order to work) doesn't mean it can't happen, so don't think you're immune.
E9- Both D2X-XL and Rebirth should have Linux compatible versions available for download.
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A virus is software, and just like any software it needs a compatible operating system. Windows machines have more viruses because more viruses are written for windows.
And the reason for that is because there are far more Windows machines than there are Mac or Linux. So, to hit the most number of machines attackers go for the biggest target. Just like a terrorist would likely target NYC, not some little town in Montana.
Also I think Linux users tend to be more computer savvy, and therefore less likely to make the mistakes that run of the mill Windoze Sheeple would make, like opening attachments or downloading and running any random software they find.
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I think it was 9/11 when they did evacuate the Mall of America. Which can make sense, because it's the Mall of America. But it was funny to hear they evacuated small malls like Ridgedale.
If you don't know the Minneapolis Minnesota area, just imagine any mall.
Alieo: I don't blame you for wanting to be rid of Windows. My girl friend is thinking of using my laptop which has Mandriva 2009.1 on it.
I stopped using Windows myself, and find the iMac pretty nice overall.
Anything can get hit with viruses. The odds are obviously, as WillyP pointed out, greater on Windows, and slim on Linux or Mac.
No operating system is perfect.
Linux does have a feature where you can dual boot with Windows. I think, and maybe it's with some VM something or whatever, Linux can run on Macs.
But if you want to perform a clean sweep on Windows, you can have linux or mac take up your entire PC with no Windows in sight 8)
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Wait a minute, I can have MAC on my hard drive too? I thought it needs to be a different kind of file format to accept MAC? Or does Windows 7 allow the hard drives to "swing both ways" so to speak?
Also, when it comes time for conversion, should I (and I probably know the answer to this, kinda feel stupid for asking) but do I need to transfer all documents that are to be desired to be saved into an external hard drive first and THEN do the transfer? I would think they wouldn't survive as I would want to do a full hard drive conversion, no partitioning.
But before I do anything, I should probably at least obtain the necessary install files of the Linux based programs from my "Linux Essentials" list from a few posts back.
I wonder why MAC and Linux systems don't get hit with virus as often as Windows systems. Are they harder to hack? [EDIT: WillyP Said "A virus is software, and just like any software it needs a compatible operating system. Windows machines have more viruses because more viruses are written for windows." OKAY! I overlooked that! Makes sense now!]
@Vanguard: What made you want to switch from Linux to MAC? Or am I misunderstanding you and you are actually using a MAC computer to operate Linux?
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you can tell I am bored, because I am replying like...right away :)
I'll try not to make this tooooo long.
First of all, what I know. Windows, linux and mac can be on a system all by themselves. a no brainer. everyone knows that.
What I have done in the past is use Windows and Linux on one machine, called a dual boot.
According to Mandriva Linux, some have purchased an iMac (so we're talking the hardware, monitor, etc is from Apple) and using Linux on it as well.
here is the forum where people post about it:
http://forum.mandriva.com/en/viewforum.php?f=8
So, a typical Windows based computer can have Windows and/or Linux on it. An iMac based computer, I guess can have Linux on it, may be one of those VM things or whatever.
An iMac operating system, from what I understand can NOT be installed on a windows based OS. but the way technology is, it may be possible, but I don't think so, last I checked, which was late last year.
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onto other section: I use to own Windows. my dad got me started on a Mandrake Linux system, 8.1 or 8.2, can never remember, but it doesn't matter.
I fell in love with it QUICKLY. I later wanted to try an iMac, or macintosh, whatever they were called then. only problem, it costs $$$, unlike Linux where it can either be free or if you get a DVD/powerpack (as mandriva calls it), it may be some money, but still less than Windows and far less than the iMacs.
I kept Linux, tossed out Windows. Overall, Linux can do 99% of what I wanted it to do, but not everything and I don't want Windows. So one day, after having no internet connection on my latop for a few months, I bought an iMac so I can do more. have more options of buying whatever, or viewing stuff and knowing I have a better chance of using it on either or both machines.
As far as Linux being on there, no it doesn't. I prefer to keep that part separate for now. If I get more comfortable with how the iMac works, and how linux would work on it, I may do a dual boot thing, but nothing yet.
last thing: If I get the netcard working on the laptop or decide just to buy a desktop (not too fond of laptops), I will put Linux on that. I have nothing against Linux, and in some small ways, I prefer it over the iMac.
Both are very nice. I like them both more than Windows.
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@Vanguard: Yeah I've stayed logged in here because my MP3 player died so I'm listening to my music files in my gallery as my player recharges. Check out those 3 remixes I did when you get a chance. I seriously am thinking about converting, but I need to research and see if my essential uses for a computer are covered with Linux. I'm sure the programs out there are much more vast than they were, say, 10 years ago before the big MAC boom.
@Scyphi: I still haven't looked into those audio and paint programs you recommended but I will start there. Thanks.
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if anything, like I said, try a dual boot. That way, you can still use your Windows system the way it is now, and when you want, reboot and try Linux.
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Windows and Mac can be installed on the same computer as well, but you might need to use a different hard drive format to share files. At my school they have Windows XP and Mac OSX installed on a Mac desktop using Bootcamp.
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that's right. they did talk about bootcamp. thank you.
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So y'all think I should try Linux out with a dual boot program first before going all the way Linux?
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its typically the best. that way, in case you hate linux, or on the wrong system, or you need something done and you don't know how to do it yet on linux, you still have Windows.
and if and when happy with Linux, clean out Windows completely if you wish :)
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The easiest way to do a dual-boot machine with Linux and Windows is as follows:
1. Boot into Windows (assuming you have Vista or Windows 7, though I believe the process is very similar in Windows XP).
2. Open the start menu. Right click on "Computer" and select manage (make sure to click "okay" if User Account Control tells you that you must be an administrator).
3. On the left-hand column, select "Disk Management." Your disks should show up in the bottom-middle section. Right click on the volume size box of your primary partition, it should say C:\ and NTFS (most often it's the disk at the top, but check the volume to size to make sure). Select "Shrink Volume."
4. After determining the available shrink space, enter in the size you want to dedicate to your Linux partition (I usually use around 40-60GB, which is quite a bit for a resource-friendly operating system like Linux). Make sure you input the number as a size in megabytes (for instance, 40,000 MB ~ 40GB). After shrinking, your primary volume will subtract the shrink space from itself and place it aside as unused (raw) space.
Now you're ready to install Linux. Vanguard uses Mandriva, which is a really good option for those used to a more Windows-like environment. I also highly recommend the most popular flavor of Linux: Ubuntu Linux (which just so happens to have a new release - 11.04 - rolling out tomorrow). Linux Mint 10 is also a good option, but I don't advise using Fedora - it's more for the Linux expert.
1. Download the image file (.iso) of the distribution you want. Most distributions of Linux come as a Live CD and are designed for both 32-bit (x86) or 64-bit (x64) processors. Select the one that works best for your machine.
2. Burn the image file to a disc. Windows 7 allows you to do this by double-clicking the .iso file, but XP and Vista will require another program to do this for you. I typically use imgburn (http://www.imgburn.com/index.php?act=download (http://www.imgburn.com/index.php?act=download)). If you use imgburn, simply select the .iso file and select your medium (the CD or DVD you want to burn to).
3. Place the newly-burned disc into your system. Reboot the machine, and make sure that your computer will boot to a disc before booting to a hard drive (you can change the settings in your BIOS if you need to, but most newer machines do this by default).
4. The Live CD environment should boot and give you the options to install the distribution, boot into the Live CD environment, or boot into a safe mode, or test memory using memtest (not all distributions have all these options available). Boot into the Live CD if you'd like to play around a bit more, or select Install if you're confident this is the distribution for you.
5. If you're in the Live CD environment, an icon in the desktop or main applications menu should direct you to install the operating system. If you're installing, then move to step six.
6. Follow the super-easy prompts to install the operating system. When you get to the partition manager, make sure you don't install to the whole hard drive (obviously, this will erase your Windows NTFS partition). Instead, select "Manage Partitions Manually" (or an option that is similar to it).
7. Find the extra space on your disk, which should have no filesystem installed. The partition manager should recognize the Windows partition as NTFS. Select the extra space, and click format. It should bring up several options. Use the entire space, save for about 1 GB. Format the partition as "Ext 4 Journaled." Select the mount point as "/". Click "OK."
8. Select the extra 1 GB of free space and click format. Use the whole space, and format the partition as "Linux Swap Space." Click "OK."
9. Check to ensure that this is what you want. Only the Linux partition and the swap space should have a check-mark under "Format." If there's a checkmark by the Windows partition, or the Windows partition is not present in the list, you know you're either about to wipe the disk or are about to install Linux over Windows (or both). If everything is ready to go, click "Next."
10. Follow the rest of the installer.
11. Enjoy!
Now, whenever you boot your machine, the GRUB bootloader should bring up a screen allowing you to select your operating system, whether that be Windows or Linux. Easy, eh?
Some links:
Mandriva Linux One Download: http://www.mandriva.com/en/downloads/one/ (http://www.mandriva.com/en/downloads/one/)
Ubuntu Linux Homepage: http://www.ubuntu.com/ (http://www.ubuntu.com/)
Linux Mint 10 Gnome Download: http://www.linuxmint.com/download.php (http://www.linuxmint.com/download.php)
Mandriva Linux uses the KDE desktop environment, which is a slightly prettier but slightly more resource-heavy operating system. Ubuntu and Linux Mint 10 use the Gnome desktop environment, which is a little more minimalistic but is very efficient. Certain applications work better under the KDE environment, and others under the Gnome environment. It's completely up to you. Ubuntu and Linux Mint also come in a number of different flavors (including KDE, as well as others, such as LXDE or XFCE), but I highly recommend the standard Gnome environment for Ubuntu or Linux Mint. Hope that helps you get set up and running without a hitch! ;D
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On Macs that have Intel chipset, you can use Fusion or VMware to run both Mac and Windows (even Win7) at the same time and exchange files. I know that VMware also allows Linux but I don't know if Fusion does Linux.
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i knew it was some VM thing. i never used it
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@D2Junkie: Thanks for the info! Hopefully I can convert my computer tomorrow!
So my external hard drive finally gave out completely, but I was able to rescue ALL my files, thank goodness, but they're sitting in my Win7 Laptop's C drive. It was tedious. I couldn't just drag and drop the whole hard drive's contents onto a folder in my laptop, I had to do each directory one by one. It would suddenly lock up and "eject" randomly on me. The thing is going to the BBQ grill when I get a moment.
I'm planning on going with the Ubuntu OS. I like the reviews on it that I saw on YouTube and I like their philosophy on being free and open-sourced. "Humanity towards others." Reminds me of that OS that was in Tron: Legacy, but when Jeff Bridges' character slipped into the technological world, greed took over his old company, until his son took it back. (I only saw it once and am not familiar with the characters!)
Tomorrow I am going to buy a new external hard drive. What kind of external hard drive do I need? Will any HD that works on windows work with Linux? What I'm thinking I'm going to have to do is transfer all my important files to my external, install Ubuntu partitioned with Windows, try it out and see if I can get all my "essential functions" of my computer established for Ubuntu. Then, I will play around with Ubuntu hands on. If I like it, I shall employ myself a "Window Wiper" so to speak and convert fully to Linux. Then, I imagine I can transfer my files onto my Linux-formatted internal hard drive from my external hard drive, then format the external hard drive and bring my files back onto the external as a formatted Linux hard drive.
That sound like what you guys would do in my situation as far as dealing with getting my important files established on an external hard drive?
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I tried Ubuntu for a while and I didn't like running stuff under wine. Just seemed a little clutzy, maybe if I had stuck with it I would have got used to it and maybe learned some trick to make it easier. But, then there were a couple of things that didn't run in wine at all.
And I really had no good reason not to use Windows, not even a good reason to duel boot. So I removed Ubuntu and put Windows XP back on.
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I'm planning on going with the Ubuntu OS..........I like their philosophy on being free and open-sourced.
You're basically describing every linux OS. Granted, some may offer different versions or flavors. Like Mandriva. It offers "One", which basically just boots off the CD-ROM ( I know other linux systems have this, just not all). There is "Free", yes, free, on a CD as well. Then there's powerpack (DVD), not free, but still far cheaper than Windows.
If Ubuntu still looks good, go for it. You're only out time, no money. I like Mandriva myself, but, that's my opinion.
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Any external hard drive should suffice. Linux can read Apple HFS+ Journaled disks, FAT16, FAT32, and NTFS Windows disks, and other Linux Ext3 and Ext4 disks, as well as others. Now, Windows won't do the same thing. I can freely move files and folders between all partitions through Linux, but Windows doesn't recognize and will not mount the Linux partition.
Just a note: I recently downloaded Ubuntu 11.04, which is excellent, but I very much dislike their new in-house interface called Unity. Fortunately, you can still revert it back to "Ubuntu Classic," which is basically the Gnome 2x interface from previous versions (with, ironically, some pieces of Unity still intact). You might like Unity, but many users hate it. If you want to swap, you simply need to do this:
1. Click the "Power" icon in the very top right corner of the upper taskbar.
2. Scroll down and select "Login Screen."
3. Click "Unlock" and enter your administrator password and click "Authenticate" (Ubuntu requires you make one - I try to keep mine really simple, since no one else uses this machine),
4. At the bottom, there is an option that says "Select [Ubuntu] as default session." Use the drop-down box to select "Ubuntu Classic." It should say "Select [Ubuntu Classic] as default session" now.
5. Click close, and log out. Now, whenever you log in (or, if you have Ubuntu set to log in automatically without selecting a username and entering a password), the older Ubuntu interface will appear.
INSERT: Or, you could listen to Vanguard and get Mandriva. I've never used Mandriva, but I hear good things about it. ;)
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if you want to, try a few. like I said, they're free, or go to their forums and ask some questions. I can help a little with mandriva, but not a lot.
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Hey, does Linux have a "screenshot" feature like Windows? I highly doubt they would forget to put that in there!
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yeah, I think it's just called screenshot. Alt+F2 to bring up the command and type in "screenshot". I think that's what it is called. my girl friend has my laptop now with Linux so I can't verify. There may be other ways to do it also.
It's nice. you just open the software, click on the screen to save it. you can obviously edit the file before saving. but you don't need to open up paint like windows has.
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You can also set Linux to capture the desktop on a timer as well. It's abilities in that neighborhood is more robust than Windows, but oddly enough not that many Linux users capture their desktops often ... except those that get digging a lot deeper into the system.
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Hey, does Linux have a "screenshot" feature like Windows? I highly doubt they would forget to put that in there!
i think it's called snapshot, what I mentioned earlier, that is.
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but oddly enough not that many Linux users capture their desktops often ...
you haven't been around the gentoo community much, have you
:P
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What does [Print Screen] do in Linux if doesn't stick a screengrab on your clipboard?