Hey everyone!
My dad's always asking for help with his computer, and I try to give it to him the best I can. The trouble is, he's running a windows XP box. At least, despite his lack of a virus scanner, he hasn't been killed yet. Probably because he's had it just long enough that he could still connect to to the net on a virgin install without getting killed when he first got it, and since I've wanted my computer hooked up to the net also, we've had his machine behind a linksys router ever since.
At any rate, he's been getting on me about finding him an anti-virus program... and I finally got fed up with having to help him on windows, so I really starting making a big issue about how he really should let me switch him to Linux. When I first started suggesting that, he thought his computer was still covered under the extended service plan he'd bought for it, so he was afraid of doing anything like that to it. Bah.
However, within the last couple days, a few things happened 1) he's realized the computer is out of it's extended service plan period 2)he's installed sp2 3) his computer's been acting much slower 4) he heard that he should disable the automatic updates on his computer. 5) he still has a constant battle against spy ware from the file share program my brother has installed.
Well, much to my surprise, he expressed interest in letting me install Linux just after I asked my friends on Live Journal to suggest a good free anti virus program for him to use. Well, I'm going to install the anti virus program for right now, and figure out the best way to back up his files and my brother's... then go and make sure all the hardware in his computer is cool with Mandrake. It should be because I don't think HP puts anything too weird into their desktop computers, but it doesn't hurt to double check first.
So yeah, sp2 may have actually done a good thing. ^_^ Just thought you guys might like to know. Also, I figured I'd give everyone fair warning because I may have to get some extra help when I set up his computer with Mandrake, since while I feel mostly comfortable with the man pages, and how well I have my computer running, who knows what entertaining challenges managing his computer will present.
If anyone has any suggestions that'll make the transition easier for my dad once I do this, and anything to make managing his computer easier for me so he can't go in and mess anything up too bad, it would be greatly appreciated. I'm not too worried about my brother, he's smart enough to ask if he doesn't know what he's doing... and will be happy once I set him up with a file share program, and web browser, and show him how to burn CDs, and play music.
Anyhow, thanks for all the help you've given me thus far, and thanks in advance for putting up with me as I start off on this adventure of bringing my technologically inept father out of the evil embrace of windows. ^_^
Amy
____________________________________________________ Want to buy your Pack or Services from MandrakeSoft? Go to http://www.mandrakestore.com Join the Club : http://www.mandrakeclub.com ____________________________________________________
