need lots of help

[jfeeley]

i hve xp on my dell and it is rddled with viruses and it wont let me open any anti virus software.so i thought i could restart the wole system but i dont have the windows boot disc so i thiught i could use linux instaed but i dont know how to go about this any ideas

[oz]

Welcome to the forums!

Check the link in my signature for lots of good information on getting started with Linux.

Basically, you need to decide which distribution you want to use, then download the ISO image files to disk, burn them to CD as images, then install Linux from them. You can also buy Linux CDs from various vendors if you'd rather go that route.

Hope it turns out to be a great experience for you.

[jfeeley]

i think i burned mirava to a cd but when i try to boot from cd it just goes to hp recovery console then i think it is the windows command line

[Manchunian]

Welcome to Linux jfeeley!

I don't know mirava. Could this be Mandriva?

[jfeeley]

lol yes it is

[netstrider]

jfreeley,

I do not want to discourage you from trying and/or using Mandriva nor do I want to make a decision for you but for you as a new person to the Linux world I would suggest downloading the latest version of Ubuntu which has an installer which allows you to install Linux right from within Windows and if you don't like it you can remove it through the "Add/Remove" programs feature like any other program in Windows.

Good luck mate

[Manchunian]

The Mandriva install is dead simple. In fact, I think it's probably the most newbie-friendly install there is. Also, I have heard that the performance of Ubuntu after being installed with Wubi isn't quite as good as when it has been installed in the 'classic' way.

[netstrider]

The Mandriva install is dead simple. In fact, I think it's probably the most newbie-friendly install there is. Also, I have heard that the performance of Ubuntu after being installed with Wubi isn't quite as good as when it has been installed in the 'classic' way.

Yes, Ubuntu will be slower because it runs in a "virtual" mode. The filesystem is created within Windows.

I suggested Ubuntu since jfreeley has another topic where he is struggling to boot from his downloaded and burned iso image of mandriva. It could be a faulty iso or it could be that the iso was not burned in the correct way. That is to be discussed in the original thread however.