Computers and Technology

Good thing about the Linux Mint installer is that it can auto-partition your hard drive so that it can share the drive with Windows, assuming you’re not ready to completely wipe Windows yet. And that you have enough hard drive space, of course.

MX Linux is also pretty good, if you’re going for a complete replacement, but Mint would still be my…[Read more]

There it is!

@thompaine

Hi tp,

Another technology that may be of interest is Proxy Servers.  They can add another layer of anonymity to the pipe one uses to reach the Internet.  The link below provides a succinct description of what they are and how they are u…[Read more]

A VPN will keep run of the mill snoopers and hackers from eavesdropping on you, but nothing will keep the NSA from knowing anything that they want to know. People tend to forget that the Internet was put together by an antecedent of DARPA named ARPA, and if you are not familiar with DARPA here is what Wikipedia says:

The Defense Advanced Research…[Read more]

@thompaine

Hi tp,

Yes that is my understanding.  Your ISP will know you are using tor though won’t have knowledge of what you are doing at each website.  An ultimate solution would be a public DNS to hide the website addresses you intend to surf to and then a baseline VPN connection from you to the Internet with tor running on top of that.  In…[Read more]

Wow you’ve given my a lot to look into.  I very much appreciate it.   So a tor doesn’t hide one’s business from the isp?  One needs a VPN to do that?

@thompaine

Hi tp,

Rest assured that the Internet is not secure if what we mean by that idea is privacy.

To begin ones journey to greater privacy, I would suggest using the Tor Browser Bundle first.

This is a a complete browser that one can download and run for your operating system.

https://www.torproject.org/download/

What tor does is…[Read more]

https://www.expressvpn.com/how-to-use-vpn/vpn-for-dummies

Check out this link. It isn’t long or complex.

The internet is FAR from secure. But if you have nothing to hide, as they say…

I activate my VPN sometimes. Sometimes it will slow down your surfing. I’m sure there are others with more advice. Just my $.02.

@ohiobarbarian

A big  thing to check before switching is – do you use any applications that require Windows and for which there are no Linux equivalents?

Otherwise, as others have said, Mint and Ubuntu would be okay, and MX Linux looks okay, too.

I have set up Linux boxes (Ubunti or Mint) for several naive users and they’ve never had any major…[Read more]

@ohiobarbarian

Hi ob,

As a newbie Linux user I would recommend MX Linux.  I have found it to be even better than Mint.  If you want to read about different distributions the best place to start is DistroWatch.  They track the popularity of all the major distributions on a weekly basis.

The link for Distrowatch and MX Linux are provided be…[Read more]

I suggest creating a new partition for the Linux distro, then install Linux to dual boot.  This should be an option on installation.

If you do, since you don’t want Linux to format your Windows partition (you’ll never get it back) or any partition having needed programs and files, be absolutely sure Linux is set to install to the new empty…[Read more]

Yep…

Since your machine currently runs Windows 7, it won’t be difficult to switch. Windows 8 will be more difficult due to the Secure Boot “feature.”

https://www.zdnet.com/article/how-to-replace-windows-7-with-linux-mint/

@deadpool Can I use the same machine? It’ an old Compaq Presario desktop.

I second Linux Mint. Since you’re coming from a windows machine, Mint will most likely be the easiest adjustment for you.

Ubuntu is not far behind…

Here’s a good link for you. The writer also has good things to say about Mint. Check it out. I may be going down the same road soon. My desktop is running Windows 7 and though I like it, maybe it’s time for a change.