I have a windows computer and I want to switch to another OS, which one is best for me?

Question

Right now my computer isn't really good for anything because not only is it old but it was low end even when it came out. I was planing on getting new computer for gaming that was to run windows xp (because out of all the windows version it has the least amount of lag and is compatible with the most games since old games wont work on anything newer and new games wont work on anything older so it's perfect for gaming as long as you don't give it internet access.) However, since windows 10 acts like malware and spies on those who use it (Microsoft came out and said it does just like the xbox one was supposed to do before the fans got upset, although there are signs that it was never taken out but I'm getting off topic) I don't want to support a company who is not only willing to violate the constitution but is willing to admit they are. Since they are somehow allowed to get away with it, the only way to fight back is to stop using their products. Now, I know that linux, macs and other OS's that I might not know about aren't supported as much by video game developers and I'm ok with that, I don't game as much on PC as I do consoles anymore so I'm ok with that. I mostly just use my PC to check my email, facebook and watch youtube videos and anime.

Answer 1

This is hard as it depends on what you want to do and you do give hints at that. I personally would use Linux version of OS say Ubuntu - also you can have a dual boot system with windows and ubuntu. If you buy a good Mac (reasonably powerful) you can run MAC OSX and also then install something like Parallels and that allows you to run Windows & MAC on the same system. The windows run as a virtual machine and can share data with the Mac very easily - you can even set it up so the Windows Application are just like Mac icons.



Ubuntu and Linux is not an intuitive OS like Windows or MAC it need you to do a bit of learning. But there is a huge Linux community our there who help. Also Linus is less prone to virus (if at all) and has better browsers with better security - Mozilla & Firefox. So web browsing is no problem - but is is not really a games machine. Ubuntu is free and can install on older hardware and runs better than windows in older hardware.



Good luck.

Answer 2

You might give ReactOS a try since it is an old system. I have been following this project for sometime and it look like they are ready to let people give it a try. I make no guarantees. I have not tried it out myself. I am planning on finding me an old system soon so I can download it and give it a go. It is Windows based and they make the claim that you can run Windows programs and drivers in it. Take everything with a grain of salt. I have seen these pop up before. I will sat this one look promising and the reviews so far are good.



http://www.reactos.org/

Answer 3

Use Linux and add Steam - there are a vast number of games available for it as the "Steam OS" itself is linux-based.



Grab a copy of CentOS and add the required Steam stuff, as per the instructions here:

http://negativo17.org/steam-for-centos-rhel-7/



Or grab a pre-built SteamOS image and install that:

http://store.steampowered.com/steamos/





Using Centos gives you a more flexible general-purpose machine for running general programs on, the pre-built system is simpler for a dedicated gaming setup.



If you want to use centos and give it all possible multimedia capability, follow the instructions here:

https://wiki.centos.org/TipsAndTricks/MultimediaOnCentOS7



(It's primarily a high-reliability business system so does not automatically include all the media player type stuff that you may want on a general machine - but everything is available and easily installable as above).



Get the Centos system itself below:

Answer 4

The easiest way? Install Windows XP. You won't be supporting Microsoft in doing so. In fact, you would be insulting them. Disable automatic updates once installation is done and never update ever.



XP lives!

Answer 5

Use Windows 10, and stop reading scare tactics posts about things that don't happen. On the other hand: http://www.techweekeurope.co.uk/security/reddit-tracking-log-out-193256