Helping out on computer

Last evening, I help a family to fix their computer.

They just got a new computer about a month ago.

They have M$ Windows Vista installed on that.

But that was "too" slow.

They asked some one to install XP over the Vista.

Then, I was asked if I can fix various issues with the computer. This included: "can't connect to internet"; "no sound"; "can't play mp3"; "can't open word file"; "cannot burn disks"; "screen too big"; .....

So the guy that installed XP didn't finish his job properly.

What was done was only installing XP.

Now, here's what I have done:

• Install drivers (sound, display, network, etc.) There was some drama with the ethernet chip driver as the driver CD didn't have the driver (!!!!) I needed to use lateral thinking to get this done!
• Install firewall, antispyware, anti-virus (all freeware)
  
• Install disk burning software (Freeware again)
• Install Firefox, PDFCreator, XPDF reader (Yes, freeware)
• Install harddisk backup software (Free!)
  
• Install windows optimiser (Free!)
• Install OpenOffice (Free again!)
  
• Prepare recover DVD; backup hardisk on DVD
• Burn and show how an audio CD should be made from mp3 files to the tweenage (not a typo) girl in the family (She complain the CD she made couldn't play on her CD player.)
  

All these took me two visits, each around 3 hours.

Why am I writing this?

I wonder what a "usual" computer user is!

My first computer experience was in a classmate's home playing AP II (cloned Apple 2) back in high school days. We used normal cassette tape player to "load" program to the AP II. This was in the early '80s.

Then I had my first PC (8088) back in 1986. In those days I ran PCDOS/MSDOS of course. I vaguely remember I started with PCDOS 2.x then ended up running MSDOS 3.3. I still vaguely remember using dot commands in WordStar.

Then it was windows 3.1. WordPerfect 5.1 for windows was my favourite. Though that time, MS word was already there. (BTW, I had used the DOS version of MS Word)

A simple flowchart is:

DOS -> Windows 3.1 -> Windows 3.11 -> Windows 95 (4.0) -> Windows 98 -> Windows XP

Next is Linux, the Ubuntu favour, possibly with some dip on DSL (Damn Small Linux), Fedora or OpenSUSE! (I feel quite comfortable with command line interface.)

Now, for someone with their first computer experience from Windows 95, 98, etc., what do they think about Linux?

Now they left two (old) computers for me to rebuild them. Windows 95 and 98 will be out of the question. XP will be too hungry for the two computers to handle.

Here I go again! Need to learn how to install DSL on two OLD computers with floppy drive, malfunction CD drive and harddisk!

Wish me luck!

And for the helpful Linux users, enlighten me please on how to "resurrect" old computers!

I may comeback with more details on the computers' spec.