I am apostating from Firefox

[Reformed Musings]

Would you recommend using Virtual Server (which is supposedly now free) to do this? I understand that it is dependent on Windows.

Virtual PC is currently a Windows product, runs on WinXP Pro SP2, and it is free. The download page is here.
Since it runs on WinXP or Vista, it doesn't help you run WinXP under Linux.

The free Linux program that I had in mind was QEMU. Although it is reported to be slower than VMWare, there is another utility (KQEMU) to help speed it up a bit. VMWare isn't cheap, so QEMU may be worth a try to see if it is good enough.

Another approach is to create the VM in QEMU, then run it thereafter in the free VMPlayer. That seems to be the best approach if you don't do enough virtualization to justify WMWorkstation's extra capabilities.

 

[jbergsing]

Changing over to Linux was significantly less painful for me than "updating" to Vista was for almost everyone that I know who did so. Ubuntu isn't perfect, but in my opinion is way better than Vista. Plus, it's free!

I've found the exact opposite to be true. I install Linux on one of my machines and that turned out to be a headache I gave up on. I eventually reinstalled XP and now it runs fine as a secondary machine.

I guess it depends on your hardware and the distribution of Linux that you choose to try. Reinstalling XP is way different than trying to get Vista to work with your existing hardware and software, though.

Yes, I've read some of the nightmares people were having trying to install a non-OEM copy of Vista on existing machines. I bought mine preinstalled and waited until most of the bugs were worked out to help avoid some of the problems and, thusfar, it has paid off for me. (OK, the truth is I was going to wait until the spring but my XP laptop died in November...)

 

[Reformed Musings]

Yes, I've read some of the nightmares people were having trying to install a non-OEM copy of Vista on existing machines. I bought mine preinstalled and waited until most of the bugs were worked out to help avoid some of the problems and, thusfar, it has paid off for me. (OK, the truth is I was going to wait until the spring but my XP laptop died in November...)

That's definitely the best way to go with any operating system upgrade. Early adopters and those who do not do a clean install usually pay heavily. Been there, done that, wore out the t-shirt.

Sorry about your prematurely dead laptop. Life is what happens when we make other plans...

 

[a mere housewife]

I'm so sorry to hear about your apostasy. What about the confessions you adhered to when you joined this board? Isn't Firefox in there?

 

[Reformed Musings]

I'm so sorry to hear about your apostasy. What about the confessions you adhered to when you joined this board? Isn't Firefox in there?

If it isn't, it should be! Perhaps we can craft an overture...

 

[danmpem]

Click here

I love it!

 

[Casey]

Wheee!