[ale] If you must restore a windows computer, how do you make it better?

[Jim Kinney]

Install your favorite flavor of Linux goodness along with your
favorite flavor of virtualization that can run MS windows as a full
screen instance. Setup an automatic login account that only runs the
virtualization gui environment as a full screen app. I'm thinking
supper-lightweight X environment like tiny-X or less. configure system
so if virt gui app closes the system performs a shutdown. Or better,
setup windows shutdown to always be a suspend/hibernate and the virt
env exit takes a snapshot and setup that as default next start from
ram snapshot.

Setup snapshots to be automatic and hidden.

When Windows breaks, make sure MiL sees that all repairs are done from
something other than windows.

At least get the windows up to XP Pro (MicroCenter has it still).

On Wed, Oct 14, 2009 at 2:36 PM, Richard Bronosky <Richard at bronosky.com> wrote:
> ## Please include this in replies. The OP is requesting that we refrain from
> ## the use of cryptic L33t H at xx0r anti-MSFT-isms.
>
> My MiL had a hard drive failure in her Dell windows media center
> machine. (which does not have a tuner card and serves not media center
> purpose, but the Dell sales person up-sold her) I have recovered the
> data using my Linux desktop and a drive dock. I now must consider what
> to do with the bones.
>
> She will not use anything other than windows. End of story. Moving on.
>
> I would like to put a Linux based virtualization solution underneath
> so that I can have snapshots and recovery options in the future. I
> have already discussed, on this list, my love for Xen. However, I
> think that my experience with Xen offers very little to this task.
> What I do know is:
> * She doesn't want to dual boot Linux and learn to love it. Seriously.
> This will only bring iL pain.
> * I don't want her hitting some key combination and ending up at a
> Linux terminal or GUI
>
> I [think I] know that I want to have all of the user directories on
> another partition so that I can restore the OS partition and leave the
> user data intact. But, I don't know what other considerations there
> are.
>
> If you had to install windows for someone [how] would you try to make
> it better with Linux under the hood?
>
> (Please be aware, I know nothing about Windows>98.)
>
> --
> .!# RichardBronosky #!.
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-- 
-- 
James P. Kinney III
Actively in pursuit of Life, Liberty and Happiness