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electronic waste?

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B L McAllister:
With Microsoft in the process of discarding XP, the question arises: can a PC computer that has been running XP be persuaded to run Linux (in one of its many variants), or are those computers now "electronic waste?" If so, how does one install it?

Bob Mueller:
Anything that was running XP should be able to run several flavors of Linux.

You'll need to decide what flavor/brand you want. Then you'll download the .ISO file to your computer, burn it to a CD or DVD, then install from that. The installer will take care of formatting the hard drive for you, so be certain you have all your files backed up.

Most installers these days are pretty easy to work with.

I'd probably suggest Mint, as it's a fairly lightweight version of Linux, well-maintained, and I've heard good things about it.

Check this Google search and go from there. https://www.google.com/search?q=replace+XP+with+linux&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8

B L McAllister:
Thanks for the advice, Bob. I haven't succeeded in following the further advice it leads to, yet, but I'm still trying.

B L McAllister:
Bob: Linux Mint Cinnamon Rebecca is now installed and running. It took me a while to figure out how to shut it down, but there's a way and I found it. Also, the computer runs fine for a while, then turns itself off. I don't think that's attributable to Linux, however; it's probably a device by Compaq (now part of HP) meant to prevent overheating. Compaq had a hot battery problem at one time, but this is not supposed to be one of the suspect machines. However, it's ten years old, which may have given it the poetic equivalent of rust.  I think Linux may be the first software I ever installed that is (nearly) trouble-free from the moment of installation. Thanks again. (Next step: the proverbial learning curve.)

Bob Mueller:
Glad to hear it's working for you.

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