Following Ubuntu’s rise to the top of the Linux distribution bulk, Wubi brings new and free-of-charge hope to Windows users who are curious about this operating system but are too lazy to burn CDs, partition, and perform other mundane preparations for dual-boots. Although Wubi is still a beta, it is a promising opportunity for the people unfamiliar with Linux and the apathetic lizardmen who could never muster the mental strength to partition a drive (me).

Adhering to Ubuntu’s user-friendly style, Wubi’s software-esque application makes installing Ubuntu ridiculously simple. Wubi gets downloaded, executes, and uninstalls like a usual software. After a few questions and a reboot later, it’ll go about its own business – which takes about 3 hours totally in my case.

To illustrate the ridiculously little effort to install Wubi, here are three steps that summarize the procedure.

1. First, select a password.
2. Secondly, click install.
3. “There is no three.”

Wubi requires at least 4 GB of your drive, and have a slightly slower hard drive access speed if it does not have a dedicated partition. Aside from the default Ubuntu, other flavors are also available during setup, such as Edubuntu, UbuntuStudio, and Xubuntu (recommended for slower computers). Although I’ve encountered some wireless problems with this version of Ubuntu, everything seemed to be identical to my other computer dedicated to Ubuntu.

For more information, check out Wubi’s FAQ.

Cleaning Windows – an Introduction to the Vital Purpose of Windows XP Maintenance

Three months after buying a new computer, the PC turns from a fast, cutting-edge, new machine to a virus and malware infected zombie machine. Eventually, within a year, such a great computer may have to be fully replaced without scavenging its precious and valuable parts. Unfortunately, this is the fate of most PCs bought and operated by everyday common consumers. The simple usage on a Windows machine will cause this destiny if proper action is not taken. In our electronic age, the maintenance of our machines is key to their and our survival in society. Ignorance is not bliss when it comes to cleaning our Microsoft Windows PCs.

It is quite reasonable to conclude that most of us have never fully cleaned nor maintenanced our computers. Such avoidance causes our systems to start out fresh, slowly bog down with garbage, and eventually just crash and die. This problematic issue could actually easily be solved if we simply took the time to follow a step-by-step procedure of computer maintenance. Cleaning both the physical and virtual junk from our PCs is crucial to preserving their performance.

Read the rest of this entry »