seraph00

Hi everyone, I'm curious, does anyone know of any good websites that feature collections of wallpapers, icons, or fonts for free downloadin where you can download them all-in-one and not be rquired to go through downloading each of them one at a time? Possibly a website which has such collections in iso format for downloading and burning or something similar?

I was just curious. Are there any freeware or open source alternatives that are fairly simple to install and setup that will enable to use customize as many parts of the system as StyleXP? If so, what are they and what are working links for checking them out? -Also, although I am guessing from what i've seen this isn't possible, at least not yet....anyone know of any software that will allow you to use visual styles type themes on Win98SE or Win2k? Or is it a situation where you have to be using XP to take advantage of those types of themes?

Hmmm.... a Windows Me service pack? Interesting idea. Me is and will probably remain for some time, one of those OS's that you either love or hate due to personal experience in dealing with it. I am a computer tech, and i've provided a lot of support to people with Me issues. Yes, it does offer a variety of component enhancements over 98SE, the better defrag and scandisk being a good example. Yet, my experience has almost always been the same with Me. 1. If you install Me as an upgrade to any previous Windows OS, your asking for trouble, and will almost every time end up with a system that runs as effectively as a gerbil trying to push the Titanic. 2. If you were fortunate enough to buy a PC during the times when Me was released as new, and as such have a completely unchanged system full of hardware designed to run on it, you do decently. The instant you start upgrading, changing, replacing hardware, you start running into issues every single time. 3. Out of the box, a full install of Me does decently well. Once you start adding tweaks, updates, patches, fixes, etc. in who knows what order, the OS inevitably turns into mush eventually. 4. Notice that Microsoft went from offering an MCP certification exam from Windows 98 directly to 2000, they never offered any certification or exam for Me...that should say something right there. 5. Keep in mind the events of the time when Me came out. Microsoft wasn't ready to release a new home user OS, and had planned to wait at least some time before doing so. Yet they made the mistake of badly marketing and badly informing people about Windows 2000. At the time 2000 had a rediculously picky set of hardware requirements, offered almost no worthwhile multimedia support, and cased the crash of and data loss of a large number of systems. This being caused by all the people who went "Ooooo looky new MS OS, I have to have it", and who went out by the thousands getting copies of 2000 and trying to use it. Initially 2000 was designed primarily for corporate desktop usage. Yet, due to poor marketing, MS couldn't get people to stop trying to use 2000 without something else "new" for them to buy. So basicly they reskinned 98SE, incorporated all the reased patches/fixes for 98 that were out at the time, threw in some different icons/backgrounds/gui effects, and in essence created Windows 98 third edition. Thus the groundwork was already there for a lot of additional problems to happen. Especially considering that Me still makes use of several oldschool DOS programming areas, while at the same time trying to completely prevent a user from being able to come into contact with and/or being able to use DOS. This helped lay the groundwork for people to accept XP, but still it was a good number of years that I know many PC technicians would love to forget. 6. Sure, I know there were several people who said "Hey, I had Me, I used it for 2 years and never had a problem! Why don't you like Me?" In most cases those were the blissful few who managed to get a computer that had hardware that worked nearly perfectly in Me, who never messed with doing a lot of updating or upgrading. Most everyone who did ended up with a trashed computer. I'm not saying making a service pack for Me is a wasted effort that is useless, not at all. However, perhaps some different route might be a better option. Companies are diving off offering compatability and support to Windows 95/98 like rats fleeing a sinking ship. Microsoft is cutting support offered for both OS's, and Me will soon follow. 2000 with Service pack 4 is stable, reliable, much less bloated than XP, and likewise offers better support in certain areas(despite initially being designed as a corporate desktop OS) 2000 with current service pack offers support for a larger number of DOS games and applications that XP ever has or will. It also uses a smaller footprint, hogs fewer resources, and doesn't contain any of that rediculous "activation" software M$ is pushing on people with XP. Oldschool DOS can be used in Win2k Pro either via the built in virtual DOS emulator or from runing DOSbox. The problem that unfortunatey many people are running into via Win2k or XP is the lack of any real backwards compatability support for applications and game that require some part of 9.x to be there to install much less run. Perhaps instead, some means of getting needed system files from Windows98SE/Me/DOS incorporated into Win2k/XP to offer some real backwards compatability support that has previously not existed, might be a good avenue to explore. As far as my personal system goes, at the moment, i'm using a dual-boot setup of Windows98SE and Win2k. I use 98 for getting all my old games and apps to run properly and use 2k for anything that requires a more modern computing system. I would honestly love to find some ability to merge the 2 in a way that I could keep the stability, reliability and functionality of Win2k Pro, but at the same time be able to acquire the legacy game, application, and DOS support offered by Win98SE. That might be a dream that I never see happen, but it would truly kick some major butt if it were ever possible.

Ya know, it's possible that "No" given in answer was a bit confusing. It could easily be taken by a new computer user as a "No your some lame loser, stop bothering me in my almighty guruness." Just saying no, doesn't explain to a person why your saying it. A reply of something like, "I'd help if I could, but as far as I know it's impossible to move.", takes all of a few seconds to type out, and it doesn't risk leaving the poor person who was asking an honest question feeling like they are some kind of moron or something.

There is a version of nlite that works with Windows 98, 98SE, and ME, its affectionately called 98lite. However, it is, at least as far as I can tell, not designed to be run with an install, but rather installed at a later point. There is also a unofficial service pack for Win98SE that is out that contains all the existing patches, fixes, etc for Win98SE other than updates for Internet Explorer, Media Player, etc. It is quite nice, and even fixes the 512MB RAM limit error that some builds of 98 have. It was not designed by Microsoft, but it can be found on the net for free download in a variety of places. For myself, as well as several other people that use this service pack, the install of Win98 with 98lite is usually something as follows. 1. Install Win98SE 2. Install any missing/needed/updated device drivers 3. Install the current release of Internet Explorer 4. Download and install any fixes/patches for IE from Windowsupdate 5. Install the newest release of Direct X that your video card supports 6. Install the Win98 "unofficial" service pack 7. Install 98lite Depending on personal taste, some people switch the order of a few of these options, but I find this order works well for my uses. Since every Windows since 95 has had a dependancy on certain IE and DirectX files being in place and properly updated, it works well. This order gets those files on your system, and applies all of the fixes from the service pack. Then gives you the chance to slim down 98 using 98lite. There is a demo you can download of 98lite as well as a demo for Win2k/WinXPlite. Unfortunately, it is severely gimped to only offering a minor selection of the huge amount of choices the full version offers. Note: It is possible to break the integration of IE from Win98, 98SE, and Me, and it is even possible to uninstall it. 98lite offers that feature. However, be careful of doing this, due to the fact that certain key functions of Windows can depend on various IE components to function properly. As is recommended by the company that makes 98lite and 2k/Xplite, always backup before using a major configuration overhaul utility, and make changes one at a time, so you can test them out and be able to track down errors or bugs. If you change everything all at once with 98lite or similar software you can make many parts of your OS cease to function and have no clue which thing you changed that caused the error.

I was curious if people would be willing to post their preferred best gaming configuration setups? Meaning, the absolute best setup for gaming? Which OS or combination of OS's for getting nearly garunteed support for playing oldschool DOS and 16-bit M$ Windows games, all the way up through supporting the playing of the most top of the line games out today? Which additional software would do you install and/or use for gaming? What services and other system items do you disable for your best gaming hardware and software profile? Ever been able to accomplish the near impossible feat of being able to play DOS, Windows 3.x, Windows 9.x, Windows NT, MacOS, and Linux games all on the same system? If so, what OS, software and settings did you use to get that awesome uber setup?

I've read through the great guide posted here for how to replace the startup image used during an XP install. I've got a quite neat Voltron theme in the process of being put together. I am curious though, is there any way to get the Windows XP installer to cue up and play a sound file like a .wav or .mp3 during the gui part of the installation that makes use of the new image? If so, i'd really appreciate a guide as to how to go about doing this. It would be too sweet to be able to get the install to not only show my Voltron theme but also to play the theme music from the original cartoon during the installation. Also, I was curious if anyone knows of a way to change the default theme for XP? Meaning is there a way to update it or replace it so the default theme you get after every install is something better than the eyesore bliss theme? If so, i'd appreciate info on how to do that as well. Thanks!

Hi, thanks for all the great info and guides posted on these forums and on the multi-boot website. Looks great from what i've read so far. I'm working on trying to get a set of multi-boot CD's put together(since I am a poor college student and don't have the cash to buy a DVD burner or DVD blanks). I would like to have the first disk contain DOS 6.22, DOS 7.1, Windows 3.11 for Workgroups, Windows 95(the version that supports usb and includes Plus!95 built into the install files, and Windows98SE(again the version that has the plus! pack built into the install files). If there is room, i'd be interested in putting Windows Me on the disk as well, but that might be pushing it for CD space. That, and well I never really liked or got much in the way of good use out of Windows Me. The 2nd CD i'd like to have multi-boot between Windows 2000 Pro(with service pack 4 slipstreamed), and Windows XP Pro(with Service pack 1a slipstreamed). I would like to eventually add a copy of Windows 2000 Server, but I don't think space limits on CD's would allow it as of yet. If possible, i'd also like assistance with figuring out how to add a few basic freeware/open-source tools to the boot CD. Most specificly a command line capable anti-virus program with good trojan detection, as well as a adware/spyware cleaning program. Getting a command line and/or gui set of tools for running a diagnostic program, a registry checking/cleaning/repairing/backup program, and possibly a file system(scandisk-like)error checking/repairing program. A efficient disk defrag program, and disk partitioning program would be a nice touch as well, but its a work in progress. I just need some assistance getting started in the right direction. Now, granted, I would be more than happy, if someone who did own a DVD burner would be willing to burn me a copy of an all-in-one Windows bootable disk. I do have actual copies of each Microsoft OS to date, other than Longhorn and Windows Server 2003., but I don't have a use for either as of yet. But I don't see myself as getting that lucky, so i'll make do using a few CD-R's instead for the time being. However, once I have a DVD burner, I would much like to make an all-in-one DVD-R. If its possible, I'd like to make one that includes DOS 6.22, DOS 7.1, Windows 3.11 for Workgroups, Windows 95 w/plus! and usb, Windows 98SE w/plus!, Windows Me, Windows 2000 Pro(service pack 4 streamed), and Windows XP Pro(Service pack 1a streamed). If there is a way to get the XP Plus! combo pack in there somehow, that would be awesome(the one that is Plus! for XP and Plus! Digital Media Edition in one installer). I already have on CD the Ultimate Boot CD for Windows(made by a different project than those who make the DOS-esque Ultimate Boot Disk). It has a great set of freeware tools, and is built with Bart PE, simply with the minor difference of changing to using all free or open source utilities instead of commercial ones. I'd love to get that mixed in on the DVD somewhere as well. So unless I get lucky and someone wants to be nice *puppy dog eyes* and shoot me off a DVD-R with all that already setup on it, I'd appreciate advice and assistance with getting something along these lines setup on CD-R's. Thanks for any time and advice anyone is willing to give.

Hello everyone. I love the progress this awesome project has made so far. Big congrats for all the hard work done so far. I have a somewhat recently modern PC. I get asked for a variety of people why it is that I don't use XP on my machine, since it easily has the hardware to support it. There are a few reasons for that, and i'll go into those in a sec for anyone who is interested. I am a CompTIA A+, Network+, Microsoft MCP certified technician with a few years experience in the field so far. I'm not a programmer by any means, nor do I ever have a desire to be. However, from personal experience, what i've found to work best if you don't use 98lite is as follows. 1. Install Windows 98se 2. Install IE6(even if you don't use it and prefer Mozilla or some alternative browser. Windows 98 does benefit from some core IE files that get updated by installing IE6.) 3. Install DirectX 9.0c or 8.1b(personal choice, i've seen pros and cons to both) 4. Install any updated drivers needed(Why so late? Simply so that any drivers that might require any of the files provided by the updated IE core files and the upgraded version of Direct X will already have what they need installed. 5. Install Service Pack However, if you do have a need or a desire to use Windows Media player for some reason as your default player for media, and for streaming, my alteration would be to Install the version of Windows MP you plan on using, and necessary codecs to go with it, after IE but before Direct X. I prefer a large number of other media players than the M$ one, but each to their own. In the case of using 98lite, i'd suggest that right after installing 98SE, and setting it to chubby, then removing and slimming down things as needed after the SP has been applied. As far as my reasoning for using a more powerful PC and 98, it's a fairly simple one. I realize that for the time being M$ still has a huge stranglehold on the OS market. Even with the more and more user friendly builds of Linux hitting the market, many people who are either uncertain, or who just don't see the point, still stick with using M$ Windows. At the moment, I see a benefit from using M$ Windows only for the purpose of a small installation, for the use of playing my extensive collection of legacy and vintage PC games. Most new games will still run and install fine on a system using M$ Windows 9.x on a FAT32 partition. A huge number of older games, with either not run at all, or will not run well or reliably on 2000 or XP, simply due to their requirement for a functioning version of DOS or the 9.x core, or some combination of both. M$ more than proved their true colors to me with 2000, but especially with XP. Sure the "compatability" mode exists, but simply based on how the two different types of OS function, there a good number of instances that no level of tweaking will fix that prevent some great older games or programs from working on 2000 or XP. By M$ for the most part abandoning a huge group of PC users that spent years getting rid of a lot of their old DOS programs and games to get versions compatabile with 9.x, they basicly thumbed their nose at all of us. XP makes no secret of the fact that is has little if any claim for reverse compatability. Other than a command prompt, which is more there for looks than anything, there is absolutely no DOS in XP, and no direct 9.x support either. So now after so many people have spent so much money buying copies of XP, and buying over the top systems to run it, and also stocking up on NT compatible games and software, M$ is prepared to do it again. At present the new file system in use with Longhorn, won't have any promise of NT compatibility or support. So people might be stuck throwing everything out all over again to get all new stuff that only works with yet another new file system and core. However, the worst straw in my opinion, was the new M$ "activation" code in all their new software. Not only does this software require an internet connection to install itself, but it also required an active connection to the net to the program can get permission from some M$ server to even turn itself on and work properly. Who knows how much of any sort of information is sent to and collected by M$ when this happens. On top of that, each software package that contains this "activation" sotware, only has a set number of "credits" with that M$ activation server. If you like to upgrade your PC frequently, or your hard drive crashed just one too many times, your out of luck. M$ has already admitted this in press conferences and news reports. Even if you wave your reciept in their faces or hit them over the head with the retail box the software came out of, they will NOT replace your CD and they will NOT issue you more activations. This is supposedly to prevet sofware piracy. So, anyone who goes out and spends $500.00 or more buying a copy of office 2003 Professional, can easily end up having a $500.00 drink coaster with a nice shiny M$ label on it. I don't know about you, but I rarely even use drink coasters, with the possible exception of making some use of extra AOL CD's. I have no desire to own a drink coaster that costs me $500.00 or more. For that price, that coaster better fix my drinks for me, never let the ice melt, get me refills when needed, mow my lawn, wash my car, and paint my house. Also, right now, thanks to the fine people working on DosBox, Cedega and Wine, it is getting more and more possible to not only use Linux, but to use it without having to give up your huge collection of M$ software or games. Since most companies see no reason to take a game or program they sold 5 years ago or more and make a Linux patch for it, this is one good way to make them still usable. Mandrake Linux is also one of the best, most stable, secure, and cool OS's i've ever had the joy of using. It also supports the use of either KDE or Gnome as your desktop, so you can chose either, or switch between both if you like. So yeah, at the moment, the only reason I have anything M$ on my computer, is to have a working install of 98se for my games. The rest of my system is being quite nicely used by the current build of Mandrake Linux, the KDE desktop, and some fairly often updated versions of DosBox, Wine, and Cedega. I've seen more and more users go to a system build very much like mine every day. Put me in a penguin suit, cause Linux is here to stay.

I plan on getting away from Longhorn and staying as far far away from it as I can. Not only are the planned hardware requirements for it totally insane, but it will include even more of the rediculous "authenticate/activate" blah blah software code where it won't install unless you have a dedicated internet connection so that it can talk to a M$ server to get permission to turn itself on the first time you install it. In addition, like most of the recent M$ software that server only gives a set number of "credits" to activate your happy little software package. Once you run out of "credits" i.e. you've intstalled the software after one too many hard drive crashes, that's it. Your done. You can wave the reciept and throw the retail box at the head of a M$ help desk person, and they will tell you the same thing they are telling people already. "We're sorry, but in an effort to prevent piracy of software, we've established this system. The only people getting hurt by it or those who are trying to use our products illegally. Since you seem to be having an issue, that leads me to wonder exactly how legal your own use of this software your trying to make work is. Wait here for a moment." *as technician phones local authorities and turns you in for attempting to use pirated software* The thing is, M$ has said this in news reports and press briefings alread. If you outuse your "Activation credits" you will NOT under any circumstances be issued more of them. So if you spend $500.00 buying a copy of Microsoft Office 2003 Professional(which has this software built into it already), and install it one too many times....your now the proud owner of a $500.00 drink coaster. They will not replace your CD. They will not issue you more activations. Thanks for giving M$ another $500.00, we can direct you to several retail outlets where you can purchase another copy.....BLEH!!!!!!!!!!! I'm staying as far away from anything even remotely like that as I can. I only use a small install of Windows 98Se on my actual PC, and that is only for game compatability. I'm also an active supporter of the DosBox, Wine, and Cedega projects. The instant any version of Linux will decently support my vintage game collection, M$ and all their bunk is going nowhere near any PC I ever own again. They are already a multi-billion dollar coorporation. Now they are fleecing people for $500.00 drink coasters with pretty labels on them. Next thing you know it will be legal for McDonalds to charge you for food you can't actually swallow, just for the licensed right to taste food that they have cooked for you, and Disney will be able to charge you for just listening to someone tell you about a new movie they are releasing because if you share the information with anyone else, even by word of mouth, without paying for the right to do so, your violating their licensing and copyrights. What's next? Wal Mart making you pay them every time their 80yr old door greeter guy gropes you and smiles? Incidently, is everyone who has thrown out hundreds or even thousands of dollars in purchased games and software because XP doesn't support 9.x style software and games, willing, ready, and able to do the same thing again when Longhorn comes out? M$ hasn't said one thing about any sort of promise that any game or software package that requires the NT core will work on their new file system. Get the trash cans ready everyone, you'll need them again, trust me.

You need to be slightly careful with this particular DVD player. It's slim, sleek, and looks really cool. It will also play nearly any Divx .avi you throw at it. It's also cheap enough in cost that your not really out much cash to get one. However, there have been a few reports here and there of then occasionaly breaking somewhat easily. If you are able to score one from some place that will sell you a 3 year warrenty for free replacement on one for like $20 then your set. If not, well your still not out a ton of cash. However, even though this thing playing .Divx kinda makes using burned DVDs a moot point, it does only play the +R/+RW format. At the current standings the -R/-RW format has taken a bit of a lead in the battle between the two formats. Even if for some reason +R/+RW dies by the wayside, DivX playing OWNS. The only other commercial DVD player out in the U.S. to play this format is an import from Europe and it costs like 4 times as much to buy. I'm not sure if they changed this or not, but certain versions of this DVD player are also region free. i.e. they can or at least could play DVD's from any region, and were capable of also playing PAL formatted DVD's. If it still can, you might run into some p***y licensing people eventually whining about copyrights and this or that. But I mean really for $50.00 to $75.00, this this is dream to own. I already own one, and have a spare in case it fries on me. It's a planned gift for any friend or family member that has a birthday or something come up anytime as well.

Time for a fun conversation, but one that should get some interesting responses. Post a reply to this that includes the complete specs for the hands down best gamer PC you could possibly think to put together......for the money. That's the important part. This brain teaser isn't about spending a cool mil to get a liquid nitrogen cooled PC set that has Steven Hawking's brain as the CPU. Total cost, including additional cooling devices used, operating system used, case, power supply, and any other mods, the best possible gamer PC you could create, in comparison to how much it costs. In simple terms, the best total performance in comparison to spending the least amount of cash on getting it. This is going to be roughly based on current retail prices, listed by actually existing businesses, via http://www.pricewatch.com If you find the same component, and it isn't some going out of business or clearance sale listed for less on a website or an advertisement you can provide photographic proof of, then it counts. It it's from Crazy boo-boo's mad computer center's going out of business sale, or if its from a 12 hour only sale on Newegg.com it DONT count. It's got to be based on a price that(within reason) anyone seeing your rig could buy it and put it together for that cost;hours, days, possibly even weeks after you spec the price. Happy Hunting. One minor addition that just came to mind. Please note if the hardware in your rig you put together is OEM or Retail. It's not a fair comparison otherwise.

Feel free to move or copy this post to other parts of this forum. However, it does cover an idea involving several different OS's, so my best guess was to stick it under the general heading. I'm looking to find out if we have and good and talented computer guru's around this forum, especially when it comes to the areas of bootable CD's, bootable DVD's, boot-menu gui's, dual-booting, and multi-booting, scripting, and unattended installations of operating systems. Think you are up to a task that is moderately challenging and yet quite possibly rewarding? Then please, by all means, read on. I have seen a virtual explosion of forums, forum postings, and websites spring up over the internet in the past few months when it comes to home PC users and the idea of streaming/patching their Windows install discs to include current service packs. I've even seen some that go so far as to offer software and/or programming solutions to include hot-fix's, security updates and the like that are released after the service pack. As I've read, so far this is only possible with XP Home edition, XP Professional, 2000 Professional and the like, as that Me and all previous 9.x Windows don't have the ability to support this feature. Yet, many people still use Windows 98Se, especially those who use games or software that need the 9.x core, or DOS, or both. So there is this group i've also found on the net lately working on perfecting a serice pack for 98Se, that includes the updates, patches, fixes, tweaks, etc. that have been put up for download by M$. Great concept. I've also stumbled on quite the large number of websites sprining up on creating custom boot CD's. They seem to offer the ability to load everything from diagnostic tools, to operating sytems and whatever in between. Yet, I'm seeing a common theme here between all of this seemingly similar but different topics. CD's. It makes sense that if a computer can boot itself from a CD, if that computer has a DVD reading drive of any sort, it should likewise be able to boot itself from a DVD. DVD's by there nature hold a rediculous amount of data compared to CD's. WIth dual layer burning hitting the home market, DVD recordables make CD's seem like CD's made floppys look a few short years ago. So, here is the conept i'm looking for a few guru's to take up and consider, just think about it if nothing else. It's nothing more than idea at this point. I am no programmer. If your still interested at all, please read on. 1. Get a legal, full version, install CD of Windows 98SE, Windows 2000 Professional, Windows XP Home Edition, and Windows XP Professional. 2. Other than in the case of 98SE where it isn't possible, streamline the install files of all the other OS's with their most current service packs, hot fix's, updates, patches, etc. 3. Put together a Gui that is easy to follow and understand by a common computer user that can load from a bootable DVD-R or DVD+R. 4. Arrange the files and scripts and whatever else as needed on said DVD-R or DVD+R so that said GUI that would load at boot of a PC, would give a user the possiblity create and formate one or more FAT32 or NTFS partitions. 5. Have the ability to single install, from the GUI that would load at boot from the DVD, Windows 98SE, Windows 2000 Professional, Windows XP Home, or Windows XP professional. 6. Have the option in the GUI, possibly with preconfigured suggestions or some sort of step by step guide with pictures for the average joe computer user, to setup the necesarry partitions, format them, and configure them to be able to dual-boot any 2 of the OS's that are possible. i.e. 98Se/XP as one example. 7. Have the option to likewise setup what is necessary between partitions, formats, and whatever else, to setup a multi-boot senario, something like Win98SE/Win2000/WinXP Pro as a possiblity. 8. In the case where a user chooses to install Win98Se, include the service pack as an option the user can choose to automaticly run and intall the first time they choose to load Win98 after its fully booted and loaded. 9. For anyone that might require the use of functioning DOS or a DOS like system, include one or more of the freeware or open-source DOSclones out on the Internet today as a possible install as well. 10. Blah....blah.....blah....ok...this is even boring me here....what's up with all this nothing but M$ Windows nonsense?....My apologies, for interupting, i'm his some call evil, i call more intelligent better half. Let's get to some fun stuff already. 11. Leaving all that M$ nonsense behind, which I admit is necessary for certain things to this point. Let's make some real use of the huge storage capacity on a DVD, and make some real good use out of the idea of a dual or multi OS DVD that loads a cute GUI from boot, that is the end all be all of OS install disks. Do something that would leave M$ frothing at the mouth. Have fun, put all the install files, and a nice chunk of open source software of several major builds of Linux on this disk, at least Mandrake, RedHat, and SuSE Linux. While your at it, get a copy of DosBox, Wine, and Cedega to include with this killer DVD as well. Since you already legally own each full version Windows install CD, and have the legal right to make a backup copy in case the original gets damaged, there is nothing that says it can't all be one the same disk, and they all have to be on seperate tiny CD's. DosBox, Wine, Cedega, Mandrake, RedHat, and SuSe you can all get from the net in short order with a good broadband or T1 connection. So in turn you'd be able to sit down, and with little to no effort, erase the hard drive(s) on your computer, and put whatever Os on it(them) that you'd like to, any time you feel like doing so. It's also completely legal to do. You could even post.....lets say a guide to a forum and/or a website, explaining in step by step instructions what software to use and how to use it for anyone who owns the software to do the same things. Then presto! That mountain of overly scratched CD-Roms now gets to rest safely in a box in your closet or something, and all you need is one, single, solitary, DVD in one slim case to keep in your desk. P.S. Sorry about interupting again, but this is his better half with another good idea to add to this project. The people over at the Open-CD project or the people over at GNUWIN both have a rather large collection of open source software totally free to download and install however often you like, most of which can do just about any job commercial Windows software will do, sometimes better. It's just a guess, but i'm thinking either or both groups of releasers would be happy to allow you to put their full CD of software onto such a collective DVD, thus saving you the need to even download any software at all, in most cases, after setting up your OS with that fun spanky DVD. Wow....imagine....one DVD, maybe two at the most, fitting into a tiny slim case, highly durable and resisitant to breaking, having complete OS's, productivity software, anti-virus, firewall, security, encryption, spyware/adware removal, desktop publishing, cd/dvd burning, and all that extra software all in one....WOW. I dunno about you, but that is a DVD that i'd start drooling over being able to own. If/When the DosBox, Wine, and Cedega projects get to a point of being fully functional with any program, software, or game that needs anything like Windows to work right, you could even erase every version of Windows from that DVD, and be able to make copies to give out to your hearts content. Makes you wonder how long it would take M$ to have a collective heart attack as their stock drops in value through the floor as hundreds, then thousands of these Free open source DVD's get given out to any computer user who even thinks they might want one. M$ could start begging people to keep using their over-priced, propriatary, spyware infested, copy-protected software...heh you might even see M$ executives standing in every other Best Buy or Wal Mart begging people to come buy Longhorn or Office 2005 Professional with all the bells and whistles for $5.00 a copy. Crazy world, but it could happen. I have to admit, i'd take a certain amount of enjoyment seeing Mr. Gates having to go to Apple and ask for a job.