Do you change a brand new Windows PC entirely to Linux?
 

When you buy a new PC which you intend to run Linux on; do you search for PCs which already contain Linux, just buy a PC that has Windows and convert it, or do you build your own custom system? The other option may be that you always convert old PCs to Linux.

For me I have followed the classical path of taking an older system which either failed too many times or was old and converted it to Linux. But I've also purchased an entirely new system intended for Linux and therefore sought out systems which had Linux on them. Of course the funnier part is that whatever they had was the PC manufacturer's variation which I replaced day #1. I do believe though that I've never purchased a brand new Windows system and completely replaced the OS with Linux as soon as I got it.

i usually keep the windows partition and dual boot (half the cost of a netbook is the price of windows so why waste money ?).

my dad bought a win-8 laptop and hated it but it was impossible to dual-boot with fedora-20 (disable fastboot,secureboot,uefi,...) so i had to erase win-8.

for cell fones/tablets i remove android and install cyanogenmod.

#1 and #4

For desktops/servers, I build them from the ground up and use Linux.
For laptops, I typically buy them with Windows and then either wipe it and install Linux, or install Linux in dual-boot and then only boot to Windows 3-4 times a year to apply updates.

Member Response
 

Hi,

I dual boot my machines with a MS/Windows using Slackware. When possible I will run the MS/Win in a VM.

I need to service clients therefore the need to keep MS.

:hattip:

I'm with schneidz, I shrunk the Windows partition on my netbook and set it up as a dual boot with Linux.

Do I use the Windows partition? er... come to think of it, no, but I suppose I felt the unwanted Windows license would have some value. XP? That'll be a no then.

I usually use old scavenged systems, replacing Mobos, etc as required. (on the x86 ones at least!) The netbook's the only new thing I've ever bought.

Play Bonny!

:hattip:

Yeah, only thing I also ever bought intentionally to be Linux was the equivalent of a netbook. A sub $200 ATOM with some free Linux on it and then installed my own distro on that. I love it because battery lasts more than a couple hours and the thing is very lightweight. My only knock on it is the placement of the shift key on the right side. They squashed it down and stuck two control keys before you encounter that key, so if you make a natural typing motion you instead hit like ALT or the right mouse menu button. It's a good machine for what it is.

I build my own desktops. The only one I haven't built was my old IBM 286 that came with Win 3.1.

As far as laptops go, I buy them based on the hardware rather than the Linux support. I'll clone/compress the drive and wipe out Windows right away. Most of the time, hardware support isn't a problem.

If I need Windows for anything, I'll run it in a VM.

All of my laptops are dual boot with Win 7. I bought a Win 8 box and wiped it and installed Win 7 & Linux...

I like to build a custom system piece by piece. However, can't do that with netbooks or laptops, so I have to get those with Windoze :( and convert them.

This desktop is hand-built, so it's only ever had Linux. My laptop was second-hand, but the previous owner had already switched it to Linux. When I need a new desktop, I'll either build it myself again, or go to a company which sells computers with no OS installed. I suppose all that mean "something else".

Personally, I've found it's much easier to buy a computer or motherboard/cpu combination for a computer that has an OEM version of Windows included, or included for a nominal fee. My current computer came that way, but I always intended to install Slackware on it, which was the first thing I did. My last computer ran Windows for a few years, then various types of dual booting/virtualization, then finally only Linux. So, like David, something else.

I usually build custom systems, sometimes from old Windows computers. When I lost a computer in a house fire the insurance company paid for a brand new computer. I bought a new computer which had Windows 7 and promptly converted it to Linux. I haven't had Windows on any of my computers since June, 2000.

--------------------
Steve Stites

I always buy a pre-assembled desktop from tigerdirect and use my existing hardware to connect, then I install linux and/or dual boot with freebsd.

No windows OS for me.

trying to get the windows "tax" refunded is MORE work than buying a computer WITHOUT a OS

Since late 90's I have bought only two new machines, both laptops, one KDS one Toshiba. Both came with M$ pre-installed (W2K and XP respectively). Both were purchased with GNU/Linux in mind and immediately converted to dual boot with Mandrake and Mandriva, because I knew I had payed for the other OS and thought there must be some value in keeping it... in both cases I eventually cleaned the drive and made them only GNU/Linux because I realized I had literally NEVER booted to the other OS and it was simply wasted drive space! (I am writing this from the Toshiba which is now dual boot Slackware 12.1 and Slackware 14.1 on a new 1TB drive - still the best hardware I ever had!).

Other than those two, all my hardware for the past 20 years has come from a thrift store or a dumpster (figurative and literal)! With the release of Mandriva 2006 (IIRC) and early KDE 4, I switched everything to Slackware and have never looked back!

Within the past few weeks I have acquired 4 "new" machines, all 64 bit, 2-4 CPU 2.1-3.1GHZ, good drives and full of RAM! They all had XP or 7, all now grinning back at me with Slackware current (plus one FreeBSD) - no dual boots. $20 total!

I have to admit that I take some small pleasure in being totally disinterested in exploring or keeping the other OS when I get them, and usually just set the CMOS to network boot, plug in the ethernet cable and boot to GParted - then with extreme prejudice delete all existing partitions... Ahhh... one of life's small pleasures!

So while I have, in the dim past, committed the sin of paying the M$ tax, may God forgive me, never again! I have to claim doors #1 and #2, but primarily installed to second hand hardware - and that is hardly a negative!