Are you tired of struggling with your computer’s operating system. Do you want to try a program where you do not need to be constantly on the look out for viruses or security attacks? Have you considered giving up your computer because software is becoming too expensive for you to afford? Do not give up, you are not locked into Microsoft Windows, there are alternate operating systems available.

Linux is the open-source alternative to Windows. Linux has been around since the early 1990s and for many people moving to Linux is an easy switch. Linux is considered to be a stable operating system which many businesses choose to run their mission critical computers and websites. Much work has been done to create versions of Linux that can aid people in switching from Windows. Linux is open-source which means many versions of the software are available for free. There is a lot of software available for Linux and many of the documents created are compatible with Microsoft Office. Linux users also see themselves not as customers but as a community. If you decide to switch to Linux and you need assistance or help, you can find someone online who is willing to assist you. No need to contact customer service or pay for expensive in home support.

If your interested in moving to a new computing platform, Apple Macintosh offers an entire line of computers and products for your computing needs. Apple computers are seen as high end computers that will last for several years. Many of the differences between Mac OS X and Microsoft Windows are old and outdated. Mac OS X is a fully fleshed operating system with an community of software developers and users behind the product. You can share files between the two operating systems and network both operating systems together. Mac computers are seen as products used by artistic and creative people. While the high end computing games available for play on Windows computers is not available for the Mac, there is plenty of software to keep everyone happy. If you choose to switch to the Macintosh you will not have the same virus and security concerns that Windows users have but you will need to keep up on security updates as there are security holes in the operating system.

Solaris 10 is a little known operating system that you can replace Windows with. Solaris is based upon the Unix code base. There are two versions of Solaris. Solaris 10 is the professional enterprise level operating system that is designed for companies to use for their servers. Many system administrators see Solaris 10 as an upgrade to Linux. The other version of the software is OpenSolaris. OpenSolaris is the open-source operating system designed for individuals and college students. OpenSolaris is still very rough as the community is still working on the software’s potential. If you missed the early years of LInux and want to be on the ground floor building a new operating system and a new computer community, you may want to consider checking out OpenSolaris. Many of the same features you will find in Linux are available or planned for OpenSolaris. The open source community is working diligently on this operating system so chances are if you try OpenSolaris one month and do not like it, if you return the next month the operating system will look and feel very different and you may like the new version.

If you do decide to move from Microsoft Windows to one of the alternative operating systems available, you may want to try the new software out before you commit your computer hardware fully. Both Linux and Solaris have CD bootable versions of their software available which will allow you to try the software out without erasing anything from your primary hard drive. You also want to take some time to determine if the software you use on a daily basis or an approximate substitute is available for your new operating system. There is nothing more frustrating then switching to a new operating system and discovering that you can not longer use software that helps you run your life.

In the early 1990s there were very few choices in computer operating systems and the alternative at that time were not as robust the alternatives today. Before you start to dismiss one of the alternative operating system with the ideas that they are not interoperable or do not have any software choices, take a second look because you may be surprised on the changes all operating systems have undergone in the last 15 years. You now have choices in your computing and the best part is many of those choices are free or low cost and still have the support and help that any new user needs and desires.

If you are tired of using Microsoft Windows and want to explore the world of the Macintosh without spending the money for a new computer, you should consider porting the Mac OS to your PC. Completing a port of Mac OS X is becoming easier as more and more people want to give the software a try. You do need to be aware that this a considered hacking your computer, and could very well be considered copyright infringement. But if your willing to try and you have a little bit of computer knowledge, you may really enjoy the outcome.

You may want to try this process out on a second computer or a second hard drive instead of giving up your primary computer. While this process is relatively easy once you have the proper files, the process explained here will wipe your hard drive and that includes any personal files you have on the hard drive. If anything goes wrong and you sacrificed your primary computer and hard drive to the process, you may end up having to rebuild your computer without any support from your manufacturer or Apple.

You will need a separate hard drive to install OS X on. If you are interested in dual booting between OS X and Microsoft Windows, you need two separate hard drives. This process will not work on a partitioned hard drive. Once you have the necessary hardware, search your favorite torrent site for the necessary files. You need to find “VMWare files for patched Mac OS X” online and download the entire file. This file should end up over 6gb after your download has completed. Once you have the proper .img file, move it to an external USB hard drive and set the drive aside.

Next, download the Ubuntu Live CD from the Ubuntu website. You need to verify that you are getting the correct version of Ubuntu. Burn the Ubuntu .iso file to a CD thus creating a bootable Ubuntu disk. Place the disk in your computer and boot from it. Once Ubuntu boots and the GUI Is running, connect the USB drive that is holding your Mac OS X files. Note the path to you USB drive and double confirm the location of the drive you will be using for your new Mac OS X operating system.

It is not time to work with Linux to install OS X on your PC. Open a terminal window and change the directory of the terminal window the appropriate path for your USB drive. Then in the terminal window type “dd bs=1048576 if=./tiger-x86-flat.img of=/dev/hda” You will want to make sure that you replace the “hda” with the correct drive information for your final installation of the OS X files. And double check everything before you continue on, this command will erase whatever drive you indicate. When you hit enter, your computer will start working. This process may take several minutes to complete so be patient. After this wipe and transfer process is complete, you can remove the Ubuntu CD from your computer and shut down the PC. After your computer is shut down, you should remove the USB drive that held you OS X .img file and reboot your computer. If everything was completed correctly you will be booting into Apple’s OS X instead of Microsoft’s Windows.

If you want to move to Mac OS but do not want to use linux, you can still install OS X using public-domain tools native to windows. These tools still have the ability to completely wipe your hard drive, so again the same cautions apply. Make sure you are not using your primary hard drive unless you want to spend time rebuilding your computer if anything goes wrong and you will need a separate hard drive as the process will not work on a partitioned drive. Porting Mac OS to your PC is not an exact science and anything can go wrong at any time.

If using Microsoft Windows to handle your port, you still need to find and download the “VMWare files for patched Mac OS X Tiger Intel” but instead of Ubuntu’s Linux files, you also need to download “Forensic Acquisition Utilities”. Install the Forensic Acquisition Utilities onto you main root drive and use the command “dd if=c:\tiger-x86-flat.img of=\\.\physicaldrive” where physical drive is replaced with the appropriate indicator of the drive you want to install Mac OS X on. Once you start the process, it may appear that your computer hangs however do not touch anything, your hard drives are working away. After the process is completed, reboot your computer and set your BIOS for your preferred boot sequence. If everything worked properly and your hardware is compatible you should see OSX boot up.