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Which Linux Operating System to choose????

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When you have a Windows computer, you have the various visual desktops, but each desktop is defined by the operating system running the machine. So even if skinned or themed, an XP desktop is found with XP, a Vista desktop with Vista, W7 with W7, etc. etc. This isn't always the case with Linux Operating Systems. As you may know, I have been a user of Linux, trying and tinkering since the early 2000's and over the last year and a half, maybe two years, I have been teaching myself to use Linux as an alternate Operating System to Windows. These days, Linux Operating Systems have come on in leaps and bounds, beautifully displayed, and are generally, out-of-the-box ready, with proprietary and free open source software built in, and in most cases can be run fully when installed. They are self updating and can be customised a great deal to suit your personal taste or configuration. There are different types of desktop, and most are available in various O.S.'

Turn a Desktop PC into a Home Media Centre

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There are many ways to hook up a desktop PC to your TV, but here I'm going to go through the simplest way and how to get going. Firstly, if you have a spare tower system, it is preferable to have at least a Dual Core processor and at least 2gb ddr2 memory, as you will be streaming video at the very least. If the machine is a single core, and cannot accommodate a dual core, look into upgrading the motherboard, low end modern motherboards are very reasonably priced on ebay. If the motherboard is an intel board or has onboard graphics, it is a good idea to upgrade the graphics with a graphics card. When installing the card, the graphics don't need to use the on-board memory, as they are equipped with their own memory. I would recommend a 1gb card or higher, these can be sourced cheaply on ebay, I recently purchased a 1gb nvidia card for only £12.    The PC can be placed underneath the TV sideways or upright next to it. Try to put it in a position where i