Safe mode only

[Turbineguy]

So yesterday I got an "updates are ready to install" message and foolishly I clicked it to install updates. MS seems to have obligingly destroyed my W7 installation. I can only run in safe mode. There are no restore points and I cannot un-install the updates. Anti-virus is down too. I am away from home without my W7 install disk.

Any ideas?

[canetoad]

1. When you say you can't uninstall updates

is it because you don't know how or because your OS is hosed?

If the former, Control Panel, Programs and Features, then on the left View installed updates.

edit: typo

[Turbineguy]

2. It's hosed

I'm going to have somebody send me my OS Disk to do a re-install.

I was just hoping to avoid it. I have to use my computer for work in the meantime.

[struggle4progress]

3. The Microsoft so many of us have come to know and love!

On the bright side - it's a perfect excuse for you to check out a linux distro

[Turbineguy]

4. Yes.

The problem for me is the learning curve. Invariably I'm faced with learning while doing.

But a suggestion would be welcome.

[struggle4progress]

5. Linux Mint is Ubuntu based but may seem more natural for Windows users

Mint 9 (based on the latest Ubuntu release 10.04) just came out about a week ago, so it may still have a few unresolved bugs (and Ubuntu 10.04 is only about a month old, so there might be a few issues there still too)

I think major headaches are unlikely, but i you don't want to worry about the possibility of any such headaches right now, you could try Mint 8

http://www.linuxmint.com/oldreleases.php

You'd need to download the iso, check the md5 to make sure the download wasn't corrupted, then burn the iso to a 800mb CD. Instructions are easily located by a little websearch

Drop the CD into the drive on the machine you want to install onto and boot from the CD drive (you may need to set boot order in BIOS to do that). Once the system boots to Mint, you'll have an obvious install option

Before installing, you might play around to see if stuff is working on your system. With a USB flashdrive or external hard drive attached, you'll likely be able to copy any critical lost personal files

Then click the install option and answer a few simple questions; you're not really committed to anything until you give permission to repartition. I generally allow use of the whole disk, but that will overwrite any of your existing windows files; side-by-side installation with an undefragged windows installation may be messy and unsuccessful, and if your windows installation isn't working anyway, I might suspect it's pointless

Finally check out pokerfan's post:

Linux equivalents to Windows software
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=240x1953

I haven't checked: some of them may be very easy to find and install through the menu system. If you have questions, post in our Open Software forum or in the Mint forums

[Turbineguy]

6. Wow! Thanks!

[pokerfan]

8. Review: Linux Mint 9

From This Week in Linux...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s16-gijBQOA

[pokerfan]

7. It was an MS update that drove me to Linux

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/07/09/ms_dns_patch_zonealarm_woes