Budget newbie build from old parts but what now ?

[colinplays]

Not only is this my first post in this forum, but I am pretty new to the whole PC affair too !
Having played around with a computer at work in my breaks I decided I wanted one but am seriously short of cash. So far, I have managed to get together a collection of used parts but am not exactly sure what the next step is. Being used to mending things, or making them for myself, I took the same approach with a PC. Budget was little more than zero, so most parts were swapped for favours. So far, I've got:
Motherboard: Gigabyte using VIA chipset with on-board sound and video.
Processor AMD Athlon 1200 MHz.
Memory: A total of 512 Mb of SDRAM.
Disk drives: Two floppy drives, two Seagate hard drives, a CD-ROM drive and a DVD drive.
Power Supply: Unknown make - '350W'.
Old keyboard, mouse and 15-inch monitor screen.
I have made an open 'chassis' from sheet aluminium (like an old radio set) to mount all the parts on and also got a couple of push-button switches and LED lights.
Everything is mounted on the chassis and seems to be connected up correctly - it took me a couple of weeks to work it all out.
The system powers up and I can go into BIOS configuration (press 'DEL') where things seem to make some sort of sense. If I let the system 'boot up' it gives me a copyright message, then lists my disk drives, and then gives a message about not finding a boot and stops.
Basically, what should I do next ?

[Kulag]

You need to install an operating system.

[colinplays]

Okay, Kulag, thanks for taking the trouble to reply.
I've spent a couple of months getting to this point and I had guessed that I need some sort of software - the question is: 'what ?'.
People I have spoken to, and web sites I have looked at, tell me that 'I need Windows' which basically gives me a problem. I don't have a budget and neither do I want to become a software pirate. If I had the cash to walk into a computer shop and buy 'Windows XP' off the shelf then I probably could have found the cash to buy a ready-made PC with Windows already on it.
Everything about my life has to be done as cheaply as possible at the moment. That is why I have scrounged-up a bunch of old parts. However, I feel that I have probably learned more about computers in the past two months making my own than I would have in two years if I had just gone out and bought one.
I realise I need some software. My PC has floppy, CD and DVD drives and I do have a pack of new floppies.
What options do I have apart from buying Windows ?
Thanks.

[tempus]

Because you're on a budget you can obtain some Linux versions for free such as Ubuntu if you think you want to go the linux route. Its not Windows but it does work. Otherwise windows will set you back about $75.

[Kulag]

You can order a copy of Ubuntu Linux from http://shipit.ubuntu.com/. It might take awhile, but it's free. If you high-speed internet access, you can download the CD image from http://www.ubuntu.com/download and burn it to a CD.

[blue60007]

You can get an OEM copy of Windows XP Home from Newegg.com for about $90-$95 or so.

[Alaron]

Blue, colin is in the UK.

Colin, Windows XP is about £50.
http://www.ebuyer.com/UK/product/97548

[blue60007]

Whoops! sorry. thanks for the catch Alaron!


You could probably give Linux a try and if it becomes too much of a hastle, hopefully by then you'll have the funds for a copy of XP.

[colinplays]

Tempus: Thanks, but Windows XP for $75 ? - that's about £40 in English money (I'm in England). Even though that is way more than my total spend so far, and more than I could afford, it is about a quarter of what we pay for it 'off the shelf'. !
Kulag: I had heard that there was some software I could download for free but I don't have any way of writing that to a CD which, I understand, is what you have to do after downloading it. Also, not yet having a complete PC of my own I rely being able to access from work. I don't think that they would be very happy with me doing downloads !
I have ordered a CD of 'Linux' from shipit.ubuntu.com as suggested as, on the face of it, it looks like the best option for me at the moment.
One thing I don't really understand: People are on this forum because they build their own PC, and people build their own PC to save money (is there any other reason ?) so why does everyone seem to go and pay for Windows when they can get Linux for free ?
Is there something 'wrong' with Linux ?
I suppose I will find out when the CD arrives !
Oh yes, and thanks Alaron but even £50 is more than I can afford.
Blue60007: you say 'if it becomes too much of a hassle'. Can I expect some difficulties with using Linux ?

[tempus]

Colin,
That would be a copy of WindowsXP home edition OEM and that price is in US dollars. XP Pro is quite a bit more. i found a place on line here in canada that has if for $96 CDN. Still not bad and cheaper than the UK.
There is more of a learning curve it seems with Linux but i have used several version and Ubuntu is quite good. Its straight forward and has everything windows has except it does it differently. if you ask me Windows is a very good product but the others are coming on strong

[Kulag]

Gaming is also significantly harder on Linux.

Here's a few guides that may be of help once you get your installation CD.
http://www.pcmech.com/show/os/903/
http://www.pcmech.com/show/os/917/
http://www.pcmech.com/show/os/943/

[blue60007]

I wouldn't say it's going to be super easy to use - it won't be as easy as setting up XP - but still not too difficult. I haven't actually set up and extensively used linux but from what I understand, you have to do a lot more command line type stuff. As tempus said there is a higher learning curve. And as Kulag said, very few games support Linux - and really most of the stuff you might be used to using won't be (ie, Office, etc) - BUT, luckily, there are free open source programs similar to most commericial Windows software. Since Linux is free - you don't have anything to lose to try it.

[nicolaus corelius]

i feel bad for a fellow builder and would have donated some cash if i could . however im in a pickle myself. my mobo's broken and it would be a couple of days at best for me to start working.

[Kulag]

http://ubuntuguide.org/wiki/Dapper

There's another starter guide. It has details on how to install a ton of different apps using apt-get.

OpenOffice.org 2 is included on the Ubuntu CD, and gets installed by default. It supports both it's own format, and the Office 2003 format. I don't think it supports the new Office 2007 format yet though.

While most commercial games are not supported on Linux, you can run most of them under Wine. There are also a few that will run natively under Linux, suce as Unreal Tournament. And, of course, there are many free games availible for Linux.

[colinplays]

Wow - thanks everyone ! I'm new to this forum and didn't realise that I'd get so much helpfull response !
I don't mind having to do things on a shoe-string budget as it makes sure I think about every decision and learn more in the process.
It seems like I have plenty to gain, and little to loose, from waiting for Ubuntu to arrive and try installing it. I am really surprised that the CD is completely free - they even pay the postage !
As I haven't got any real previous experience of PCs, then it won't really make any difference to me if Linux is different or similar to Windows. The same goes for playing games. I have no real interest in computer games - well, not at the moment anyway. My objective is to be able to 'go on-line' from home for the minimum outlay so provided I have a web browser and e-mail client then I'll be happy to start with. I guess I do get these sort of things with Ubuntu ?
While I'm waiting for it to arrive, you guys have provided plenty of links for me to read about it and get prepared for the task (whatever it might involve).
Will my system be 'good enough' for Linux ? It seems like plenty of people around here (I've been reading the forums) are running machines three times as fast as mine and with lots more memory. I guess that having it seem a bit on the slow side isn't so bad when you consider the overall cost, but will it be fast enough to use ?
I'm now looking forward to seeing my PC actually doing something !

[Alaron]

Your PC will handle Ubuntu, no worries. Ubuntu does come with the Thunderbird e-mail client, as well as the Firefox browser.

[Kulag]

Yeah, I've run various distributions of Linux on a Cyrix processor running at 249 MHz, and the machine I'm currenlty running Ubuntu on is a 700 MHz laptop.

Ubuntu also includes Evolution. I think the version of Firefox it includes is a little outdated though, so you may need to update it with the Synaptic Package Manager. I'm not sure, since I don't have the latest Ubuntu CD, my last one was a pre-release version.

You must remember, of course, that you must pay the fees to your ISP in order to connect to the internet. That is, unless you manage to find a free provider. Keep in mind though, that they are often slow.