| From: "Steve Petrie, P.Eng. via talk" <talk@gtalug.org> | I donlt really have a few weeks to spare. I need to get the Linux PC up | and running, so I can get back to the rest of my life. If you are not used to Linux, and you are used to Windows XP, and you don't have weeks to spare, you really should think carefully about switching to Linux. If you have a bunch of applications that you are used to, you may well find the Linux substitutes unsatisfactory. After all, you have likely invested a bunch of time in learning the old programs. You may even have important data in a proprietary format, tied to a program that isn't available on Linux. Switching environments is often a challenge and a learning experience. It is a bit risky to do it in a rush. Don't get me wrong, there are a lot of things in favour of Linux. That's what's been on my desktop since before Windows XP. ================ Assuming that you are intending to use a legitimate copy of Windows 7, you may well find it cheaper to buy a suitable machine from a big PC manufacturer. Their incremental cost for Windows is apparently close to $0 rather than the $100+ you have to pay to add it to your own build. A machine you build yourself is quite possibly better, but I don't know that you'd actually notice the difference. (I have assembled machines for myself but more often buy off-the-shelf machines when I see good sales.) ================ Just to amplify what Len said: - external serial modems are very standard and well-supported - FAX is less standard. With care, you can select a supported modem. But FAX has died, thank goodness. About once a year I find it would be handy to send a FAX, but it is usually possible to just say that you cannot do it. - I don't know about external USB modems. With luck, they emulate serial modems. I have one in my cupboard "just in case". - avoid "WinModems". Those require proprietary drivers. Some have been reverse-engineered but I would not trust the drivers to have been well-maintained (my opinion is not based on experience). I would not expect serial modems to be worth the bother. ================ I have no idea of the longevity or robustness of blu-ray disks. Consider diversifying to external HDDs. The LG drive supports "M-DISC" media. They supposedly have very long life. ================ Don't retail Processors come with coolers? Generally, they are OK (not outstanding) -- good enough. ================ 2 x 4G RAM is a waste of memory sockets. Go for higher density. ================ debian (quirk: no capital letter on the front) is a good OS. It might not be the best intro to Linux. People seem to recommend Mint. I've never used it. If you don't have a broadband internet connection, all sorts of things that I don't notice might become problems. Like updates. ================ Good luck and have fun.