We have public computers in our library, where we have installed Linux exclusively. It has come to our notice that some geeks are installing Windows on our machines. Those Windows are pirated versions. In due time they crash and repairing a PC becomes headache for us. If there can be a way - so we can set these computers in such a way that they do not accept any new OS installation except for what we have installed (only we, the admins should have the control on what we choose to install) - this shall remain a great help.  Thanks &amp; Regards.
122509
I want to disable a particular USB storage device (a sandisk flash drive). I read somewhere that you can use the .config file. How do i use it to disable that?
88511
After a fresh Windows install – XP or 7 – how can I "force" Windows updates?   I don't want to have "old" Windows updates after a week, so could it be done in "one step"? Are there any "magical" commands that force Windows to check for updates, and if there are any, install them?
27282
I have Ubuntu installed on my work computer. I am wondering whether I could have access to it from another computer with Windows installed. If so, could you give a step by step guide?
37743
was genuine at the time, but I realised that  gave the right advice, but required me to restart my Linux (which wasn't mentioned in the solution).  It's a bit of a  question and  points to me not deleting it.  But it seems hugely self-aggrandizing to accept my own answer. Should I?
23518
I installed Ubuntu in the dual-boot configuration so that I can still boot up in Windows. But I just want to get Windows off of the machine.  Anyone know how to do this without having to go through another Ubuntu install? Also are all of the Ubuntu updates safe to take? Does Ubuntu have restore points in case something goes haywire from the updates?
48611
I've heard a lot about how Microsoft is implementing UEFI Secure Boot in Windows 8. Apparently it prevents "unauthorized" bootloaders from running on the computer, to prevent malware. There's a campaign by the Free Software Foundation against secure boot, and a lot of people have been saying online that it's a "power grab" by Microsoft to "eliminate free operating systems".  If I get a computer that has Windows 8 and Secure Boot preinstalled, will I still be able to install Linux (or some other OS) later? Or does a computer with Secure Boot only ever work with Windows?
44652
I'm a new Linux user. I've reinstalled my Wubi from scratch at least ten times the last few weeks because while getting the system up and running (drivers, , etc.) I've broken something (X, grub, unknowns) and I can't get it back to work. Especially for a newbie like me, it's easier (and much faster) to just reinstall the whole shebang than try to troubleshoot several layers of failed &quot;fixing&quot; attempts. Coming from Windows, I expect that there is some &quot;disk image&quot; utility that I can run to make a snapshot of my Linux install (and of the boot partition!!) before I meddle with stuff. Then, after I've foobar'ed my machine, I would somehow restore my machine back to that working snapshot. What's the Linux equivalent of Windows disk imagers like  or ?  Note: I found a similar question:
15806
What's the difference between installing Linux alongside Windows and installing it on a separate partition?  I already have data on Windows and other partitions that I don't want to lose.
96968
I am the administrator on my PC. There is another local account on this PC. I just want to know, if I wish that the other will not be able to view D and E drive, then what should I do? How can I prevent the other user from using the D drive?  I have tried the "stop sharing"  from the computer management, but the other user still can open the D drive.  I am on Windows 10 Pro OS.
11986
I've been reading a lot about dual-booting, and it seems as easy as loading Windows and then loading Linux with GRUB, but everybody says that Windows loves to trash GRUB when it gets the opportunity. What are some steps I can take to prevent this from happening (other than using Windows' bootloader, I want to keep this as simple as possible)?
67167
Okay, I apologize if there are similar threads... but I've scoured the internet and never have I run across a helpful answer. So I'll ask here...   I have an old laptop, an Acer Aspire 5515... It was running Vista and was taking 5-10 seconds to just do anything, even as simple as opening a folder. So I decided to install a windows-user-friendly version of Linux - something I've wanted to try for a long time. I ended up settling on Kubuntu because I read somewhere that it's medium-light weight, and good for people used to running windows, after all, I can always replace it with something different later on.   I went to the ubuntu site itself and downloaded  "kubuntu-16.04.1-desktop-am64"  Then the problems started flowing in. Some of it user error I admit... first the CD I got wasn't big enough, then I forgot you can't copy past an iso file, then I couldn't get the Acer to boot from cd drive  Eventually, I fixed these... I burnt the iso image right, used a larger DVD, and changed the bios to boot from the cd. I went to try to just 'try' Kubuntu but that just wasn't working very well, so I just went and tried to go ahead and replace the OS. I knew it would kill everything on the Vista, but I already transferred the files I wanted to keep and the computer was unusable as it was, so I figured why not.   I went through with trying to do the installation, and the first time got to about 80% when I got the Errno 5 Input/Output Error  Alright then... it said something about heat so I placed the computer on a low running box fan as a make shift computer fan (It was getting hot anyway), and I tried again. Made it to about the mid-60s and got the same error.   This time, I went and I double checked the iso... it's indeed the most recent one on the Ubuntu site, and then I used winMd5sum, which says the checksum is correct. I then got another disk and downloaded imgBurn and burnt a new disk at the lowest possible speed (tried for 1x, but it did 2x).   Tried again and it still pulled the same error around the same spot.  So this time at the bootup screen I pressed shift and chose Check for Defects, it returned with Errors found in 1 file  The memtest86 says no errors.  So I'm assuming that means there's a problem with the CD/iso? The check sum was supposedly correct and it was burnt on the lowest possible burn with trusted software. Also, the cd drive works just fine and the disk itself is brand new without a scuff on it.  I'm pretty stumped what to do. I'm going to try to find a cheap flash drive at the dollar store or something to try to boot from USB, but if there is any troubleshooting I could do to get this to work without having to spend money I can't really afford, that'd be really helpful.   As it stands I have a nearly 10-year-old computer with no OS whatsoever on it because the windows section is all deleted, but the Ubuntu section is not fully installed.
71713
My friend borrowed my laptop for a while and when he gave it back he said he replaced Windows 7 with Ubuntu. I asked him to switch it back simply because I prefer Windows. He claims not to know how. I don't want to go buy a new windows 7 disc I just want to figure out how to get rid of this Ubuntu and Windows 7. If anyone knows a way please let me know...
116640
I like Windows to keep itself up to date via the automatic updates, but sometimes it does that when I'm not at the computer and it's doing something critical, like downloading the latest stack overflow podcast.  How do I prevent Windows from doing the automatic reboot if I'm not there?
82476
Is there any way you could revive Guest Sessions in a future LTS distro?  Guest sessions are good security - they give me just enough power to do what I need to do on a daily basis without risking my system. In short, Guest sessions save me from myself.  I had upgraded from 16.04 to 18.04, gotten a problem I couldn't fix and was all to happy to wipe and rebuild my hard drive and return to 16.04.  I can't be the only one who feels this way.
37132
I have dual boot configured with Windows 7 (32bit) and Ubuntu 12.04(64bit). I installed Ubuntu after windows, now my windows is corrupt due to some virus and I need to reinstall it. Currently when I start my PC, grub loader comes up and I need to select Ubuntu or Windows.   I was wondering how can I install windows again and still have my Ubuntu install? Is there a way to do this?  I do not want to install Ubuntu again and lose my settings and data there.   Thanks, Ketan
66512
I am doing experiments with few Linux kernels, also I want to keep all the kernels on my system; I don't want then to be removed automatically. how do I achieve that?  (NOTE: I have mounted /boot on separate 4GB partition so space is not an issue)
82465
Is it possible for my Linux box to become infected with a malware?  I haven't heard of it happening to anyone I know, and I've heard quite a few times that it isn't possible. Is that true?  If so, what's up with Linux Anti-Virus (security) software?