[NBLUG/talk] New machine/fresh install and Windows refund

[Robert Hayes]

Greetings, All!

I've bitten down hard and invested in my thrice-a-decade computer.
I'm getting old. Now I shop all the sites for parts, read the reviews, decide 
on all the components I want, then I snap and buy a Dell on some unbelievable 
sale. Oh well. Can a cushy-riding sedan in a safe color be far off?

As they say in the Press Room on West Wing: Two questions in three parts:

1) I'm going to make this machine a pure linux box. All 30GB of it. 
I've been running RedHat 7.2 for probably a year now. I'm comfortable with 
it, and have it pretty well configured for my 12 hours a day of use. But I 
really would like to make the switch to Debian. Any advice? What's the best 
way to do it? I have DSL. 
	I've used the Knoppix CD as an install on a laptop, and was impressed by 
it's intelligence, savvy and ease. But I'm concerned, (and maybe I'm confused 
here) but the Knoppix install (v 3.1 1-20-03) says that it's the 
unstable/testing release. 
	Would there be a better way to install Debian? I'm not fluent or fully 
comfortable with apt-get, but I'm willing to scrub the disk and reinstall 
several times if it's necessary. I'm going to keep working on my old box for 
the time being.
	THEN, is it reasonable to expect to be able to simply move my /home 
directory onto the new box?
	THEN, has anyone had success in running Mondo-backup on the newest Deb 
kernel? It didn't like RH7.2 and I never did succeed in backing up that way.

2) I really truly did buy a Dell. It was cheap. Cheaper than that. Then I 
negotiated. I'll make no apologies, I only have to plug it in -- my knuckles 
will not bleed. HOWEVER, the one thing they were absolutely unrelenting on 
was that I had to take the machine with Windows XP installed. They said they 
could not sell the machine bare, or with linux. They said I should contact 
Microsoft directly about my refund. I know, I know. Stop snickering.
	Anyone have any experience/ input/ knowledge/ good wishes to that end?
Perhaps you know someone who knew someone who had a cousin twice removed who 
got their money back?

Thank you, folks. 

And have a great weekend.
Weather report says by Tuesday it will be 80*F.

Oh-yeah!

Robert