XP software and license for humanitarian needs

[Doug]

I just got back from a mountain community in Haiti. Our church supports a
school that provides a elementary through high school education for 1000
students. Some of the students walk 1 to 2 hours each day to attend school
and get a meal of rice and beans.

On this trip we installed a wind generator to provide consistant electrical
power. On our return an opportuntiy presented itself to provide 20 laptops
from a company without a hard drive or software.

There is a Boy Scout that will purchase and install the hard drives and as a
part of his Eagle project but we need to find a means to install an operating
system.

I am clueless how best to proceed. Is there software, XP, Windows, etc...
that can be purchased or donated with the license agreements??? Any help to
point me in the right direction would be appreciated.

Our goal is to provide the childen of Delatte Haite an post secondary
education via internet instead of leaving their homes in the mountains and
having to live in Port au Prince. They currently have chalk boards and few
books. Internet is available and we will a group that is pursuing a way to
provide for the monthly fee. So this could be a reality.

Thanks for any advice that you can provide.

Doug

 

[Leroy]

Microsoft Community Affairs Programs:
http://www.microsoft.com/hk/giving/caprogram/openLicense.mspx

 

[Terry R.]

The date and time was Monday, March 16, 2009 4:14:02 PM, and on a whim,
Doug pounded out on the keyboard:

I just got back from a mountain community in Haiti. Our church supports a
school that provides a elementary through high school education for 1000
students. Some of the students walk 1 to 2 hours each day to attend school
and get a meal of rice and beans.

On this trip we installed a wind generator to provide consistant electrical
power. On our return an opportuntiy presented itself to provide 20 laptops
from a company without a hard drive or software.

There is a Boy Scout that will purchase and install the hard drives and as a
part of his Eagle project but we need to find a means to install an operating
system.

I am clueless how best to proceed. Is there software, XP, Windows, etc...
that can be purchased or donated with the license agreements??? Any help to
point me in the right direction would be appreciated.

Our goal is to provide the childen of Delatte Haite an post secondary
education via internet instead of leaving their homes in the mountains and
having to live in Port au Prince. They currently have chalk boards and few
books. Internet is available and we will a group that is pursuing a way to
provide for the monthly fee. So this could be a reality.

Thanks for any advice that you can provide.

Doug

Hi Doug,

Purchasing 20 laptop drives isn't real cheap. I hope the boy scout
knows what he's getting into.

There are free OS's out there. Depending on what they will be used for,
they might work fine, IF the proper drivers are available.

Whoever installs the OS's will need to locate drivers for the hardware.
Googling for the manufacturer name and model number and including the
keywords "download drivers" should assist you in doing the preliminary
work. The manufacturer website may still have everything available.

Since you are part of a church (non-profit), you can get volume
licensing from MS for almost nothing. Look into that as an option.


Terry R.

 

[Big_Al]

Doug said this on 3/16/2009 7:14 PM:

I just got back from a mountain community in Haiti. Our church supports a
school that provides a elementary through high school education for 1000
students. Some of the students walk 1 to 2 hours each day to attend school
and get a meal of rice and beans.

On this trip we installed a wind generator to provide consistant electrical
power. On our return an opportuntiy presented itself to provide 20 laptops
from a company without a hard drive or software.

There is a Boy Scout that will purchase and install the hard drives and as a
part of his Eagle project but we need to find a means to install an operating
system.

I am clueless how best to proceed. Is there software, XP, Windows, etc...
that can be purchased or donated with the license agreements??? Any help to
point me in the right direction would be appreciated.

Our goal is to provide the childen of Delatte Haite an post secondary
education via internet instead of leaving their homes in the mountains and
having to live in Port au Prince. They currently have chalk boards and few
books. Internet is available and we will a group that is pursuing a way to
provide for the monthly fee. So this could be a reality.

Thanks for any advice that you can provide.

Doug

If you are simply going to browse the internet with some browser, any of
the unix look alikes would work. Ubuntu can be downloaded and burned
to a CD providing a bootable system without even a hard drive. But this
is a bit extreme. Still it can be done. And it has a browser.

Just FYI as an option.

 

[Doug]

Thanks.

Microsoft Community Affairs Programs:
http://www.microsoft.com/hk/giving/caprogram/openLicense.mspx

 

[Peter Foldes]

http://www.microsoft.com/hk/giving/caprogram/openLicense.mspx

 

[Onsokumaru]

Doug said this on 3/16/2009 7:14 PM:

If you are simply going to browse the internet with some browser, any of
the unix look alikes would work. Ubuntu can be downloaded and burned to
a CD providing a bootable system without even a hard drive. But this is a
bit extreme. Still it can be done. And it has a browser.

Just FYI as an option.

This would also help prevent people trying to load windows games etc, not to
mention the spyware and viruses that can ruin a windows system. Will there
be anyone there to maintain these systems and instruct them on proper care
and maintainence etc.