All,
Thank you for the advice on the personal storage situation. I agree with Jack, that the lady was far too nosy and too hard-headed on certain rules. Even though I didn’t have to provide an SSN, the fact that she was adamant about requiring a driver’s license (and photocopying it) was just too much.
After some calling around, I located a storage that was willing to open up a unit in a company name with any “employee” showing up to sign the paperwork. A TIN, SSN, or even driver’s license were not needed.
I printed a few business cards and a copy of the LLC paperwork (just in case) for my “employee” and had them go down and open the unit without any problems. They showed only a passport, and it was not photocopied. They provided two ghost phone numbers and a faraway ghost PO box for an address. They did request a physical address, and my nominee told them that the company was in the process of moving to a new building (not yet located), and that another employee would call in and provide the new address later. That was good enough for them.
When it comes to privacy, you get what you pay for. Even though I am paying twice per month for the same sized unit, I now have a 100% anonymous storage.
The National Pawnbrokers Association alleges concern about customer privacy in the industry piece linked below.
Let the reader use discernment.
URL #1: http://www.nationalpawnbrokers.org/files/privacypolicy.pdf
Drake, , Age: 34
Just looking for a little clarification.
Let's say you buy a car, put it in the name of an LLC, and later move to another state. If you want to blend in by getting plates for the new state, do you have to re-register the car and it would be the same process as the first registration? Or can you get new plates but keep the first title and registration?
Second, it seems like I saw a template for a 'bill of sale' either on this website or in one of the e-reports, but I can't remember where.. does anyone have a good form because I've never actually used one before? Thanks for your input.
... BILL OF SALE. Google that, and pick out the simplest form.
I have successfully titled my car in AZ under an LLC. The worker said that they no longer check the vehicle VIN due to a recent change in procedure, and indeed my car was not checked. I did not need to produce my drivers license, proof of insurance, or any ID linking me to the LLC. I did need to show the receipt for the LLC, but this was only used to type in the LLC name for the title and was not scrutinized.
I did need to pay a higher commerical rate since it was for a business, but that was only $58 for the two year renewal.
This was the first time using Mr. Luna's techniques, so there were some butterflies while waiting my turn. Happily, it was easy, trouble-free, and cheap,!
Searching this data query on Google:
Terrorist+cells+use+Draft+File+to+communicate yields the link below (published in 2006) and much more.
In this article, under the subheading They Know What We Know at the bottom of the article, this specific tradecraft method is discussed.
URL #1: http://www.policeone.com/police-products/tactical/night-vision/articles/135924-Terrorism-organizational-and-communication-strategies/
Drake, , Age: 34
"That URL was really good! Big thank you.
The email thing is quite clever and the thinking is sound too. The email
security freaks hate web-mail though due to the fact that all webmail saves
local copies (the drafts) all the time without the users consent, for the
users benefit... This makes it easy for evil-doers (especially if they are
resourceful) to read your email on the web-mail servers. fireGPG can help
with this in an easy way (public key encryption made easy)."
From the article linked below: USA Mobility Inc., which merged Arch and Metrocall systems in 2004, issued a statement Wednesday saying it was "troubled to learn that paging messages, including communications involving government officials, appear to have been intercepted and publicly disclosed in clear violation of federal criminal law."
They're talking about text messages sent on three networks within New York, NY on the morning of 09/11/2001.
The point being that SMS messages are as private as emails. They are captured. They are stored. They can be retrieved A LONG TIME down the road if the need arises.
URL #1: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5j_M8QkMgESu6DMBEDZPVBXLvLaTAD9C6RJ901
Drake, , Age: 34
Rather long, but good, article on internet and telephone privacy.
URL #1: http://www.lewrockwell.com/orig9/green-p3.1.1.html
Glynn, , Age: 71
I found this tidbit to be worth exploring:
"First create a new free email account, preferably secure (https:) and offshore, then pre-share the details. All you do is save a draft, with or without attachments – for the other person to log in and pick up later. Ideally, one or both persons should use a VPN. The last one out deletes the draft. This method provides the security of a needle in a haystack and interception is highly unlikely – no email is ever sent."
EXCELLENT article on internet, phone, and payment privacy. He also includes the link to his previous article on the same subject. Here's an excerpt about anonymous phone calls.
On my own system, I just plug in a USB phone or headset (alt.). My daughter uses this USB cordless phone (alt.). Don’t run the CD – these particular USB phones just plug in and work fully with the "X-Lite" free soft-phone (alt.). Note: When installing X-Lite, disable "Run at start-up". Always start manually, after the VPN is connected.
I actually did a US radio interview recently using this setup, through a Luxembourg VPN. The studio called up my anonymous international number and it worked for an hour as well as any normal phone call. In this scenario, possible privacy concerns are a lower priority, and Skype might have been preferable, for higher audio quality. Note: Sign up and use Skype only with a VPN, turn off the "Run at start-up" option and only start manually after your VPN is connected.
URL #1: http://www.lewrockwell.com/orig9/green-p3.1.1.html
Everett, , Age: 57
RE: Richard 6762.
I checked your link. This is for individual taxpayers who have NOT previously signed up with EFTPS. The info on that link does NOT apply if you either: [1] sign up with EFTPS ahead of time, or [2] use a tax pro.
Hope this helps. Good luck.
Charles, , Age: 58
6771. leonard
columbia, sc
re: #6752 jim
Jim, in your post you wrote...fedex has their own delivery signature tag, because of this fedex is someone i would not recommend...My q is, what is a dst and why don't you rec fedex?Excuse my ignorance and thank you for all of your help.
Richard, Googgle Voice supports SMS messages, but I have personally found the SMS "support" to be rather unwieldy. I have to log in to Google Voice's website, rather than actually receiving the SMS on my cell phone.
You mentioned something about being able to receive SMS from the free phone service, and I think the best you are going to be able to get with that is this: You will have to log in to google.com/voice to check your SMS messages. That, however, is better than no privacy at all.
Here's the plan:
Sign up with Google Voice with a prepaid phone. Use that prepaid phone to do everything. Did I mention that you will "enroll" the prepaid phone from a library or WiFi hot-spot using an anonymous computer and an assumed name?
When you go to retrieve the SMS messages from Google, you will need to practice "private" message retrieval practices. This is perhaps the most difficult aspect of all of HTBI practicies - the part where you *remember* to follow through *every* time you need to retrieve messages. It is *difficult* but it is *worth it!*.
Jim, in your post you wrote...fedex has their own delivery signature tag, because of this fedex is someone i would not recommend...My q is, what is a dst and why don't you rec fedex?Excuse my ignorance and thank you for all of your help.
leonard, , Age: 35
Just to correct on point Mr. Luna. The equivalent of the SSN in Canada is the Social Insurance Number (SIN). This is the identifying number used by Canadian government to collect taxes, issue pension cheques, etc. Yes, we also have an health insurance number which is issued by the province in which you reside and it's for health care services only.
Pierre, , Age: 53
After my move this month from KY to NY, I have been trying so hard to follow your guidelines in HTBI. No one has my physical address and I now use a PO box for everything. Even my NY driver's license has my PO box on it. But, I was really stumped when a new job I NEEDED asked me to fill out a Homeland Security Form I-9 - Employment Eligibility Verification and insisted on my physical address. My ghost address was a relative's in CT and I could not use that because my employer knew I lived in NY. Since it is the only time that I have ever given my new physical address to anyone am I okay or did I already ruin my HTBI efforts?
URL #1: http://www.uscis.gov/files/form/i-9.pdf
Chris, , Age: 38
However, not having such an arrangement, you did the right thing. The data on that form can be accessed by most any government agency and if you owe any child support payments, you are in trouble. But otherwise, just keep the home address away from anyone else.
As I stress in my e-book SKIP COLLEGE, and elsewhere, the only solution for complete privacy is to be self employed.
I use Google voice which you only use a email addr to sign up (for now). You have a Google phone number that forwards to any phone you have. Therefore one local number. It also has call blocking & other perks. If you change your private contact number at any time, you will still get calls since you will be only giving out your Google phone number. Justa suggestion.
Mary, , Age: 57
We do have Health Insurance Numbers but they are used only for health insurance at the provincial level. Each province (like a state) administers its own health care.
Federally, there is the Social Insurance Number. The Social Insurance Number (SIN) is a nine-digit number that you need to work in Canada or to have access to government programs and benefits.
URL #1: http://www.servicecanada.gc.ca/eng/sc/sin/index.shtml
A breach occurred in Spain this month that resulted in Visa and MasterCard replacing hundreds of thousands of cards all over Europe.
Identity Theft is an international problem perfected by organized crime. The attack can come from an individual on the street against a single victim, for relatively small amounts, to be used immediately - or by cells of hardened criminals against millions at a time to be used years from now to steal billions.
. . . . Cash is king.
URL #1: http://www.databreaches.net/?p=8314
Do any free phone numbers support receiving SMS text messages? Some services now require that for verification and I'd rather not use my cell. I haven't been able to find one that does. Thanks.
Richard, , Age: 30
Thanks Charles, that is very helpful. And as I’m already trusting the IRS for depositing refunds, trusting the Treasury Dept EFTPS with the same bank account for electronic tax payments seems logical. Right now I’d like to still print and mail my returns and pay with bank account, but it only appears possible if a credit card is used. I've included the link if others want to look into it.
URL #1: http://www.irs.gov/efile/article/0,,id=119097,00.html
Richard, , Age: 30
We are planning to live full time, off the grid, in a 5th wheel motor home. However, we will not be able to purchase with cash and will likely finance it. What is the best way to use an LLC, if I have to deal with a finance company?
Scott, , Age: 43
Hello - Does anyone know if it's possible for me to live in Spain but to give a local number (Miami, Florida) to my ex-husband?
I don't trust my ex but there are times I must be in contact with him due to circumstances. Is there an internet phone service or cell phone service which will allow me to give out a local U.S. number and either take his voice message or, better yet, forward the call to my phone in Spain?
It does not matter if I have to pay for such a service as long as it works.
Thanks for the help!
I am reminded of a passage in the book "Bulletproof Privacy" by Boston T. Party, in which he states that old people and foreigners are often the most authoritarian and deferential to authority (such as police and bureaucrats, or anyone posing as someone official). Don't mean to offend anyone here, but I have observed that as well.
In some cases mom and pop outfits are better than national chains, but this was not one of them. Sometimes a national chain or franchise could be better for privacy, if they are staffed by minimum wage grunts who are just putting in their hours and really don't give a hoot.
If it were me, encountering a Nosy Nellie like that is a signal to go elsewhere.
If Canadians do not have social security numbers as we do in the States, does the Canadian government provide their citizens with another form of numeric identification (to collect taxes, etc)?
stephanie, , Age: 50
Added 11-25-09: I have been corrected by two Canadians! See 6766 and 6770, above.
I either read or see on the news about the latest incidents of identity theft and how prolific it is in the U.S. Do other countries have as much problems with identity theft as we do? Which are the worst and how do they handle it?
stephanie, , Age: 50
I have found that a H&R Block office near a military town may have the answers you need as they deal with a lot of out of state tax issues.
Just call and ask your questions.
"You guys normally do my taxes and I have a off season tax question. I'm a civilian employee that travels into X State and lives in Y State. "
If you do not think you have the right answer just call another office or different tax service.
The blog today as well as the Q&A section reminded me of another car question. Mr. Luna had suggested, perhaps on his blog, that you should service your car at a place that does not report to CARFAX (if one can be found). If I get a car and title it with an LLC, giving my name to the garage might compromise privacy, especially if it goes to CARFAX. Is it a good idea to give a false name when taking the car in for oil changes, etc.? They always ask for at least your name and phone number. Luna advised using false names for filling prescriptions, so perhaps it would be alright for servicing your car as well..?
Jack, , Age: 32
Leonard
I get UPS & Fed Ex packages most every day at my business. UPS & Fed Ex will ask you to sign there electronic package scanner. Every time I get asked by Fed Ex how to spell my name.
If you have a Mom & Pop park. You may just have deliveries shipped to the park (Just be sure to ask and let them know first) and they might just sign for you and hold you package.
Our office manager follows HTBI and has all of her QVC stuff delivered to our business. I sign for her deliveries if she is not there.
If I will be away from the office and have a package I'm really needing I just place a note on our door and just ask the driver to deliver to XYZ company (Next door) UPS will do it Fed Ex has there own delivery signature tag Because of this Fed Ex is someone I would not recommend.
I would guess a lot of this may depend on the driver.
I have never been asked for ID from UPS or Fed Ex at a local delivery.
Arrange for the delivery to be sent to the campsite owner, c/o (care of) your name that that the campsite owner knows. Don't specify your campsite address specifically. Just use the street address of the RV park and your "manager's" name, c/o your ghost name. The day after you expect it to arrive, you will "nonchalantly" check in with the owner to see if perhaps your package has arrived. Good luck!
Dorothy, , Age: 40
If you genuinely think your privacy is un-retrievable from the original storage unit, you *will* follow my previous hints, but *then* follow them again for a third unit with a DIFFERENT nominee. Again, I am assuming that your issue is privacy, not criminality.
Dorothy, , Age: 40
The original poster needs to get his stuff out of the storage unit. Now that the crisis/emergency time of unexpected visiting in-laws has passed, he has the time to round up his nominee. The nominee will rent a unit for him at his leisure. He will also rent a moving truck for him at his leisure.
The nominee will help him move his stuff from the tainted storage unit to the new private unit in ONE trip with a nominee-rented truck or a borrowed truck from a trusted friend. End of problem... :)
I do have to mention at this point that I am working on the assumption that there is nothing criminal, unethical, immoral, or fattening in the tainted storage unit. This forum is supposed to be about privacy, not about hiding evidence! :)
Re: 6739, 6741...
I think the question here is due to how in MA the insurance and registration are linked. Part of the registration form is filled out by the insurance company. What insurance company covers a car is even publicly searchable (link below). I would be surprised if the police/DMV didn't have a way to see names on policies here.
Brings back my question from before: has anyone acheived a private LLC registration/insurance in Mass?
URL #1: https://secure.rmv.state.ma.us/RegInquiry/intro.aspx
Jay, , Age: 28
Re: 6731, 6733, 6736...
I'm not an accountant either, but I have paid MA taxes. If you tell MA Department of Revenue you're a resident, they will tax you on your entire income, less taxes paid to other states. This is how I handle living here, working in multiple states, and having a DL from yet another. I looked it up and found my particular DL state's taxes do not apply. MN may be different, of course. I'd say talk to someone in MN who knows the state taxes there.
Jay, , Age: 28
I have a small camper at a lakeside rv park/campground. i would like to use this this for getting an occasional fedex delivery as it is not where i live.
Do i need to show i.d.? i plan to use an alternate name for pickup and get a tracking number so i can be there when it is delivered.
The people at the office know me but are not aware of my real name, and they would not mind for me to get a delivery there.
All,
I personally went with commercial auto insurance for three reasons:
1. The price for a million in coverage was cheaper than any personal policy I could get.
2. The proof of insurance card that I keep in my glove compartment has only a company name and ghost address on it.
3. Although it is not guaranteed, I feel having a commercial policy can better protect my personal assets from a lawsuit in the event of a claim. I think it may also help keep my personal name out of any insurance claim reports for crashes within the policy limit.
Also, I'd like to share some advice in regards to commercial policy multi-car discounts. You can have your cars registered in multiple LLCs, and just tell your insurance company that the parent LLC owns the child LLCs. That should qualify you to list the vehicles under one policy and get the discount.
All,
As Jack repeatedly states in his book and here on his website, don’t keep anything in your house that you wouldn’t want the whole world to see. I recently found myself in a situation where I had to temporarily (several months) remove a large number of “non-public” items (3-4 car loads) from my home within hours, due to an unexpected family guest that will be staying with us.
I had to compromise my privacy in this situation because none of my nominees were available on such short notice. I drove to a nearby mom-and-pop-shop self-storage facility to open a unit, since I would be making multiple trips and had very little time. The old lady working there, although nice, could sense my urgency and was also very nosy. I gave her my middle name as my first name, and she began filling out the paperwork. She asked to see my driver’s license, and I asked if a passport was OK instead. She firmly stated “no”, and that a driver’s license would be needed due to the fact that I would be driving various vehicles into the facility – she stated that all storage facilities have this policy now. I think it would have raised too much suspicion if I told her I “forgot” it. Since I was backed into a corner, I obliged and gave her my driver’s license to photocopy. She insisted that I provide my actual residence address where I currently live and I told her it was the address on my license, even though it is a ghost address in a commercial building. I thought about giving her an alternate residential ghost address, but I was sensing that she might ask for some proof. If she tries to use Google Street View, the building is also attached to a hotel and is right next to several high-rise condo units. Although I think I could talk my way out of it if she called me on it, in a month I’m planning on telling her that I’m moving and will give her a new residential ghost address.
She asked for my phone number and I gave her a K7 number. She was pretty nosy and began asking me about the “foreign” area code. I told her I used to live in Washington and have had the number forever. She asked if I had a home phone, and I made a joke about whether those even exist anymore. She laughed and said “yea, I don’t have one anymore either, but I’m going to need a second phone number from you then. I have to have two numbers on file if one isn’t a land line at your house.” I gave her the Chicago phone number for a prepaid cell phone I occasionally use.
She asked me who my employer was and I told her that I was a self-employed computer consultant. She asked for my company name and I told her I am a one man show and don’t have one.
As I watched her fill out the paperwork, I could see that she was putting my real first name on the paperwork. When I told her that I go by my middle name, she said “that’s fine, I’ll call you by that name, but I have to put down the name that’s on your license”. She also asked for the names of any additional individuals authorized to enter the property and access the storage unit. I told her there were none, but this is good for a nominee situation.
So here’s a summary of the situation:
1. The storage is basically opened in my real name.
2. I paid cash for the unit so there is no tie to any financial accounts.
3. I provided a commercial ghost address, which may come back to bite me if she does additional research on it. I plan on giving her a new residential ghost address in a month.
4. I had to provide my driver’s license, which she photocopied.
5. All paperwork was handwritten, and my DOB and SSN were never asked for (although my DL was photocopied which has my DOB).
Does anyone know if there is a national database that these companies are required to register with? I will be storing some pretty valuable items in the unit, and don’t want it on a target list. Should I just keep the unit in my name, or should I transfer the items to another storage facility unit opened in a nominee’s name? The unit is literally half the price of any other company out there, so I am reluctant to let it go.
Thanks,
If the insurance is in a personal name and the car in the name of an LLC, can you get cited or int trouble with the law if you get pulled over?
Alan, , Age: 28
Jack-how does one go about getting 2 sets of license plate from 2 different states as mentioned in your book?
Alan, , Age: 28
In your book, you say to use your name when you register the car with Insurance Company such a J. Smith dba XYZ, LLC. However, is this not an easy way now for a PI to track who owns the LLC by simply checking out the Insurance, and obviates the entire reason for doing the LLC in NM? I must be missing something.
Jason, , Age: 65
FYI, however, I have never heard of a PI actually tracking down the owner of a car titled with an LLC. For example, a PI has a house staked out in regard to an impending divorce case. He is looking for "Jason Jones." He might run a dozen license plates some night, but not find any vehicle titled in that name, right?
Much depends upon the level of privacy you wish to obtain. For those of you who have sleepless nights and endless worries, it might be better to have a nominee own the car and insure it in his name.
Robert,
I use Vonage with a virtual number assigned to a PMB in the same state, but different county and in the name of a corp.. All supplies were delivered to the PMB and set up personally so as far as they are concerned I live in a box.
Tom, , Age: 30+
Hi Mike,
I also like Windows XP the best, but after reading a report where Microsoft admitted to working with the NSA in their new Internet Security measures through DHS I became suspicious.
I will try the programs you recommended after reading your posting a few more times :) .
Thanks
Driver's Lic. and Taxes. #6731:
...
"I am thinking of moving to another state (MA). If I maintain my current driver's license, what effect might this have on state income tax liability? Will both my old state and new state demand payment of income taxes. Since I am not self employed, it should be obvious that I am working in the new state from the W2.
... Perhaps some accountant can answer this question?"
#####
Not an accountant, but I'd say it certainly could cause questions. Ultimately one could probably argue that it is one's actual state of residency that determines tax liabiliity, not something like failing to get a new DL.
However, the big problem is if one uses this scheme to EVADE taxes by claiming non-residence in BOTH states by claiming residence in the opposite state, depending on which state is inquiring about your tax return. That's a crime.
Note however that in some states, if you are a "resident" of that state, specifically including California, it levies income tax on ALL your income, no matter where derived, even out of the country. A friend faced this very conundrum when trying to sell property he owned in Colorado, a significant amount of property. He had to retire early and quit his job in California and move to Colorado in order to avoid an additional seven percent tax from California. He had to abandon the house he owns in California and allow a friend to live there for free, because if he earned so much as a dime in income (either rent or sale) wihin California for, as I recall, 12 months AFTER HE MOVED AWAY, he would still be considered a resident for income tax purposes. After a year, he can sell the house without being dinged by California any longer.
If you have such an issue, maintaining your DL in your previous state could allow them to argue that you are still a resident of your former state and therefore owe taxes on income derived from your new state.
To Alan in Austin:
... I have been using a signature stamp on my checks here in Houston for over 5 years with a major bank -Chase. I have never had a question come up. One day I just got tired of signing my name on the bills every month. The account has been at the bank for 27 years so I don't exactly look like a drug lord.
Even depositing cash for sums of $3,000 to $4,000 a few times a year has not raised any questions. Of course I have never tried to deposit anywhere near the majic $10,000 at any one time.
Another reason not to be on facebook.
This Canadian girl lost her insurance coverage.
She should have read HTBI.
URL #1: http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20091121/wl_canada_afp/lifestylecanadahealthinternetfacebook
I work in MD and have a driver's license from another state and there has been no effect on my income taxes. I never even considered that there would be any tax consequences.
I'm probably supposed to have a MD driver's license but I don't want one so I never got one.
Actually I have license plates from a third state. It's never caused any problems.
Wendy, I have a stalker whose primary target is my girlfriend. Myself and others helped her get out of an abusive relationship and her abuser turned his abuse to everyone who helped her.
The stalker/abuser used the internet to make everyone lives hell. We used the internet to turn the tables on him. We have a ton of information which is public records. Several older police reports had his social security number and DOB on them. We, as a group, outsource the job of posting all his public information on websites all over the world.
If you want to expose everything this guy is doing and not have it traced to your location outsource the job. IF IT'S PUBLIC RECORD POST IT!! A lot of companies are using the internet to investigate current and future employees. Finding his comings and goings posted on the internet may be a wake-up call for him. When he realizes someone is spying on him he may change his ways.
There are several companies on the internet such as rentacoder.com, elance.com, etc where you can post your job request. Use a public computer far from home. All you need is a simple post asking for someone to post and/or create websites for you. Don't give any details in your job request. People from all over the world will bid on the job. Several teams created websites about our stalker on websites whose language we cannot pronounce.
After several months our stalker's identity was stolen and is now used all over the world. He's spending a ton of time looking for our websites and putting out fires.
WARNING: HE CAN DO THE SAME TO YOU!!!! BE CAREFUL
I am thinking of moving to another state (MA). If I maintain my current driver's license, what effect might this have on state income tax liability? Will both my old state and new state demand payment of income taxes. Since I am not self employed, it should be obvious that I am working in the new state from the W2.
mike, , Age: 34
What are the best options for anonymous Internet phone service...to be used mostly for long distance calls within the US?
Robert, , Age: 43
I recently signed up anonymously for Internet & Cable with Comcast and it was surprisingly easy. First of all I signed up online and "chatted" with a representative. I used a business name instead of my name (I think I could have used any name though) and obviously declined to provide SSN so I paid a $100 deposit. When the service was being installed I was asked my name to set up an email account that I'll never use so I gave them my first and middle name which sounds like a last name. I pay the bill with an anonymous money order.
Robert, , Age: 43
Tom,
I’ve been working with Linux both in corporate and personal environments for the last 12 years. I have also run Linux as a primary desktop OS on and off throughout my career, so I’d like to offer my opinion on the matter.
First, I’d like to state that I personally do not believe there are backdoors in Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows XP, or any other version of Windows. As a network security consultant, I frequently perform penetration testing against Microsoft operating systems. The best security policy is to leave every door closed, and every window shut (no pun intended). If there are no services accessible on a machine from the outside world, there is nothing to exploit. In other words, even if there were some sort of backdoor in a running Windows service, there is nothing to exploit if the service is not accessible (firewall). In addition, if the inverse was true – that is, the Windows workstation was calling out to some secret rendezvous server on the Internet, this would be apparent not only in the netstat tables on the machine, but to any firewalls between the workstation and the Internet. In the last year, my heavy testing of Windows 7 security has yet to uncover such a scenario. None of the other thousands of people testing Windows 7 (or any other Microsoft OS) have uncovered such a scenario, either. You are fine using a Microsoft OS, as long as it isn’t pirated. Pirated systems have trouble running Windows update (patching), which leaves you vulnerable to actual, non-imaginary, exploits.
That being said, I choose Windows XP Pro as my tried and true desktop OS. Put simply, XP does everything Vista and Windows 7 do, but much more quickly and without all of the bloat, bugs, and interface dumbification. On my Windows XP workstations, I run TrueCrypt and encrypt the entire system drive. I know there are varying ideologies here about the use of encryption, but I don’t leave home without a fully encrypted machine. Ever. For added “security” I use the TrueCrypt option to modify the boot loader to simply display “Missing operating system” instead of the standard TrueCrypt password prompt. If I am stopped and forced to power on my machine, instead of it asking for a password, I can give the excuse that I got a virus and it wiped out my machine. Yes, I’m aware that if someone were to take the drive and analyze it, they could locate the TrueCrypt boot loader, but I’m not really hiding from those types of people. The “super duper secret data” they are after is stored elsewhere.
As for Linux, it is a powerful operating system that is capable of many different functions. Because there is a huge community reviewing and improving the source code, security fixes are often released very quickly. It is a very secure OS, with no backdoors, and a huge community of 24/7 auditors. For most casual Windows desktop user converts, however, it can be a bit much to digest, especially when things don’t work correctly out of the box. I have yet to encounter a Linux distribution (distro) where EVERYTHING just works with a default install. I definitely encourage you to try it out though. Here are the steps I recommend to all individuals interested in Linux.
First, make a list of every Windows program that you simply cannot live without. Go to www.osalt.com and search for Linux alternatives. You may be able to find some very good alternatives to the Windows apps that not only run on Linux, but also on Windows (with the GTK+ toolkit, etc). Next, test those alternative apps (that run under Windows) to see if they will truly be able to replace the native Windows counterpart. For example, OpenOffice is a Microsoft Office replacement, Firefox can replace Internet Explorer, Planner can replace Microsoft Project, etc. Personally, there are several apps with (in my mind) no acceptable replacements under Linux, including Microsoft Visio (some people recommend DIA), Adobe Photoshop (some people recommend GIMP), Adobe Acrobat Pro (no alternative), and many hardware drivers.
Second, visit www.distrowatch.com to research some of the many Linux distros available. That being said, you are better off sticking to one of the main distros, which include Ubuntu (most popular), Fedora, or OpenSUSE. You mention Puppy Linux, which is actually the 7th most popular distro. I would avoid it.
Third, test out the “live” version of each of the three distros (if available). You can burn a live distro onto a flash drive or CD/DVD, boot your computer from it, and test the entire functional operating system (complete with applications) without ever writing a single byte to your hard drive. I actually use this method to boot a customized version of Linux called “Backtrack” to perform network penetration testing and test the security of wireless networks. Live distros are also great for anonymous web browsing from free wifi connections. As soon as you power off your machine, every speck of data is gone because it was stored in RAM.
Lastly, once you have selected a distribution that you like, copy all of your data to a flash drive or CD/DVD, install Linux (preferably on a separate hard disk so that you can revert back to Windows if necessary), and copy your data over.
Good luck…
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