I have a Old Laptop. It is great for a server. I'm going to add on a Hard drive(external) to make it hold a lot more.

I don't know what is the best for me. Can I leave the OS Windows Xp Home as it is, or should I upgrade to a Linux Server OS? What should I upgrade it to? Also, I want to be able to host a website. I want it to have the whole works. PHP, MySQL, Java etc etc. Do I Google it and just install it? I want everything to not cost anything. I know MySQL is free, and some other stuff; but how do I get domains like Yourname.com or whateveryouwanthere.org? Is there a Tutorial on this? A video will work too. I'm a visual learner, so reading text can be a challenge for me. LOL

Appreciate the help.

Thanks,

Billy

If you are good with Linux, I think Linux is the best way to host your website. Red hat 5 enterprise has the latest version of MySQL, PHP software in its application bundle. You can always download MySQL for free if you do not have it. This might be very costly if you want to do this on your own unless you have some kind experience on this. Most web hosting companies do all this for you for a small fee by using their servers. Yahoo web hosting is good for this and am using them myself for my websites. Yahoo also have tutorials on how to design and obtain your website. Always go some research before you make any decision.