suggestions please? (edited)

[xloremxjayx]

Hello if anyone has any suggestions, links, or advice, I greatly appreciate it. 

I am currently wanting to use a desktop for one purpose that a virtual machine can be used for. My laptop doesn't meet requirements listed to be capable of running Ubuntu, or any operating software with a virtual machine. 

Hoping by doing this will help me learn more into downloading and learning how to safely. Currently I have not downloaded from TPB, or felt comfortable doing so even from a VIP. rank. this is only because I do not know how to properly install anything and have never tried. I have read some post in forums on how to do a few different types of software and felt lost. The few post I read on a operating software sounded very hard to do, and also sounded very important to do correct without any errors I believe I would easily. Honestly though every software I have seen made me scared to download or install I do not know how to do it correctly. or how to check if i did afterwards when some online say the torrent has instructions included. 

A few websites I found stated even using vpn., proxy, or .onion software isn't completely anonymous but the circumstances were related to dark net. 
something im hoping that if that is true, and that only. then I hope unknowingly i will be anonymous with just my vpn. i do not have basic knowledge to feel comfortable with downloading anything yet. and do not think i will ever try to access the dark web. 

I found a forum for tor earlier I am going to read all information provided on the link provided on the forum.  
I went to the overview link i found hopefully everything it has will help me some. I have never used anything but chrome browser before.

Does anyone Think Using my extra computer will help? or is there a better way? 

I found torrent on TBH from a VIP rank I also looked at a lot of his uploads to read comments. He seems well trusted and liked. I do not know if I can post the link or put the up-loaders name in my post. I did not find anything in F&A that said it was ok or not allowed. And would rather Know first. im Apologize for if i sound like a complete nub I know that i am now, I want to be able to respond, or post guides and responses one day. Guides on Subjects That look Years of Studying away from me. I average 10 hours a day on my laptop I am hoping someone will advise me if this is a start. any extra would be awesome in 2 weeks I have read and searched endless hours online, Before my 10 hours went to a MMORPG, since then just trying to find the right resources or even reading random sites found like fossbytes and then searching to see if something i found the details matched enough on multiple other sites searching hours just to want to confirm if true. For me Just Searching and Researching google, forums everyone post here, and most of all the reading. Any Games I Believed i was Addicted to our honestly nothing now. When i Reread for spelling errors I realized I haven't done anything but endless hours reading and searching and want more and be able to use it correctly. 

thank-you

-jay-

apologies for my first post, I am very thankful that a moderator informed me about how badly i wrote it sorry to say in his inbox, I greatly appreciate that he messaged and informed me that, It was more than rambles in my opinion, Most of all I disrespected a community not taking the time learning there were any rules. for that I will be forever grateful i was told i sent a bad writing that i now know after reading F&A. 

[wwary4]

extra computer can't help (much) with anonymity, as you're using same internet link, presumably.

if you are worried about 'Intellectual property', perhaps try downloading from rapidshare and such (warezbb).
i don't know much about law, but it should be somewhat safer to just download, instead of sharing too (p2p).
otoh, its a lot slower and not, well, 'cool'.

[neanderthal]

How can you have never installed anything?  If downloaded and installing a program is too complicated for you, then you have no chance of setting up a virtual machine.  All I can recommend is that you look for tutorials online on using the Windows operating system.  After learning how to use the OS, you can look into learning more of what you think you want to know, like how to protect your anonymity.

[dueda]

There's no "safe & sound piracy in three quick steps for dummies" book. Your mileage may vary.

1. Country: Don't worry if you've a bunker full of high-speed servers in Africa, relax if you're a small-time movie pirate in South America, be paranoid in the Alps. In most countries, just ignore any email / warning you get from copyright-troll lawyers. But in some, your ISP can issue a serious warning and even cancel your plan.

2. Service: Don't use school, library, work, relatives, or a friend's computer/internet for it. Don't try phreaking into a condo's system or a neighbor's WiFi.

3. Monitoring: Your ISP/Telco and others will be watching, you'll get lotta heat moving 1TB/month on a gigabit link, so use some discretion. VPN can mask where you moved from/to and encrypted connections can hide what you moved up/down but there's no escaping the traffic shape/profile detection.

4. Facilities: You don't need to rent a building in some old industrial district in Sri Lanka countryside, but at least have a VPN and consider a separate connection.

5. Hardware: Also consider having a cheapo box PC just to download and another for testing (opening) the stuff you download. And NEVER use your personal computer for that! Keep in mind the guinea-pig test run PC is to stand alone, no network of any kind. The traffic-mule-PC is to be connected only to it's Internet service, nothing more. And your day to day PC is only for emails, facebook, gramma's birthday pics, whatever, but NOT for "downloaded stuff". Unless you can partition, format, install, configure and check your system on a blindfold and with a foot on your back.

Good luck. Learn how to use the Windows clean installation before anything!

[waregim]

Advice:

1. Learn about computers. Hard drives, CPU's, memory, etc. Check the listing in the /OTHER/Ebook section. Search for "idiots guide" .

2. Learn to use a file system. Get a real file manager: either FAR MANAGER or TOTAL COMMANDER. The latter is in the Applications section. First thing: Enable viewing of Hidden and System files. Just do not mess with them.

3. If using Windows, learn about the Registry. Nearly everything uses these files. Then search for and install ERUNT. Use it to back up the registry every time before installing a program. Use it to restore if anything goes wrong.

4. Google 'Open Source Software Sourceforge' . Search for and download some programs of interest from there. Use file manager to observe how programs install and function. Those programs are, or should be safe. After a while you should be able to gain some understanding and comfort.

5. Search for a VPN outside a five-eyes country that promises to delete logs. Singapore and Hong Kong are a good place to look.
It'll cost a few dollars a month, but well worth it. Then learn to use the software.

6. Now with a VPN go to Pirate bay and download a few programs of interest NOT NEWER THAN THREE DAYS. Nothing new! That will give time for the scummers to be deleted.

7. Not all good uploaders have skulls. Click on names, check history and comments.

8. Study difference between cracks, keygens, serials, hosts blocking, etc.

9. Test. And turn off updates. Always.

[wwary4]

um, I wouldn't turn off OS updates, even if its windows.
you could limit all traffic to VPN with firewall.