Windows 10?

[solarbear]

yes i remember those days.win7 was a huge target for the forced gwx updates. it was sad, that was circa 2014

This is an hp model i just had on the bench doing an OS overhaul, this PC issued the win8.1 license automatically as the key is in the firmware. i think this applies to the 3rd gen intel CPUs. The one i was repairing had an i5-3470 in it.

https://support.hp.com/us-en/document/c03364089

and here is the MS page to get the win8.1 iso...

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/soft...ad/windows8ISO

then there is openshell. an add-on that makes the win8.1 drive like win7

https://github.com/Open-Shell/Open-Shell-Menu

also, there is the blackbird application that really curtails the ms telemetry crap

https://www.ghacks.net/2016/12/27/bl...security-tool/

[highwayman274]

Originally Posted by Ernesto75

So I am seriously looking toward Apple's OS.

I intend to buy a new machine at Apple's this time and to have a dual boot system for the apps which run on Microsoft only.
The documentation at Apple's store looks complete.

I suppose some of you have already done it and any feedback would be welcome.

Before buying a new or refurbished Apple device, I urge you to try one of the Linux variants first. The Linux Operating System is free, and has a long history of safe, efficient, and reliable performance (dating back to the 1990's).

I made the switch to Windows Ubuntu 18.4 about a year ago, and I have been very happy with how it performs. I don't miss Windows at all, and have found Linux apps to replace everything I used for decades on Windows devices.

To "test drive" Linux Ubuntu 18.4 (or higher) you can easily create a flash drive, that will boot the system directly from a USB port on your existing Win10 computer. You will not have to change anything on your computer . . . other than to open the BIOS settings (F1 or F12 ??) and change the boot sequence to USB port first, and Hard Drive second. The Linux Ubuntu flash-drive will not change anything on your Win10 computer (except to create a small directory for a couple of key files).

If you like the Linux Ubuntu experience, you can take the next step; converting your existing Win10 computer to a dual-boot system with Linux Ubuntu.

In order to create a "bootable" Linux Ubuntu 18.4 flash drive you will first need to download Rufus onto your Windows10 hard drive.

https://rufus.ie/

Then follow the instructions at the official Ubuntu website:

https://ubuntu.com/tutorials/create-...ows#1-overview

https://ubuntu.com/tutorials/try-ubu...etting-started

One more thing . . . .

Gaming can be a challenge because developers tend to focus on Windows, Apple, and Android devices. But you can generally go through a gaming portal like Steam to find popular titles that run on their Steam/Linux platform.

https://store.steampowered.com/linux

However, if you like Linux Ubuntu, and decide to create a dual-boot system, you will not have to worry about using third-party portals.

[solarbear]

Linux is a solution to this OS malaise going on. When i first started using it, i was pleasantly surprised how functional it was, but from time to time i found obstructions, mostly minor stuff that didn't hinder the OS fundamentally, but it took time/effort (i.e work) to get it corrected. Most everyday home users can get frustrated when these obstructions arise, unless they make the decision and commit to making Linux their OS. that is what i did. There were just a few things that i needed windows for, and then came the day when windows is just there for those few programs that won't run on anything else. There was faststone image converter/resizer/batch renamer I was running with wine, and it was doing ok but just not optimal, then i found out that wine has to be set to win7 or win8, because wine defaults to XP, after that..faststone was nimble.

So, for the most part, booting up with a linux USB or DVD is the right way to go, just to make sure that the video and networking hardware are compliant before doing an installation. What really helps is when the user can take a glimpse at other linux users' success stories and that will give them confidence that it CAN be done, albeit not always seamlessly.

[Misrule]

Like the two posts above, I moved to Linux (Ubuntu 18.04) before Win 7 support ended. I dual boot for the few things that I can't do under Linux, and there aren't many of those. One of the surprising ones is accessing Veracrypt archives over a network; Winrar; Irfanview; er, um, not much else, to be honest.

Note there is a learning curve and you will need to have the will/energy to trouble shoot. It's not difficult, but different, if you are accustomed to Windows.

[pumpysworld]

Originally Posted by Ernesto75

I had problems after uploading the last Microsoft's upgrade.
I lost three days before locating the new problem.

I really am fed-up with Microsoft's upgrades.
So I am seriously looking toward Apple's OS.

I intend to buy a new machine at Apple's this time and to have a dual boot system for the apps which run on Microsoft only.
The documentation at Apple's store looks complete.

I suppose some of you have already done it and any feedback would be welcome.

Apple has lots of telemetry and privacy issues, and will even bypass VPN:


https://sneak.berlin/20201112/your-computer-isnt-yours/


Given that, you are probably better off choosing a Linux distro, or probably disable Win 10 automatic updates:


https://www.windowscentral.com/how-s...lly-windows-10

[effiefan]

Running my 10 year old PC on Linux Ubuntu 18.04 for over a year and...as the title says! My windows7 had gotten corrupted to the point that it wouldn't boot so I d/l Ubuntu and burnt it DVD and USB stick as a bootable ISO. After a few weeks of booting from USB I installed Ubuntu onto a newly installed 500Gb SSD and also upgraded the RAM from 2 to 8Gb.

Every upgrade is prompted to me and requires my permission to install. Talk about being in the driving seat! There are loads of apps in the d/l like Firefox and Open Office and plenty more freebies to install if you wish.

You don't have to go for Ubuntu; there are plenty of other distros like Mint or for older machines lighter versions of Ubuntu (Lubuntu and Xubuntu) but for real old hardware try Puppylinux. Puppy will run in place of Windows XP and runs on 512Mb of RAM and what's more is only a 280Mb d/l! So, if you have and old laptop or PC (or someone gives you one for free), then give Puppy a spin. You could boot from USB/CD for web browsing and keep XP for offline work (XP VERY bad for surfing nowadays). A great option for oldies or young kids.

[sparky10]

This laptop is a Dell with i5-3320 CPU & 8GB Ram.


Just this week I have started from scratch with Windows 10 20H2 and Linux Mint 20 as dual boot.


99.5% of the time I will be using Linux. I have used Win 10 to download the Sat-Nav maps for my car, 13GB, and then write to the special SD card.


Much depends what you do. For me essentially all I need is a platform to run Firefox, VLC player, view and occasionally edit doc, docx, xls, xlsx and ppt files, 'print' to PDF and view PDF, very occasionally simple graphic / photo editing i.e crop & resize.


If you have to use software that is Windows / Mac only then stuck with that.

[pumpysworld]

You can also consider this article:



"The Year of the Linux dissatisfaction"


If you need several of the ff. points given in the article, then you should stick to Windows, and the latest version, and use another OS to dual boot or in a virtual box if you have to do so.



If you don't need most of what's mentioned, then you should probably choose a distro that you think will last the longest. That means it's part of a large organization with paid employees who will make any fixes right away and will allow for new features in a reasonable period (i.e., in a month rather than months or years later). For anything else, you will have to settle for dual boot or run another OS in a virtual box.


If it's old hardware that you need and that has difficulty running the latest Windows OS, then choose the lightest and updated distro that will work with it.


In short, whatever OS you choose, it has to be frequently updated for security patches, and if the hardware is new, for drivers, etc., too.


Finally, you can probably enumerate what you think are ideal for an operating system, like so:


- updated for security, etc.
- updated for new hardware, driver updates, etc.

- lots of software to choose from, especially new software for new features

- lots of security software to choose from, especially given new malware with new ways of damaging system

- can run most games, including new games with even new features

- can run both free and paid office suites, business software, software for video and audio, etc., as well as new software that can take advantage of new hardware or that has new features

- can disable telemetry, or at least what I don't need to share to repair the system, and updates ways to fix problems

- free, or can be obtained for a low cost
- consistent and functional interface, or something you can modify if needed, but can also take advantage of new features in use, software, or hardware



Add more if needed. In any event, assume that even those things that you don't need you might in the future, like using all types of software, playing one new game that has become very popular, or finding a use for new hardware that you thought was not necessary. Just remember developers who said in the past that people won't need more computer memory or that the Internet won't be that popular.


Then select that OS that you think fulfills as many of these considerations.

[bacchus1221]

Originally Posted by Misrule

Like the two posts above, I moved to Linux (Ubuntu 18.04) before Win 7 support ended. I dual boot for the few things that I can't do under Linux, and there aren't many of those. One of the surprising ones is accessing Veracrypt archives over a network; Winrar; Irfanview; er, um, not much else, to be honest.

Irfanview works quite well in Linux under Wine.

[Misrule]

Originally Posted by bacchus1221

Irfanview works quite well in Linux under Wine.

I couldn't get it working properly; had problems getting Wine working.