I still have my Win10 - which they have screwed up with their supposed updates. Trying to force the switch no doubt. Looking into Linux Mint at the moment. I am done with MS. They can kiss my asteroids.
I tried mint, found Zorin easier to use, drivers loaded automatically, way less frustrations. Also, using "bottles" you can actually run win programs, and I do. I'm only sad that I didn't try this earlier.
I'm a full-blown Linuxfag now. I have Mint on my desktop, Zorin on my laptop, Raspberry OS on my Raspberry Pi5, and recently I installed Bazzite on a mincomputer my friend gave me to make it my Steam machine. My daughter's Chromebook runs Chrome OS, which is essentially Linux, so that makes our household Windows-free.
I'd tinkered with Fedora about 20 years ago on an old laptop that was eventually stolen. I had resolved to break away from Microsoft and switch to Linux, so when they stopped supporting Win7 that was the final push out the door. I haven't looked back.
I was not happy when they did the same thing to Win7. But this latest blunder to force everyone into buying into their AI BS, marketing schemes, and the spyware are just too far. Plus I was being forced to buy a new computer because it doesn't have their gatekeeper chip in the one I have. I uninstalled copilot and got rid of a bunch of their bloatware when I bought it. There for awhile it kept turning on Edge when I don't use it. It was running in the background. I know others on this board were also complaining about it at the time. Whenever I booted up I just went in and end tasked it and after a while it stopped.
My mistake was installing their updates when the deadline hit. Now the computer I have isn't functioning right when there was nothing wrong with it before MS pulled the plug. The CPU is always running almost full tilt. I made some adjustments that helped a bit, but still haven't solved the problem. They really think we're stupid. I am seriously looking into Linux but I am afraid I am not particularly tech savvy and a bit intimidated. So I know I will need some help making the switch to make sure all my user files and what not are usable plus getting educated a bit. Old school person here.
You are seriously in luck. Linux no longer requires being tech savvy. It's said that installing Linux is less of a hassle than installing Windows these days. You just need to look into creating a boot USB hard drive to put the install ISO onto. (I imagine your newer computer does not have a DVD-ROM.) Making this is easy with Linux, but for Windows you will have to look up a tutorial. Look up what button accesses the BIOS boot menu for the computer you have. Maybe it's the Del key, F12, or something like that. When you get into your BIOS menu, boot to the USB drive and let it do its thing. You'll just need to back up all of your personal files. Mint, for example, comes with Libre Office, which is the open source equivalent of MS Office. You won't need your drivers because Linux is pretty much a driver itself. You should find that your computer will run more smoothly and less intensively with Linux. Installing new programs is easy and usually handled through the software manager, which is like a smartphone's app store. Many of the new features in Win11 are what Linux has had for a long time now. Feel free to DM me anytime and I can help.
All I can say is that it's easier to switch than you think, and once you do, you will wonder why you didn't switch earlier because you won't look back. If you have a printer, look up to see if Linux supports it. (I believe HP printers are Linux-friendly by default, but Canon and Epson can be hit-and-miss.) Unless you have some sort of fancy equipment that is Windows only that you essentially must have because you are a YouTube video gamer that needs accessories to work or your life depends on some high-end software (which I am sure you are not because you're a self-described old-schooler), you should be just fine.
Thanks for the encouragement. I have watched some videos on making the switch but it still seems a bit much at times probably because I simply don't understand all the language being used. Boomer here and I know just enough to navigate some of it, but far from being a techie. I have a Brother laser printer.
Win10 user here too. So annoyed about the vandalism of my property by the Windows updates.
One minute my laptop is working fine, next minute something I never asked for is forced onto my laptop, and my laptop is transitioned into a brick.
It's willful destruction of private property.
It's a bizarre thing. It's like if someoneenient coincidence there was allowed to walk into everybody's home break a bunch of stuff and walk away unpunished.
Weirdly, the Windows update problem doesn't seem to cause any problems for enterprise editions. Only home use ones.
That's quite the convenient coincidence right there!
I know the feeling. From what they are saying, at least 50% or more of Win10 users have not switched. Many of those that have, are not happy and are complaining on what a piece of crap Win11 is. They didn't learn their lesson from the switch to 8. 9 was so bad they didn't even release it. The biggest complaints from what I understand is the intrusiveness of Copilot into everything and the push towards subscriptions.
Is your system overloading the CPU suddenly? Now I can't multitask anymore, especially if a video is running. The CPU is pegged and locks the system. I have to shut the browser down and restart it to clear the lockup.
I did some investigating using AI and located a possible culprit imbedded in one of the deadline updates. In hindsight I should have not done anything and it would have been fine. Unfortunately, I am not tech savvy enough to be able to find and remove the offender. But, it seems to be what others have reported according to AI. I have tried to make some preference changes to reduce the load on the CPU recommended by a couple of YouTube channels. It helped lower the CPU usage a little but it still didn't fix my biggest problem of turning my system into a brick when playing a video. I like to listen to music playlists when I am working on other things but now I can no longer do that.
Using Zoom or Google Chat is a pain. The connection is slow and unresponsive. It takes forever to actually load up. I have to shut everything else down just to log on. It is so frustrating. Like I said before, MS can kiss my asteroids. I'm done.
I’ve been using Linux for the last 20 years for all my home server stuff but never bothered for desktop (mostly due to gaming). Made the switch to Mint about two months or so ago and am quite happy.
Really the only big problem is games requiring kernel level anti cheats.
What pushed me over the edge was seeing they added copilot to notepad and added formatting shit, then the first RCE was released for notepad not long after. Fuck them, I’m done with Windows.
MX Linux is a beauty. Solid as Mount Rushmore, and with programs that make it so easy to configure and install just about anything. In KDE, Xfce and Fluxbox configs
I picked up a few Win 7 pro units from Amazon for 10 cents on the $. I wanted a newer PC but couldn't trust MS. I would rather make due with the old machines than their bs. It's their own fault, it is what it is.
I remember when Linux was something I used despite its flaws and limitations, just to avoid Microsoft and Apple. Now it’s objectively better in almost every way if you’ve got a solid distro that holds up. Gaming used to be a huge headache but now even this is at worst on par with Windows 11 and often much better with gaming focused setups.
I’m in the process of installing Bazzite now. Nobara’s GUI bricked on me when I did an update and I couldn’t find a way to get it up and running again. So still far from perfect outside of the mainstream most stable ones.
I still have my Win10 - which they have screwed up with their supposed updates. Trying to force the switch no doubt. Looking into Linux Mint at the moment. I am done with MS. They can kiss my asteroids.
I'm currently testing Linux-Zorin. Pretty solid, looks like win-10,7,11 pick one.
Also using MINT. =)
One of the best options out there, still has linux frustrations though.
I tried mint, found Zorin easier to use, drivers loaded automatically, way less frustrations. Also, using "bottles" you can actually run win programs, and I do. I'm only sad that I didn't try this earlier.
I'm a full-blown Linuxfag now. I have Mint on my desktop, Zorin on my laptop, Raspberry OS on my Raspberry Pi5, and recently I installed Bazzite on a mincomputer my friend gave me to make it my Steam machine. My daughter's Chromebook runs Chrome OS, which is essentially Linux, so that makes our household Windows-free.
I'd tinkered with Fedora about 20 years ago on an old laptop that was eventually stolen. I had resolved to break away from Microsoft and switch to Linux, so when they stopped supporting Win7 that was the final push out the door. I haven't looked back.
u/MAGA_100X 2 u/mac1221
I was not happy when they did the same thing to Win7. But this latest blunder to force everyone into buying into their AI BS, marketing schemes, and the spyware are just too far. Plus I was being forced to buy a new computer because it doesn't have their gatekeeper chip in the one I have. I uninstalled copilot and got rid of a bunch of their bloatware when I bought it. There for awhile it kept turning on Edge when I don't use it. It was running in the background. I know others on this board were also complaining about it at the time. Whenever I booted up I just went in and end tasked it and after a while it stopped.
My mistake was installing their updates when the deadline hit. Now the computer I have isn't functioning right when there was nothing wrong with it before MS pulled the plug. The CPU is always running almost full tilt. I made some adjustments that helped a bit, but still haven't solved the problem. They really think we're stupid. I am seriously looking into Linux but I am afraid I am not particularly tech savvy and a bit intimidated. So I know I will need some help making the switch to make sure all my user files and what not are usable plus getting educated a bit. Old school person here.
I used AI several times to help with the linux problems, and it worked.
You are seriously in luck. Linux no longer requires being tech savvy. It's said that installing Linux is less of a hassle than installing Windows these days. You just need to look into creating a boot USB hard drive to put the install ISO onto. (I imagine your newer computer does not have a DVD-ROM.) Making this is easy with Linux, but for Windows you will have to look up a tutorial. Look up what button accesses the BIOS boot menu for the computer you have. Maybe it's the Del key, F12, or something like that. When you get into your BIOS menu, boot to the USB drive and let it do its thing. You'll just need to back up all of your personal files. Mint, for example, comes with Libre Office, which is the open source equivalent of MS Office. You won't need your drivers because Linux is pretty much a driver itself. You should find that your computer will run more smoothly and less intensively with Linux. Installing new programs is easy and usually handled through the software manager, which is like a smartphone's app store. Many of the new features in Win11 are what Linux has had for a long time now. Feel free to DM me anytime and I can help.
All I can say is that it's easier to switch than you think, and once you do, you will wonder why you didn't switch earlier because you won't look back. If you have a printer, look up to see if Linux supports it. (I believe HP printers are Linux-friendly by default, but Canon and Epson can be hit-and-miss.) Unless you have some sort of fancy equipment that is Windows only that you essentially must have because you are a YouTube video gamer that needs accessories to work or your life depends on some high-end software (which I am sure you are not because you're a self-described old-schooler), you should be just fine.
Thanks for the encouragement. I have watched some videos on making the switch but it still seems a bit much at times probably because I simply don't understand all the language being used. Boomer here and I know just enough to navigate some of it, but far from being a techie. I have a Brother laser printer.
I came across this video about Linux and thought of you. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G8QQJtXOQEw
Win10 user here too. So annoyed about the vandalism of my property by the Windows updates.
One minute my laptop is working fine, next minute something I never asked for is forced onto my laptop, and my laptop is transitioned into a brick.
It's willful destruction of private property.
It's a bizarre thing. It's like if someoneenient coincidence there was allowed to walk into everybody's home break a bunch of stuff and walk away unpunished.
Weirdly, the Windows update problem doesn't seem to cause any problems for enterprise editions. Only home use ones.
That's quite the convenient coincidence right there!
I know the feeling. From what they are saying, at least 50% or more of Win10 users have not switched. Many of those that have, are not happy and are complaining on what a piece of crap Win11 is. They didn't learn their lesson from the switch to 8. 9 was so bad they didn't even release it. The biggest complaints from what I understand is the intrusiveness of Copilot into everything and the push towards subscriptions.
Is your system overloading the CPU suddenly? Now I can't multitask anymore, especially if a video is running. The CPU is pegged and locks the system. I have to shut the browser down and restart it to clear the lockup.
I did some investigating using AI and located a possible culprit imbedded in one of the deadline updates. In hindsight I should have not done anything and it would have been fine. Unfortunately, I am not tech savvy enough to be able to find and remove the offender. But, it seems to be what others have reported according to AI. I have tried to make some preference changes to reduce the load on the CPU recommended by a couple of YouTube channels. It helped lower the CPU usage a little but it still didn't fix my biggest problem of turning my system into a brick when playing a video. I like to listen to music playlists when I am working on other things but now I can no longer do that.
Using Zoom or Google Chat is a pain. The connection is slow and unresponsive. It takes forever to actually load up. I have to shut everything else down just to log on. It is so frustrating. Like I said before, MS can kiss my asteroids. I'm done.
I’ve been using Linux for the last 20 years for all my home server stuff but never bothered for desktop (mostly due to gaming). Made the switch to Mint about two months or so ago and am quite happy.
Really the only big problem is games requiring kernel level anti cheats.
What pushed me over the edge was seeing they added copilot to notepad and added formatting shit, then the first RCE was released for notepad not long after. Fuck them, I’m done with Windows.
I was thinking of going through the pain of learning how to run on Linux but got put off when I saw the extra work needed to run games.
When Linux is more gaming compatible Windows will die.
Can't come soon enough.
Thanks for the recommendation. Lots of support for Linux on this forum. I take that as a good sign. I trust the judgement of you pedes.
MX Linux is a beauty. Solid as Mount Rushmore, and with programs that make it so easy to configure and install just about anything. In KDE, Xfce and Fluxbox configs
I picked up a few Win 7 pro units from Amazon for 10 cents on the $. I wanted a newer PC but couldn't trust MS. I would rather make due with the old machines than their bs. It's their own fault, it is what it is.
So... return to Windows 7? Am I right??? Show of hands! 🙋🏻♀️
Still using Windows 7 to this day. My older computer still has XP but I seldom use it.
You can configure Linux Mint to make it essentially identical to WinXP if you'd like.
https://www.andryou.com/2019/01/02/make-linux-mint-look-like-windows-xp-luna/
Win 7 -- perfectly stable for a browser and nobody messes with you.
They fucking over complicated the whole thing.
Literally just need to get rid of one drive and AI copilot shit
So windows 12 will be on sale when?
As soon as you install 11.
I have a couple computers running 11, it works well enough for me.
My "desktop", an Asus NUC, at some point I'd like to try Pop_OS on, and my Surface Pro back it down to 10.
If you think it makes a difference for being tracked or spied on, I doubt it in this day and age.
I use a system76 darter pro w/pop_os cosmic.
STILL designed to be SPYWARE!
Their semi-admitted shift from "software company" to "telemetry company" is the UNWISEST business decision of all time?
I hope they die asap.
AI will easily help to design a new, better, open source OS, soon.
All it really needs is flexibility, customizability, and ease of use. Then it would be alright!
I remember when Linux was something I used despite its flaws and limitations, just to avoid Microsoft and Apple. Now it’s objectively better in almost every way if you’ve got a solid distro that holds up. Gaming used to be a huge headache but now even this is at worst on par with Windows 11 and often much better with gaming focused setups.
I’m in the process of installing Bazzite now. Nobara’s GUI bricked on me when I did an update and I couldn’t find a way to get it up and running again. So still far from perfect outside of the mainstream most stable ones.