Microsoft obsoleting Windows Win10 and earlier versions in October

[5415551212]

I have mostly used Linux since the early 2000's and it seems to do all the things I need. 

[jsowers]

I upgraded my 2-year-old Win 10 laptop to Win 11 this past Wednesday. The upgrade came on the laptop and I decided it was time to do it. I made a backup and then started it. It took a little over 90 minutes. First it downloaded for about 30 minutes and then installed for 30 or 40 minutes and then updated for another 20-30 minutes with several restarts. I do have a Microsoft account online but I don't store my files there. I have no use for OneDrive.

No problems found during the upgrade and it's very much like it was with Windows 10 and everything works like it did before, even my ancient newsreader and Eudora where I have emails from 1996 to 2009. I do notice it takes longer to open most larger apps like Office or a browser, but not a very long lag. A short one.

I have a 12-year-old Lenovo laptop with a solid state drive and lots of RAM that could probably run Win 11, but I think I'll keep it on 10, which was updated from 7. It still works fine, amazingly. I use it in the kitchen-dining area when I need a computer. I'm not crazy about using a smartphone, though I do have one. I prefer a keyboard and a large screen.

[GarrettFuller]

I've completely abandoned Windows in favor of Macs at home, though I do use Windows 11 at work. There it isn't too bad, but I'd hate to see all the bloatware and advertisements that a non-business installation would come with. (Windows 10 was pretty bad about that... I miss the days of Windows XP/Vista/7 when there weren't ads in the Start menu.)

To those willing to try something new, I'd highly recommend trying out a *nix operating system -- even if just in a virtual machine at first. This might not be a good idea for everyone (i.e. some people need Windows for special software that won't run on a *nix OS, including in WINE), but I've seen a lot of people that have made the switch to a *nix operating system and haven't looked back.

For "beginners" (or really anyone as a jumping off point,) I recommend Linux Mint. It is pretty user-friendly and doesn't require use of the terminal for most tasks, as the command line is probably the most daunting task for those dipping their toes into a *nix OS for the first time. As with many Linux operating systems, there's a lot of software already ported to Mint that are ready to install directly from the package manager. (Installing software is very easy, much like in macOS/iOS from the App Store. Find the package you want, press "Install," enter your password and you're done in most cases.)

You won't find Microsoft Office and Adobe applications for *nix operating systems, but there are free and open source alternatives that I've switched to when not using my Mac. LibreOffice is a pretty good Microsoft Office alternative, and has OK compatibility with opening Office files. (Office can open LibreOffice files.) For an Adobe Photoshop/Affinity Photo alternative, I use GIMP. The files I've uploaded here have all been re-sized/edited in GIMP. There are tons of other alternatives. Again, if your workflow requires the use of Microsoft Office or Adobe products, you're kind of tied to Windows (or macOS).

There are tons of other *nix operating systems to try if Mint isn't your flavor. I'm writing this post on a 10-year-old Lenovo ThinkPad W541 running OpenIndiana "Hipster," which is based on an open source descendant of AT&T's Unix System V. That might pique the interest of telecom nerds on this forum.

I wrote about OpenIndiana a couple times over on my blog. (Most recently back in March, but you can also check out my "first impressions" post from last year.) While it has a intuitive GUI like most operating systems, more tasks require use of the Terminal. (For instance, installation of software is only done through the command line.) The downfall of OI is its limited software library (although LibreOffice, Firefox, Thunderbird, VLC Media Player, GIMP, Inkscape -- and more -- have already been ported to Illumos/OI) and hardware pickiness. Of two computers and various virtual machines, I could only get OI to install on the W541 and VirtualBox running on my Dell Inspiron 620.

The best part about *nix operating systems is you WILL find one compatible with your computer. Action Retro on YouTube has got MX Linux to run on hardware that is 20+ years old. Mint runs smooth on that Inspiron 620, which is about 12 years or so old. And, as mentioned, I'm writing this on a 10-year-old computer that isn't compatible with Windows 11. There's no need to send your computer to a landfill just because it won't run Windows 11 out of the box.

On a side note: Sadly, some people are tied into the Microsoft/Windows ecosystem due to software compatibility. Personally, I'm locked into the Apple ecosystem due to having Macs and an iPhone (which is the only phone compatible with CarPlay used by my car's stereo.) They make it difficult to switch to something else, forcing you to upgrade when the old (in this case Windows 10) inevitably becomes obsolete.

[RDPipes]

AD's? I don't have any stinking AD's!
Now that that's out of the way, the ONLY ads I've ever seen were the irritating ones
when I go to play Solitaire or other MS games on my PC (Win 11 Pro).
I get a kick out them wanting me to pay to get rid of them, aint that kind of like Ransomware?

Oh! Almost forgot, Bite Me Bill Gates!

[compubit]

Oh! Almost forgot, Bite Me Bill Gates!

As much as folks hate Bill Gates, he really hasn't been directly involved with Microsoft operations since 2008 and he completely left the board of MS in 2020.

(And I do despise the ads - I run Windows Pro, as you can easily set it up without a MS account and don't get a lot of the prompts to install bloatware.  I work in IT and one of the guys on our team has the scripts to "debloat" Windows for work, which I use on my personal devices...)

[ChrisW6ATV]

Thank you for your notes and comments. I downloaded the new 25H2 version of Windows 11 and did the "update install" on this computer (a fully-compatible Thinkpad X1 with I5 processor and 15 GB of memory). It was probably done in an hour or less also, then I spent at least that long to change and fix/remove settings and junk that I do not want ("Suggestions" or "recommendations" are the worst; those are also called --advertisements--). I made a detailed list as I went along, and I think it has nearly two dozen things to fix. With the list, future Win 11 computers should be cleaned up faster, I hope.

I ran Windows 11 for a couple of years on non-compliant, underpowered hardware for a "home theater" (TV-recording) computer; I rarely saw its actual desktop. After a year and a half or so, it started to have strange problems such as very slow mouse and screen response. I eventually rebuilt it with recent hardware.

[RDPipes]

As much as folks hate Bill Gates, he really hasn't been directly involved with Microsoft operations since 2008 and he completely left the board of MS in 2020.

(And I do despise the ads - I run Windows Pro, as you can easily set it up without a MS account and don't get a lot of the prompts to install bloatware.  I work in IT and one of the guys on our team has the scripts to "debloat" Windows for work, which I use on my personal devices...)

I don't dislike him for anything recently but, once a scum bag always a scum bag. He's just one little pimple on a long list. And I have many reasons for my loathing but, need I digress.

[5415551212]

LibreOffice is a pretty good

LibreOffice is a powerhouse I know a few office's that use it on all their Mac and Windows computers. It used to be missing features but now its rock solid. No endless cloud subscriptions.

[19and41]

The last new computer I purchased was an E Machines unit.  when it finally irretrievably locked up, I bought a renewed PC on Walmart.com.  It and it's successors have worked out to be good deals, as have been the laptops I've gotten there.  This time I think it will be MAC equipment.  I haven't heard of Apple forcing folks into newer equipment and renewed 11 capable units don't come reasonably.

[GarrettFuller]

The last new computer I purchased was an E Machines unit.  when it finally irretrievably locked up, I bought a renewed PC on Walmart.com.  It and it's successors have worked out to be good deals, as have been the laptops I've gotten there.  This time I think it will be MAC equipment.  I haven't heard of Apple forcing folks into newer equipment and renewed 11 capable units don't come reasonably.

I'd check out a *nix OS if you don't want to upgrade your hardware. As I previously mentioned, Linux Mint is a good start for beginners as there's minimal reliance on the Terminal. Mint will run comfortably on any computer from the past decade -- I have it running well on a ~2012 Dell Inspiron 620. (Obviously, dependent on your use case and whether you have Windows software that you rely on. Home users should be fine with Mint/*nix.)

If you're willing to pay $$$ to upgrade your hardware, switching to macOS isn't a bad idea. I've had minimal issues with Apple hardware, and IMHO macOS is better than Windows. Longevity is better, too. If you have an iPhone and iPad, the Mac will sync with them.

For $600, you can get a Mac mini with the latest M4 system-on-chip. You supply the peripherals -- monitor, keyboard, mouse. If you're a laptop user or want something portable, the $1,000 MacBook Air will suffice for most folks.

Then there's the iPad, which is a good, affordable ($350) computer alternative for many people. Bluetooth keyboards and mice will work with iPads. Not really an option, however, if you're a "power user."

While Apple hardware will last quite a while, there is very little serviceability to them. I'd always recommend getting the Apple Care extended warranty just in case, and make sure you "future proof" your purchase. (Get as much memory and processor as you think you'll need to grow... the memory in new Macs are a part of the system-on-chip, which cannot be upgraded later.)

If you're more open to the *nix options and don't want to spend more than $500 on a new computer, you can get good deals on off-lease computers. I've acquired all of my ThinkPads as off-lease purchases as companies retire older (~5 year old) laptops in favor of the "latest and greatest." The W541 I'm writing this on was one of those cases. Most off-lease "professional" laptops, like ThinkPads and Dell Latitudes, are fairly serviceable and the user can upgrade the memory or storage as they see fit.

[TelePlay]

The big catch.

Advanced, complex software (TurboTax and Adobe Photoshop for example, actually all Adobe software products) now uses AI requiring Win11, and a Win11 capable platform.

The big catch is that those Win11 compatible software products can no longer be purchased with a lifetime license. Monthly/annual subscriptions are required.

Older versions of software products that were purchased with a lifetime license will not load into Win11.

So none of the software that I bought in the past will work on Win11 but I need a Win11 platform to run TurboTax.

There may be alternatives, work arounds, for the computer savvy but for us pedestrian level users, it's a co$tly threshold moving forward thanks to AI.

[leejor]

I followed this Youtube video and upgraded all of my Win 10 computers to LTSC, without an issue (6 or 7 machines). They now receive updates until 2032. Keep in mind that this version may not have everything you want, so do your research. You may also want to disable any anivirus (I'm looking at you, Windows Defender), until you are completed as it flags and trys to delete some of the files being used along the way.

They guy doing this is quite funny, but watch it all the way through. I found that doing some screen grabs helped a lot.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GH3ktrhDEJs