Changing to Linux without an IT degree.

[Chris S]

Windows 11 is no more subscription based than Windows 10 (or earlier versions).

I think the main problem with Windows 11 is that a lot of PCs won't be powerful enough to use it.

 

[ebikeerwidnes]

I think the main problem with Windows 11 is that a lot of PCs won't be powerful enough to use it.

They can stay on 10 but that does provide a security problem

still not sure what the subscription thingy is
is it a subscription for security updates to WIndowe 10???

 

[Alex321]

They can stay on 10 but that does provide a security problem

still not sure what the subscription thingy is
is it a subscription for security updates to WIndowe 10???

Ah. That may have been what Andy was referring to, though when he said his PC couldn't run it, I presumed it was W11 he was referring to.

 

[Alex321]

I use Windows on my laptop

What are these message that you are seeing and where do they come from

I haven;t seen anything and nor has my wife
and i have not heard anything and I frequent some proper IT Technician websites and they would be all over something like that

are you sure you have got it right?



on another point - I used to have a desktop computer that was dual boot - I could boot it from either Linux or Windows 10
but I normally used Linux - Ubuntu mostly - partly to not use WIndows but also because it ran some software that I used at work and i just left it on that OS most of the time
Worked fine

Many computers currently running Windows 10 will not (officially) be able to run Windows 11. People with such machines keep getting messages telling them they can't upgrade, and after October will no longer be getting security updates for their current system.

If your laptop meets the official spec for Windows 11, you won't be seeing such messages.

 

[JohnHughes307]

If all you use is Firefox and Libre Office then there is absolutely no need to run Windows - any Linux distribution will provide it. I have been using Debian for years and didn't have to switch back to using Windows even when working as part of a team where everybody else was Windows-based.
I do have a technical IT background though. I'm not sure which the most user-friendly distro is at the moment

 

[PeteXXX]

The only problem initially installing Ubuntu was that it stalled installation saying Bitlocker, on W11, was blocking the process.
On return to Windows boot I had to access MS on my old laptop to obtain the 16(?) digit code to unlock Bitlocker.
Once I turned Bitlocker off i could install Ubuntu successfully.

 

[Drago]

You lot could be speaking Martian for all I understood of that.

 

[ebikeerwidnes]

You lot could be speaking Martian for all I understood of that.

SO if we start wittering about dual booting and kernals and SUDO commands then you are not interested??


thing to remember is GNU not Unix

 

[Alex321]

You lot could be speaking Martian for all I understood of that.

And that is exactly why linux is not practical for many of us.

I would be happy with it, but my wife, who also uses the home computer quite a bit would be the same as you.

She wasn't happy with the differences between W10 and W11 when we bought a new W11 computer a few months ago. Linux would be even more change for her to get used to.

 

[ebikeerwidnes]

And that is exactly why linux is not practical for many of us.

I would be happy with it, but my wife, who also uses the home computer quite a bit would be the same as you.

She wasn't happy with the differences between W10 and W11 when we bought a new W11 computer a few months ago. Linux would be even more change for her to get used to.

You can set it up so it just goes into a Windows type screen and does everything from there

but it is different

and if you have trouble going from Windoze 10 to 11 then it might be a bit much

(coming from experience - trying to get teachers to use new versions is not for the faint hearted!!!)

 

[Alex321]

You can set it up so it just goes into a Windows type screen and does everything from there

but it is different

and if you have trouble going from Windoze 10 to 11 then it might be a bit much

(coming from experience - trying to get teachers to use new versions is not for the faint hearted!!!)

How did you guess my wife was a (retired) teacher?

 

[ebikeerwidnes]

How did you guess my wife was a (retired) teacher?

"not all teacher" and all that

but I never worked in South Wales so hopefully I am not talking about her

probably

(I did mention to my wife once that I though she would have been a good teacher)

 

[Yellow Fang]

Personally, I suspect installing Linux is not as easy as it was. In the early days it was really hard. Then it became relatively easy. You could buy a Linux magazine with a DVD. You'd stick the DVD in your PC. You would have to do something a little bit clever with the BIOS. You would have press F2 or F8 or some other key while your PC was booting up to get into the BIOS settings and change one of the settings so that it boots off the DVD. Then you'd reboot the PC and follow the instructions on the DVD. Most PCs and laptops do not have DVD drives these days, so you have to use memory sticks or find some other way. BIOS is obsolete now. I think they call it NetBUI or something now, which I don't find as easy to d-ick around with.

 

[briantrumpet]

Many computers currently running Windows 10 will not (officially) be able to run Windows 11. People with such machines keep getting messages telling them they can't upgrade, and after October will no longer be getting security updates for their current system.

If your laptop meets the official spec for Windows 11, you won't be seeing such messages.

'Officially' being the operative word. A techy pupil of mine knows how to quickly bypass the code that's telling Windows 10 it can't update to W11 in older machines, and has done two of my laptops already, and I'm doing this on a very basic Asus notebook that's had the bypass operation. Said pupil did warn though that MS will probably manage eventually to block later updates one way or another, but for the time being, it's fine.

 

[Andy in Germany]

Okay...

Linux/Cinnamon now downloaded, from the University of Frankfurt, no less, and sitting on a new USB stick.

Having had bad experiences before I'm being extremely cautious: what is the next step to setting Linux up so I can boot it from the stick?