Windows 10 users after 14 October 2025

[PaulSB]

Linux Mint is the way to go.

Download the 22.1 iso

Download Balena Etcher to flash the iso image to a 8gb flash drive

Go into BIOS and change to boot from that flash drive

Then the instructions will walk you through installation in 30 minutes or so.

Then it's a not too steep learning curve with the new OS and a life of sheer bliss compared to Windows

I mean no criticism at all. I'm very confident to handle the day to day tech I encounter and use. I have the confidence to proceed with most things safe in the knowledge I can't truly break it.

Once one gets in to the areas you describe my confidence disappears and I wouldn't go down this route as I think I very likely would break something. More importantly I probably wouldn't be able to step back to the machines previous state.

This type of fear is what holds back millions from moving away from Windows. No matter how good or bad Windows may be, and I'm not qualified to comment, most folk stick with what works for them. Consequently millions may dump machines in the fear they will no longer work.

I've little doubt MS hope, know, this will prove to be the case.

 

[Alex321]

Linux Mint is the way to go.

Download the 22.1 iso

Download Balena Etcher to flash the iso image to a 8gb flash drive

Go into BIOS and change to boot from that flash drive

Then the instructions will walk you through installation in 30 minutes or so.

Then it's a not too steep learning curve with the new OS and a life of sheer bliss compared to Windows

It is FAR too steep a learning curve for non techy people who have used Windows for years.

I could quite happily do all that, and I have had Linux as a dual boot system on several previous PCs. But my wife is very much not computer-savvy, and is used to Windows. She didn't even like the change from W10 to W11 much (TBH neither did I, but for different reasons).

There is no way I'm going to get her using Linux now, she just would not accept the learning curve.

 

[briantrumpet]

It is FAR too steep a learning curve for non techy people who have used Windows for years.

I could quite happily do all that, and I have had Linux as a dual boot system on several previous PCs. But my wife is very much not computer-savvy, and is used to Windows. She didn't even like the change from W10 to W11 much (TBH neither did I, but for different reasons).

There is no way I'm going to get her using Linux now, she just would not accept the learning curve.

It's notable how even a small change for those who aren't confident in tech can really bamboozle and scare them. For all its faults, Windows is largely intuitive even for more elderly/less confident users, with the benefit that it is so widely used that solutions to problems are usually only a phone call or Google search away.

I'm still reminded of a friend who worked on a tech helpline who was trying to help someone who wondered why double-clicking the mouse on an icon on the screen wasn't working, until my friend worked out that the person was tapping the screen with her mouse.

 

[Alex321]

It's notable how even a small change for those who aren't confident in tech can really bamboozle and scare them. For all its faults, Windows is largely intuitive even for more elderly/less confident users, with the benefit that it is so widely used that solutions to problems are usually only a phone call or Google search away.

I'm still reminded of a friend who worked on a tech helpline who was trying to help someone who wondered why double-clicking the mouse on an icon on the screen wasn't working, until my friend worked out that the person was tapping the screen with her mouse.

I will never forget the first tine I tried to teach my wife how to use the computer. I started by saying "The first thing to remember is that the PC can't guess what you mean, it will take exactly what you type" - to which her response was "What is the PC?"

And she is an intelligent woman - Degree in microbiology, worked for many years as a science teacher, teaching Biology, Physics and Chemistry to A level. But no previous experience of computers.

 

[briantrumpet]

I will never forget the first tine I tried to teach my wife how to use the computer. I started by saying "The first thing to remember is that the PC can't guess what you mean, it will take exactly what you type" - to which her response was "What is the PC?"

And she is an intelligent woman - Degree in microbiology, worked for many years as a science teacher, teaching Biology, Physics and Chemistry to A level. But no previous experience of computers.

Opposite way round from me... having been put off programming in Basic (or Fortran) when I was at school because every bloomin' dot had to be in the right place, seeing someone use a W95 PC and just clicking on icons made me realise that I could cope with that, and that it would make me file stuff away in vaguely sensible places (unlike my paper 'date-based filing system, which remains, to this day, located in various places in the house).

 

[icowden]

Biggest change for me was moving from the Commodore Amiga 1200 to a Windows 95 PC because it was just so crappy in comparison. You never had to reboot an Amiga to install software or drivers. You never got a blue screen of death that locked the whole machine. There was so much you couldn't change or customise.

 

[Dadam]

Opposite way round from me... having been put off programming in Basic (or Fortran) when I was at school because every bloomin' dot had to be in the right place, seeing someone use a W95 PC and just clicking on icons made me realise that I could cope with that, and that it would make me file stuff away in vaguely sensible places (unlike my paper 'date-based filing system, which remains, to this day, located in various places in the house).

My paper filing system is based on archaeology. Oldest stuff is at the bottom!

 

[Ming the Merciless]

My paper filing system is based on archaeology. Oldest stuff is at the bottom!

I look forward to when you find the original instructions for building a pyramid …

 

[briantrumpet]

My paper filing system is based on archaeology. Oldest stuff is at the bottom!

Same basis as my date-based version. I've got my Lotus 1-2-3 For Dummies in one of the piles, I think, but daren't investigate the strata above.

 

[Vapin' Joe]

I not long ago threw away a box of floppy disks. If I ever clear out the loft I'm sure somewhere up there are some cartridges for a Sinclair Microdrive.

 

[icowden]

I not long ago threw away a box of floppy disks. If I ever clear out the loft I'm sure somewhere up there are some cartridges for a Sinclair Microdrive.

I have all sorts of goodies. A load of BBC B software, a hard drive and a joystick (the monitor and BBC B apparently got destroyed due to a leak at my parents house). My Amiga 500, Amiga 1200, boxes of games, boxes of pirated games, a full collection of Zero Magazine (with discs) in binders. A cinefilm editor, a cinefilm projector and projector sheet, some joystick components that my dad purchased in the early 80s (no idea what they were going to be used for). There is a tower PC and an old laptop in the loft as well. I *really* need to have a sort out and get some stuff on ebay. I've also got things like a Hewlett Packard 200LX and an Archos LV500 digital media player

 

[Ming the Merciless]

her response was "What is the PC?"

Thats just a case of you not explaining the terminology rather than her struggling with the tech.

 

[DaveReading]

My W10 machine might need replacing sooner than W10 dying, its on its last legs and becomes stuck at least once a day with all processor/memory taken up by processes (when I am able to get task manager to launch that is) and I have no choice but to turn it off/on again. Its a Dell Optiflex 790 i3 desktop from around 2011, upgraded once to 16gb RAM but otherwise untouched.

Shame as it does all I need but I've had a good run on it. I'll keep an eye out for an end of summer replacement as I'd rather spend £££s on holidays right now lol.

"Microsoft's Windows Defender anti-virus software will sporadically take over all hardware performance counters and use them in a way that reduces system performance significantly."

Google "Counter Control" - I was about to junk my W10 laptop when I discovered this.

 

[DaveReading]

Cheers. I had a quick skim of the top results and there are a couple of programs I'll try first.

That sounds like a sensible approach.

I suspect this is where you'll end up: https://www.techpowerup.com/download/counter-control/

I can't get over how much it has improved the performance of my machine. It's a bit of a pain that you need to re-run it every time the PC boots or wakes from sleep/hibernation, but that's a small price to pay.

 

[Alex321]

Thats just a case of you not explaining the terminology rather than her struggling with the tech.

Yes I know that. But it as more to illustrate how even intelligent and well educated people can be unaware of what we more tech minded people take for granted without even thinking about it, and which we often don't realise is not understood by most.

Those suggesting installing Linux, and saying "it isn't a steep learning curve" are speaking from the POV of somebody with a decent knowledge and understanding of computers (as I was then).