Linux versu upgrading PC for W11

[PerdioPal]

A quick search found many ways to install Win 11 on older hardware, it even coped with the license. For example https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/w...-p/4173358

[ppppenguin]

But why would you want to? I'm not a Linux purist but I'm very happy that I'm no longer a Microserf.

My wife decided to go from PC to Mac. She got a 13 inch M1 laptop which we have connected to a 24 inch monitor, keyboard and mouse. Works nicely for her especially as she has an iPhone.

Apart from legacy PCs we've escaped from Redmond.

[PerdioPal]

"But why would you want to?" To keep how you do things the same, and at no extra cost.

[Mike Watterson]

A quick search found many ways to install Win 11 on older hardware, it even coped with the license. For example https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/w...-p/4173358

And many of those will refuse to boot or BSOD later. MS are quite determined on this one for some reason. W11 seems to be an environmental failure.

Also win 11 isn't the same as Win10.

[Radio Fixer]

I have always believed that if someone is selling something and have a good track record then its likely to work with the least problems. So bought a copy of LibreOffice from Pixel Classics with 700+ reviews. OK I could have saved a few £s but easy is good. Time seems to go so quick. Same with a copy of GIMP. Its part of the learning curve but I should have asked you first Jeffery.

Thanks for the using tips.

As to using a workaround to make W11 work on this PC its not attractive to me as it will probaly get clobberd by MS as Mike said. I just want a working computer that I'm not regulary trying to fix. I'm reluctant to leave MS as I have decades of experience using their software. It would obviously be a new learning curve with Linux and it seems that to get the most out of it it becomes almost a hobby or an area of study in its own right. But I'm open to try with it and once I have the new software above loaded I will try using it more on the Laptop. I have put off changing / upgrading this Desktop until later.

thanks to all Gary

[ppppenguin]

The licences for Libreoffice and GIMP allow them to be sold, but for no more than the reasonable cost of providing physical media and carriage.

If you're using any software which is very much "Windows only" then you need to have Windows, either as your main operating system or in a virtual machine. Common things in this category include:

* Photoshop and other expensive Adobe products
* Some accounting software
* Some games

If you're only doing office things with Word, Excel etc, browsing the web, doing emails, scanning, printing and other everyday things then Linux will just work. Very little learning to do. I knew I was doing some more complicated things. I was already running XP in virtual machines for software that wouldn't work in W7. I knew I had awkward networking issues. I put off the switch to Linux for several years. The catalyst was when I managed to kill the motherboard on my main W7 PC.

My regrets:
* The scanning side of Irfanview doesn't work in WINE. I used it a lot. I've had to explore other scanning software.
* The Linux (CUPS) print driver for my A3 Epson printer/scanner has bugs with paper tray selection and page orientation. The Windows print driver had different bugs. I had to get used to a new set of bugs.
* Networking to old W98 and XP PCs turned out to be harder than I expected.
* Virtualbox stopped working recently. I needed some help from a friend here. This was actually a nuisance as the version of Vbox in the Mint repository wouldn't work after e Kernel update. The right answer is available online but it had tobe found

[Radio Fixer]

Thanks Jeffrey

I'll keep exploring Linux as said and from there hopefully be able to decide which way to go with this Desktop.

Gary

[Mike Watterson]

However even most creators don't need any Adobe products, which are now mostly rent only. Hardly anyone needs Photoshop, alternates exist. Indesign (rent only) is worst now than free alternates. (windows, Mac or linux). PDF format is published now and no-one has needed Adobe PDF reader or creation tools for years.

[PerdioPal]

"Also win 11 isn't the same as Win10." If it was it would still be called Win 10", apart from my sarcasm I prefer 11 to 10 easier on the eye. Still a lot of settings things look like earlier versions, Microsoft being lazy (or pragmatic) I guess. As to the green issue, my new laptop (an HP Dragonfly) hardly gets warm at all, is it time we retired our old kit that takes a lot more power? The cat doesn't like it, not warm enough!

[ppppenguin]

In terms of look and feel, I like things to look as close as possible to Windows 2000. Very much penny plain. Single colour background, no window animations etc.

When I was using W7 and XP I always used the control panel to make this happen. Linux Mint Cinnamon is reasonably OK in this respect and I'm now used to it. There are still a few things that I would prefer to look a little different. If I ferreted around I could probably do this. Linux is completely open, anyone can change anything if they have the ability. There's plenty that can be tweaked in the system settings and I've done a few changes, notably setting my favoured plain background colour.. I wouldn't be surprised if somebody hadn't written an add-on that makes Mint Cinnamon look like W2000.

The Nemo file manager in Mint CInnamon has one particular minor annoyance. In W7 (and XP) you could click on a file name and rename it in place. In Nemo you have to right click and select "rename" from the menu. I could probably find an alternative file manager that I liked better, or possibly some kind of add-on (again, Linux is completely open) but I haven't bothered. In other respects the Nemo file manager is probably slightly better than the one in W7.