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How To Replace Windows With Linux
- Thread starter AugieTN
- Start date
Have you find this? Or are you planning to?
I've been using Linux, ever since my Windows 3.0 floppies corrupted 🤣
Can you install Linux on a all in one PC running windows 11? Will it work with touch screens?
On August 7th I received an email from Microsoft with updated terms and conditions that are downright tyrannical. I refuse to PAY them to steal from me, profit from it into perpetuity and owe me nothing because I PAID to use its services! They gave users a "generous" seven weeks to terminate all use of Microsoft services, knowing full well that 99% of users would roll over and comply.
I'm in the 1%. I have until the end of September.
I have a Synology NAS in-house with over 15TB storage. All our OneDrive files have been copied to it and I've been getting accustomed to accessing files on the NAS instead of OneDrive. We have a new laptop with everything Microsoft being wiped from it and Kubuntu Linux 23.04 going on it. Once I have the Darling Bride synced to her account on the NAS and the laptop running, I'll pull my data D:/ drive out of my desktop; wipe the C:/ drive and install Kubuntu on it; and complete our migration away from Microsoft.
Because everything is open source, we will control every aspect of the operating system and the apps; and no one is mining our data for fun & profit. Our data resides on a personal cloud server we own and control. I know better than to expect a prorated refund of our annual fees from Microsoft... since they changed the rules midway through, however, it'll be fun to seek it anyway.
I'm in the 1%. I have until the end of September.
I have a Synology NAS in-house with over 15TB storage. All our OneDrive files have been copied to it and I've been getting accustomed to accessing files on the NAS instead of OneDrive. We have a new laptop with everything Microsoft being wiped from it and Kubuntu Linux 23.04 going on it. Once I have the Darling Bride synced to her account on the NAS and the laptop running, I'll pull my data D:/ drive out of my desktop; wipe the C:/ drive and install Kubuntu on it; and complete our migration away from Microsoft.
Because everything is open source, we will control every aspect of the operating system and the apps; and no one is mining our data for fun & profit. Our data resides on a personal cloud server we own and control. I know better than to expect a prorated refund of our annual fees from Microsoft... since they changed the rules midway through, however, it'll be fun to seek it anyway.
Interesting. Wondering why you selected Kubuntu?
I can guess.
Here's why:
The (technologically-declined) Darling Bride.
Windows is confusing enough for her... Linux will be, too. If I could find a distro that has lots of eye candy; is easy to use; and will help transition her away from Microsoft, it would be a huge win. If she's going to be confused, no sense paying for it too! After searching for a happy medium between complete eye candy and a complete geek-fest, I came across recommendations for Kubuntu: a distribution combining the best of Ubuntu Linux with KDE and the Plasma desktop interface. All the apps available in the Ubuntu repository is available here... so it seems like a common sense solution.
The (technologically-declined) Darling Bride.
Windows is confusing enough for her... Linux will be, too. If I could find a distro that has lots of eye candy; is easy to use; and will help transition her away from Microsoft, it would be a huge win. If she's going to be confused, no sense paying for it too! After searching for a happy medium between complete eye candy and a complete geek-fest, I came across recommendations for Kubuntu: a distribution combining the best of Ubuntu Linux with KDE and the Plasma desktop interface. All the apps available in the Ubuntu repository is available here... so it seems like a common sense solution.
nickdalzell
Extreme Android User
I use Q4OS, a Debian-based distro that uses a fork of KDE 3.5 known as Trinity and includes all the 'classic' apps and UI. I found it by searching for 'skeuomorphic linux modern distro' and it's bliss. I test drove it on a more moderrn laptop with touch screen and everything worked, and now it's running on a more fitting to me 2010 Dell laptop.
Linux works my way. It never updates itself because I can turn that off, and nothing ever has to change unless I wish it. The cheese is never moved, and no unwanted UI redesigns. I untarred Pale Moon and run the 'aero moon' theme and it's like Windows 7 never had to die. Wine is also installed. On gaming PC, I run dual boot Linux Mint Victoria and Ubuntu GamePack. Gamepack is always offline as I don't do updates or care for multiplayer, and all the mods and games and saves from multiple Windows era PCs are intact. I used Mint to avoid messing with it or turning it into unrecoverable slag as there were some games I wanted to install but I didn't want GamePack's Steam client to update itself or mess with my games so I installed Mint on another partition. Unfortunately, for some asinine reason no Linux will touch my SSD, all of them giving a 'fatal error' installing Grub. Never could figure it out so the SSD is just empty for now.
My mother would have been a prime candidate for Linux and was for a few weeks as all she does is browse websites, But sadly there's always one particular app or need she has that only Windows works for her, such as her printer not being supported by linux, and some stupid adware app she just HAS to have, or a browser toolbar, yes, she still clings hard to IE, and of course, she never feels safe online without Norton 360 taking up half her RAM, and that doesn't work on Linux. She has a very expensive LifeLock sub through it and she refuses to use any device without it. Last time I visited, she has her Google search replaced with whatever Norton Safe Search is, and uses Edge in IE mode 24/7 for her toolbars. I mean, it's her computer, and if she likes it infested like that, it's hers to do with as she pleases. I might not agree with many preferences people have as I tend to love what everyone else hates and hate what everyone else loves, but I accept that what works for someone is good enough. If someone prefers modern lifestyle, that's their freedom to do so. But I do wish they'd stop criticizing my lifestyle for being 'outdated' as it works for me. I'm old fashioned for my age. A little of the same respect would be nice. instead, futurists take one look at my laptop or my phone or my home and go all Jehovah's Witnesses on me saying things like 'you need to move to the future, adapt or be left behind'. I hate them. You live like you want and I'll live how I want. I ain't hurting you or anyone else.
Linux works my way. It never updates itself because I can turn that off, and nothing ever has to change unless I wish it. The cheese is never moved, and no unwanted UI redesigns. I untarred Pale Moon and run the 'aero moon' theme and it's like Windows 7 never had to die. Wine is also installed. On gaming PC, I run dual boot Linux Mint Victoria and Ubuntu GamePack. Gamepack is always offline as I don't do updates or care for multiplayer, and all the mods and games and saves from multiple Windows era PCs are intact. I used Mint to avoid messing with it or turning it into unrecoverable slag as there were some games I wanted to install but I didn't want GamePack's Steam client to update itself or mess with my games so I installed Mint on another partition. Unfortunately, for some asinine reason no Linux will touch my SSD, all of them giving a 'fatal error' installing Grub. Never could figure it out so the SSD is just empty for now.
My mother would have been a prime candidate for Linux and was for a few weeks as all she does is browse websites, But sadly there's always one particular app or need she has that only Windows works for her, such as her printer not being supported by linux, and some stupid adware app she just HAS to have, or a browser toolbar, yes, she still clings hard to IE, and of course, she never feels safe online without Norton 360 taking up half her RAM, and that doesn't work on Linux. She has a very expensive LifeLock sub through it and she refuses to use any device without it. Last time I visited, she has her Google search replaced with whatever Norton Safe Search is, and uses Edge in IE mode 24/7 for her toolbars. I mean, it's her computer, and if she likes it infested like that, it's hers to do with as she pleases. I might not agree with many preferences people have as I tend to love what everyone else hates and hate what everyone else loves, but I accept that what works for someone is good enough. If someone prefers modern lifestyle, that's their freedom to do so. But I do wish they'd stop criticizing my lifestyle for being 'outdated' as it works for me. I'm old fashioned for my age. A little of the same respect would be nice. instead, futurists take one look at my laptop or my phone or my home and go all Jehovah's Witnesses on me saying things like 'you need to move to the future, adapt or be left behind'. I hate them. You live like you want and I'll live how I want. I ain't hurting you or anyone else.
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I'm glad Q4OS works for you. We're not gamers, and the Darling Bride can't tell Windows from Android. As long as she can get to her bank accounts and prepare her treasurer reports for VFW Auxiliary, she's happy. And Brave Browser works the same on Windows and Linux. Thunderbird serves as an email client and calendar.
My ONE hangup in the schedule is that in cloning the new laptop's 512GB SSD to a 2TB SSD, I have been unable to expand the volume to take up the whole drive (I have 1.5TB unallocated) - and I've tried THREE apps to do that. None of them have been successful and it's the first time I've had a problem with it! So I'm dropping them off with a computer shop friend and letting him do it. I have to travel out of state the rest of the week, so nothing is going to get done until October. Hopefully, I can shut down both Windows computers and not have to restart them until I'm ready to de-Microsoft them.
My ONE hangup in the schedule is that in cloning the new laptop's 512GB SSD to a 2TB SSD, I have been unable to expand the volume to take up the whole drive (I have 1.5TB unallocated) - and I've tried THREE apps to do that. None of them have been successful and it's the first time I've had a problem with it! So I'm dropping them off with a computer shop friend and letting him do it. I have to travel out of state the rest of the week, so nothing is going to get done until October. Hopefully, I can shut down both Windows computers and not have to restart them until I'm ready to de-Microsoft them.
nickdalzell
Extreme Android User
I de-Microsoft'd all of mine. All of them running a distro of some sort depending on use case. I prefer Kmail over thunderbird as Thunderbird gets in some kind of loop or incorrectly claims 'too many connections made' which is a common bug, still largely unfixed with certain email providers. Kmail's UI feels fitting on a 2010 laptop as well. Bonus points for Amarok 1.4 making a comeback.
I had two laptops at work running Android x86 versions 2.2 and 2.1, and mainly for notes, document viewing and music, but have tried to de-digital work and have it more analog and that's a lot better for me. I got plenty of tapes, radio stations for music, no internet needed, and I love the aesthetic of analogue needles over digital displays.
I had two laptops at work running Android x86 versions 2.2 and 2.1, and mainly for notes, document viewing and music, but have tried to de-digital work and have it more analog and that's a lot better for me. I got plenty of tapes, radio stations for music, no internet needed, and I love the aesthetic of analogue needles over digital displays.
Doesn't matter - I'm behind schedule so Microsoft has me for a few more months: but by the end of the year I hope to have everything on Linux and off Microsoft. Let those who didn't read the terms & conditions use Windows 11 with no idea how much they surrendered for the privilege: but I'll host our data right here on the NAS and use Kubuntu (because it will be easier on the Darling Bride). My laptop is already on Kubuntu and it feels like FREEDOM!
