Computers! Arrrrrgggghhhh!

[GinnyPNW]

So, my current computer is showing signs of age. It is a 7+ YO laptop with Win10 OS. I like it and it works, but...it is slowing down. I thought I should replace it before it is a complete gonner. I got a new one, similar to my current one, but with Win11 OS. AAAARRRRGGGGGHHHH! I hate the OS. So, I went to see a couple of techies to see what options I may have. Prior to going, I checked to see if doing a "Go Back" might work...no such luck. So, the first stop was a tech place that is part of a larger chain. The guy there said he couldn't help me, but the guy that might be able to help isn't in this week...should be in next week. He now splits his time between the Vancouver, WA location and the Portland, OR location. Sigh. Next stop was a local place, not part of a chain. Two guys there, very helpful. They said that I probably should just suck it up and learn Win11 as Win10 will no longer be supported after 12-18 months. They had helpful information on how I can make it more like Win10, using programs that I like...so, I'll start working on that soon. Not today...maybe tomorrow.

Going forward, I'm wondering what others use? Macs? Chrome Book? Or something older? Any and all input is appreciated!

 

[cjmmytunes]

I am using a ChromeBook ATM.

 

[thymeless]

For many of your same reasons I bailed on win 10 for Linux. You can install it on your current computer but more importantly you can try it out for the cost of a thumb drive.

Linux Mint Installation Guide — Linux Mint Installation Guide documentation

linuxmint-installation-guide.readthedocs.io

 

[thymeless]

The big hurdle to running Linux in your situation I think will be if you can boot to a thumb drive. Most windows notebooks come with secure boot enabled. While there are benefits to this I personally find it more of a lock in from the manufacturers than a security feature for a home use system.

How To Bypass Secure Boot To Install Windows 11

One of the main reasons users are not upgrading to Windows 11 is the system requirements, particularly the CPU, TPM, and Secure Boot requirements.

www.technewstoday.com

Should help in that regard.

 

[thymeless]

Once you've booted from the Linux thumb drive you can explore the whole system without changing anything on your computer. Surf the internet or whatever.

This is also handy even if you don't intend to use Linux. If your windows system craps out or gets infected, you can boot to the thumb drive and recover your files without running Windows and spreading the virus because the infection doesn't work in Linux (generally). The files thenselves could still have the infection but you can scan them before using them for safety and still recover them.

 

[jennyema]

I used a Mac laptop for awhile until I had to work from home. Couldn’t synch with my work computer. So I got a Dell and I like it a lot.

But I use my iPad just as much as my computer.

 

[blissful]

I have three running computers, two desktops and one laptop, HP's windows 7. I've found I only needed WIN 10 for one program (so I remotely logged into my son's computer and had him load it.) The computers are 12 years old now. The laptop is a Probook by HP, I really like it. I've replaced the keyboard once nothing else. When they slow down it is usually from working on graphic software editing pictures, or facebook is heavy on pictures too. I run CCleaner, (CrapCleaner)cleans out old files, cookies, all kinds of junk. I run it once a month or more often after editing pictures. It's free. https://www.ccleaner.com/
I don't expect this laptop to last forever, but 12 years is a long time.

 

[GinnyPNW]

Thank you @cjmmytunes, @thymeless, @jennyema and @blissful! Wow! Lots of good and helpful info.

 

[Andy M.]

We are an Apple household. I've used both through the years both at home and at work and vastly prefer Apple. I have a MacBook Air and an iPhone. SO has an iPad and iPhone. Apple periodically upgrades to a new operating system. The changes are usually transparent, adding improvements without changing your procedures drastically.

I especially like that I can synch things between my phone and laptop through my cloud account. e.g. If I take a lot of photos, they copy automatically to my cloud and laptop. I can access all files on my laptop with my phone. I can copy a recipe to Copy Me That from my phone or laptop and it goes both places.

As you can tell I'm a big Apple fan. I hope you can find the best solution to your issues.

My current laptop is 7 ears old and runs like new.

 

[GinnyPNW]

Thanks, Andy...very good input and very helpful. I do like my iPhone and watch. DH loves his iPad.

 

[thymeless]

I've had nothing but trouble with Apple. Apple fans are always amazed at my problems. I crashed them at work repeatedly to much surprise. It has more to do with how I use a computer though. I just don't function like Apple thinks its users function. I want to do things Apple tends to hide or deprecate or plain not support.

But I run a degoogled Android phone too so I'm an outlier from the norm.

 

[GinnyPNW]

Well, I confess: I am a complete wuss! I was able to do much of what the guys recommended, but in the end, I threw in the towel. I took the %&$**&%!! laptop to their shop and I'm letting them finish the job. Meaning, I bought the necessary new software, but I'm going to pay them to install it and UN-link the computer to whatever it is that MS is doing to make it impossible. They were very nice and insisted that I can do it and it won't take long, but I choose not to fuss with is anymore. It is worth it to me to pay them to do it. Sigh. I should have it back early next week, in time for our next camping at the beach adventure...so there's still an opportunity to toss the whole thing in the great Pacific Ocean!!

 

[taxlady]

For many of your same reasons I bailed on win 10 for Linux. You can install it on your current computer but more importantly you can try it out for the cost of a thumb drive.

Linux Mint Installation Guide — Linux Mint Installation Guide documentation

linuxmint-installation-guide.readthedocs.io

How do you like that distro of Linux? I have been considering switching to Linux for 20 years or more, but I don't like the attitude of most of the people pushing Linux. It's all "you can get free online help from a bunch of geeks in user groups." But, then they get arrogant about people who don't want to know all the "under the hood" details of their distro and don't enjoy having to compile every update. Okay, I hear it has gotten some more user friendly. I even have in-house tech support. My DH is a computer engineer and has been using Linux, probably since last millennium. But, I'm not that much of a geek. And, he does updates every now and again that take hours to complete. I also get to hear the woes of updating all of his preference settings every now and then, due to an update. So, for someone who doesn't want to know all the grotty details of their operating system, is that a pleasant-to-deal-with version?

 

[taxlady]

Any updates @GinnyPNW ?

 

[Roll_Bones]

Have you tried a "System Restore or Factory Restore"? This will bring your PC back to the first day you turned it on. Back to like it was brand new. But if you do not have your files backed up, you will lose them. You can restore without losing files, but it's not as thorough.
Google your brand and model and look for "Factory Restore". You will not lose your operating system, but you will lose everything else. It's a very simple process.
It's a last resort, but I sometimes in the past had to do this. Better than buying a new one.

I'm running win10. Several years now with no issues. I attribute my success with doing nothing except allowing updates to download and install.
It was when I tried to manipulate the software I saw issues with past PC's. When I left things to their own devices is when no more issues presented themselves.

 

[Andy M.]

With a Mac and Apple Support, just call and they fix it over the phone. Easy Peasy.

 

[GinnyPNW]

Any updates @GinnyPNW ?

Just waiting for a call to pick it up. I've baked them a cake, as promised! I guess depends how hungry they are? LOL.

Not sure if you are posting to me, @Roll_Bones? The new computer came with Win11. It would not allow me to "Roll Back" to Win10. I don't like Office 365, for a number of reasons...but it would not allow me to load Outlook 2019 instead. Just kept reloading Office 365, no matter what I tried. The computer guys says there's a good reason for that...and it has to do with my MS Account and what it sees. They insisted I could make it work, with a few "simple" (to THEM) steps. But I told them I don't want to mess with it anymore. I'll pay you and bake you a cake too. In the end, they agreed, but said they can't do it immediately.

My current computer runs on Win10. I like it, but it is getting old and does some hinky things every now and again, so I want to get a new one set up BEFORE there is a crisis?

 

[thymeless]

How do you like that distro of Linux? I have been considering switching to Linux for 20 years or more, but I don't like the attitude of most of the people pushing Linux. It's all "you can get free online help from a bunch of geeks in user groups." But, then they get arrogant about people who don't want to know all the "under the hood" details of their distro and don't enjoy having to compile every update. Okay, I hear it has gotten some more user friendly. I even have in-house tech support. My DH is a computer engineer and has been using Linux, probably since last millennium. But, I'm not that much of a geek. And, he does updates every now and again that take hours to complete. I also get to hear the woes of updating all of his preference settings every now and then, due to an update. So, for someone who doesn't want to know all the grotty details of their operating system, is that a pleasant-to-deal-with version?

I like it quite well. It's what I usually recommend to Windows users with older hardware. It behaves fairly Windows-like and isn't resource intensive. It's what I had my Dad use as his computers have aged out of Windows support and he didn't struggle. I use it on old hardware too--depending on what I'm using it for.

I use TrueNAS for my home file server. I use Arch on my linux tablet (PineTab2). This computer I'm typing on runs Ubuntu with Cinnamon for the desktop. Cinnamon is my preferred desktop if the computer has the power for it. I don't like Unity. I'm fine with Gnome.

The particular PC came with linux from system76.com in Colorado, though I'm not running their PopOS fork of Ubuntu.

I haven't moved to a linux phone yet but that's coming within the next couple of years I think. Purism has an interesting device, but it's old hardware and expensive. Pinephone looks interesting at the pricepoint, but the battery life doesn't cut it for me. In the interim I'm running LineageOS microg (no google stuff) and that's pretty good.

I'm an English major. I've been a tech writer for my career. So linux isn't beyond liberal arts types. And so this essay be Neal Stephenson from the 90s is showing it's age, but it cover the Apple/ Windows/Linux thing pretty well.

https://www.hackneys.com/docs/in-the-beginning-was-the-command-line.pdf

 

[dragnlaw]

Holy cat-fish! Are you two talking English?

 

[taxlady]

@thymeless Thanks for that link. I have enjoyed several books by Neal Stephenson. I don't think I have read In the Beginning... Was the Command Line before, though I have read something short that compared those various operating systems to car dealerships. BTW, I'm not a liberal arts type. I'm a science type. I am familiar with command lines and back in the day, I noticed that MS-DOS was ripoff of CP/M with only minor changes in syntax and undocumented commands from CP/M that worked in MS/DOS. So, if I wanted to spend a lot of time learning to deal with a geekier version of Linux, I probably could. I just don't have much interest in learning that at this point. I could do an oil change on my car, but I'm happy to pay a mechanic I trust to do it. We do have our file server and fire wall on an older computer running Linux, I have no idea which version. DH is the computer geek in the family and handles that stuff.

How easy are the updates in Linux Mint? Do they take hours to deal with? I'm kinda spoiled with Windog updates that usually take less than 15 minutes, even though Windog is bloatware and has been since the beginning.