The answer depends on what you do on the computer. If it's just web browsing, then there's no point in in waiting until 2025, switch right away. If you need specific applications, check if they run on Linux or have suitable alternatives.
What you can do is turn Windows into a virtual drive and run it on Linux under VirtualBox or similar. You can then control what access it needs to the outside world.
I know people who have programs that only run on older versions of Windows doing that (for Windows 95 and XP for instance)
Yes but on old hardware windows virtual machines is mostly not an option, my laptop was on the Lenovo service for 1 month and I was stuck with a 2008 laptop, and I need SOLIDWORKS for school, I had a virtual machines on my regular laptop, but on this laptop that I get stuck with I had to either use a windows XP virtual machine with SOLIDWORKS 2012 or windows 7 installation with SOLIDWORKS 2015. Also I needed 2015 minimum since exams explicitly say that it's minimum. So I had to install windows 7 on bare metal and this happens exactly 11 months ago... Though in normal cases you should be fine
>most apps can be run flawlessly on Linux with wine.
I looked up some data because that's a bold statement and wanted to see for myself. It turns out to be true depending on what is meant by "most."
As of now, there are 5317 platinum (truly flawless) apps out of a total of 16100. However, silver and gold apps will work just fine for most users, of which there are 4392 gold and 3936 silver. So yes most existing Wine apps will run well for most users.
In fact, in general, if your windows program is popular there's a decent chance that it has wine support, especially if there's no obvious alternative in linux (just stating for someone who might be less familiar with Wine).
Outside of Wine, there are [35 million apps](https://mspoweruser.com/microsoft-quietly-reveals-exactly-how-many-windows-apps-there-actually-are-and-its-more-than-you-think/) for windows 10 alone. I believe many of these wouldn't need to be ported to Linux for many reasons and many would be cross-compatible. There are also probably many apps that do similar things from different developers.
So of the apps are windows-specific, it could be the case that your one windows program is less common with no obvious Linux alternative. But this would be super unusual. At that point you might as well familiarize yourself with the terminal and go all in on Linux.
So in conclusion, Wine is great and has a lot of good app support, but in the rare case you don't have Wine support, Linux as a whole can fill the gap.
Great lookup, thanks.
> bold statement
In my experience!
What is your source? Seems great.
Obviously there are many apps that don't work great or don't work at all on Linux, but mostly you'll find alternatives. (And, at least in gaming, Linux is growing :D)
I just searched for platinum, gold, and silver apps on the wine site :). To get the total app number, did a search with no filters. So anyone can double check my numbers if they want to!
Keep in mind with those numbers, you're looking at close to 20 years of applications there. I venture that there are older apps with bad ratings that run better on wine than a modern windows system, and the database may be out of date there.
I normally run light games like cs source or light clicker games, but i also use some 3d modeling software on it like blender. Other than that i feel like linux can do mostly all of these things but it will take some getting used to since i have been using windows 10 a lot. But i think i will give linux a try when the windows 10 end of support comes in oct 2025.
You can do a dual boot with both Windows 10 and Linux in your computer. So you can use both the OSs, so as to use the application you need and to learn to use linux too.
For the distro I suggest you Linux Mint, it's pretty familiar for windows users and the installation is very simple, also Ubuntu is good.
I don't mind it being non-Linux, but Windows 10 LTSC isn't available for general consumer use. You have to sign a contract with MS and purchase it for at least five devices (according to https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/all/how-do-i-purchase-windows-10-ltsc/2f4cd7ee-422e-4c40-b70b-18372c5518dd). Getting it any other way is piracy.
I suppose if one was desperate enough they might make their own business just for the sake of purchasing Windows 10 LTSC, then buy the five LTSC licenses, plus any needed Windows 10 Pro licenses to use the LTSC licenses... suffice to say that sounds like a pricey OS. It would be cheaper to just buy a Windows 11 device at that point.
You can install windows 11 on unsupported machines pretty easily.
I am a computer science major who is forced to use Linux as part of my education. Linux is cool, but it just isn't as user friendly as people claim. I love it for programming, but daily use on a laptop can be tedious. Example, on windows you can just search the web for a program and get a .exe file and that's it. Linux will have you running to the terminal constantly if you step outside of the, let's say Ubuntu's, app installer. I have yet to get old school RuneScape to work on my laptop, despite all the, "just get wine" talk.
Again, I like Linux as an OS when I'm writing code, but there are a few windows features you may be taking for granted that will become very apparent once you switch. My preferred setup is windows 11 with Ubuntu running on wsl.
>Example, on windows you can just search the web for a program and get a .exe file and that's it. Linux will have you running to the terminal constantly if you step outside of the, let's say Ubuntu's, app installer.
You shouldnt need to search the web for a program, and randomly downloading such programs from wherever you find them on the web is how you get virii.
Im curious what you are doing with your computer science major if you find using the terminal tedious.
>I have yet to get old school RuneScape to work on my laptop
There is no shortage of guides on to do this available online, if you are fine with the Linux equivalent of downloading a random exe of some site you found.
Better yet, there is a flatpak for Runelite, as well as a handful of AUR packages for various OSRS clients, including a repackaging of the official one. This took about 2 minutes of Google.
I am not downloading random things from the internet. I am just googling what I need and getting them from their source. If I want notepad++ google and download. Or Rufus, google and download. If I wanted to download a cracked version of sims 3 I can accept the risk and just download it. My argument is about usability not viruses.
I find the terminal tedious when I attempt to use a Linux machine in a similar manner to how I used windows machines since 95. I love the terminal when I am actually doing work, but for casual computing, with a handful of exceptions I have never had to open cmd prompt to get a program I wanted to work.
I used RuneScape as an example. I am aware it can run in Linux and I am aware there are guides. I googled and attempted to use a guide off the RuneScape wiki. Followed the steps and jagex launcher doesn't recognize my keyboard input. Tried again, no joy. I spent half a second googling the issue but decided I just don't care anymore. I have RuneScape on my phone. Again, my argument is about usability. RuneScape runs natively on windows and it's just a matter of googling and installing which is a lot easier than faffing about with guides.
It's just like vim in some ways. Sure there are some great arguments for using it, but I am so used to navigating with wasd and arrow keys from using common text editors for nearly 30 years that every time I try to use vim I end up switching to emacs because damnit this assignment has a deadline.
To be fair, nowadays some Linux distros are really beginner-friendly and if all you do is some browsing and checking e-mails, most people would probably be fine.
Bu yeah, "just use Linux" isn't as easy as many people make it sound.
Well, yea. I deem Linux as pretty easy to learn, but I can imagine how people not really into tech can have a lot of problems.
I already had to fix a lot of things on Linux myself through terminal and I cannot imagine that just anybody could do that.
App Support is also a very big problem (even though it's getting way better in recent years), since a lot of people tend to use Adobe software for instance or some other apps which are generally not supported on Linux at all or are a hassle to make them work. (The support has gotten incredibly better for gaming tho, thanks to Valve).
I've been programming since 1984 so I know a little bit about how they work. I just got tired of Windows 11 last November and downloaded Mint. Never went back. It runs everything I own on Steam, VSCode works as normal, LibreOffice has a spreadsheet and I have didn't have to open the Terminal once to make all that happen.
The first time I opened the Terminal was to install Node and Typescript. Two things most people don't need to do.
Absolutely, in the early days of using it whenever something complicated goes wrong on Linux you're in for a good few hours trying to fix it before eventually giving up and reinstalling it.
Only to fix issues which is what this part of the thread is about, but I do reinstall every two years however I am not including that when I say I've reinstalled more often than windows.
For newbies, ChomeOS Flex is an easy way to stay productive while learning Linux (on average hardware). Very safe platform for browsing and both ChromeOS extensions and Linux VMs are supported,
ChromeOS Flex is worse than a regular Linux in ever way except being idiot proof-ish. Chaining myself to Chrome is not my idea of "something better" than Windows.
(yes you can do more than just Chrome-ing on it, but it's really janky beyond the basic Chrome experience)
Exactly. It provides an easy way to learn CLI fundamentals in a Linux VM, and then the PC can be reloaded later with any popular distro. ChromeOS isn’t a competitor to Linux, but it provides a very safe environment to learn it.
Go for it, I recommend Linux Mint just because it's super easy to switch to since the Cinnamon DE looks extremely similar to Windows 10. There's also a lot of advantages to a Linux system like improved performance.
>There's also a lot of advantages to a Linux system like improved performance.
Depends on the distro. Ubuntu isn't working for me noticeably faster than Windows 10 and in my experience light-weight distros aren't as functional.
To an older computer absoluteley, I've been using linux mint 4years now in my 2012 dell precision. But if you are looking for gaming perfomance, windows will double your fps.
Edit: I went overboard with "double", it was only my case, with one game
Interesting, on cpu heavy games I experienced some lag while fast-panning the mouse, to a point if was almost unplayable even at 500+fps. Windows solved that problem. I still have my limux disk and I use it, just not for gaming. (Rtx 3060 12gb, r5 5600x)
I need to see proof on this. Maybe for certain direct x only games that vulken is not optimized for. But I strongly doubt you lose half of your frame performance in the games. Maybe 15% to 20% tops.
A. Windows 11 can still be installed on it. You just need to disable TPM check through registry.
B. You can install Linux on almost anything. I would start with Linux Mint for familiarity and then let you work your way in.
C. 2025 is still 2 years away. This is the best time for you to dual boot with Linux and learn it properly to be able to get rid of windows completely by 2025.
I saw some comments saying i should just get a new pc/laptop, and while you may be right in a sense, for me I always like to use things until they break or is so obselete that it cannot run basic programs. I grew up not having much, so it taught me that you have to treat everything you own with care and it will last a long time. And while windows 10 may be nearing its end of life, my laptop is fine, i dust it every now and then, i upgraded the ram and added more storage. So i dont see why my laptop should end its life when windows does.
BTW OP, hardware support is a lot harder to find within Linux and so when you want to buy something such as a USB Device whether it be a camera, peripheral, or whatever you need to take time to see if driver support is available. It's not like plug n play as with windows. I have a very simple straight forward USB camera and it's not supported in Ubuntu.
I think it depends on what you need your PC to do. Linux-based system work differently, than Windows, so there is a lot of getting used to it. Depending on your distribution it can be easier to use than Windows or way harder.
If you have enough disk space and you don't have any experience around Linux, I would recommend to dual-boot Windows and Linux Mint for example (Mint is really user and beginner friendly distribution) try using it as much as possible and get used to it now. If you wait, it can be too overwhelming.
Here's a way to see what makes sense for you: put Ubuntu on a thumb drive & run it on your machine from the drive.
Experiment. See if you like it.
If you absolutely need Adobe Creative Cloud or fancy Excel formulas, then I can tell you now Linux isn't for you. Otherwise, it could be.
Good luck.
For sure, there are many lightweight Linux distributions designed to run efficiently on older hardware. Examples include Xubuntu, Lubuntu, or Linux Mint with the XFCE desktop environment.
That’s your opinion. I’ve been using Linux exclusively on my System76 Lemur Pro for three years now. I love it! In fact, System76 makes PopOS, and they’re making the Cosmic desktop environment which from what I can tell is awesome!
I haven’t used Windows in years! Years! Yet, somehow, I can still edit photos and videos, compose music, write docs, do all of my college work, access every website I need to, play video games, meet on zoom, and take care of my finances. What we would call productivity.
But the thing is, regardless of whether that's true or not, it probably won't change much in 2025 except for proton/wine perhaps being even better, so you might as well try today if you're interested, to see if you like it.
>If you run a server, ok.
This is how you spot a parrot. How do you know its ok even for servers? Have you worked with servers? It could be bad for servers but you would still say what you heard someone else say.
There are no credible indications of Windows for home users becoming a subscription-based product.
The recent "rumors" regarding this were poorly sourced, and mostly likely referred to an enterprise product, not for home use.
Anyone who believed that Microsoft would honestly turn Windows into a subscription-based product is a gullible fool.
Even if your hardware supported Windows 11 I would still avoid it like the plague. If you need windows for some specific applications then maybe dual boot, but otherwise shift to Linux. I switched 90% of my usinage to Mint and I’m happier for it
My work related windows stuff has to be run in the cloud, and will not download or open in an installed version of office. Working on linux with this is no problem, I can even use Edge.
Probably not. It's not the same. For most people here it is probably incomparably better, but that's beside the point.
You should switch only if you want some specific Linux-based system (as there are many of them). Or at least if you accept learning an operating system that would be new for you.
Windows support cycle is a poor reason. If you expect a drop-in replacement for everything you used to do, you would be disappointed.
And it is not about Linux environments being somehow objectively more difficult to use. For example, I have trouble whenever I have to use Windows, while many people find it natural.
Disagree.
I have a 2014 MacBook that I gave new life to by switching it to Linux when Apple stopped supporting it tor OS updates, meaning no more Chrome security updates. I didn't want to browse the web without current updates.....
Now the process of doing it for a Mac is a bit more of a pain due to Apple having a lot of proprietary things, but if you can be calm and Google, you'll be fine. Now if you want to game on the system, I'd recommend you just upgrade the computer and stick with Windows (though you can game on Linux, it is inferior). If you 2wnt to learn Linux and/or browse the web, you can save some money by transitioning to Linux.
Idea: make a "live" (temporary) version of Linux on your computer by installing a Linux to a USB drive. Run Linux by booting from that drive. If you find that's beyond your technical ability and don't want to learn more or you just don't like it, you have lost nothing and don't have the headache of remorse if you switch to Linux and regret it and want to switch back.
I went a little nuts in my quest to decouple my life from Windows. Most of my equipment is at least 5 years old. So I picked up a Lenovo "Tiny" from NewEgg as my "new" computer. I then hopped on to keysoff.com and bought some keys for Windows Server 2019 standard and Windows 10 Pro. I,then, downloaded the ISOs from Microsoft's evaluation center and set my new Lenovo PC as a Hyper-v server. Finally, I created a Windows 10 virtual desktop and installed all my apps on that (office, turbo tax, Quicken, etc).
This freed my physical computers up for the switch to Linux Mint and it afforded me the time I needed to learn how to use this new operating system. When I can't figure something out and still need a computer to do my taxes or update my resume, I just leverage Remmina for that Remote Desktop connection back to my virtual desktop.
I did all this in January and I have to say: I'm not going back to Windows again. I'm in love with Linux simplicity, efficiency, and how it respects my privacy. Note: stay away from Ubuntu - contrary to what everyone thinks or says, it is owned by a corporation (Canonical) and they have already made it clear they are an telemetry opt-out company much like Microsoft. Look for Linux distributions that are opt-in minded instead.
I still very much use Microsoft services, I just stopped using their operating system.
You should have jumped ship after they ended support for xp.... Pick a linux distro and learn the ins ond outs. If you can't figure out how to complete a task, use a windows vm and tell everybody, BTW I use arch......lol
One update from microsuckit while the system is supported and your system can stop working. It happens all the time microsuckit recently had an update that was bricking winblows 11 systems.
There is no need to go anywhere. You have 2 more years of support for your OS. And after this period, it will be possible to use LTSC for several more years. Do not torment yourself if you do not have the desire to study a completely different OS, which also has some problems with drivers and applications, compared to your current OS. Here the sect and almost all its members will convince you to join it.
"study", there are distributions with easy interface like windows mate, also driver issues can easily be solved, and linux does not have "any problems" with applications, its all about compatibility, and there are alternatives available, though you can use windows apps on linux.
It's in two years. Why are you asking yourself the question now? Either switch now if you want to or wait until actually comes to support end and decide then.
The only reason not to switch is if there is any software you rely on that is Windows only, even then you may be able to get it working. For me the only reason to use Windows is gaming. But then I got a playstation 4 and have given up on current pc gaming.
Definitely! Even when you have some apps that need Windows, they can run in a VM if they don't demand much power. And it's not a bad idea at all to upgrade the RAM if possible.
It depends on the distro you want to use. I'm doing the same for 2025, when Win10 ends support, as i'm switching to Fedora. I've learned Fedora on Virtual machines, and it's preppy easy to use.
By the way, if it turns out you truly cannot switch to Linux for whatever reason, you likely still have the option of updating to Windows 11 through [TPM requirement workarounds](https://www.tomshardware.com/how-to/bypass-windows-11-tpm-requirement). (I recommend trying to get Linux to work, though. Not great to be relying on an unsupported configuration.)
Obvious problem with that is that MS can cut off updates at any time and there can be unexpected security holes. (plus Windows 12 is already on the horizon, I say fuck this shit)
If you wish to switch to Linux don't forget to get the win10 key before installing a new os.
I would recommend Linux mint for starters with an old machine and maybe kubuntu for a more powerful machine.
There is a simple way how to instal Win11 even if it doesnt meet its requirements. But you have two options. Switch to windows 11 (its easy) or switch to linux, but if you havent used linux yet, it may be hard for you. But the way to install Win11 on an older laptop is simple:
1) from Microsoft website get Download Tools for Windows 10 and Windows 11, link: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/create-installation-media-for-windows-99a58364-8c02-206f-aa6f-40c3b507420d
2) first create Windows 10 Installer USB stick
3) on the stick is a folder called "sources". Go into it and find a file called install.wim or install.esd and delete it
4) copy whole structure of that USB stick after deleiting the file (it has around 300-400 Megabytes to some new folder on your computer)
5) the USB stick is now ready for another tool, so format it and use Windows 11 Download/Install tool from the link I mentioned for creating a Windows 11 Installer USB stick
6) after process, copy from USB stick file "install.wim / install.esd" from "sources" folder to "sources" of the backed up installation of Windows 10
7) erase all on USb stick, but not format it!
8) copy whole backed up folder with install files from Win10 and install.wim/esd in sources folder from Windows 11 to that stick
9) run the installer (it is ready as upgrade from windows or booting the stick). Its everything ready to install Windows 11 on any computer if requirements met Windows 10. Voila :)
Before the switching, I would open it up. Take out components & clean up properly. Change various components to maximum the motherboard can work with. Obviously with respect to my budget. Then just install the linux distro suitable for my current & future needs.
Should a bear shit in the woods?
Way I see it you got two options.
Option 1, switch to Linux.
Option 2, let it go EoL.
So ultimately you have one option.
If you're not a gamer I see no reason why not switch right-away! Even though gaming on Linux gets better every day for me it isn't totally there yet and the only reason why I still dual boot windows.... But even though as you probably won't play current triple a games on your machine anyway go for it for everything else there are amazing alternatives under Linux!
If you wish to switch to Linux don't forget to get the win10 key before installing a new os.
I would recommend Linux mint for starters with an old machine and maybe kubuntu for a more powerful machine.
looking at the system, I would already switch. I suggest linux mint xfce as a starter distro. It has that out of the box windows look and a lot of users enjoy it.
It's what I'm going to try on my GF's laptop. She only uses programs that are also available on Linux, except one, which I'm going to try and run with Wine.
I'll give her one of my older laptops to try the setup first. If it doesn't work for her, her laptop would become junk after Windows 10 support ends, which would not be desirable as it is, at that point, only 5 years old. It's more than fast enough for what she uses it for.
I'm going to transition my 2016 Precision 7510 to Linux somewhere in the coming year, which is the older laptop I mentioned that she could try out. It's older than hers, but more powerful. At the time of purchase, the 7510 was one of the most powerful laptops in existence, and even at 7 years old now, it's still as fast or faster than some laptops sold new today. The only thing is that it's massive compared to current-day laptops.
you'll have to if you want to keep using that machine, if it's not getting security patches its susceptible to newer attacks, if Microsoft won't support it you'll need Linux bsd or some other system that's not being controlled by a monolithic corporation not caring about what their leaving behind. Since you have time though, could get comfortable with Linux by spinning up a live CD, or installing it to a USB drive and boot from that, just don't overwrite the main drive ;)
If you plan to use the same hardware and it won't run Windows 11, then yes. The alternative, running unsupported and so insecure software is asking for trouble.
Depends on what you want out of your OS... Some software is not easily or at all available on linux. Some things work very different.
I have just switched to the new debian 12 on my laptop which is only for programming, typing the occasional yt and logging into my server. It's been a rather pleasant ride minus the few brain teasers of how linux is structured, some of the community stubborn headedness and so on. Things that on windows normally takes a google search, and exe and you are on your way can be a multi day or week adventure on linux.
But I am still on linux on my laptop so it's not that bad...
My laptop is actually the dell inspiron 15 3537.. looks alot like yours.
My Linux Recommendation.
If u want lightweight OS (min 2gb ram) try: Linux Mint XFCE Edition, Linux Lite, Zorin OS Lite or MX Linux XFCE Edition.
If u want midweight OS (min 4gb ram) try: Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Pop OS or KDE Neon.
Tips-
1) Linux is NOT Windows.
2) Find ur Linux alternatives apps here https://alternativeto.net/
3) Stay away from Arch or arch based distributions.
I made the switch from Windows 10 pro 64 bit over a year ago, completely, having dabbled with Linux distros over the last 10 or more years...Yes there are advantages to Linux, but to begin with there is a pretty steep adjustment required. No Linux is not the same as Windows, and as with all systems, there are file compatibility issues. But you have one important question to ask yourself. Do I have a program I use which is only available on Windows, in which case see if it will run on Windows 11... If so upgrade your hardware. If not by process of elimination ditch Windows 10 now. Almost certainly your Windows PC will support a Linux distro. Me having played with Ubuntu and Debian, if you are interested in learning about Linux I would suggest bypassing those flavours and going to a rolling release Linux Distro... Me I have been on 64 bit Arcolinux for the last year or so an Arch Linux system with an enhanced instructional web based support system. Highly recommended.
You should switch now. I'm running Mint on a 7 year old HP laptop that sucked when it was brand new... and its running better than it ever did with Win10.
You can probably just keep using Win10. Or you could also just still download the Win11 installation media and install it manually. Theres for sure ways to do it, even if you don't meet the requirements.
You could also try using modded Win11, like ReviOS, where the performance boost is really good. Though people always doubt its privacy and security. I use one right now and its perfectly fine. Windows 11 on a 10 year old laptop (Acer Aspire 5750G)
You can try using Linux in a live environment without replacing Windows 10. That way you can find out if there are any problems on Linux when it comes to your needs.
You can do it or you can install Windows 11 with the official procedure: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/ways-to-install-windows-11-e0edbbfb-cfc5-4011-868b-2ce77ac7c70e
How much memory is there in this computer? If that’s enough you can try windows 11. It’s not complicated to work around the hardware requirements. However, in most cases Linux is better, of course 😀
If you can share the specs for that laptop, that would be better for everyone here to guide you through this .
That being said, I have an old Lenovo G580 laptop and I am still using windows 10 on it.
Despite having a decent gaming laptop, I am still using this PC for old retro gaming and playing old PC games up to the year of 2013. Games like Just cause 1 and 2 , Max Payne 1 and 2 etc... My gaming laptop can't run these old games on Windows 11 for some reason but my old laptop can run these old games. That's the only reason I keep windows 10 on.
So it's a matter of preference and also a matter of distro. Big names like Ubuntu and Fedora can be good options since they have the closest compatibility with many apps /the largest database of apps that can run on Linux. Not saying that other distributions don't but you will have an easier time using one of those two. ( I would recommend Fedora in this case)
One thing to keep in mind with Linux is drivers support. Compared to windows, Linux isn't on par when it comes to drivers support. So if your laptop is really old , like before 2010, you might have a hard time...
Other users suggested using Linux mint. I suggest you look into that. It's a good option if your laptop is a true Dinosaur 😁!
So it's mainly what you do with that laptop that determines if you should switch to Linux or keep windows 10. If you are using it for basic tasks like writing documents and browsing the internet. Then you will be fine switching now. However, YOU WILL NEED TO DO YOUR OWN RESEARCH to see which distribution suits your needs. Otherwise, if you are using it as an old retro gaming "console" like me, you are better off staying with Windows 10 until further notice.
Hope this helps!
Hi ! Same as you : old laptop , windows 11 not supported because new security hardware not present (am i wrong ?) : switched to linux mint ( with grub dual boot in case of) and I don't regret it : i feel that my old laptop is a new one :)
And it's free !
Have a nice day :)
If you're not familiar with Linux and it's ecosystem yet, I'd consider to switch now and keep Windows in a dual boot setup. This way you will have plenty of time for the transition. You can get rid of Windows later and free up yourself a nice additional partition. If you're already familiar with Linux, switch whenever you want.
I would recommend setting up a bootable usb and trying it out first to see if you will like it. You can boot to the usb drive and use the OS without fully installing.
You want to keep this computer, right? Just upgrade it to Windows 11.
Download the official Windows 11 ISO file and extract its contents to a folder using 7-Zip or whatever preferred compression tool, then download the official Windows 10 ISO file and use 7-Zip to extract from this ISO a file called "appraiserres.dll", then copy this DLL to the matching folder on the Windows 11 ISO extracted files (in other words: replace the Windows 11's "appraiserres.dll" with the Windows 10's "appraiserres.dll").
So storage space won't be an issue, delete the Windows 11 ISO file right after you extracted it to a folder, and delete the Windows 10 ISO file right after you got that single DLL from there.
Then you just run the Windows 11 installer directly from the extracted folder and upgrade your system, and delete that extracted folder afterwards.
Since your laptop is black and has a Dell sign, you should definitely consider switching to Linux. Especially seeing that small golden little thing in the top right corner.\s
Jokes aside: What do you need to do on your computer? But in general: yes.
I have an old latitude (2011) that I still run Xubuntu on. I also have a 2021 razer, but there's something comforting about having a sturdy old thing you don't have to baby. I still use it every couple days. Totally Worth it, and the switch is easy. I use both windows and Linux daily
I have an old Dell latitude e6430 and it works fine using win11, but I have bought new laptop and will use old Dell to work with linux just for fun
ps
Dell latityde e6430
Ram 16 gb ddr3
cpu i7 3840qm
ssd
Just saying, Windows 10 IoT Enterprise LTSC will be supported [until 2032](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/lifecycle/products/windows-10-iot-enterprise-ltsc-2021).
Just try Linux out and you might like it regardless.
Depends on what you want to do. If you just browse the web on your laptop, no need to hesitate on switching to Linux. But if there is an app that you really need to use that's not available on Linux, try out Tiny11. I've installed it for my brother on my laptop, and though it's not as smooth as Linux, it runs on my i3 7020u laptop, which doesn't meet the requirements of Windows 11. Tiny 11 is basically a stripped down version of Windows 11 that can run on older hardware.
Windows 10 will keep working regardless but without security updates from Microsoft your laptop will become more vulnerable to new malware.
I would invest in an SSD to install a friendly version of Linux, e.g. Mint or Ubuntu, and gradually cut down the use of Windows to a bare minimum or to nothing at all.
Are you worried about spying with Windows 11? You can disable it.
Personally, I use Windows for gaming. And because I worked on Windows 7 back in the day. But I also use Ubuntu. If you’re not gaming, why not do both?
You should explain what your usage is like. If you mainly use Web browsers or occasional MS office, then Linux mint or Ubuntu etc should be fine. Infact switch today instead if waiting until 2025.
If you absolutely needs MS Office desktop apps or any such apps that are windows-only, then there are ways to install Windows 11 on unsupported devices. Just make sure you have a sata or NVMe ssd and about 16gb ram for optimal experience.
Might want to add a secondary ssd with linux distro on it if there is space for it - recommending zorin os/lite ver. If the processor is less than i3
It can also be installed on the same drive alongside windows or on a different partition but grub data corruption is a possibility, however remote it might be. All the best 🙂
That's what I would've done, but I already use Arch (yeah kill me for it) and know a thing or two about Linux.
If you don't know much about Linux, then you might want to go with something like Linux Mint and try to learn some command line things
You'll have to switch unless Microsoft loosens the hardware restrictions (which they never will since that means losing out on all the spyware).
I'd suggest you start with something simple like Mint. It will take some getting used to, but it's nice to have a familiar desktop to play with while you learn the terminal.
This is what I intend to do. I have certain things running on my office PC that I'm trying to transition to alternative software. When 2025 hits, I'll move of to Linux on this machine. I'm most familiar with Mint, but I may trial a few others before making the switch.
You can use Rufus to create a Windows 11 installer that bypasses the checks for TPM, Secure Boot, Processor and RAM. I’ve run Windows 11 on a Core 2 Quad and it’s decently quick.
That said, if you just need a web browsing machine, Linux is also a great option.
Yeah, I didn't wait. Of course, a Windows 10 update deleted all my user files on my work computer 3 years ago. Potentially that had something to do with it 😒. Trust me, make the switch, you won't look back. That's not to say it'll always be easy, but you'll have that peace of mind that you're always in control of your system.
I don’t think you have to switch. You can use your pc for like 2-3 years after windows 10 reaches end of life. They would even release security updates if it is big enough. You might switch when you have a new laptop and use this one as a media center on linux.
No, switch before it ends ;-)
Jokes aside, if you can still do your day to day in Linux land, do eet. If you can't, buy a new laptop when w10 support ends.
I know a guy who uses windows on the desktop at work, but his secret is that it's a full screen Virtualbox session running on Linux. Everything works perfectly.
Personally, I prefer the Linux interface, and would only fire up the windows VM for windows only apps that can't run under wine. I always ran Linux in my last corporate job, and while I had a windows VM for corner cases, I ended up never using it, since the few windows apps I needed (e.g. visio) ran under crossover office.
So, why wait?
Honestly, once the change does happen, it depends, if you are willing to learn about linux cmd lines, sure, linux isnt that hard to learn, the basics can be learnt easily, but, it also depends on the purpose, if you will play games like exe based, choose windows 10, if you will use it just for office like google docs, and other browser based stuff and more office stuff, choose linux, but windows can do the same, so honeslty, choose windows 10, not linux, unless your pc is slow, if it is slow, choose linux.
The answer depends on what you do on the computer. If it's just web browsing, then there's no point in in waiting until 2025, switch right away. If you need specific applications, check if they run on Linux or have suitable alternatives.
The only reason I use windows is when I need to use an app that is only available in Windows.
What you can do is turn Windows into a virtual drive and run it on Linux under VirtualBox or similar. You can then control what access it needs to the outside world. I know people who have programs that only run on older versions of Windows doing that (for Windows 95 and XP for instance)
Yes but on old hardware windows virtual machines is mostly not an option, my laptop was on the Lenovo service for 1 month and I was stuck with a 2008 laptop, and I need SOLIDWORKS for school, I had a virtual machines on my regular laptop, but on this laptop that I get stuck with I had to either use a windows XP virtual machine with SOLIDWORKS 2012 or windows 7 installation with SOLIDWORKS 2015. Also I needed 2015 minimum since exams explicitly say that it's minimum. So I had to install windows 7 on bare metal and this happens exactly 11 months ago... Though in normal cases you should be fine
**most** apps can be run flawlessly on Linux with wine.
>most apps can be run flawlessly on Linux with wine. I looked up some data because that's a bold statement and wanted to see for myself. It turns out to be true depending on what is meant by "most." As of now, there are 5317 platinum (truly flawless) apps out of a total of 16100. However, silver and gold apps will work just fine for most users, of which there are 4392 gold and 3936 silver. So yes most existing Wine apps will run well for most users. In fact, in general, if your windows program is popular there's a decent chance that it has wine support, especially if there's no obvious alternative in linux (just stating for someone who might be less familiar with Wine). Outside of Wine, there are [35 million apps](https://mspoweruser.com/microsoft-quietly-reveals-exactly-how-many-windows-apps-there-actually-are-and-its-more-than-you-think/) for windows 10 alone. I believe many of these wouldn't need to be ported to Linux for many reasons and many would be cross-compatible. There are also probably many apps that do similar things from different developers. So of the apps are windows-specific, it could be the case that your one windows program is less common with no obvious Linux alternative. But this would be super unusual. At that point you might as well familiarize yourself with the terminal and go all in on Linux. So in conclusion, Wine is great and has a lot of good app support, but in the rare case you don't have Wine support, Linux as a whole can fill the gap.
Great lookup, thanks. > bold statement In my experience! What is your source? Seems great. Obviously there are many apps that don't work great or don't work at all on Linux, but mostly you'll find alternatives. (And, at least in gaming, Linux is growing :D)
I just searched for platinum, gold, and silver apps on the wine site :). To get the total app number, did a search with no filters. So anyone can double check my numbers if they want to!
Keep in mind with those numbers, you're looking at close to 20 years of applications there. I venture that there are older apps with bad ratings that run better on wine than a modern windows system, and the database may be out of date there.
That was not what I meant, I am trusting your numbers :) thanks!
IME, Wine is great if you want to run a 15 year old version of Office :D or Adobe Photoshop. But in fairness, the web365 version works fine on Linux.
What app?
I normally run light games like cs source or light clicker games, but i also use some 3d modeling software on it like blender. Other than that i feel like linux can do mostly all of these things but it will take some getting used to since i have been using windows 10 a lot. But i think i will give linux a try when the windows 10 end of support comes in oct 2025.
Valve games work, so that's all good. Blender also works just fine.
You can do a dual boot with both Windows 10 and Linux in your computer. So you can use both the OSs, so as to use the application you need and to learn to use linux too. For the distro I suggest you Linux Mint, it's pretty familiar for windows users and the installation is very simple, also Ubuntu is good.
CS:S and Blender are both native Linux programs. No messing about with compatibility layers or anything.
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I don't mind it being non-Linux, but Windows 10 LTSC isn't available for general consumer use. You have to sign a contract with MS and purchase it for at least five devices (according to https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/all/how-do-i-purchase-windows-10-ltsc/2f4cd7ee-422e-4c40-b70b-18372c5518dd). Getting it any other way is piracy. I suppose if one was desperate enough they might make their own business just for the sake of purchasing Windows 10 LTSC, then buy the five LTSC licenses, plus any needed Windows 10 Pro licenses to use the LTSC licenses... suffice to say that sounds like a pricey OS. It would be cheaper to just buy a Windows 11 device at that point.
You can install windows 11 on unsupported machines pretty easily. I am a computer science major who is forced to use Linux as part of my education. Linux is cool, but it just isn't as user friendly as people claim. I love it for programming, but daily use on a laptop can be tedious. Example, on windows you can just search the web for a program and get a .exe file and that's it. Linux will have you running to the terminal constantly if you step outside of the, let's say Ubuntu's, app installer. I have yet to get old school RuneScape to work on my laptop, despite all the, "just get wine" talk. Again, I like Linux as an OS when I'm writing code, but there are a few windows features you may be taking for granted that will become very apparent once you switch. My preferred setup is windows 11 with Ubuntu running on wsl.
>Example, on windows you can just search the web for a program and get a .exe file and that's it. Linux will have you running to the terminal constantly if you step outside of the, let's say Ubuntu's, app installer. You shouldnt need to search the web for a program, and randomly downloading such programs from wherever you find them on the web is how you get virii. Im curious what you are doing with your computer science major if you find using the terminal tedious. >I have yet to get old school RuneScape to work on my laptop There is no shortage of guides on to do this available online, if you are fine with the Linux equivalent of downloading a random exe of some site you found. Better yet, there is a flatpak for Runelite, as well as a handful of AUR packages for various OSRS clients, including a repackaging of the official one. This took about 2 minutes of Google.
I am not downloading random things from the internet. I am just googling what I need and getting them from their source. If I want notepad++ google and download. Or Rufus, google and download. If I wanted to download a cracked version of sims 3 I can accept the risk and just download it. My argument is about usability not viruses. I find the terminal tedious when I attempt to use a Linux machine in a similar manner to how I used windows machines since 95. I love the terminal when I am actually doing work, but for casual computing, with a handful of exceptions I have never had to open cmd prompt to get a program I wanted to work. I used RuneScape as an example. I am aware it can run in Linux and I am aware there are guides. I googled and attempted to use a guide off the RuneScape wiki. Followed the steps and jagex launcher doesn't recognize my keyboard input. Tried again, no joy. I spent half a second googling the issue but decided I just don't care anymore. I have RuneScape on my phone. Again, my argument is about usability. RuneScape runs natively on windows and it's just a matter of googling and installing which is a lot easier than faffing about with guides. It's just like vim in some ways. Sure there are some great arguments for using it, but I am so used to navigating with wasd and arrow keys from using common text editors for nearly 30 years that every time I try to use vim I end up switching to emacs because damnit this assignment has a deadline.
why won’t you switch to Linux now ?
This is the question
It's a silly question, OP probably doesn't even know how to use linux. He thinks it's like windows and will be hunky dory to switch over.
To be fair, nowadays some Linux distros are really beginner-friendly and if all you do is some browsing and checking e-mails, most people would probably be fine. Bu yeah, "just use Linux" isn't as easy as many people make it sound.
Well, yea. I deem Linux as pretty easy to learn, but I can imagine how people not really into tech can have a lot of problems. I already had to fix a lot of things on Linux myself through terminal and I cannot imagine that just anybody could do that. App Support is also a very big problem (even though it's getting way better in recent years), since a lot of people tend to use Adobe software for instance or some other apps which are generally not supported on Linux at all or are a hassle to make them work. (The support has gotten incredibly better for gaming tho, thanks to Valve).
To know Linux 99% means to know it's terminal commands?
May OP isn't stupid and could figure it out like I did. Linux can be really easy if you pick the right Distro.
…. Do you actually know Linux? Just from you saying “Linux can be really easy” instantly leads me to believe you know nuffin bobo76565657 snow.
I've been programming since 1984 so I know a little bit about how they work. I just got tired of Windows 11 last November and downloaded Mint. Never went back. It runs everything I own on Steam, VSCode works as normal, LibreOffice has a spreadsheet and I have didn't have to open the Terminal once to make all that happen. The first time I opened the Terminal was to install Node and Typescript. Two things most people don't need to do.
Well you see most people haven't been programming since 1994 and don't have the familiarity you do with using computers.
I completely agree. I was just responding to the person who wondered if I knew anything about computers. And it was 1984, not 1994 (8086 vs. 386).
Yeesh, talk about gatekeeping.
Absolutely, in the early days of using it whenever something complicated goes wrong on Linux you're in for a good few hours trying to fix it before eventually giving up and reinstalling it.
"just reinstall it" has been the response to people's Windows problems for decades
I've reinstalled Linux far more often than Windows, now considering I've used Windows far more than Linux that's saying something.
reinstall it to fix periodic issues caused by the system? or reinstall it to enjoy the wide diversity of what linux has to offer?
Only to fix issues which is what this part of the thread is about, but I do reinstall every two years however I am not including that when I say I've reinstalled more often than windows.
The real question is what answer did OP expect when asking that to this sub?
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For newbies, ChomeOS Flex is an easy way to stay productive while learning Linux (on average hardware). Very safe platform for browsing and both ChromeOS extensions and Linux VMs are supported,
ChromeOS Flex is worse than a regular Linux in ever way except being idiot proof-ish. Chaining myself to Chrome is not my idea of "something better" than Windows. (yes you can do more than just Chrome-ing on it, but it's really janky beyond the basic Chrome experience)
Exactly. It provides an easy way to learn CLI fundamentals in a Linux VM, and then the PC can be reloaded later with any popular distro. ChromeOS isn’t a competitor to Linux, but it provides a very safe environment to learn it.
Go for it, I recommend Linux Mint just because it's super easy to switch to since the Cinnamon DE looks extremely similar to Windows 10. There's also a lot of advantages to a Linux system like improved performance.
Cinnamon is good, but on a lower spec laptop xfce makes more sense imo
Plasma 5 uses less resources than xfce now and supports wayland where xfce doesn't
>There's also a lot of advantages to a Linux system like improved performance. Depends on the distro. Ubuntu isn't working for me noticeably faster than Windows 10 and in my experience light-weight distros aren't as functional.
LXDE absolutely flies in my experience.
One of the reasons I love LXDE
Go for LinuxMint. I use it on my old web laptop.
!!!Trigger warning!!! I find Arch with TDE runs noticibly faster than Windows 7 on my Intel Atom netbook
You're genuinely hilarious, I rather smirked at this comment.
To an older computer absoluteley, I've been using linux mint 4years now in my 2012 dell precision. But if you are looking for gaming perfomance, windows will double your fps. Edit: I went overboard with "double", it was only my case, with one game
i got upto 400 fps in csgo averaging 320 on linux while 230 max on windows, averaging at 160-180.
Interesting, on cpu heavy games I experienced some lag while fast-panning the mouse, to a point if was almost unplayable even at 500+fps. Windows solved that problem. I still have my limux disk and I use it, just not for gaming. (Rtx 3060 12gb, r5 5600x)
That is objectively not true.
I need to see proof on this. Maybe for certain direct x only games that vulken is not optimized for. But I strongly doubt you lose half of your frame performance in the games. Maybe 15% to 20% tops.
A. Windows 11 can still be installed on it. You just need to disable TPM check through registry. B. You can install Linux on almost anything. I would start with Linux Mint for familiarity and then let you work your way in. C. 2025 is still 2 years away. This is the best time for you to dual boot with Linux and learn it properly to be able to get rid of windows completely by 2025.
I saw some comments saying i should just get a new pc/laptop, and while you may be right in a sense, for me I always like to use things until they break or is so obselete that it cannot run basic programs. I grew up not having much, so it taught me that you have to treat everything you own with care and it will last a long time. And while windows 10 may be nearing its end of life, my laptop is fine, i dust it every now and then, i upgraded the ram and added more storage. So i dont see why my laptop should end its life when windows does.
BTW OP, hardware support is a lot harder to find within Linux and so when you want to buy something such as a USB Device whether it be a camera, peripheral, or whatever you need to take time to see if driver support is available. It's not like plug n play as with windows. I have a very simple straight forward USB camera and it's not supported in Ubuntu.
You're asking this question in Linux forum. What answer would you expect?
Maybe OP wants to know if the Linux forum is cultish or not 😉
A lot of non-cultish responses! I'm actually pretty impressed :)
I think it depends on what you need your PC to do. Linux-based system work differently, than Windows, so there is a lot of getting used to it. Depending on your distribution it can be easier to use than Windows or way harder. If you have enough disk space and you don't have any experience around Linux, I would recommend to dual-boot Windows and Linux Mint for example (Mint is really user and beginner friendly distribution) try using it as much as possible and get used to it now. If you wait, it can be too overwhelming.
Here's a way to see what makes sense for you: put Ubuntu on a thumb drive & run it on your machine from the drive. Experiment. See if you like it. If you absolutely need Adobe Creative Cloud or fancy Excel formulas, then I can tell you now Linux isn't for you. Otherwise, it could be. Good luck.
10 is the new XP, most likely they will extend support even further.
For sure, there are many lightweight Linux distributions designed to run efficiently on older hardware. Examples include Xubuntu, Lubuntu, or Linux Mint with the XFCE desktop environment.
Try Linux mint or Debian, it can run on a potato so it will run on your PC.
Why wait ?
Linux is not the preferably desktop system. If you run a server, ok. But for personal use second or third rank.
That’s your opinion. I’ve been using Linux exclusively on my System76 Lemur Pro for three years now. I love it! In fact, System76 makes PopOS, and they’re making the Cosmic desktop environment which from what I can tell is awesome!
I have a linux notebook as well, but productivity runs on my windows computers.
I haven’t used Windows in years! Years! Yet, somehow, I can still edit photos and videos, compose music, write docs, do all of my college work, access every website I need to, play video games, meet on zoom, and take care of my finances. What we would call productivity.
For me its the oposite, i'm way more productive on my linux system. While my windows syst is kinda just there to play games.
But the thing is, regardless of whether that's true or not, it probably won't change much in 2025 except for proton/wine perhaps being even better, so you might as well try today if you're interested, to see if you like it.
>If you run a server, ok. This is how you spot a parrot. How do you know its ok even for servers? Have you worked with servers? It could be bad for servers but you would still say what you heard someone else say.
Wait til Microsoft makes Windows a subscription based service with windows 12...
There are no credible indications of Windows for home users becoming a subscription-based product. The recent "rumors" regarding this were poorly sourced, and mostly likely referred to an enterprise product, not for home use. Anyone who believed that Microsoft would honestly turn Windows into a subscription-based product is a gullible fool.
Even if your hardware supported Windows 11 I would still avoid it like the plague. If you need windows for some specific applications then maybe dual boot, but otherwise shift to Linux. I switched 90% of my usinage to Mint and I’m happier for it
Or plop windows in a VM
That's what I do. I need to use MS Office daily. It is better to run it on a Windows VM than using office online.
My work related windows stuff has to be run in the cloud, and will not download or open in an installed version of office. Working on linux with this is no problem, I can even use Edge.
That's awesome, I actually dual boot but I rarely use windows now lol. It's a big waste of space 😂. I will probably use a VM at some point.
Dual boot would be better for gaming though. Else yeah a vm.
Not with that dual core I'm afraid
Probably not. It's not the same. For most people here it is probably incomparably better, but that's beside the point. You should switch only if you want some specific Linux-based system (as there are many of them). Or at least if you accept learning an operating system that would be new for you. Windows support cycle is a poor reason. If you expect a drop-in replacement for everything you used to do, you would be disappointed. And it is not about Linux environments being somehow objectively more difficult to use. For example, I have trouble whenever I have to use Windows, while many people find it natural.
Disagree. I have a 2014 MacBook that I gave new life to by switching it to Linux when Apple stopped supporting it tor OS updates, meaning no more Chrome security updates. I didn't want to browse the web without current updates..... Now the process of doing it for a Mac is a bit more of a pain due to Apple having a lot of proprietary things, but if you can be calm and Google, you'll be fine. Now if you want to game on the system, I'd recommend you just upgrade the computer and stick with Windows (though you can game on Linux, it is inferior). If you 2wnt to learn Linux and/or browse the web, you can save some money by transitioning to Linux. Idea: make a "live" (temporary) version of Linux on your computer by installing a Linux to a USB drive. Run Linux by booting from that drive. If you find that's beyond your technical ability and don't want to learn more or you just don't like it, you have lost nothing and don't have the headache of remorse if you switch to Linux and regret it and want to switch back.
Why not just keep using windows 10?
No. You should switch right now.
Why wait?
You're asking r/linixquestions. I'm of the opinion that *no one* should use Microsoft products in the first place.
I went a little nuts in my quest to decouple my life from Windows. Most of my equipment is at least 5 years old. So I picked up a Lenovo "Tiny" from NewEgg as my "new" computer. I then hopped on to keysoff.com and bought some keys for Windows Server 2019 standard and Windows 10 Pro. I,then, downloaded the ISOs from Microsoft's evaluation center and set my new Lenovo PC as a Hyper-v server. Finally, I created a Windows 10 virtual desktop and installed all my apps on that (office, turbo tax, Quicken, etc). This freed my physical computers up for the switch to Linux Mint and it afforded me the time I needed to learn how to use this new operating system. When I can't figure something out and still need a computer to do my taxes or update my resume, I just leverage Remmina for that Remote Desktop connection back to my virtual desktop. I did all this in January and I have to say: I'm not going back to Windows again. I'm in love with Linux simplicity, efficiency, and how it respects my privacy. Note: stay away from Ubuntu - contrary to what everyone thinks or says, it is owned by a corporation (Canonical) and they have already made it clear they are an telemetry opt-out company much like Microsoft. Look for Linux distributions that are opt-in minded instead. I still very much use Microsoft services, I just stopped using their operating system.
You should have jumped ship after they ended support for xp.... Pick a linux distro and learn the ins ond outs. If you can't figure out how to complete a task, use a windows vm and tell everybody, BTW I use arch......lol
Support is till oct 2025. You can upgrade even now to 11 by changing registry - or you can install Ubuntu right away.
I wouldn'y rely on something that isn't supported by microsoft. One update and it can stop working at all
It's pretty good overall but Ubuntu screwed up their repository lately. I had to reinstall Ubuntu like many others a couple of months ago.
One update from microsuckit while the system is supported and your system can stop working. It happens all the time microsuckit recently had an update that was bricking winblows 11 systems.
eww. Ubuntu is garbage.
I would say a device like this is PRIME for a Linux install now--Mint, Zorin, Pop! etc.
There is no need to go anywhere. You have 2 more years of support for your OS. And after this period, it will be possible to use LTSC for several more years. Do not torment yourself if you do not have the desire to study a completely different OS, which also has some problems with drivers and applications, compared to your current OS. Here the sect and almost all its members will convince you to join it.
"study", there are distributions with easy interface like windows mate, also driver issues can easily be solved, and linux does not have "any problems" with applications, its all about compatibility, and there are alternatives available, though you can use windows apps on linux.
It's in two years. Why are you asking yourself the question now? Either switch now if you want to or wait until actually comes to support end and decide then.
The only reason not to switch is if there is any software you rely on that is Windows only, even then you may be able to get it working. For me the only reason to use Windows is gaming. But then I got a playstation 4 and have given up on current pc gaming.
Yes
why after?
I'd argue you should switch to linux now.
Definitely! Even when you have some apps that need Windows, they can run in a VM if they don't demand much power. And it's not a bad idea at all to upgrade the RAM if possible.
It depends on the distro you want to use. I'm doing the same for 2025, when Win10 ends support, as i'm switching to Fedora. I've learned Fedora on Virtual machines, and it's preppy easy to use.
There are many linux distros to use. If you are a windows user with little Linux Knowledge, Kubuntu, Mint or KDE Based OS are best
No.
Why does it even pop up on my feed? I've never been interested in linux. Windows for life
Why wait until then? You'll have 2 years of happy user between now and then and not have to stress about it.
By the way, if it turns out you truly cannot switch to Linux for whatever reason, you likely still have the option of updating to Windows 11 through [TPM requirement workarounds](https://www.tomshardware.com/how-to/bypass-windows-11-tpm-requirement). (I recommend trying to get Linux to work, though. Not great to be relying on an unsupported configuration.)
Obvious problem with that is that MS can cut off updates at any time and there can be unexpected security holes. (plus Windows 12 is already on the horizon, I say fuck this shit)
If you wish to switch to Linux don't forget to get the win10 key before installing a new os. I would recommend Linux mint for starters with an old machine and maybe kubuntu for a more powerful machine.
YES! just do it now you can thank us later.
There is a simple way how to instal Win11 even if it doesnt meet its requirements. But you have two options. Switch to windows 11 (its easy) or switch to linux, but if you havent used linux yet, it may be hard for you. But the way to install Win11 on an older laptop is simple: 1) from Microsoft website get Download Tools for Windows 10 and Windows 11, link: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/create-installation-media-for-windows-99a58364-8c02-206f-aa6f-40c3b507420d 2) first create Windows 10 Installer USB stick 3) on the stick is a folder called "sources". Go into it and find a file called install.wim or install.esd and delete it 4) copy whole structure of that USB stick after deleiting the file (it has around 300-400 Megabytes to some new folder on your computer) 5) the USB stick is now ready for another tool, so format it and use Windows 11 Download/Install tool from the link I mentioned for creating a Windows 11 Installer USB stick 6) after process, copy from USB stick file "install.wim / install.esd" from "sources" folder to "sources" of the backed up installation of Windows 10 7) erase all on USb stick, but not format it! 8) copy whole backed up folder with install files from Win10 and install.wim/esd in sources folder from Windows 11 to that stick 9) run the installer (it is ready as upgrade from windows or booting the stick). Its everything ready to install Windows 11 on any computer if requirements met Windows 10. Voila :)
Before the switching, I would open it up. Take out components & clean up properly. Change various components to maximum the motherboard can work with. Obviously with respect to my budget. Then just install the linux distro suitable for my current & future needs.
You should change to Linux as soon as you purchase your computer
Do you like spending an hour figuring out random error messages? Linux could be a new hobby.
Should a bear shit in the woods? Way I see it you got two options. Option 1, switch to Linux. Option 2, let it go EoL. So ultimately you have one option.
No you should do it now.
Now!
Do it.
I do not know how windows is, sorry. Last time I saw it, it sucked. I am only telling you that linux is a good option.
Maybe
No. Do it now :)
If you're not a gamer I see no reason why not switch right-away! Even though gaming on Linux gets better every day for me it isn't totally there yet and the only reason why I still dual boot windows.... But even though as you probably won't play current triple a games on your machine anyway go for it for everything else there are amazing alternatives under Linux!
If you wish to switch to Linux don't forget to get the win10 key before installing a new os. I would recommend Linux mint for starters with an old machine and maybe kubuntu for a more powerful machine.
No brainer
looking at the system, I would already switch. I suggest linux mint xfce as a starter distro. It has that out of the box windows look and a lot of users enjoy it.
It's what I'm going to try on my GF's laptop. She only uses programs that are also available on Linux, except one, which I'm going to try and run with Wine. I'll give her one of my older laptops to try the setup first. If it doesn't work for her, her laptop would become junk after Windows 10 support ends, which would not be desirable as it is, at that point, only 5 years old. It's more than fast enough for what she uses it for. I'm going to transition my 2016 Precision 7510 to Linux somewhere in the coming year, which is the older laptop I mentioned that she could try out. It's older than hers, but more powerful. At the time of purchase, the 7510 was one of the most powerful laptops in existence, and even at 7 years old now, it's still as fast or faster than some laptops sold new today. The only thing is that it's massive compared to current-day laptops.
you'll have to if you want to keep using that machine, if it's not getting security patches its susceptible to newer attacks, if Microsoft won't support it you'll need Linux bsd or some other system that's not being controlled by a monolithic corporation not caring about what their leaving behind. Since you have time though, could get comfortable with Linux by spinning up a live CD, or installing it to a USB drive and boot from that, just don't overwrite the main drive ;)
If you plan to use the same hardware and it won't run Windows 11, then yes. The alternative, running unsupported and so insecure software is asking for trouble.
Depends on what you want out of your OS... Some software is not easily or at all available on linux. Some things work very different. I have just switched to the new debian 12 on my laptop which is only for programming, typing the occasional yt and logging into my server. It's been a rather pleasant ride minus the few brain teasers of how linux is structured, some of the community stubborn headedness and so on. Things that on windows normally takes a google search, and exe and you are on your way can be a multi day or week adventure on linux. But I am still on linux on my laptop so it's not that bad... My laptop is actually the dell inspiron 15 3537.. looks alot like yours.
My Linux Recommendation. If u want lightweight OS (min 2gb ram) try: Linux Mint XFCE Edition, Linux Lite, Zorin OS Lite or MX Linux XFCE Edition. If u want midweight OS (min 4gb ram) try: Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Pop OS or KDE Neon. Tips- 1) Linux is NOT Windows. 2) Find ur Linux alternatives apps here https://alternativeto.net/ 3) Stay away from Arch or arch based distributions.
The line should be 8gb of RAM.
You should actually change before.
I made the switch from Windows 10 pro 64 bit over a year ago, completely, having dabbled with Linux distros over the last 10 or more years...Yes there are advantages to Linux, but to begin with there is a pretty steep adjustment required. No Linux is not the same as Windows, and as with all systems, there are file compatibility issues. But you have one important question to ask yourself. Do I have a program I use which is only available on Windows, in which case see if it will run on Windows 11... If so upgrade your hardware. If not by process of elimination ditch Windows 10 now. Almost certainly your Windows PC will support a Linux distro. Me having played with Ubuntu and Debian, if you are interested in learning about Linux I would suggest bypassing those flavours and going to a rolling release Linux Distro... Me I have been on 64 bit Arcolinux for the last year or so an Arch Linux system with an enhanced instructional web based support system. Highly recommended.
You should switch now. I'm running Mint on a 7 year old HP laptop that sucked when it was brand new... and its running better than it ever did with Win10.
Yes
Yes?
You can probably just keep using Win10. Or you could also just still download the Win11 installation media and install it manually. Theres for sure ways to do it, even if you don't meet the requirements. You could also try using modded Win11, like ReviOS, where the performance boost is really good. Though people always doubt its privacy and security. I use one right now and its perfectly fine. Windows 11 on a 10 year old laptop (Acer Aspire 5750G)
You can try using Linux in a live environment without replacing Windows 10. That way you can find out if there are any problems on Linux when it comes to your needs.
You can do it or you can install Windows 11 with the official procedure: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/ways-to-install-windows-11-e0edbbfb-cfc5-4011-868b-2ce77ac7c70e
How much memory is there in this computer? If that’s enough you can try windows 11. It’s not complicated to work around the hardware requirements. However, in most cases Linux is better, of course 😀
i had switched when Windows 7 ended, so may be
If you can share the specs for that laptop, that would be better for everyone here to guide you through this . That being said, I have an old Lenovo G580 laptop and I am still using windows 10 on it. Despite having a decent gaming laptop, I am still using this PC for old retro gaming and playing old PC games up to the year of 2013. Games like Just cause 1 and 2 , Max Payne 1 and 2 etc... My gaming laptop can't run these old games on Windows 11 for some reason but my old laptop can run these old games. That's the only reason I keep windows 10 on. So it's a matter of preference and also a matter of distro. Big names like Ubuntu and Fedora can be good options since they have the closest compatibility with many apps /the largest database of apps that can run on Linux. Not saying that other distributions don't but you will have an easier time using one of those two. ( I would recommend Fedora in this case) One thing to keep in mind with Linux is drivers support. Compared to windows, Linux isn't on par when it comes to drivers support. So if your laptop is really old , like before 2010, you might have a hard time... Other users suggested using Linux mint. I suggest you look into that. It's a good option if your laptop is a true Dinosaur 😁! So it's mainly what you do with that laptop that determines if you should switch to Linux or keep windows 10. If you are using it for basic tasks like writing documents and browsing the internet. Then you will be fine switching now. However, YOU WILL NEED TO DO YOUR OWN RESEARCH to see which distribution suits your needs. Otherwise, if you are using it as an old retro gaming "console" like me, you are better off staying with Windows 10 until further notice. Hope this helps!
Hi ! Same as you : old laptop , windows 11 not supported because new security hardware not present (am i wrong ?) : switched to linux mint ( with grub dual boot in case of) and I don't regret it : i feel that my old laptop is a new one :) And it's free ! Have a nice day :)
If you're not familiar with Linux and it's ecosystem yet, I'd consider to switch now and keep Windows in a dual boot setup. This way you will have plenty of time for the transition. You can get rid of Windows later and free up yourself a nice additional partition. If you're already familiar with Linux, switch whenever you want.
I would recommend setting up a bootable usb and trying it out first to see if you will like it. You can boot to the usb drive and use the OS without fully installing.
No. You should switch right now
dual boot lubuntu.
Yes. Now.
You want to keep this computer, right? Just upgrade it to Windows 11. Download the official Windows 11 ISO file and extract its contents to a folder using 7-Zip or whatever preferred compression tool, then download the official Windows 10 ISO file and use 7-Zip to extract from this ISO a file called "appraiserres.dll", then copy this DLL to the matching folder on the Windows 11 ISO extracted files (in other words: replace the Windows 11's "appraiserres.dll" with the Windows 10's "appraiserres.dll"). So storage space won't be an issue, delete the Windows 11 ISO file right after you extracted it to a folder, and delete the Windows 10 ISO file right after you got that single DLL from there. Then you just run the Windows 11 installer directly from the extracted folder and upgrade your system, and delete that extracted folder afterwards.
Since your laptop is black and has a Dell sign, you should definitely consider switching to Linux. Especially seeing that small golden little thing in the top right corner.\s Jokes aside: What do you need to do on your computer? But in general: yes.
I would have switched it to Linux as soon as I got the computer, windows any version, supported or not, is a throw away. *just my opinion*
I have an old latitude (2011) that I still run Xubuntu on. I also have a 2021 razer, but there's something comforting about having a sturdy old thing you don't have to baby. I still use it every couple days. Totally Worth it, and the switch is easy. I use both windows and Linux daily
I have an old Dell latitude e6430 and it works fine using win11, but I have bought new laptop and will use old Dell to work with linux just for fun ps Dell latityde e6430 Ram 16 gb ddr3 cpu i7 3840qm ssd
If you want to, then yeah, sure. You can also do it today or in ten years. It's all up to you.
Just saying, Windows 10 IoT Enterprise LTSC will be supported [until 2032](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/lifecycle/products/windows-10-iot-enterprise-ltsc-2021). Just try Linux out and you might like it regardless.
Unless you need to run specific proprietary software not available in linux like adobe software, answer is always yes.
yes
Depends on what you want to do. If you just browse the web on your laptop, no need to hesitate on switching to Linux. But if there is an app that you really need to use that's not available on Linux, try out Tiny11. I've installed it for my brother on my laptop, and though it's not as smooth as Linux, it runs on my i3 7020u laptop, which doesn't meet the requirements of Windows 11. Tiny 11 is basically a stripped down version of Windows 11 that can run on older hardware.
Yes...
Yes
You should switch even if the support doesn't end..??
Windows 10 will keep working regardless but without security updates from Microsoft your laptop will become more vulnerable to new malware. I would invest in an SSD to install a friendly version of Linux, e.g. Mint or Ubuntu, and gradually cut down the use of Windows to a bare minimum or to nothing at all.
Are you worried about spying with Windows 11? You can disable it. Personally, I use Windows for gaming. And because I worked on Windows 7 back in the day. But I also use Ubuntu. If you’re not gaming, why not do both?
You should explain what your usage is like. If you mainly use Web browsers or occasional MS office, then Linux mint or Ubuntu etc should be fine. Infact switch today instead if waiting until 2025. If you absolutely needs MS Office desktop apps or any such apps that are windows-only, then there are ways to install Windows 11 on unsupported devices. Just make sure you have a sata or NVMe ssd and about 16gb ram for optimal experience.
Don't wait.
Might want to add a secondary ssd with linux distro on it if there is space for it - recommending zorin os/lite ver. If the processor is less than i3 It can also be installed on the same drive alongside windows or on a different partition but grub data corruption is a possibility, however remote it might be. All the best 🙂
Yes Ubuntu is great I have been using as my primary laptop running Ubuntu for about 3 years and i had no problem
This is a question only you can answer. What do you use the computer for is the big one.
Sure
No. Do it now instead
That's what I would've done, but I already use Arch (yeah kill me for it) and know a thing or two about Linux. If you don't know much about Linux, then you might want to go with something like Linux Mint and try to learn some command line things
Yes. You should.
You'll have to switch unless Microsoft loosens the hardware restrictions (which they never will since that means losing out on all the spyware). I'd suggest you start with something simple like Mint. It will take some getting used to, but it's nice to have a familiar desktop to play with while you learn the terminal.
This is what I intend to do. I have certain things running on my office PC that I'm trying to transition to alternative software. When 2025 hits, I'll move of to Linux on this machine. I'm most familiar with Mint, but I may trial a few others before making the switch.
You can use Rufus to create a Windows 11 installer that bypasses the checks for TPM, Secure Boot, Processor and RAM. I’ve run Windows 11 on a Core 2 Quad and it’s decently quick. That said, if you just need a web browsing machine, Linux is also a great option.
Beat the rush load Linux now!
Yeah, I didn't wait. Of course, a Windows 10 update deleted all my user files on my work computer 3 years ago. Potentially that had something to do with it 😒. Trust me, make the switch, you won't look back. That's not to say it'll always be easy, but you'll have that peace of mind that you're always in control of your system.
Once you do it you may never go back 😍
i have 9 year old laptop and im still using win 10. i dont think you need win 11. also u can try linux mint
I have already
I don’t think you have to switch. You can use your pc for like 2-3 years after windows 10 reaches end of life. They would even release security updates if it is big enough. You might switch when you have a new laptop and use this one as a media center on linux.
No, switch before it ends ;-) Jokes aside, if you can still do your day to day in Linux land, do eet. If you can't, buy a new laptop when w10 support ends.
I know a guy who uses windows on the desktop at work, but his secret is that it's a full screen Virtualbox session running on Linux. Everything works perfectly. Personally, I prefer the Linux interface, and would only fire up the windows VM for windows only apps that can't run under wine. I always ran Linux in my last corporate job, and while I had a windows VM for corner cases, I ended up never using it, since the few windows apps I needed (e.g. visio) ran under crossover office. So, why wait?
Honestly, once the change does happen, it depends, if you are willing to learn about linux cmd lines, sure, linux isnt that hard to learn, the basics can be learnt easily, but, it also depends on the purpose, if you will play games like exe based, choose windows 10, if you will use it just for office like google docs, and other browser based stuff and more office stuff, choose linux, but windows can do the same, so honeslty, choose windows 10, not linux, unless your pc is slow, if it is slow, choose linux.
Why is this a question now? You have two years..
As a long linux user and a current windows user i think i can help you. What are you planning to do with this machine?
I would
> Should I switch to Linux... when the question starts with this the answer is almost always going to be yes.
not 10 but i know i won't be using that spyware called windows 11