Our family PC still has 8.1 (parents really don’t like change and Firefox got security updates until recently). I think I’ll upgrade it to 10 when I have time, the amount of debloat required to keep it sane is manageable as opposed to 11. Mom could handle mildly riced XFCE Linux with Firefox and our legal copy of Office 2007 under Wine but dad uses Total Commander and won’t use anything other than drive letters.
We’ve been using Classic Shell since Day 1 of course. I modded it to quit qBittorrent when Mom opens the Shutdown dialog* (yes, she always opens that awful window) because that takes the longest to terminate. I’ll use it plus Explorer Patcher on 10, a semi-transparent taskbar without blur is so handy
* Classic Shell Start Menu can run arbitrary and predefined commands from buttons but not both at once. The Shutdown dialog can only be triggered with a predefined CSSM command or JS script so I’m using a VBS script (unlike BAT or JS, it can run silently) that runs the JS script and taskkill command.
I ran the LTSC version until it recently failed a regular update multiple times, every shutdown and restart would take over an hour, and I would never wish that curse upon anybody ever. It frequently BSOD’ed, usually involving nVidia audio or Windows Store applications (I didn’t have any windows Store Apps installed but they’re sometimes dependencies), and the only way I could tell you that was the source of the problem is I learned to read the clusterfuck that is the Event Viewer logs, but I haven’t had a single similar issue on Linux since I made the switch.
Mate! If your hardware is good enough, then download windows 11 from massgrave.dev and then use this unattended method, which lets you turn off all the crap including TPM and BitLocked and all ai and o365 teams bollocks.
I already use unattend scripts for the rest of my family’s Windows shit… I add irm https://christitus.com/win | iex at the end too so I can then install cool stuff
Our family PC still has 8.1 (parents really don’t like change and Firefox got security updates until recently). I think I’ll upgrade it to 10 when I have time, the amount of debloat required to keep it sane is manageable as opposed to 11. Mom could handle mildly riced XFCE Linux with Firefox and our legal copy of Office 2007 under Wine but dad uses Total Commander and won’t use anything other than drive letters.
Man 8.1 Metro was the worst UI pick Windows has had
We’ve been using Classic Shell since Day 1 of course. I modded it to quit qBittorrent when Mom opens the Shutdown dialog* (yes, she always opens that awful window) because that takes the longest to terminate. I’ll use it plus Explorer Patcher on 10, a semi-transparent taskbar without blur is so handy
* Classic Shell Start Menu can run arbitrary and predefined commands from buttons but not both at once. The Shutdown dialog can only be triggered with a predefined CSSM command or JS script so I’m using a VBS script (unlike BAT or JS, it can run silently) that runs the JS script and
taskkillcommand.A suggestion:
Dual boot!
Call the Linux partition “Mom’s speed machine” and the old Windows 8.1 partition “Dad’s slow shitheap”.
Make the Linux partition as easy and intuitive to use as possible. Let the Windows partition rot.
I’m sure dad will come around pretty soon when he sees mom’s sleek setup and he gets a pang of jealousy.
Good luck!
get the iot ltsc version, it’s the only sane option rn
I agree 100%
I ran the LTSC version until it recently failed a regular update multiple times, every shutdown and restart would take over an hour, and I would never wish that curse upon anybody ever. It frequently BSOD’ed, usually involving nVidia audio or Windows Store applications (I didn’t have any windows Store Apps installed but they’re sometimes dependencies), and the only way I could tell you that was the source of the problem is I learned to read the clusterfuck that is the Event Viewer logs, but I haven’t had a single similar issue on Linux since I made the switch.
there are tons of ofms for linux. show him gnome commander or krusader to start with.
Drive letters? (Yes, they are stupid and don’t work with MTP but I won’t explin
/dev/to him)i mean they’re just folders at the end of the day
Mate! If your hardware is good enough, then download windows 11 from massgrave.dev and then use this unattended method, which lets you turn off all the crap including TPM and BitLocked and all ai and o365 teams bollocks.
Source: me using windows for work
I already use unattend scripts for the rest of my family’s Windows shit… I add
irm https://christitus.com/win | iexat the end too so I can then install cool stuffAnd no, I’m not upgrading any Windows 10 stuff rn