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Replacing windows 10 laptop
my 12 month extension to windows 10 runs out next month and I haven't got the confidence or tech know-how to either use Linux or follow instructions telling me how how to get Windows 11 via Rufus etc. My laptop is my TV and music centre, besides that it's mainly emails and general browsing. So I'm thinking of buying a new laptop and having read that it's a good idea to have minimum AMD Ryzen5 or Intel i5, 16 GB of RAM, and 512 GB SDD. I have narrowed it down to this with my budget of £500 https://www.johnlewis.com/hp-15-fc0049na-laptop-amd-ryzen-5-processor-16gb-ram-512gb-ssd-15-6-full-hd-natural-silver/p114011155#citrusAdId=display_ELvHC4Bc5uwn5TtroHfcd9Px9X8KCwoJMTE0MDExMTU1EgIIARoMCPyMktQGENS_9cwBIgIIAQ==
I don't know if anyone has comments on that but my other query is what is the best thing to do with my existing laptop. I've had it since about 2008 so had my moneys worth. Once I've got my new one I suppose I could have a risk-free dabble at Linux or installing windows 11, I wondered what most people do when replacing their laptop?
Comments
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I read somewhere that MS are extending it for another year.
I can't remember what is needed for this to continue though.
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the Windows 10 support got extended to next year, in case you weren’t aware
https://uk.pcmag.com/migrated-3765-windows-10/165833/microsoft-is-giving-windows-10-users-another-year-of-security-updates
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Thanks guys I'd never heard about that second extension tho obviously it's just kicking the can down the road and I'll be asking again next year!
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I'm in the middle of doing this right now on a 7 year old Lenovo laptop that MS say is not compatible.
The instructions and links in this video are very clear and idiot proof.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YT-3z1KFnt4
Of course there is a disclaimer (as usual) that it may corrupt your computer.
I'll report the result once I've attempted the setup.
MAKE SURE YOU BACK UP ALL THE STUFF YOU NEED FIRST.0 -
You don’t need to do anything to activate the second extension.
Who knows how long it will be extended for? Could be years?
No reliance should be placed on the above! Absolutely none, do you hear?1 -
This maybe ok for some people to go from 10 to 11 but what if MS change something in an update to stop non compatible win 11 devices and make devices useless.
Eleven forums have good advice on this subject.
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Doubtful. Under the Windows lifetime cycle 22H2 is already out of support. The whole point of ESR was to give people time to migrate to a supported platform (ie Windows 11), its not a get ouf of jail free card to use Windows 10 indefinitely.
People are going to have to make the move eventually.
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I would forget Linux as your invested in Windows. The laptop you have suggested looks good and would definitely do the job. I went with AMD Ryzen because of lack of issues and is pretty fast. I put my old laptop in a draw until I was happy that every was off it, the donated to a local charity.
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Further to my post yesterday, I followed the method in the Youtube video I linked to.
My old Lenovo is now running W11, having only 8GB of RAM it isn't lightning quick, all files and apps transferred across and working.
The only issue was the W11 ISO download only gave US or International English options, I first tried the International but that gave a discrepancy as the laptop was originally set up in the UK English version and apps could not be transferred, so I abandoned that.
The (easy) workaround was to change the region on the laptop to the US, restart and use the US English W11 ISO, install W11 along with moving apps and files and once completed change the region and language settings back to UK English.
W11 ISO download is 8 GB.
Rufus download is 1.9 MB
Rufus extraction of ISO and transfer to the USB drive took 50 minutes, maybe my USB ports are slow.
W11 installation took 20 minutes, I used the option not to download updates during that process.
Windows Update then took another 30 minutes to get everything up to date.
Patience and coffee is certainly needed but it was very easy to do.1 -
I allow very limited use of Win10 as it is basically an advertising platform, this was not surprising after Google started with toolbars, then browsers and so MS went one better and built it into the OS. Getting people to pay for their privacy to be abused in their way was either a master-stroke of genius or a foolish way to lose customer trust.
I am currently using a 2008 laptop running Win7, it is dual boot with Win10 but I never got on with Win10 so I only use it where it was absolutely necessary for a specific task such as a media server that is used for no other purpose.
It is important to note that I keep my Win10 isolated, it never upgrades, I do not care about Microsoft no longer providing support, my computers are locked down with 3rd party tools and I have never been hacked. I always believed that keeping a computer "in it's era" was essential in terms of OS, upgrading to SSD and maxing the Ram kept my systems going for far longer.
Another thing that put me off buying new laptops is that these days they are all designed to make it very difficult to service them, no screws to undo them, no removable sections to upgrade the laptop. My laptop allows CPU, RAM, HD, Wifi and Bluetooth to be upgraded. Every time I consider buying a new laptop I get put off by one thing or another and soldier on with what I have got. The biggest challenge is websites using so much RAM, truly absurd amounts.
If I were buying a new laptop, I would not buy from John Lewis as I have noticed their attitude to Consumer Rights Act 2015 has changed a lot over the years. I would not buy an AMD based system and I would not buy a computer with Win11.
Considering that the new laptops are designed to fail after a relatively short time with little or no prospect of self repair or warranty, I figure one might as well buy a cheap Chinese one and stick Linux on it, these can be found for some ridiculously cheap prices. I would find these on ebay then lookup the manufacturer website and find they were £100 cheaper. Sure they might lack consumer confidence and you should always check Trustpilot but I found laptops from as cheap as £250 including Win11, so less without it.
Yes I know you said you did not like Linux but you can get over that by starting with user friendly versions like Linux Mint, it is worth noting that it Mint has a load of bloatware so when you get your head around Linux install procedures you might want to switch.
The key thing to remember about Linux is that if you do not like a part of the OS you can swap it out. This includes the Desktop UI, here YouTube is your friend as you can see reviews of the pros and cons of each Desktop UI.
Later you can install a flavour of Linux that is more geared to how you like to work, you can do this on a separate partition and just flip between them until you find what you like best.
It is never too late to learn new things and there are a plethora of videos on YouTube showing you how to do things.
If you start by partitioning your hard disk, maybe and separating your data to a dedicated partition. Then maybe consider moving the TV & music to a Mini PC connected to a TV via HDMI. I have one running Plex which I am migrating to Linux and Jellyfin, actually it is more a proof of concept than migration.
Don't feel you have to ask how high every time Microsoft says JUMP, at least go your own way with finding alternatives that you can get used to and live with.
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