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I think it's time to get defenestrated
David Jenkins - 21/2/21 at 11:44 AM

Most of my PCs are running some form of Linux, but I have one that has Windows 10. I am starting to hate it.

I don't use W10 very often, and I only keep it for those rare occasions when a program will only run on Windows. Almost every time I start that machine it says that there are new updates, so I tell it to update - which takes hours (the last one the other day took a total of 3 hours, during which time I couldn't use the machine). I have no intention of leaving the PC on overnight so that the updates can happen then - not the way I work.

Today I tried to start it and it failed; did a repair and restarted. It then reported that msedge.dll was faulty (I never use Edge, but the OS uses it extensively behind the scenes). Fixed that and, after another hour, it's running again.

It's also very slow on this (admittedly low-powered) machine. The PC is set up to dual-boot with either Windows or Linux, and Linux runs many times quicker (it's Linux Mint, which is not the lightest and quickest variety of Linux). Linux will also update itself without disrupting my work, apart from the rare occasions when it updates the kernel (the core of Linux) and needs to reboot - this takes just a few minutes.

So later on today I will reload Linux across the whole of the hard disk, wiping out the W10 installation. I'll retain the W10 disks and maybe use them in a virtual machine in Lunux - oh, the irony!

</end rant>

P.S. I know I've had this rant previously (several times, I think) but now it's the end for MS as far as I'm concerned.


steve m - 21/2/21 at 12:03 PM

I have to use Win10, and hate it, none of my previous PC games work on Win10, and neither of my RC simulators either, and i have tried EVRYTHING to try and fix the problem, even the manufactures, who were no help at all

Last year i posted on here that on upgrading to win10 i lost my printer/scanner, and it took weeks for me to eventually get it working

Ive turned updates off now, as every time the machine does an update, i lose functions that worked before, normally the printer

Ive done a clean install, and had to wipe the drive clean as well, thankfully all my data is on, a couple of sticks, so saved to my laptop, that is still running XP or Vista, and everything games wise etc work on that, and i am not going to upgrade to Win10 on that machine

as for leaving the machine off overnight, i am the opposite, as it rarely gets turned off !

steve


ADH75 - 21/2/21 at 12:05 PM

Did the same thing a few years ago. I used Mint also, really liked it. The updates was one of the reasons, the other was that it is impossible for you to stop Win 10 sending usage reports back to MS. I just really don't agree with it, whether its a TV,car, computer or whatever. I buy something the manufacturer should have nothing to do with it unless there is a warranty claim, but I digress! Nothing worse than when you lift the lid to use your device and it decides to carry out an update.

The only issue I had with Mint was the usual Linux issue with the Beats Audio setup & trying to get it to map properly to the speaker config.

Back to Win 10 at the moment though due to a new laptop purchase of one of the 4K Dell XPS 15s and seeing a couple of driver issues. It came with 10 Home, so upgraded to Pro and then Enterprise as its the only version of 10 that doesn't send off reports. All genuine licences, can get them cheap from German companies selling unused licences. I'll probably dual boot it shortly just trying out a few distros, to see what I'm going to use this time.

Have you tried Elementary OS? Been having a play about with it with a boot USB. One of the nicest looking distros, has an Apple OSX look to it. Very clean and seems to work well.


ADH75 - 21/2/21 at 12:12 PM

quote:
Originally posted by steve m

Last year i posted on here that on upgrading to win10 i lost my printer/scanner, and it took weeks for me to eventually get it working

Ive turned updates off now, as every time the machine does an update, i lose functions that worked before, normally the printer



This is a common fault, or "feature" with Win 10 from update 1809 onwards. Still looks like MS haven't got a handle on it. Loads of folk have reported USB printers not working or being detected properly since that update. Most of the printing we support at work is managed print solution using Multi function devices, with some of the older network printers, but still have USB local printers in labs and other specialist areas. Like most corporate setups we are behind the curve a bit and just finished the 1809 update to all areas, but still have one @#&#@!& printer for job cards that won't work!

[Edited on 21/2/21 by ADH75]


coyoteboy - 21/2/21 at 12:21 PM

Haha I'm the opposite. Maybe my usage has just changed. All my machines were Linux but I recently bought win10 as it never fails me at work and it's pretty nippy and clean, which previous windows never were.
I'm nervously awaiting something failing, the only thing that ever has has been my Intel 3d scanner, who's driver fell over and has never come back. It's still never come back even after reinstalling etc.


steve m - 21/2/21 at 12:29 PM

The weird thing with my Cannon Printer/Scanner, thats only a few year old, was even when i got the printer working, the scanner bit does not !!
same machine, and no matter what i do it will not scan, Win10 does not even recognize a scanner, but in devises, it shows the correct details FFS

What i have to do, is fire up the laptop, plug the printer in, (although its a wifi printer, never got that to work!!) and i can scan onto the lap top, then email the docs, so there on my main PC

I HATE WIN 10, since i hat to upgrade, i have been plagued with problems


David Jenkins - 21/2/21 at 12:31 PM

All good points - but one nail in Win10's coffin for me was my laptop. Not new, but not that old either. It ran Vista business, so I thought I'd upgrade to Win10 - nope, Intel won't produce drivers to allow the system to work. Admittedly not Microsoft's fault, but symptomatic of the whole problem: if it isn't less than 2 or 3 years old it loses support and becomes redundant. The laptop now has Manjaro Linux on it, and it works really well on that machine's limited resources - it's very quick!

I'm off for a walk shortly, then it's bye-bye to W10 on my return...


ADH75 - 21/2/21 at 01:00 PM

quote:
Originally posted by David Jenkins
All good points - but one nail in Win10's coffin for me was my laptop. Not new, but not that old either. It ran Vista business, so I thought I'd upgrade to Win10 - nope, Intel won't produce drivers to allow the system to work. Admittedly not Microsoft's fault, but symptomatic of the whole problem: if it isn't less than 2 or 3 years old it loses support and becomes redundant. The laptop now has Manjaro Linux on it, and it works really well on that machine's limited resources - it's very quick!

I'm off for a walk shortly, then it's bye-bye to W10 on my return...


Not used Manjaro, decent?

I've found that you can het a great Win 10 laptop from 8 year old device. To keep my hand in on the hardware side I refurb and sell on laptops now and again. The old Enterprise laptops are pretty good, HP Elitebooks & Probooks, Dells and Lenovo T ranges. The Lenovo T430 for instance is a 3rd gen i5. Stick a 240gb SATA SSD in it with even 4gb RAM, it will boot into Windows (no password local account) in 16seconds from cold and run happily 2003 update. They'll run most average user's requirements, and the fact they are solid means they are great for school work. Most still have the Win 7 Pro licence sticker under the battery so you can install Win 10 Pro using that licence.

Linux is great though for an install and forget OS, although for the uninitiated it can be a minefield if there is a problem, but most users will never need that level of knowledge.


David Jenkins - 21/2/21 at 01:10 PM

quote:
Originally posted by ADH75
Not used Manjaro, decent?

I've found that you can het a great Win 10 laptop from 8 year old device. To keep my hand in on the hardware side I refurb and sell on laptops now and again. The old Enterprise laptops are pretty good, HP Elitebooks & Probooks, Dells and Lenovo T ranges. The Lenovo T430 for instance is a 3rd gen i5. Stick a 240gb SATA SSD in it with even 4gb RAM, it will boot into Windows (no password local account) in 16seconds from cold and run happily 2003 update. They'll run most average user's requirements, and the fact they are solid means they are great for school work. Most still have the Win 7 Pro licence sticker under the battery so you can install Win 10 Pro using that licence.

Linux is great though for an install and forget OS, although for the uninitiated it can be a minefield if there is a problem, but most users will never need that level of knowledge.


Manjaro is lightweight and fast - it's based on Arch Linux. It's a good interface and it works well - but can be unforgiving to a novice if it goes seriously wrong (it hasn't for me, touch wood). It's certainly worth a try though, and it is relatively easy for a Windows user to pick up.


ADH75 - 21/2/21 at 01:22 PM

quote:
Originally posted by David Jenkins
[]

Manjaro is lightweight and fast - it's based on Arch Linux. It's a good interface and it works well - but can be unforgiving to a novice if it goes seriously wrong (it hasn't for me, touch wood). It's certainly worth a try though, and it is relatively easy for a Windows user to pick up.


Cheers, another one to try out. I've mostly used SUSE, Red Hat, Ubuntu, Mint, Elementary and Batocera which is designed as a retro gaming system. Great for installing on an Intel NUC and being able to run NES,SNES, Master System, Megadrive, N64, Atari VCS, GameCube amongst others. Saves unboxing all the originals I have in my collection!


Fatgadget - 24/2/21 at 01:33 PM

quote:
Originally posted by David Jenkins
All good points - but one nail in Win10's coffin for me was my laptop. Not new, but not that old either. It ran Vista business, so I thought I'd upgrade to Win10 - nope, Intel won't produce drivers to allow the system to work. Admittedly not Microsoft's fault, but symptomatic of the whole problem: if it isn't less than 2 or 3 years old it loses support and becomes redundant. The laptop now has Manjaro Linux on it, and it works really well on that machine's limited resources - it's very quick!

I'm off for a walk shortly, then it's bye-bye to W10 on my return...


Vista not that old?


Irony - 24/2/21 at 06:03 PM

As a long time Apple user I used to hate windows in all forms. As Apple seems intent on becoming a vendor of new machines and screwing people with older machines I have recently been dabbling with Windows 10.

It seems to me that Windows 10 more or less requires a SDD hard drive as the boot drive. My i5 Asus laptop was bordering on useless. 10 minute startups, updates that last hours. Constant buggy performance. I was rooting around in the skip at work when I found a PC with a busted motherboard (turns out it was a busted processor, new one on me). In the PC was a 120gb SDD. I cloned the laptop drive and installed the SDD. Well its a new machine.........it is bloody awesome now. I use it everyday. I timed the startup with the HDD and it was over 5 minutes. With the SDD, under 10 seconds........


ADH75 - 24/2/21 at 06:43 PM

quote:
Originally posted by Irony
As a long time Apple user I used to hate windows in all forms. As Apple seems intent on becoming a vendor of new machines and screwing people with older machines I have recently been dabbling with Windows 10.

It seems to me that Windows 10 more or less requires a SDD hard drive as the boot drive. My i5 Asus laptop was bordering on useless. 10 minute startups, updates that last hours. Constant buggy performance. I was rooting around in the skip at work when I found a PC with a busted motherboard (turns out it was a busted processor, new one on me). In the PC was a 120gb SDD. I cloned the laptop drive and installed the SDD. Well its a new machine.........it is bloody awesome now. I use it everyday. I timed the startup with the HDD and it was over 5 minutes. With the SDD, under 10 seconds........


An SSD does make a huge difference, but 10 minutes loading time is excessive. I'd be fairly.confident that the old drive had faults, or at very least there was something wrong with the build. Even with the network security, policies and user profiles, our 5-6 year old PCs at work with non SSDs will boot into usable state with 2 minutes or so or 3.5 if its a full profile download.

Never been a big Apple fan, they have some nice kit, but very over priced and their reputation and quality is at .times very over stated. Although I was close to getting a Macbook 15" until I was able to get a genuine 10 Enterprise licence as their don't mine personal data anywhere near MS.

If you like Mac OS X try downloading Elementary https://elementary.io/ and try from bootable USB .