I Want to Keep Windows 7 Forever

maxseven said:

I've managed to get the MacOS running in a VM in Windows but really am not too savvy about those. I guess the theory of running W7 in a VM is that if it gets corrupted iin some way, you just restart the VM?

On Windows 7, I have XP running in a virtual box. I need it for one application that won't run any other way.

Recently, I did an upgrade of Win 7 to Win10. I was kind of surprised to find that the upgrade to Win 10 did not affect the virtual box installation at all. I was fully expecting to have to re-install and see if it would run in Win10. However, Oracle VM starts up fine and the the application works just as before under XP.

I am not too savvy about VM's either, so was pleased that this just worked!

poorguy said:

How to Make the Switch From Windows to Linux | News & Opinion | PCMag.com

Nice article but thre are better ways to get to Linux Mint. First, I recommend watching this video by Joe Collins an installing Linux Mint. Joe has many other videos on Linux and has an excellent forum where you can go for advice. There are many other excellent videos but this one I found to be best for a rank newbie. It's what got me started. I've also received excellent advice from members of the forum.

Just remember that Linux is not Win 7. You will pretty much need to unlearn everything you know about Windows. Many people, including Joe, say former Windows users, especially "power users", will have a tougher time learning how to use Linux. It won't happen overnight but, the sooner yoiu start, the sooner you will learn.

Not every program you now use in Win 76 will have a Linux version or even a direct linux equivalent. You will often have to adopt a different workflow to accomplish something you did in Win 7 in Linux. For example, to make and view multipage .tif files in Win 7, I used Irfanview. Irfanview does not have a Linux version nor could I find a graphics program at first in Linux that could make multipage .tif files (there may be some but I didn't spend a whole lot of time looking and trying). However, I discovered my PDF making, editing, viewing program (Qoppa PDF Studio) had that capability.

You may find that something you did in Windows using one program may require multiple programs or vice versa. I've even been able to eliminate eliminate some programs I used in Win 7 because I don't need them in Linux Mint ot their functions are already baked into Mint or other programs in Mint. An example is I used to use a virtual printer, PDF Creator, in Win 7 to "print" files on the "interwebz" directly to PDF instead of to paper. In Linux Mint, the option to "print" to a PDF is baked into my browser (Brave). The security programs I needed in Windows are not needed in Mint.

Not all hardware and peripherals will work on Linux. Printers are notorious for that. It just may be possible you will have to replace some things. An example of that is I have a Brother label maker that will not work in Linux due to a lack of drivers. I've seen some ways that supposedly will work but I haven't been able to figure how to do it so I'll probably have to replace it with a standalone version. That's more of an annoyance than a real problem although not having to deal with cables every time I take it out to set it up and use it will be a plus. I could just keep the Win 7 machine for things like that but I want to completely divorce myself from Windows as soon as practical (I'm not far from being there).

I'm at the point now, the only time I even fire up a Win 7 machine is because I haven't moved all my data to my Liniux machine (yet, it will take time because I have a lot of windows related docs that will need weeding out) or there is a hardware compatibility issue.

It takes a serious attitude adjustment to go from Windows to Linux (Mint is probably the easiest route to go at first) but I feel it is the best way to escape MS' closing in garden walls, snooping constant changes, etc. It's not for everyone--nothing is--but, unless you are locked into an OS due emplyer requirement, Linux can be a viable alternative as long as you keep an open mind going in. I went nuts at first but, now, I'm liking Mint more than I did Win 7, despite not being fully up to speed in Mint yet.

poorguy said:

...Linux Mint Installation Guide — Linux Mint Installation Guide documentation...

While this is a good guide, I liked the video of Joe Collins I linked earlier. Using both his video and this guide together might not be a bad idea.

i found Etcher (full name: balenEtcher) to be the easiest and most reliable program to use for making a bootable USB installation stick (btw, it runs on windows and Linux). Btw, save that stick; it comes in handy for performing some operations on the permanent installation and there will be times you will hopelessly bork up your installation before you learn what you're doing and will need to reinstall (don't worry; Mint installation and installation is far easier and faster than in Windows).

poorguy said:

Whatever method is used I'd suggest a little bit of pre Linux how to research so as to properly install and update and then set up the new Linux Distro so that the first Linux experience is a good Linux experience.


The important thing about Linux is to have fun with Linux.


Life is good.

I totally agree. Just don't over research in it. Many things will be difficult to impossible to grasp until you roll up your sleeves and dig in.

One of the best pieces of advice Collins gives is to get an older computer to start out with so you still have the machine you are used to to bail you out. I did something similar except I used a Win 7 notebook I bought a few years ago for a spare while I could still buy one and had set unused until early December. I yanked out the original 500GB HDD, replaced it with a 2TB SSD, installed Linux Mint 19.2. Then, as I became more familiar with Linux, since it was a UEFI machine, yanked out the 2TB SSD and replaced it with a 4TB SSD. I had to use this video to make the install. Normally, I hate videos without anyone speaking in them but this one is well annotated and moves slowly enough toi easily follow.

poorguy said:

...Some Laptops can be problematic with the wireless adapter and in that case I just by one I know works with Linux...

If that happens, use a USB wireless adapter. I got lucky and the built in one worked just fine.