Windows 7 End of Life – Former Windows users unlikely to migrate to Linux en-masse

Discussion in 'all things UNIX' started by guest, Jan 15, 2020.

  1. Brian K

    Brian K Imaging Specialist

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    wat0114,

    My times are a little different from yours on my test computer. i3 CPU. UEFI/GPT. SSD.

    From power on to desktop (no login screen)

    Mint: 21s
    Win 10: 24s

    After clicking Power off button from desktop:

    Mint: 4s
    Win 10: 4s



    Edit... My MBR computer is 7 years old. Win8 was installed after the computer was built. The OS has been upgraded incrementally from Win8 to Win10.

    Win10 boot time to desktop is 34 seconds
    Win10 shutdown time is 6 seconds
     
    Last edited: Jan 19, 2020
  2. Gringo95

    Gringo95 Registered Member

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    So none of these would be connected to a network and of course some are so the 1% soon becomes a lot more. This is the whole point of worms.

    Year by year the infection types and methods of delivery vary according to what happens to be prevalent at that time. In 2015 for instance worldwide, worm infections were greater than that for viruses @ 37%/30% whereas in 2016 the figures were 12%/49%. Ransomware was less than 1% for both years. I don't have any more up to date data as I no longer subscribe to AV-Test.
     
  3. pvsurfer

    pvsurfer Registered Member

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    Re this topic, I could use some guidance... My wife’s PC is a 2007 Compaq, 2.0 GHz AMD x64 Dual Core, 4GB RAM, running 32-bit Windows 7. As MS has ended Win7 support and as my wife and I know nothing about Linux I’m considering a 'slow transition’ by installing Zorin OS 15.1 in a dual-boot configuration with Win7.

    This PC’s HDD has an unused 40GB partition which I believe is ample for the Linux install. My wife is understandably apprehensive, but willing to try a 'Windows-user-friendly' distro and to that end I came across the Zorin OS v15.1 editions. Before proceeding however, I'm here to ask a few questions:

    - Would Zorin 'Core' (64-bit only) or Zorin 'Lite' (32-bit / 64-bit) be the better choice for my wife's PC?
    - Should I pre-format the unused Windows partition, or will Zorin OS format the partition?
    - Will Zorin recognize the existing Windows installation and build a dual-boot option during its install?

    Please note that I'm open to any advice, including recommendations for any 'better distro choice' than Zorin (
    considering my wife's PC and our total ignorance of Linux).
     
    Last edited: Jan 22, 2020
  4. Gringo95

    Gringo95 Registered Member

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    Asking for alternative recommendations always opens the flood gates and no doubt several will arrive here imminently.:)

    Zorin IMO is one of the best Windows transitions distros. My advice would be to download both versions and try each of them out using a live session to see which one your wife likes best. The x64 lite version will be faster but the Core option won’t in any way be lost on a machine with these specs and your wife might prefer the look and operational functions of this better.

    Do you know how the 40GB partition arrived on this machine and you’re sure it’s not part of any recovery system? I’m not familiar with Compaq from this era but others here no doubt will be and know how these machines were setup up for sale presuming it still has the default system installed.

    So, failing better advice mine would be to use the Windows built in disk tool to expand Windows to fill the whole drive. Thereafter when you boot whichever Zorin you intend to use there will be an option to ‘install alongside Windows’. This method removes the need to make a manual install of Zorin into an existing partition which is not ideal for new Linux users.

    In some circumstances, no matter which distro, the automated dual-boot doesn’t work so before you do anything you need to take an image of your current system for restore should this become necessary.

    Screenshots below for Zorin 15.1 Core and Lite. Both have some customizations so won't look like what you first see out of the box during a live session or immediately after install. Suffice to say you can make any Linux look just how you want to with a few minutes work.
    https://www.techsupportalert.com/fr...oes-your-desktop-look-like-58.html#post125704
    https://www.techsupportalert.com/fr...oes-your-desktop-look-like-59.html#post126056
     
    Last edited: Jan 23, 2020
  5. vasa1

    vasa1 Registered Member

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    +1

    And in addition to trying out the live USB, evaluate the online support provided by the particular distro you're considering.
     
  6. Gringo95

    Gringo95 Registered Member

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    This is a good point. Support can mostly be obtained via the distro’s forum (if it has one) and this will be linked from their main page. You can also ask questions in other places such as Linux.org although the best responses are likely to come from the distro’s own. Some forums are more active than others and some practically dead. The Zorin forum though is active and the standard of help not only very good but comes without the snidey attitudes to new Linux users sometimes encountered in other places.

    https://zoringroup.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=3
     
  7. pvsurfer

    pvsurfer Registered Member

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    Hi Gringo, thanks for your interest and replies (and so far the 'flood gates' have remained intact). ;)

    To answer your question (above), my wife's PC originally came with Windows Vista which was a dog of an OS! So after a few months of agony I removed Vista and did a clean install of Win7. I much prefer having Windows on its own volume and storing data on a separate volume so before installing Win7 I partitioned the PC's 120GB hard drive. Since my wife's PC operations do not require very much data storage, I created 3 x 40GB partitions, resulting in a spare 40GB partition for any future needs (so it is a clean and available partition).

    I'm thinking I'll just 'bite the bullet' and install Zorin 'Core' x64 on that partition and see how it goes...
     
    Last edited: Jan 23, 2020
  8. Gringo95

    Gringo95 Registered Member

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    Great. So no UEFI to complicate things but according to this you will need a Swap partition
    https://zoringroup.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=14793
     
  9. pvsurfer

    pvsurfer Registered Member

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    Hmm, does that mean that I should re-partition the 40GB volume (intended for Zorin-installation) beforehand - in order to create a Zorin-Swap partition? :confused:
     
  10. wat0114

    wat0114 Registered Member

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    I haven't installed Zorin, but if its installer is like so many other distros, it should offer you the option to manually partition the space you want to use. If it were me, I would partition the 40GB partition as follows:

    / (root): 24 GB
    swap: 4 GB
    home: 12 GB

    your mileage may vary, but in my case root always requires more space than my home partition. As others have advised, you may need to update the Grub2 loader to include Windows if it isn't already included:

    Code:
    sudo update-grub
    EDIT:

    meant to say update Windows and not mint.
     
    Last edited: Jan 24, 2020
  11. pvsurfer

    pvsurfer Registered Member

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    @wat0114 - is that to say Zorin will offer to create those partitions, or that I should do it before installing Zorin?
     
  12. wat0114

    wat0114 Registered Member

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    As I mentioned , I never installed Zorin, but it looks like will offer the "Something else" option as described here:

    https://www.linuxtechi.com/zorin-os-15-installation-guide-screenshots/

    You would then partition it to you liking. Please do back up your Windows 7 installation before proceeding. Be really careful when choosing to install Zorin to your new partitions, in that you choose the correct partitions to install to.
     
  13. pvsurfer

    pvsurfer Registered Member

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    Understood, and thanks for that link!
     
  14. Gringo95

    Gringo95 Registered Member

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    From my experience it is always better to use a dedicated partition manager rather that doing this via a live session installer. For this purpose I always keep an up to date version of GParted on a USB drive.
    https://gparted.org/
     
  15. guest

    guest Guest

    Ubuntu Invites Windows 7 Users With Linux Switch Guides
    January 28, 2020
    https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/linux/ubuntu-invites-windows-7-users-with-linux-switch-guides/
    Ubuntu: How to upgrade from Windows 7 to Ubuntu – Hardware and software considerations
     
  16. Azure Phoenix

    Azure Phoenix Registered Member

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    As someone that has never used any Linux, how easy would the following be for less tech savvy users?

    "If you find something you don’t like, you can simply try a different Linux distribution," Canonical suggests."
     
  17. Krusty

    Krusty Registered Member

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    Well, as someone only recently using Linux I'd say pretty easy. All you need to do is download some ISOes and create bootable media, like DVDs or USB flash Drives and try a few. Running off bootable media isn't quite as fast as having the OS installed but it gives you a good look and doesn't change your hard drive in any way, until you decide to install.
     
  18. Gringo95

    Gringo95 Registered Member

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    Switching from Windows to Linux is not difficult but it is different so a degree of patience is necessary as you begin to work with it.

    So called reviews of Linux distros are often biased, sometimes not accurate or concentrate on technical issues 95% of home users will never need to know about so trying stuff out for yourself is always the better option.

    My first question to new Windows migrants is “do you care what it looks like?” Most folks do so their first objective needs to be an understanding of the various Linux desktop environments. Each has a distinctive default look although all of them can be made to look completely different with a few minutes tweaking. Some come with a degree of tweaking already done so whereas MX Linux (Xfce) looks pretty bland out of the box, Voyager Linux has much more eye candy by default. Suffice to say out of the 26 or so ‘regular’ desktops only two or three are worth considering for new Linux migrants for their first install.

    Support is also essential because you will have questions and a large active forum is not always but still more likely to provide quicker and better answers.

    There’s also no point making hardware type a criteria and pushing selection towards specific distros for old or low powered machines because if they’ve been running Windows 7 then pretty much any Linux will be comparable or better in terms of performance. I would also look towards installing an LTS (long term support) release unless you want to reinstall or risk upgrading every few months.

    I would never use Linux Mint but this is only a personal preference and for all the reasons listed above their default Cinnamon edition IMO needs to be a top contender for consideration. Next and also considering the above points I would opt for a KDE based alternative as in Kubuntu LTS.

    Trying out more than this via live sessions is only likely to induce confusion but after you’ve chosen one for a full install then you can play around with others if you wish according to what interest level and time you have.

    The only other advice I would offer is to stay clear of anything Arch based until you become competent with Linux and then may wish to move in this direction. The recent update issues being reported in the EndeavourOS forum for instance are typical of what to expect and few new Linux converts would be capable of resolving these, especially without an internet connection.:)
     
  19. guest

    guest Guest

    Linux Still Not a Threat to Windows 10’s Home Domination
    Despite many Windows 7 users considering a Linux switch
    February 4, 2020

    https://news.softpedia.com/news/lin...-to-windows-10-s-home-domination-529087.shtml
    Linux Developers Start Poaching Microsoft Users After Windows 7 End of Support (January 15, 2020)
     
  20. guest

    guest Guest

    One More Linux Distro Tries to Convince Windows Users to Make the Switch
    Freespire devs say this “is a good time to migrate”
    February 12, 2020

    https://news.softpedia.com/news/one...windows-users-to-make-the-switch-529167.shtml
     
  21. longshots

    longshots Registered Member

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    And that, of course, is one of the big problem for new Linux users. Not only do they have to decide on an OS, but also a desktop environment. And they have to make this decision based on the reviewers personal preferences.
    The other problem is that none of them work as easily as Windows. They can't just download a new programme, click the exe file and presto, they're off and running. Try telling them that Kubuntu is great, but they can't have a screensaver because the decision has been made not to include one. They can always try and add one, but it's just a little harder than open heart surgery. As much as we would like to see more people using Linux, currently there is NO "right choice for Windows user who are currently considering making the switch to Linux".
     
  22. FastGame

    FastGame Registered Member

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    So the masses using their smart phones daily would be lost & brain dead if they used Linux ? IMO 90 % of home users could get along just fine doing their normal activities on Linux.
     
  23. longshots

    longshots Registered Member

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    How is that relevant? How many smartphones are using W7 these days?
     
  24. FastGame

    FastGame Registered Member

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    Turn your screensaver off and think about it... ;) If millions can use smart phones (windows free) they can use Linux on the PC. The reasons people come up with why someone can't transition from Windows 7 to Linux is nonsense. I'm speaking of the millions who use the PC for nothing more than internet, social media, email, music, videos, news, banking, shopping, and what ever else they do through a web browser. Many of the same things they do with their Windows free smart phones.
     
  25. pandlouk

    pandlouk Registered Member

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    It is not nonsense.
    9 out of 10 people that I know, have never installed an OS themselves. And most of them are scared to even try. Those people will migrate to linux only if a family member or a friend helps them, otherwise they'll stick with the OS that came preinstalled with their system.
    That being said if someone introduces them to a stable linux distro, usually they like it after they get used to the new interface:
    1st) because it starts and performs faster than windows and
    2nd) because they do not have to worry about getting infected.

    Panagiotis
     
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