So that very important day is almost upon us.
October 14th is the day set for when Windows 10 stops security updates (no consumer is going to pay for extended) and begins to really push people to Windows 11. Windows 11 has strict hardware requirements that a lot of “older” devices that most people have do not meet.
And so, I am sure many individuals and companies may be getting rid of their old laptops and even desktops to recoup the vost of new devices.
What is the plan, when should we move in? What kind of deals should we be looking out for?
I want to find a great deal on a great laptop just for the fun of it. Some of my friends (converted to Linux) are waiting to get new laptops and score a deal. I have been waiting years for this day and I hope it can feel like a special day.
Any good places to look for these kinds of deals?
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A lot of people will probably just continue using Windows 10, but yeah now I’m wondering what the best models are that don’t quiiiite support 11. I’d love to snag an decent tablet-PC
I bought a second-hand laptop to in an attempt to capitalize on this, but it came with Windows 11 installed anyway.
It was cheap ($300 AUD) and it meets my needs (except for STUPID LENOVO SWAPPING THE CTRL AND FN KEYS LIKE WTF LENOVO SERIOUSLY EVEN IF I SWAP THEM BACK IN THE BIOS THE LINUX TERMINAL STILL HAS THEM SWAPPED) so I’m satisfied.
try assigning ctrl to caps lock. on terminal
setxkbmap -option caps:ctrl_modifier
That wouldn’t fix the issue of muscle memory, although now that I think of it maybe the issue is that I don’t even need the control key to cycle through my command history and the reason it works in reverse is because of that.
hmm. do you mean ctrl+r?
btw which machine do you have? fn-ctrl swap from bios seems to work fine for all thinkpads i have.
I meant ctrl + up arrow. Which is what I usually do to cycle through commands. I had forgotten that I tried doing that without the ctrl (fn) key and it worked.
Oh god damnit, i forgot about the discounted laptops. I mean, i still snagged a nice little thing on the cheap, but i probably could’ve gotten a nicer thing in like two weeks
I don’t believe most people would know about the change, and if they will, I doubt they’ll care.
As long stuff don’t break, people don’t care about OSs. It’s just as nerds.
There’s no Linux, MacOS, and Windows. There’s only ‘computer’. The computer works or does not.
Sometimes they’ll know Apple has computers too, and they’re different. That’s usually basically it.
This is the correct answer. The number of people who skip updates is way way higher than most here think. The only ones who stick to it, are nerds and commercial entities…and a lot of those swapped to 11 already.
perhaps higher amongst fediverse users, but not with the general public… default settings all around–including auto updates, no intentionally installed browser addons, maybe a wallpaper change. but that’s it… is the most common windows configuration we see, by far.
You can convert existing Windows 10 installs to LTSC or IoT, Without losing files. I’ve been helping a few people I know switch over the last few days.
I would obviously like it if more people moved to Linux, but most people I know ain’t gonna more because of certain software…okay it’s mainly Fortnite and Call of Duty. >.>
I’ll help anyone with it who actually wants to try Linux, I got at least one person to try dual booting.
you could just point them to everybody’s favorite github-hosted script which has an option to unlock extended updates.
without losing files? could you please share your method? thought this was impossible since ltsc is 21h2 and consumer variant’s 22h2.
I replied to another comment explaining it.
for shits and giggles i took a win7 and a win81 straight to iot 24 with no problems on either. run the upgrade from a rufus’d (these were 2009-10 era desktops) usb made from a modded (upgradematrix) iso. going to 10 ltsc or iot should be the same process.
Could you share your technique om how to turn a an already installed Windows 10 into the LTSC/ IoT versions? My work laptop needs Windows (the software doesnt work with Wine on Linux) and I’d love to stay on Windows 10 for a few more years.
You can use regedit to make the LTSC IoT installer think you’re already on an LTSC IoT build so it just installs without doing a clean install.
I first learnt about it from this Youtube video but they only show how to get the base LTSC version and not IoT which will get updates until 2032.
Here’s the values I used.
“CurrentBuild”=“19044”
“CurrentBuildNumber”=“19044”
“EditionID”=“IoTEnterpriseS”
“ProductName”=“Windows 10 IoT Enterprise LTSC 2021”
“ReleaseId”=“2009”
“DisplayVersion”=“21H2”
I have them in a registry script along with txt guide I’ve been sending to my friends. Not sure if I can directly post them here however.
(no consumer is going to pay for extended) begins to really push people to Windows 11
Consumers aren’t exactly ecstatic about throwing away perfectly serviceable computers just so Microsoft can push their spyware-cum-advertising platform down their throats either.
I’d say this is a great push towards Linux for anybody who knows anything about computers and isn’t a corporation with a dumbass MCSE jockey as an “IT” guy.
I-it advertises cum?
https://pivot-to-ai.com/2025/07/28/microsoft-copilot-ais-official-avatar-looks-like-a-blob-of-semen/
They recently announced they are changing it to AI generated avatars
Spyware cum!
Most of my gaming friends have been asking me about linux setup (or win10 LTSC), so it seems that crowd is ready.
No one is waiting until that day. The deals are out there already.
eBay would be the most obvious place (often where computers sold from government auctions or business liquidations end up), but also e-waste recycling centers, actual auctions held by the companies themselves (this is where having a guy on the inside willing to give you a date of liquidation would be perfect), or just simple donations and giveaways that are “as-is”.
Do note you can’t take all machines that are being removed - in the US at least, computers bought with public money (most often schools), must be sent to e-waste or scrap reclamation due to compliance with government accounting mandates. There are exceptions to this (auctions), but those are usually never at schools or libraries.
some of the schools around me just post on their web site or fb when they’re getting rid of old systems. they’re gone within an hour or two… they’re priced to sell fast.
Some manufacturers have outlets for refurbished devices. They’re not like bargain bin prices, but it’s something.
There’s also a lot of electronics recyclers on eBay. I’ve haven’t had any bad experiences there.
You could also try going to local thrift stores. Don’t bother with Goodwill though. They put all their good stuff online. Unless you live near one of their dedicated electronics stores, like the one in Tallahassee, Florida.
The only other option I can think of is checking out something like Facebook Marketplace or Craigslist. Unfortunately, you do need a Facebook account for Marketplace.
You get one year of security updates extra if you’re logged in with a Microsoft account. Just sayin’
Oh so that’s why I got it! I was wondering why I was so special. 😂
I’d rather install win10 LTSC than use an MS account for the OS lol
Did you mean: “move to Linux and make a VM if you’re REALLY THAT desparate”?
A few distros I recommend for people switching:
Criteria Distro “Just Works” family/parent/aunt/uncle/grandparent/media PC for browsing the web and using normal programs (available on Flathub.org) universal Blue Aurora and Bluefin LTS same but want more recent software, more tech savvy person universal Blue Bluefin, Aurora, Fedora atomic Desktops really need custom software like VirtualBox (might run on above though), stuff not available as Flatpak, appimage, RPM or working through distrobox Debian, OpenSUSE Slowroll, NixOS same but want more recent updates OpenSUSE Tumbleweed, NixOS unstable Fixing my computer is my hobby Arch, Gentoo, … I explicitely, from experience, do not recommend
- Linux f**ing mint or other distros stuck on X11, that will converts from anything modern convince that Linux is worse than Windows
- Fedora regular as upgrades always break
- Ubuntu due to snaps, weird upgrading system, weird decisions, nonstandard customizations breaking things
- Ubuntu derivatives due to LTS
- small nieche distros made by few people like Nobara or CachyOS (If you dont plan to distrohop at any time)
Or…they could just install Linux Mint.
Linux Mint is a perfectly cromulent distro.
No.
the “just works” category MUST be linux mint. it’s the distro that works the most OOTB.
Before you ask, i have tried about 12 distros and i can confidently say that Mint just works OOTB.
But, i don’t give a fuck to stability; i want the blreediest of edges. So i use arch and the AUR often.
No.
Mint works ootb but that is just one criterium. People can help you with setup. What about
- breaking with upgrades or needing an at least medium savvy user to do them
- lacking behind on updates
- incompatibilities with Ubuntu that occur
- upgrades not being enforced-ish so noobs dont care and dont upgrade
- flathub being preinstalled but only verified apps are there, instead “unverified” deb packages are promoted
- desktop looks ok but kinda ugly
- apps same, subpar to KDE
- X11? I hate when people like LTT think that this outdated stack is what we currently have on Linux
Bro, when is the last time you have booted a recent build of Mint Cinnamon or other ‘flavors’ of Mint? I feel like you tried it like 10+ years ago and have just complained about it since.
To be fair I had Linux Mint installed recently and audio broke on the first update. Never could fix it. I had to reinstall. I’m a total noob on Linux but my experience doesn’t seem that unusual based on the huge number of troubleshooting steps I tried from users experiencing similar issues.
Naw, dawg. What in the world is this list…
My experience after many years
Dont recommend mint to new users or they will think linux is objectively worse looking, has graphics issues with mixed DPI and multi monitor, etc etc
Mint does some things right, some things wrong. Like flatpak, but not entire flathub. Or nice update reminder but no automatic updates.
If you’re recommending immutable or declarative distros to new users, you are doing it way wrong…
