[GTALUG] OT: Windows on 32G disk: how and why [was Re: some USB sticks are slow!]

[D. Hugh Redelmeier]

| From: dbmacg--- via talk <talk at gtalug.org>

| I never did get Win10 running on an HP laptop with a 32Gb drive. I gave up
| and went Linux, which now leaves me about 21 gb to work with.

Windows runs fine-ish on a 32GB (not 33Gb) drive.  Windows Update
sometimes gets into trouble.  Usually when a big change is involved
(what we'd think of as an OS release).

There are tricks for babying Windows Update through these big updates.
But they don't always work.

A clean install does work.  At least in my limited experience.

| I didn't know that Microsoft provides support. First I have heard about it!

Yes.  Just not very good.  And with no commitment to success.

Available through email/forum posts, chat, and phone.  It's actually
OK except for the fact that I don't think that they've actually solved
any of my problems.  In fairness, I usually don't need support for
easy problems.

========

Why did I care?  Why would I run Windows?  Because I want to use
cheap, old, little, low power boxes for things with DRM: Crave TV and
in some cases Netflix.  Linux and DRM are not a good mix.

There's an Android TV app for Crave.  It is terrible.  Crave/Bell
seems to have thought it a valuable jewel: they only supported
Amazon's cloned Android until recently.  That was a monopolistic
choice, not a technical one since the app could be sideloaded onto
Android TV.

Accessing Crave through their web interface is OK (not great) but it
demands that the browser be running on a Windows PC or MacOS.  I'm
sure that's a stupid unnecessary limitation, but we are talking Bell.
I've phoned and complained a few times to no avail.