[GTALUG] installing Windows is uselessly worse than installing Linux

[Giles Orr]

On Fri, 15 Sept 2023 at 14:35, D. Hugh Redelmeier via talk
<talk at gtalug.org> wrote:
>
> [Always do backups before such drastic measures.]
>
> The best way to install Windows is to go to another Windows box and use
> the the Window Media Creation Tool to create a bootable USB stick
> <https://www.microsoft.com/en-ca/software-download/windows11>
> Alternatively you could download the WIndows 11 Disk Image.
>
> During installation, you have to answer a lot of questions.  It is
> extremely hard to evade linking the installation with a global Microsoft
> account (google to learn the ever-evolving tricks).
>
> Good news: Windows can let other partitions on the disk remain.  In
> earlier years, it would just grab the whole disk.
>
> Once it is installed, Windows will spend a lot of time installing updates
> and rebooting.  Installing updates is quite slow (perhaps due to
> anti-malware software).
>
> And it lies about whether there are more updates.  When it says there are
> none, ask it to look again.
>
> You also need to separately run the Microsoft app store app and ask it to
> do updates.
>
> You also need to run you system vendor's update thingee too for some
> driver and firmware updates.  Even then, it is useful to see what firmware
> is available on the vendor's web site
>
> This whole process involves multipler reboots, each requiring babysitting.

Regular readers of this list may recall that I recently bought a
mini-mini-computer: the slim instruction manual basically said that if
you wanted to avoid trouble (which I take to mean "having to connect
to a global M$ account"), I should boot WITHOUT a network connection.
Which I did, and it seemed to create a local account without
hesitation.  At which point I shut the machine down, imaged the drive,
wiped it, and installed Linux.  Windows might have fought me hard the
second I booted with a network connection, but that really seems to be
a great way to win that first fight.  How long they'll leave that door
open I don't know - I expect Windows 12 to say "I have no network
connection, therefore this is not a real computer.  Shutting down
now."

-- 
Giles
https://www.gilesorr.com/
gilesorr at gmail.com