17
bnjns
7y

Sometimes, I really fucking hate Windows.

Having trialled Linux for a week on a spare HDD, I wanted to move to a proper dual boot with Windows on my SSD, and I decided I may as well downgrade to Windows 7 at the same time (10 had started to really annoy me).

Booting into the initial USB yielded an unresponsive mouse and keyboard. Hmm, not a great start. Turns out the Windows install USB doesn't like the rear USB ports or the wireless mouse. Strange but plugged in a spare USB mouse into the front and could install Windows.

This install was very unhappy about not having SP1 - to the point where I couldn't even install the network drivers so I could download SP1. Fine, I just downloaded an ISO with SP1 on my Mac.

Then I discovered that you can only really make a Windows USB with Windows. But I've just removed both my Windows and Linux partitions so I can reinstall them ...

After hours of searching and trying to create a bootable USB on my Mac, I finally give up and install a trial of Parallels. So I ended up using the same ISO to install a VM of Windows on my Mac, so I can create a bootable USB, so I can install Windows on my desktop. Well done Microsoft ...

And then I needed to install various drivers for the install to be even remotely useable.

To top it all off: Linux just worked. The keyboard and wireless mouse worked when installing. I didn't need to do any additional set up to be able to use it all. It can even use all 3 monitors, rather than just the 2 that Windows recognises for some bizarre reason.

Thanks to Windows being special, I've lost a day of productivity 😡

Comments
  • 5
    Welcome to Linux and devRant! We're a diverse group here as far as operating systems but feel free to ask if you have a Linux question! We hope to see more of you!
  • 1
    Why not have both? Linux as a VM with Windows as primary host.
  • 3
    @agentQ
    Did you not read his rant? Windows has been a bad boy, Linux has just werked(tm).

    If anything, that means Linux as host and Windows as a VM
  • 0
    Sorry to rain on your parade, but there isn't anything magical about the way windows creates a bootable USB.
    Copy the right folders from iso, point the bootloader to the Windows boot file and Windows will happily boot from there.
    Hell, I got it to boot from syslinux using wimboot in a pen with multiple rescue tools and I'm pretty sure grub would work too (I just despise grub)
  • 0
    First version of Windows Media creator was using oss software, I remember that was a problem because it was gpl, so ms had to create a new one, I seem to remember, to lazy to get a source on that.
  • 1
    @RiderExMachina Thanks! I've used Linux off and on for the past couple of years, and I tend to use the terminal on Mac whenever possible, so I'm fairly well versed in the basics (plus the Arch wiki is amazing), but I'm sure something strange will crop up at some point!
  • 2
    @nbamaral Probably true. But I tried several techniques, including dd, disk utility and various other programs - all to no avail (refused to boot from USB). I was probably missing something simple, but after several hours of trying I just gave up caring and used a technique I knew would work 😛
  • 1
    @agentQ I would just quite like to boot from both natively. Linux is now my primary OS, but I still need Windows for a few games that are Windows only.
  • 2
    The best bit, is that every time I boot Windows it fails to install an update, so reboots and tries to install the update ... Which fails.

    Guess I'm not using Windows, then
  • 0
    @bnjns
    Maybe Windows 8 with Classic Shell? It's not pure Windows 7, but it's at least close...
  • 2
    @RiderExMachina Maybe. I've just discovered that Windows has corrupted one of my hard drives so I'm currently manically trying to recover the data in Linux.

    The saga continues ...
  • 1
    @bnjns
    I've been there, it's not a fun place to be...

    Good luck!
  • 0
    @RiderExMachina Damn I seem to have thought to have remembered that you were a windows fanish guy!
    @bnjns Welcome :P
  • 0
    @linuxxx
    I use the right tools for the job. I love Linux, but am willing to admit that Windows has some things that Linux doesn't. I wish that Linux had Adobe products, Blizzard Games, and more AAA titles. I wish that Linux had programs as polished as Quicken and QuickBooks. I wish Linux had 100% perfect drivers that worked 100% of the time.

    But we don't have those programs or games. Linux doesn't work 100% of the time with 100% of hardware. But in all fairness, older versions of Windows don't either, but you can at least find drivers online and install them easily enough.

    And we say that Linux will work for the average user, but the honest thing is it doesn't. When you need to enter a password for security in order to install a program or change a setting, they drop it, because "they didn't have to have a password before."

    Even on Macs, which need password authentication, they set it to just be a press of the enter key.

    Sorry, long rant that basically says Linux is great, but because of lack of software and end user stupidity, it's not going to take the market any time soon. I am glad it's at 3.3% though.
  • 1
    @RiderExMachina The thing is though, as long as nobody will create better drivers etc etc, it won't get that popular. And so the cycle continues!
  • 1
    @linuxxx
    You're absolutely correct; it's truly a chicken and egg predicament.
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