I've had it with Microsoft and Windows 10 !

[betwixt]

From personal experience (and I started at RSX11, before MSDOS was released!) all Linux distros have recognized network adapters for many years but 'live' distros will only use them with limited video acceleration because of licensing requirements. Linux is free and almost all distros are open source so it isn't possible to bundle proprietary software with them but it gives you the option to include it in the installation or add it afterwards when it has had chance to ask you to agree to the manufacturers terms of use. I almost exclusively use Linux now, with Nvidia 1050Ti graphics cards, running Nvidia's latest drivers and it works fine for all tasks, including some fairly advanced video editing. On odd occasions when I need to use Windows, I run it in a virtual machine under Linux and still get quite respectable speed from it.

Brian.

[TimA-C]

Thanks, DeJay, I just found your edited post (D'oh!), I shall have a look at those when I've got Mint up and running on the Dell. (I'm familiar with the Windows versions of some of the programs, so it will be interesting to see how they compare.)

Brian, I bow to your obviously greater experience. You're probably right about the network adapters. Thinking about it I probably would have been trying to use wifi adapters as the modem/router was downstairs. It was just hugely disheartening when trying out a new OS for it to not work easily out of the box. And at least I knew what I was doing (mostly!) with Windows and I guess it was a bit daunting being confronted with something so unfamiliar that it was easier to just give up and go and play Doom or Medal of Honour or something. I haven't really tried running virtual machines on either Windows or Linux - another thing to try when I have the time. Such fun!

[betwixt]

Sadly, the live distro is both a huge achievement for the developer and a victim of it's own success. It does give a 'feel' for the OS but most people who I have advised to try it say it runs far too slow and didn't run program xxxx. Starting any OS from a CD/DVD and loading it and all applications into RAM will always be slow and of course it makes it impossible to apply patches, updates or install any driver that requires a reboot as the media is read-only. To be fair to developers, they do on the whole, release updated ISO images so many of the updates do get included in live distros eventually. When fully installed on hard disk or SSD, I find Linux much faster and more responsive than any version of Windows.

There are two basic methods for Windows 'die hards' to continue using their old/favorite programs, they can create a virtual machine (I find VMware best but VirtualBox is also excellent) and load their original Windows distribution disk into it, or they can run "Crossover" or "Wine" (I use Crossover) to emulate Windows. The problem with the virtual machine solution is that you must have the Windows installation CD/DVD and a valid activation code, it is a complete normal installation but in a virtual environment, and that can create problems with MS saying the activation code is already in use if you have used it before. There are Windows programs that create a snapshot image of your existing installation that can be loaded into a Linux VM but they baulk at the change of environment and force you back to MS for re-registration. The other solution, using Crossover or Wine emulates the Windows OS rather than replacing it, they provide alternative OS components (DLL etc) so the program carries on running with the resources Windows would have provided. In many cases, emulation works better than the real Windows and you get the added benefits of a secure 'shell' around the program. The downfall of that method is that the compatibility of the alternative DLLs as they have to be 'work alike' without any knowledge of the contents of the originals.

From a video point of view, I have no problems with native Linux programs to do everything I need. It does occasionally need more than one program to do what I want but I think that scenario is common with Windows users too.

Brian.

[lordhutt]

I need to build a new pc... mine is about 6-7 years old... starting to have some issues. And thinking about maybe playing some new games so also another reason for new hardware. I'm running Win7.

I don't really have any desire to use Win10 with all the telemetry BS and forced updates. But I want to use m.2 NVMe drives in this new build... but for some reason I'm thinking win7 doesn't play well with that (or am I wrong?)

And on to the stupid questions... talking out of my ass here as I've never done any of the following in any manner...... I've never used win10, Linux or Sandboxie
Would something like this work....
Run Linux as main OS for general day to day computer use.... internet, word processing, downloading etc.
Then when software I use that requires Windows like the video editing software or games can Win10 be ran in a sandbox and denied any kind of internet access... so no worries about telemetry or updates...
I've thought of a dual boot system with Linux/Win 10 and literally pulling the RJ45 cable every time I run Win10 but that would get old really fast...
So is this even remotely possible?

[Arnold_Layne]

I need to build a new pc... mine is about 6-7 years old... starting to have some issues. And thinking about maybe playing some new games so also another reason for new hardware. I'm running Win7.

I don't really have any desire to use Win10 with all the telemetry BS and forced updates. But I want to use m.2 NVMe drives in this new build... but for some reason I'm thinking win7 doesn't play well with that (or am I wrong?)

And on to the stupid questions... talking out of my ass here as I've never done any of the following in any manner...... I've never used win10, Linux or Sandboxie
Would something like this work....
Run Linux as main OS for general day to day computer use.... internet, word processing, downloading etc.
Then when software I use that requires Windows like the video editing software or games can Win10 be ran in a sandbox and denied any kind of internet access... so no worries about telemetry or updates...
I've thought of a dual boot system with Linux/Win 10 and literally pulling the RJ45 cable every time I run Win10 but that would get old really fast...
So is this even remotely possible?

Check out this video on Youtube. Host talks about installing Windows 7 on modern CPU with NVMe drives. It can be done. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8VTC4k6SLWY

[usually_quiet]

I need to build a new pc... mine is about 6-7 years old... starting to have some issues. And thinking about maybe playing some new games so also another reason for new hardware. I'm running Win7.

I don't really have any desire to use Win10 with all the telemetry BS and forced updates. But I want to use m.2 NVMe drives in this new build... but for some reason I'm thinking win7 doesn't play well with that (or am I wrong?)

This might help you with Windows 7 installation: https://forum.videohelp.com/threads/384921-Windows-7-Image-Updater-SkyLake-KabyLake-Ry...er#post2495364

[DeJay]

And on to the stupid questions...

Not stupid at all, the stupid question is the one you don't ask!

Run Linux as main OS for general day to day computer use.... internet, word processing, downloading etc.
Then when software I use that requires Windows like the video editing software or games can Win10 be ran in a sandbox and denied any kind of internet access... so no worries about telemetry or updates...

That's very similar what I do.

I have Linux as my sole operating system and I edit video in Linux, currently using Cinelerra. I have Widows 7 installed in VirtualBox solely so that I can use Sonicfire Pro and Cinescore, I can't get either to work under Wine. Windows requires internet access for activation, then it's a simple matter to deny Windows internet access by turning the interface off in VBox. Windows communicates with Linux via a shared folder, so any Windows downloads can be downloaded in Linux and passed through the "airlock" to Windows. It has worked well for me for a few years.

The important thing is to make sure that any components used in the build are Linux compatible, otherwise it can cause lots of problems.

[lordhutt]

Thanks for the links Arnold_Layne and usually_quiet... I will definitely check into those.

Run Linux as main OS for general day to day computer use.... internet, word processing, downloading etc.
Then when software I use that requires Windows like the video editing software or games can Win10 be ran in a sandbox and denied any kind of internet access... so no worries about telemetry or updates...

That's very similar what I do.

I have Linux as my sole operating system and I edit video in Linux, currently using Cinelerra. I have Widows 7 installed in VirtualBox solely so that I can use Sonicfire Pro and Cinescore, I can't get either to work under Wine. Windows requires internet access for activation, then it's a simple matter to deny Windows internet access by turning the interface off in VBox. Windows communicates with Linux via a shared folder, so any Windows downloads can be downloaded in Linux and passed through the "airlock" to Windows. It has worked well for me for a few years.

The important thing is to make sure that any components used in the build are Linux compatible, otherwise it can cause lots of problems.

Great to know that this is possible if I go that route. Aside from the telemetry and forced updates from what I've read win10 is actually a pretty good OS. Now If this is the case and all of this can be disabled is their any particular reason you are still using Win7 instead of Win10 in Vbox?

[DeJay]

is their any particular reason you are still using Win7 instead of Win10 in Vbox?

Quite simply, it is the last version of Windows I updated to before I changed to Linux.

[lordhutt]

is their any particular reason you are still using Win7 instead of Win10 in Vbox?

Quite simply, it is the last version of Windows I updated to before I changed to Linux.

Just checked out that Sonicfire Pro program... that looks pretty awesome!

Back to Linux... I think I'll experiment on an older PC first to check it out and see if its something I may be interested in coupled with 7 or 10.
Or just staying with old school 7... based on the links provided it shouldn't be a hassle to install.

[DeJay]

Just checked out that Sonicfire Pro program... that looks pretty awesome!

Yes, Sonicfire Pro is very good, the way the music can be custonised to fit your video, it's the next best thing to having your own composer. Cinescore was similar, but was a bit cruder and the music was all synthesiser. I still prefer it sometimes though, I often use a track alongside Sonicfire Pro music. The reason I stick with them is, I've paid the licence for the music so I may as well get my money's worth. Otherwise I'd dump Windows altogether.

Back to Linux... I think I'll experiment on an older PC first to check it out and see if its something I may be interested in coupled with 7 or 10.
Or just staying with old school 7... based on the links provided it shouldn't be a hassle to install.

Trying Linux on an old computer is definitely a good way to start, especially if you feel slightly nervous about it, but actually it's very easy. Almost all distributions have a live version, so you can get a feel for it before installing anything and you can find out if it recognises the wireless connection, graphics card etc. These days, again for most distros, installation is a breeze, Linux will recognise any other OS and install beside it, automatically partitioning the drive, then install the bootloader so you have a choice of OSs when you boot it. When you decide you like the Linux experience, you will stop installing automatically but, one step at a time.

One thing worth mentioning, quite a lot of Linux distros do not come with certain multimedia codecs, it's a licensing thing, but most make it easy to get them, it's often an installation option.