What with the end of support for Windows 10, and a bit of self-publishing windfall a few months ago, I bought a brand-new HP ENVY x360 laptop for a move to Windows 11. Didn’t want to, but it seemed a necessity.
Then, a couple of weeks ago, I discovered that Windows 10 security updates are extendable for another year. (See my earlier blog entry.) So my old workhorse of a ThinkPad still has life in it.
And for the past week, this new machine has been trying, and repeatedly failing, to install a Windows 11 update.
Honestly, troubleshooting the various Linux OS’s I experimented with on old Chromebooks over the past couple of years was no more difficult and time-consuming than troubleshooting this error. I’m currently at the “Open a Command Prompt and type in this code” stage of instruction. You know, like you’d do to fine-tune a Linux installation.
Part of the reason for going to Windows 11 was to save time compared to fine-tuning Linux. So I could focus on publishing and home repairs. But here I am again, scouring the Web for OS solutions.
And all the while with a HAL 9000 version of Clippy interrupting with offers to help me write a query.
I hate intrusive AI. And I hate Microsoft’s prompts to try this service or that, with no option to say, “No.” Just “Skip for now.” Windows 11 sucks.
So my new Web search is, “Best Linux distro for an HP Envy x360.” Ugh.
Personally, I really love Linux Mint. It is based on Ubuntu, pretty user friendly, and I’ve heard that it is very stable and has far fewer problems than other distros do. It might be just what you’re looking for if you don’t want to spend hours troubleshooting everything.