Hey everyone! I'm looking to get some advice about my wife's Windows 10 PC. With all the issues surrounding Windows 10 and TPM, I'm thinking about switching her computer to an easier Linux distribution. My goal is for her to be able to run her Microsoft Office applications in a virtual machine while using Linux for email, web browsing, and shopping. I want a simple graphical interface for her. She's primarily using Word, Excel, and a PDF reader, so it needs to be user-friendly. Also, how can we ensure that printing and scanning works seamlessly with our Brother multifunction device, regardless of whether she's using Linux or Windows? Finally, how complicated is it to manage a VM alongside Linux? Any thoughts or suggestions would be super helpful!
3 Answers
You might want to consider PlayOnLinux for a simpler Office installation, which automates a lot of the setup without needing a VM. Alternatively, you could create a Windows 11 boot USB with Rufus to bypass certain hardware checks if you really want to go that route.
If your wife doesn't require all the features of Microsoft Office, you could look into alternatives like OpenOffice or LibreOffice. It might simplify the setup, even though I know you have paid licenses. If she mainly needs basic functions, these could be a great fit!
If your system has enough RAM, this could work quite well. Just be aware that running Windows 11 in a VM may require a virtual TPM, depending on your hypervisor. For example, VirtualBox can handle that. You also want to check if the host processor meets the Windows 11 requirements. By setting Windows 10 in a VM, you can effectively limit internet access to reduce the risk of malware. Remember, with OEM licenses, you might need a retail license for the VM setup. Tools like PCMover can help transfer your software, and it's wise to print your license keys from Belarc Advisor before you switch.
Thanks for the info! So, if I run Windows 10 in the VM just for the Office apps and keep everything else in Linux, that could work? I have 16GB of RAM, which I can easily upgrade to 32. Would she just click an icon to open the Office apps?
Exactly! You can set it up so she has a straightforward way to access everything she needs without diving into technical stuff.
That's a good point! She isn’t an expert with Office anyway, and I often help her with basic things. Maybe we can keep the old PC as a shared resource on the network instead. I'm going to talk to her about what she really needs from her computer.