Possible Windows 10 Alternative Install?

I’m not sure anyone really knows what Microsoft will do once the “free upgrade” period to Windows 10 expires.

Will folks who haven’t upgraded their systems get a second chance from Microsoft and still be able to attempt a free upgrade after that point?

Will Microsoft remove the “free” offer and require purchase of future Windows 10 upgrades for supported OS’s?

If so, will Microsoft uninstall/strip out all their “Get Windows 10” software dumped on Windows 7/8/8.1 systems and their browsers?

I guess we will find out in a few months.

So I was wondering if there could be a backup plan to get Windows 10 safely and stably installed on our seemingly incompatible laptops before that time limted offer expires – just in case.

My thought was to take a backup of our Windows systems (see previous post), then wipe out Windows entirely and reload a clean build of a Linux OS version.

• Linux Mint
• Ubuntu
• Apricity OS (described and consumed via TinyApps blog post “A lickable Linux distro”) maybe my favorite of the three…

All of these come in (or support) the Cinnamon desktop theme that I like best.

I’ve already been able to run all of them on my laptops via Easy2Boot to confirm they all work just fine (actually stupid-fast and stable unlike Windows 10) on our laptop hardware and WiFi network.

Once I have Linux running, I can then either install VMware Workstation Player or Oracle VM VirtualBox.

• How To Install VirtualBox 5.0 In Ubuntu/Linux Mint Or Other Derivatives – LinuxAndUbuntu
• Need help with installing latest VMware Player on Linux Mint 17.1 - Linux & Unix
• How to Install VMware Player 6.0.3 in Linux Mint 17 - Linux Scoop

Next I should then be able to create a VM and just do a clean install of Windows 10 into it and activate it. I’ve been running the free Windows 10 VM’s offered by Microsoft for some time in both just fine.

I guess the only serious drawback is figuring out how to “secure” the Linux OS – or if I really need to!  I’m so conditioned to have so many firewalls, anti-exploit, anti-malware, and anti-crypto-locker layers running on my Windows systems I’m honestly not sure what to do. It’s one thing for a Windows guy or gal to play with and use various Linux distros in a “LiveCD” type of manner, it’s another thing to load them on your hardware and depend on them as your daily driver OS.

• Linux: 16 Security Packages Against Windows and Linux Malware Put to the Test - AV-TEST
• Antivirus - Community Help Wiki
• 4 Common Questions New Users Ask About Ubuntu – OMG! Ubuntu!

There really just aren’t the same number of Linux AV/AM products out there – because they really aren’t needed? To a Windows sysadmin running an OS without that protection in place just seems like going out in public naked!

Does anyone have any thoughts, links, or software recommendations regarding setting up a layered security approach on a home-user’s Linux OS system? Or it is really just not needed?

Cinnamon Extras:

• The 5 Best Cinnamon Desktop Themes (As Chosen By You) - OMG! Ubuntu!
• Your Favorite Cinnamon Theme — Revealed! - OMG! Ubuntu!
• Cinnamon 3.0 Is Released, Here's How To Install it On Ubuntu 16.04 LTS - OMG! Ubuntu!
• Cinnamon 3.0 Released – ItsFOSS

Easy2Boot Extras:

• Hurry - less than 100 days to go before the free Windows 10 upgrade expires! - RMPrepUSB, Easy2Boot and USB booting blog
• RMPrepUSB, Easy2Boot and USB booting: 30 things I bet you didn't know about Easy2Boot! - RMPrepUSB, Easy2Boot and USB booting blog
• Download and add Windows 10 ISOs to Easy2Boot - RMPrepUSB, Easy2Boot and USB booting blog
• Quickly install Windows 7\8\10 To Go onto an Easy2Boot USB drive using WinToUSB - RMPrepUSB, Easy2Boot and USB booting blog

Cheers,

--Claus Valca