I’m short on operating systems.
I’m short on operating systems.
I've experienced one of the worst periods lately, especially during the past week (with the last 48 hours being particularly rough). I've relied on PCs almost all the time since my first one in 1997. (I’ll try to keep it short about how I got here. I haven’t refreshed or reinstalled Windows 10 in nearly a year, and performance was slipping so I went with a fresh format of my 256GB M.2 SSD. It worked out, I reinstalled everything, and spent a day and a half last weekend.) Two days ago, I brought my PC to friends’ houses (on the edge of town, mostly countryside) because I was babysitting two kids while they were away for two weeks. I attempted to connect to their WiFi—their only internet option—but suddenly my Windows 10 network button vanished, and so did any way to join a network. The only solution was a full reset. All my software and games disappeared. I spent an entire day trying fixes and then reinstalled just the essentials, like World of Tanks. That evening, I booted up World of Tanks, cranked up some boosters, and tried to get things going... but after an hour, it failed. Windows Delivery Optimisation thought it was a smart move to download at full speed. I spent over 30GB downloading, using all my bandwidth, and gave up, waiting until late at night to search for a fix. I tried everything: network settings, drivers, reboots. I even went through the deep end of Share & Network options. Eventually, I decided to switch back to Windows 7 (a first in about eight years). I made a USB stick with Windows 7 and started the installation. But it turned out Windows 7 doesn’t recognize M.2 format or my ADATA SPG 8200 SSD. After hours of searching, I tried installing Windows 7 on a SATA SSD to clone the M.2 drive, but the cloning software couldn’t save my only USB stick. So I couldn’t transfer it to Windows 7. Frustrated, I moved to Linux. I downloaded Linux Mint Cinnamon and installed it on the M.2 SSD without issues. But when I tried to connect WiFi, it didn’t work—my TP Link AC600 USB didn’t support native Linux. I spent hours online looking for solutions, compiling my own installer, but kept hitting roadblocks. Eventually, I realized I needed Ethernet for anything beyond basic functions and a USB dongle that was essentially dead. My blood pressure was through the roof. By 2 AM I was exhausted. That morning, I decided enough was enough. I’m going back to Windows 7. So I made a USB stick with Windows 7 and started the install again... until I discovered it didn’t support M.2 NVME at all. Now I’m stuck. I’m considering Windows 8.1 as a last resort. It’s not ideal—Windows 7 won’t work on M.2, and Windows 10 drains my slow WiFi connection. Linux still struggles with compatibility and needs constant internet. The only missing piece is Mac OS via Hackintosh, but that requires an Apple machine, which I don’t have. My photo library is stuck with over 4,000 unfinished images, and two weeks of holiday time just made me anxious. This mess is seriously affecting my plans. My PC feels old—gigabytes of components, a 14nm Intel chip, and constant overheating. I’m tired of juggling so many steps to get things done. I’m not sure what’s next. My options are: keep fighting Windows 10, or switch to something simpler. My laptop is a pain, and I’m already dreading another holiday without progress.
I actually went through half of it, which was more than I planned. Windows 8.1 would have been fine enough. The change isn’t much different from Windows 10. The only options seem to be keeping installing Windows 10 repeatedly until it functions or creating a backup install from another machine.
Windows 9 exists and offers the benefits of Windows 10 without the clutter. It resembles Windows 7, which is solid. Updates are handled securely, no Metro or Store features, and Live Tiles aren’t included. It’s supported through 2024. I’ve been using it for a year now, and everything functions perfectly. A really great operating system.
Windows 8.1 Embedded Industry Pro differs from Windows 9, and altering Windows 10 isn't equivalent to Windows 9. Unless you have another idea, this isn't the answer you're looking for.
I think so. It offers all the perks of 10 (m.2 native support) contemporary drivers and UEFI features. There are no drawbacks. Updates focus solely on security, no telemetry, no need to contact support, no risky patches, no unexpected OS shifts, no live tiles, and no downloads. I haven’t noticed any negatives. DX12 runs only on Windows 10, but there’s more to life than gaming unless that’s your sole use case, in which case Windows 10 is the best fit.
The WiFi button vanishes after a driver issue. It’s likely Windows 10 released an update that replaced the existing driver with an incompatible one. You could have prevented this by installing the correct driver directly. Using Mint avoids recompiling the installer, letting you pick a kernel version that supports your WiFi adapter. Upgrading my laptop’s WiFi card required about five clicks and a restart.
I’ve tested reinstalling the TP Link AC600 driver multiple times, using both the manufacturer and Microsoft versions. The connection still vanished from the Task Bar or Network Settings. In Change Adapter Settings it appeared active with a green icon, but Windows couldn’t detect any network. Clearing network settings via command lines didn’t help. I’ve faced issues with internet speed for over a month, though I initially blamed weak 4G signals. Once here, problems persisted with my phone and home WiFi. I attempted to disable Delivery Optimiser, blocked firewall access, and ran virus scans, but none resolved the issue. Registry tweaks and driver updates didn’t fix it. Adobe software wouldn’t download on Windows 8.1, and the AMD driver failed to detect my card. My monitor stayed off after reboot, showing only a black screen. I spent hours troubleshooting, never giving up despite setbacks.