Support for Windows 10 ends on October 14, 2025. Microsoft wants you to buy a new computer. If you bought your computer after 2010, there’s most likely no reason to throw it out. By just installing an up-to-date Linux operating system you can keep using it for years to come.
Installing an operating system may sound difficult, but you don’t have to do it alone. With any luck, there are people in your area ready to help! Find someone to help you.
I’m probably gonna be the unlucky soul who has to do all this for my dad, if he chooses Linux Mint. I’ve showed him the cinnamon version and I’m probably gonna be the one helping him do a clean install after he backs up everything he needs/wants from his laptop. Alongside helping him learn a few things so he can run his laptop without too many issues.
I did exactly that for my mom. Totally non-technical, but she was beginning to absolutely hate all the invasive noise and crap from Windows. All she wanted was to write free of distraction.
So we backed up her files, set up Cinnamon, installed LibreOffice, and imported her files. I set the system up to be offline, since it’s her no-distractions computer, showed her the basics of using it, and basically haven’t heard a peep about it since.
Linux just works, without the bullshit.