Recently booted Windows to install a BIOS update with a Windows only installer and realised it had been about a year since last boot. Think it may be time to reclaim that space.
Most mobos usually have a bios flash utility in the bios setup itself, so you don’t need to rely on the windows installer. You just need to stick the update on a USB stick (extract the binary file from the zip).
There are two or three work functions that can only be done on Windows when working from home. So it gets its own Windows 10 VM with just enough resources to perform those functions, installed with a local account and ShutUp10 to remove all the automated “feature” updates. If something goes wrong, I can nuke it and lose nothing.
Might be able to starve it further with Windows 10 Ameliorated. It’s got a fancy UI now, but under the hood it’s a bunch of Powershell scripts to disable a lot of the bullshit (or at least it used to be).
Using IoT LTSC install media is good too, doesn’t include a lot of the BS to begin with.
I use winboat so I can have Windows programs in a seamless window on Linux. Still a VM, but less annoying to use in comparison to a full RDP session (which is possible if needed)
I’m in school. I 100% need windows for proctored tests. Institutions that offer online schooling are slowly building infrastructure around Microsoft 365 and underlying tech that depends on windows.
I get it. I main Linux too but you 100% need windows in remote learning. So it’s dual boot.
I have five machines, one headless, the other four on KVM, 2 Linux 2 windows. Mainly only use the one windows for work bs that I never want to touch my personal space. I spend most my time on my Linux machine and just use rustdesk though. Having three monitors helps because one is pretty much dedicated to rustdesk.
This is why I no longer dual boot and removed windows all together.
Realized I hadn’t booted Windows on my personal PC in 6 months and said yup time to nuke it all together
Recently booted Windows to install a BIOS update with a Windows only installer and realised it had been about a year since last boot. Think it may be time to reclaim that space.
Most mobos usually have a bios flash utility in the bios setup itself, so you don’t need to rely on the windows installer. You just need to stick the update on a USB stick (extract the binary file from the zip).
There are two or three work functions that can only be done on Windows when working from home. So it gets its own Windows 10 VM with just enough resources to perform those functions, installed with a local account and ShutUp10 to remove all the automated “feature” updates. If something goes wrong, I can nuke it and lose nothing.
Put it in a tiny box and starve that fucker.
I like it.
Might be able to starve it further with Windows 10 Ameliorated. It’s got a fancy UI now, but under the hood it’s a bunch of Powershell scripts to disable a lot of the bullshit (or at least it used to be).
Using IoT LTSC install media is good too, doesn’t include a lot of the BS to begin with.
Whenever I see “ameliorate” I think of The Simpsons.
Don’t use your phone computer for work. Even if you’re an independent consultant, S Corp or whatever. Just don’t.
For privacy and legal reasons, and your own sanity, just get a separate computer and only ever use that for work.
Most of the time you can write that off anyway.
I use winboat so I can have Windows programs in a seamless window on Linux. Still a VM, but less annoying to use in comparison to a full RDP session (which is possible if needed)
I’m in school. I 100% need windows for proctored tests. Institutions that offer online schooling are slowly building infrastructure around Microsoft 365 and underlying tech that depends on windows.
I get it. I main Linux too but you 100% need windows in remote learning. So it’s dual boot.
why not just use a VM?
Because a lot of software will refuse to run in a VM for security reasons. Testing software is very likely to be one of those.
If I didn’t have to use it a handful of times a year for work I’d have wiped my windows drive and extended my Linux storage. Alas.
I feel for the folks who can’t afford a second drive to dual boot.
I have five machines, one headless, the other four on KVM, 2 Linux 2 windows. Mainly only use the one windows for work bs that I never want to touch my personal space. I spend most my time on my Linux machine and just use rustdesk though. Having three monitors helps because one is pretty much dedicated to rustdesk.
This is the only way to go.
The correct fix
It’s on a separate hard drive for me, and I have it so I select which drive to continue booting from when I first turn the machine on.
I run Win10 IOT in a virtualbox to run one app once a month for a few minutes, that I haven’t found a replacement for.