Well not so much the future but the past of Windows. I still use Windows 7 Pro 64-bit for one thing and one thing only, Serif WebPlus X8 to keep my Website up-to-date. Spotted some errors and updated video links to other OS's etc. Put my Windows 7 drive in the HotSwap bay, disconnected internal drive with Q4OS and got a grub error!!! I was scratching my head over this one and thought it was down to the usual Windows thing that does not like hardware changes as if anyone has seen my other threads, I downgraded my GT1030 to a GT440 so I could run PCLinuxOS on this rig. After some failed fix repairs and making changes in the BIOS, i eventually got it working again! Now here is where Windows fails and GNU/Linux beats Windows. Changing the graphics card back to the GT1030 did not upset Q4OS whatsoever, everything booted as normal!
Well I have triple boot on pc. Apple good for music and crispy videos a colours.
Windows for gaming and no problem with drivers.
Linux distribution is something uniwersal and working ok if you have correct hardware what linux support.
Yesterday I tried my first USB booted session of Zorin and as a Windows user 'from the start' I was quit impressed. Over the years quite sone Windows versions have passed. Some were really bad (W8) and some quite good (W2000 and W7).
Today I use both W10 and W11. Maybe I shouldn't say it too loud here, but I'm quite happy with it. However I also follow the upcoming developments with AI, copilot and Replay, of which I have my concerns.
At this stage I am not quite convinced I will jump over to Linux, but it's good to have a wide look and explore more options. About Microsoft, I think they will go their own specific way in doing things, like they've always done.
When you happy with it and it works for You, that is okay. So, you don't have to be afraid.
Windows tried to force me to upgrade to Windows 11 too, so I got on YouTube and found a very simple work-around in Reg-ed to prevent it. It was a while back now, so I don't remember exactly what I had to do but it involved finding the latest version of WX and telling the Registry not to upgrade past that edition. Some other fixes seem simple but they're not permanent.
Windows is something what skype exchanged for whatsapp in China.
I have windows but exchanged for testing purpouse this distribution.
Letcs just hope they don't use Vista as the base system in future:
Yea I breifly used Windows XP Profesional in both my high school and Colledge and for a breif while after that. I also helped my mom with removing viruses from a Windows 87 Machine she was using at one point. I have to say thatn occasion I have run Windows 10 Professional on my current hp workstation(the machine that I'm using to write this reply).
I used Don't Spy on me Windows or something like that on this laptop using Win 10 Pro for years and never had an update installed from Win for the past 5+ years ..... I only did updates on hardware from the manufactures .... I might add I NEVER had any problems with Windows and ran a stripped down version of it ......
I was running a dual boot system on 2 separate drives with Win 10 and Zorin for approx the last 3 years .... several months ago I somehow managed to partially format my Win drive and had to delete Win 10 completely ..... I even had a back-up of the drive but it would not install no matter what I did .....
The only reason I kept Win 10 around was in case I messed up and needed to get help on the forum and I could still access the net .....
Now I dual boot with Mint and Zorin ..... Mint Wilma on a 256 SSD drive ..... my main OS ..... and Zorin 17.2 on a 1 TB mechanical drive as a back-up and to play games on and other stuff ..... works out beautifully for me and use both drives every day .....
So I am .... for the past several months .... Windows free ..... or until I need to buy another PC .....
My Post-Windows Era will come in October 2025 at the least when the Support for Windows 10 ends. Until then it stays on my Drive. Or: Microsoft would decide to bring Recall on Windows 10. In this Case, I would do it ealier, hahaha!
I was a Windows fanboy for years (since Win 95)
I bought new hardware especially for Windows 11.
But the development and implementation of more AI, Recall and monitoring led me to Zorin.
After 6 weeks of testing with Zorin, I uninstalled my Windows 11 and only have Zorin 17 Pro on my hardware.
I don't miss Windows since then and I hope the Zorin team continues to grow and drive Zorin forward.
My way to Zorin was the liberation from Microsoft
Info
i am not a gamer i use my pc for other things
Well I had to post this screenshot taken on a dual-boot install with Windows 11 24H2 - Q4OS Plasma 5.27.5 Dolphin explorer names it 'Basic Data Partition' 
The real question is why?
I assume you've been keeping up on all the new information about Windows 11 as I have? Literally all the popular tech journalists have covered Windows Recall. Just so you know, the privacy infringing, Microsoft snooping recall, can't be turned off!
Are you trying to break your machine running Windows 11 on it, or are you trying to do something in secret, for science! lol - I have to ask these questions, because I question your sanity, running Windows 11 right now. You know I appreciate you, but I feel this a bridge too far.
I'm a Zorin OS Linux user, all the way baby!
No, this was an update to my youngest's PC. They'd already upgraded from Windows 7 to 10, thought they didn't like 11, but it turns out they thought they would have to pay for it. Win 10 expires in 2025 so if still wanted Windows on their rig they should (not!) update to Windows 11.
And yes there is a way to turn off the spyware in Group Policy Edit. You can only turn the spyware off temporarily if you have Home edition and not Pro which is what this is! I've posted some Pics in other OS's thread in the Lounge, but aware that not everyone on here is a level 3 forum member.
The machine has two identical WD Black 1 Tb spindle drives. The only SSD I would opt for would be Crucial M.2 which is what the eldest has! But then again the install was 22H2!
I don't know the future of Windows, but I think more and more people are seeing the direction of travel (spyware, AI everywhere, invasive deciding what you can do with your computer, the trend to subscription in everything).
My desktop (self build) is Win10. I am tied to Windows with a large investment in music software, along with a pro soundcard which I have discovered has no linux support.
I also use Lightroom 6 (the last version you could buy before subscription-only). Having started to try Darktable in parallel, I see the learning curve is going to be a long one. I also use Affinity Photo a lot.
Finally, I require Visual Studio for my main client work. Because of the legacy .NET versions I need to support this work is problematic to transfer to Linux. Ideally I can convince the client to transition to modern .NET - but the existing solution works well for them.
My new laptop of last month (Lenovo Thinkbook, which seems to be Linux-friendly) is needed for work while away from home (I work from two locations). It came with Win11. The incessant 'reminders' that I haven't yet subscribed to the cloud and 365 are maddening. I find the whole experience frustrating, fighting the machine. I've installed what I need for work on it then installed Zorin dual boot and not been back into Windows since.
The laptop is also for entertainment and creative writing, which in Zorin is a joy. I'm experimenting with VirtualBox for running Visual Studio and Affinity in a Win10 environment, which would free me from needing the dual boot. Initially I set up in Boxes, but found performance a bit laggy.
I think my best plan is to transition as much as I can to Zorin, eventually keeping my Win10 desktop as a purely music workstation for as long as possible.
Hopefully as more people transition to Linux then software will also become available. I know its possible that some of my Native Instruments software [Reaktor 6 is an awesome beast of a thing] might work under Wine, but without my hardware being supported it isn't happening.
My partner has asked me to transition her Win10 laptop to Zorin soon. All her software requirements (Office tasks) can be met natively. Windows has become so annoying with the constant urgings to purchase Microsoft products. Zorin has been an ocean of calm to use.
Long story. Maybe one day I can write succinctly.
I've been a technology user all my adult life, but a discerning one. I don't want the latest everything, I just want what works for me and keep it as long as possible. Technology has to serve people, not be used to enslave people into somebody else's system.
I would certainly give virt-manager a run. It is what I used when in lcodkdown and beyond, working from home until I retired. I held my breath doing a Windows update from 7 Pro to 8.1 Pro in virt-manager and it went like a dream. Also, the desktop in virt-manager looked like it was a bare metal install compared to Virtual Box, and USB 3.0 support allegedly present in VB wasn't but is in virt-manager, you just have to 'add hardware' from the host machine in 'machine details'. Also, having two monitors my mouse would move effortlessly from the host screen to the VM screen.
Thanks, installed and running. I have shared folders set up using this guide
I'll give it a good try and compare with virtualbox. Do you know any good ways to measure performance within the guest other than subjectively? I've allocated 10Mb (from 16) and 8 cores (from 14).
Its amusing to watch a tame Windows undergoing a forced restart within a Zorin window.
Shouldn't that read 10 Gb? I think I will have to boot my Devuan hard drive in the hot swap bay, but usually I would only allocate 2 Cores, bearing in mind that is probably all you would need for Win 7 and 8. Possibly 4 Cores for 10. When my youngest was dual-booting Feren OS and Windows 7 Pro 64-bit, the bare metal install deteriorated so I was not aware of virt-manager at the time I installed the Windows 7 Pro as a VM in Virtual Box. This was on an Asus Maximus VIII Ranger motherboard with Intel Skylake 4 GHz Processor, 8 Gb Corsair RAM, and an nvidia 750Ti Graphics card. I allocated 2 cores and 4 Gb RAM. It ran smoother as a VM than a bare metal install. I was intrigued about that file-sharing package you have between guest and host, well spotted. I have seen virtio in respect of Network and Graphics in virt-manager.
After discovered linux and apple - I must sayed last time used windows 6 years ago for daily.
I just sometimes using windows to check what is going on forward but this is not my daily driver. I mean i looking sometimes once in 6 months but i am really don't need all that stuff what windows have and linux basically is best for multimedia and simple games. Apple also is very good with CrossOver for gaming.