Mark you can make one of those boot USBs for free if you already have a bootable USB drive lying around, which almost everyone does these days.
https://linuxhint.com/install_linux_mint_19/
Mint is a great distribution but they’re all good these days.
Well, this could be a game changer. Only Enterprise clients for now, but that could broaden.
That seems easier to use and learn. I’m going to hold off buying a book on anything computer related. Right now I can to Tips or Get Help to learn more about windows.
I can also go to HP Documentation from the start menu or search box and go through the full hardware, networking, security, even work with the BIOS. Hopefully my brain will start functioning again with some retention. I have an old hardware book I can go through and a DOS book… This computer apparently comes with some Linux and FreeDOS products versions as well as Windows.
It is a start. Office would be next. Studying other things right now atm (not asychronous transfer mode). Can’t afford to learn what will be eventually useless to me.
If you were hiring Reg maybe I could test out for an A+ and Network+ certification and whatever you decide to use cisco, linux, etc. Still have books for and MCSE I could never get around to complete.
My brain is like one of those black sand ashtrays sometimes. Really burnt out by tech.
Mark, I’ve gone serverless. I use AWS Lambda. I don’t plan to touch hardware again professionally.
Some guy asked in a FB group what Windows can do that Chromebooks can’t. I typed a comment that grew and grew and grew. I think I’ll repost it here to refer to if I ever need it later. I wouldn’t bother reading this post unless you’re really interested in Chromebooks vs Windows.
Chromebooks will not:
Work with most printers/scanners. Check if your printer/scanner is on the approved list. Ignore all the people who will tell you “but my printer works fine” and check if YOUR printer will work fine.
Run any Windows software. This includes the native version of MS Office, and “How can I install MS Office?” remains the most common question I see in the Chromebook groups. The correct answer is, “you can’t”. The Android and web versions of MS Office are severely limited compared to the native Windows version. Some Office clones like LibreOffice and OpenOffice will run under Linux and that works for some people. GSuite is also pretty good although not as full featured. It might even be theoretically possible to run MS Office from a command line using Wine under a Linux subsystem although I’ve never heard of anyone doing that successfully and it’d be incredibly complex and slow as hell given the two extra layers of virtualization.
Edit PDFs natively. Yes there are some web apps that can edit PDFs. None of them have met my needs. If you need Adobe Acrobat, you need Windows or Mac.
Run Dropbox or OneDrive the way you do on Windows so the files are available from any program. You CAN run their Android apps (and I do) but most of the time when you need to use a file, you’ll have to go through the extra steps of downloading it, using it, then re-uploading it. The seamless Windows workflow of editing an offline file and having your changes instantly replicated across all your computers is not possible with Chromebooks.
Play most computer games. I’m not a gamer. I don’t care, myself.
Run any little utilities that you might use, from ham radio apps to scientific apps for school to scheduling utilities for work. These generally only work on Windows. Some of these might possibly work if you install Linux on your Chromebook and then install Wine to your Linux subsystem and then try to load the Windows app using Wine from a Linux command line but that’s a lot of work to get a tiny app to run.
Run alternate browsers to Chrome. Yes, you can load Linux and run Firefox or Opera under that, but it’s an extra layer of virtualization on already-slower hardware. Generally speaking, if you want access to Firefox/Opera/Brave/whatever, stick to Windows.
Use high end graphics or video editing software. There are some good online alternatives but they don’t come close to matching the functionality of the high end native apps. Some Linux alternatives are available but generally, high-end graphics and video are a Windows/Mac game and we’re back to that extra layer of virtualization anyway. For most people (including me), the web apps are fine.
Rename your Bluetooth devices. This is not an issue for most people. If you have several duplicate bluetooth devices in different locations (such as the same model speaker in two or three rooms), it’s a pain to figure out which is which if you can’t rename them.
Work with most third party hardware, from 3d printers to many webcams to label printers to home automation hardware to CD/DVD burners. Again, ignore people who say “but my (blank) works fine with my Chromebook” and check if YOUR (blank) works fine with Chromebooks. Most don’t.
Chromebooks will:
Still can’t train my iPhone not to take pictures sideways.
Im going to be enrolling in an online microsfot course for a certification. It’s kind of like a gift hopefully what I have already with office 365 is all I need.
Looking to get a job working for Bill Gates?
Is your phone an android? Oh nevermind. You said (I)phone lol
No to you.
No this is something of a redemption deal.
Good luck. I hope they don’t say no to you.
This is just an online cert course for office someone is planning on gifting me with. I had enrolled in some cert courses decades ago but never completed them fully.
I finally got my desktop set up. Off the Chromebook for the first time in a week. This is vastly better. A real screen and keyboard. And it’s fast. The Chromebook is good to have but Windows is my mainstay.
Sorry can’t hear you over my Nintendo Switch Lite.
Congratulations. I know you’ve been busy working hard to get everything set up since you made it back home.
Happy New Year, Reg.
Happy New Year, Michele! May this year be better than the last one for both of us.
Can it be worse?
yes
How so?