Windows 10 - Karmi's Musings & Tech

Testing Zorin OS 18 Beta – Is This the Windows 10 Replacement You Need?

September 20, 2025September 20, 2025 by Karmi

Zorin OS 18 desktop interface showing activities menu and mountain wallpaper with beta announcement text

Bottom Line Up Front

Zorin OS 18 Beta delivers a polished, Windows-like experience that may ease the October 2025 Windows 10 end-of-life transition for millions of PCs. I’ve been testing Linux since 1996 — and Zorin since late 2009 — and this release shows real promise for Windows users who want familiar functionality without the steep Linux learning curve. As a daily Windows 11 user, I appreciate that Zorin doesn’t bash Windows, but instead tries to deliver an OS that feels familiar while staying true to Linux’s strengths.

Windows 11 24H2 – Laptops

August 12, 2025November 24, 2024 by Karmi

See Windows 11 24H2 – and Recall post for more info on the 24H2 Update.

This 24H2 update was on my Dell XPS 13 9310 – purchased in October of 2021. Specs are:

Windows 11 24H2 – and Recall

August 12, 2025October 20, 2024 by Karmi

Windows 11 24H2 installed on my ‘Rose’ test computer yesterday (10/19/2024). Specs are: Intel® i9-10900K CPU, ASUS Prime Z490M-PLUS MoBo, MSI GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER™ VENTUS XS OC GPU, and 32GB of memory.

Didn’t time it, but it is a *MAJOR* update and took time to download (Fiber internet) & install. Restart was required, and that also took time with several restarts during that process. Am seeing reports of an hour or more for the update – depending on computer’s age and your internet connection. Mine didn’t take an hour, but total time was over 30 minutes…maybe 40-45 minutes? It is a “full OS swap..”

What’s new in Windows 11, version 24H2:

ASUS Prime Z790M-PLUS D4 mATX MoBo: Restore an Image and/or do a Clean Install

August 12, 2025January 31, 2024 by Karmi

The Intel® Rapid Storage Technology (Intel® RST) driver holds the controllers (?) and storage drivers I needed to do a Backup and Restore (Windows 7) of a Win11 Pro saved image, and/or to do a clean installation of Win11 Pro – on an ASUS Prime Z790M-PLUS D4 MoBo.

I am no expert at motherboards, but I sometimes do more ‘Tinkering’ with my main computer (‘Apevia’) than I should—hence the reason for using the Backup and Restore (Windows 7) utility that comes with Windows 11 before actual ‘Tinkering’ starts.

Long story, but I don’t really want to go thru the ‘Nightmare’, in great detail, again. Doubtful that I could remember all the details anyway, since a lot of the experience involved luck, searching, banging away, more searching, more banging away mixed in with deep thought & pondering, experimenting & testing, and a stroke of good luck in the home stretch. 👍😳👌🙂

Windows 11 23H2 update – Win11 Installation Media & Disk Image (ISO)

August 12, 2025November 5, 2023 by Karmi

Should’ve made this a three ‘Parter’. 🙂 Anyway, my Dell XPS 13 and three desktops I ‘Built’ have all been up graded to Windows 11 Pro—Version 23H2 and OS build 22631.2506.

Everything went fine – except for two minor issues. One issue was with an app, but resolved that (more on that later). The other issue was with the Create Windows 11 Installation Media that was tested (more on that later).

Windows 11 23H2 update – Dell laptop got it already post covered the standard Windows Settings > Windows Update method – when an update notice “popped up saying that the 23H2 update was ready”. That update method used – ‘How to get it: servicing technology (like that used for the monthly update process), providing a fast installation experience.’ That method took only a few minutes—very FAST!

Windows 11 23H2 update – install it using the Installation Assistant post covered using the Windows 11 Installation Assistant method. That method was much slower than the standard Windows update delivery—taking between 35-45 minutes on different desktops, and at different times. ISP connection speeds could make the method faster or slower, but still not as fast as the standard delivery.