Scorched earth Windows installs

CAD CAD Admin (Install, PDM, etc)
1

Hi de ho,

I’m on the verge of doing a scorched earth Windows 10 install on my only Windows machine, which I use for SolidWorks.

I’ve done this a couple of times, and it’s not a particularly difficult process but it is tedious.

My goal is to set up a system that once it’s set up, I won’t be futzing with it too very much. That’s why I need to do this reinstall as I’ve buggered this one up.

The major apps I’m going to put on this thing are:

  • SolidWorks (natch)
  • Capture 1
  • LightRoom
  • Microsoft Office. I currently have a license for 2010, but am thinking about updating.
  • SketchUp 2017
  • Foxit (pdf reader)
  • Brave browser
  • NotePad++
  • GIMP (hopefully v3.0)
  • Inkscape
  • Nik Collection
  • NoMachine
  • Thunderbird
  • Cura
  • 7-Zip
  • ReNamer
  • Trilium Next
  • Open Shell
  • FileZilla
  • Pulse SMS

And some other more minor utils and apps.

If you have done this recently, please weigh in on any hurdles, challenges, problems you encountered.

I’ve stood up a VitrualBox with Windows 10 on it for testing purposes on a Linux box. That way I won’t be “testing” apps on this box until I know they are well behaved. Lesson learned.

Thanks for any wisdom you can share.

2

Given that Windows 10 is on borrowed time as its planned obsolescence is only about a year out from now (October 14, 2025) and hardware vendors are no longer focusing on it for firmware/driver builds due to Microsoft’s pressure on them to only support and sell Windows 11 on new hardware, I would recommend installing Windows 11 instead.

3

Sorry, machine is not compatible with Win11.

The plan is to use it as long as MS is supporting it, and then when support ends, I’ll firewall the machine off from the innerwebs.

I’m no longer on subscription so SWx v2023 SP5.0 is all there’s going to be for me.

4

I’ve also got one that is not compatible with Win 11 (no TPM chip), so it is stuck on Windows 10 too.

5

https://www.tomshardware.com/software/windows/how-to-fix-windows-10-with-a-repair-install
https://www.zdnet.com/article/how-to-install-windows-11-the-way-you-want-and-bypass-microsofts-restrictions/

6

I have a computer I built about six years ago that, according to Microsoft, was not compatible with Windows 11. I updated the BIOS which apparently made it compatible and Microsoft immediately wanted to upgrade it which, for better or for worse, is what I did. This was roughly three months ago.

7

Doing some digging, it looks like I can use https://rufus.ie/en/ to build an installer that will install W11 on my machine.

So that’s the plan. I will do a scorched Earth install just to get things gussied up.

My license of Office is 2010, so I’ve got my fingers crossed for a sale on the current home office edition for black Friday.

Cheers