Is there an alternative to Windows 10 OS with which Surfshark will work?

Computers
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Is there an alternative to Windows 10 OS with which Surfshark will work? Like, ReactOS? I would like to stop using any Microsoft product if possible.
FYI: Windows 10 will not be supported by Microsoft after Oct,2025 and windows 11 will not work on my current computer.

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welcome

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What is your plan with the computer? Are you hoping to use it as a streaming device, or just your normal, everyday PC use?

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Surfshark is avail for most all platforms. Most linux distros have it in their repos.

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To answer your question, I use this HP desktop computer for email, news, weather, access to the net, youtube, rumble, etc. Not movie streaming. I have Surfshark on it and on a laptop and TV.

Windows 10 will not be supported after 10/2025 and this HP is not new enough for downloading Windows 11, so I am looking for an alternative OS. Besides, I am annoyed by some things that Microsoft does. I stopped using Microsoft Office a while back in preference to Open Office and I use Open Shot video editor for “How To Videos” I load on to youtube and Rumble.

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I mean, the big ones that come to mind off the top of my head are Linux and MacOS/iOS. Although I’m not a fan of either really, I know a lot of people that do use them and trust them.

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You sound like a prime canidate for LinuxMint. A great (free) os with full support. It will bring an older pc back to life and imho the best system to transition away from microshaft.

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If you would like to keep the Windows like experience, I would say to install Zorin (Linux based). It is the closest thing to the Windows interface.

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I haven’t tried all the user friendly Linux versions (AKA: distributions or ‘distros’) but I will second Linux Mint as being very user friendly and has been my daily driver for 3-4 years now. I use it for everyday stuff. The free office software will generally work better on a Linux machine than a Windows one.

If you want to try out several distributions, there is a program called “Ventoy” which allows loading multiple OS images on a single partition on a USB drive. You can load Linux Mint, Zorian, Ubuntu, etc and see which on appeals to you.

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You can test drive various linux distros here>>> https://distrosea.com/

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LinuxMint sounds like it is worth trying. I may use it on an old laptop that has Windows 10 currently. With the 2025 deadline coming up, operating systems like this could keep older units not up to Windows 11 standards around for quite a bit longer. And keep money out of Microsoft’s pocket, which is the main reason to cut off support to a Windows 10 OS.

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Yes Sir…I made that leap back in the windows XP days

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Do you ever have issues with program compatibility? Or are most things that you need able to be installed on this OS?

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When I made the move it was to ubuntu and I dual booted windows with it, but over time I realized I never went to windows and completely wiped windows. Now days I find most of what I need in the distros repos. Libreoffice works great, I use Librawolf (firefox) as my browser etc. Remember You spend 99.999% of your time online within a browser and rarely lift the hood. You will notice Linux does not come with clutter as windows does and your laptop will feel like new.

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Okay let’s say I installed zorin on my PC, what would I use for security program. I use McAfee now which I have had good luck with, but what would work with these alternative OS systems. Are they more secure than Microsoft? What about getting hacked?

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Great conversation guys! I have some old laptops that are in need. I did not know you could change out the OS until I read your thread. As always a great place to hang out! Thx

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Just Google “Linux Antivirus”.
There are a number of products available. On that note, Linux OS’s are not near as vulnerable as Windows.

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On my desktop, I just bought a used, small laptop solid state drive and installed Mint on that and kept the original HD in storage. I then installed a 1TB used laptop HD for storage.

I tried dual boot for a short time and concluded that just having separate drives was easier to deal with.

One thing that I have enjoyed with my Linux machine is that I have never had any updates causing my a headache.

My daughter needs a Windows machine for her job. Updates are worrisome deals both on her end and her employer’s end.

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Quick answer is ‘yes’ there can be compatibility problems. But whether those are problems for you depends on what you’re going to use your computer for.

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