I would also point out that various companies sell very nice computers that have just come off corporate leases for reasonable prices.?
For example i recently purchased a Microsoft Surface with Windows 11 for under $300, in like new condition.?
I can recommend RTR Computers and have also found good deals at Micro Center. My backup desktop is a Dell I bought from them for $150.?
73 de Chuck, WS1L?
David Reed via - w5sv.dave=(a) said:
> I am looking for advice from those who have already gone down this path, and
> opinions as well.
>
> For our Gurus, your advice and recommendations would be greatly appreciated.
Normally a lurker here, but I do have some thoughts to share on this
topic which may help.
1. To most directly address your short-term pain, please be aware that
you can kick the can a bit for a few bucks if you choose:
2. The hacks to bypass the TPM and processor requirements can work, and
I have done it. However, I have also seen that this can cause subtle
problems and creates risks, because it is not a supported thing to do.
In particular, I have seen a machine which was built this way ignore or
fail to apply security updates, and had to be rolled back to Windows 10.
I do not recommend doing that if the hardware is in fact not compatible.
3. Running equipment past its end-of-life date, when it cannot receive
security updates, is done all the time in business and industry for
various reasons - usually because of specialized software that can't be
upgraded. The way to do this safely is along the lines of AA6YQ's post,
which is to use it ONLY for one purpose, do not let sensitive data touch
it, and isolate it from everything else to the extent possible. You
particularly do not want to use it for general browsing on the internet
or for anything involving financial or personal data. Make it your
ham-apps only box. If you have the skills, putting your ham stuff on a
separate network is the gold standard for doing this right.
4. Finally, re: obsolescence: I do not often find myself defending
Microsoft, but in this case, what they are doing is the right thing. A
major reason that Windows is so woefully insecure is MS's history of
prioritizing backwards compatibility, thus making it impossible to
enforce new standards out of the box as threats evolve. The TPM and
processor requirements are due mostly to security features that are not
available on older hardware, so this is a (very) rare case when they
made the decision to insist on upgrading in order to make Windows 11
more secure. (Apple has more often done the opposite, being willing to
break older hardware in order to move forward, which is one reason that
a Macs' lifecycle is unfortunately shorter than a PC's.)
Hope this is useful.
Chuck, WS1L