I have used many versions of Microsoft Windows over it’s lifespan. I will not go into detail of the past versions!, as they have been well and truly documented in fine articles on the web.
I will only explain why, at long last, ditching Windows OS for good at this QTH , also the reasons why? The preparation that was required for me to transition to Linux.
When Microsoft decided that your PC hardware had to be of a certain build level to allow upgrade to Windows 11 from version 10, I saw a ‘Red’ mist descending over me. Looking at my various existing equipment of; Two Laptops, Three PC’s all running Windows 10 just fine. All of the above hardware was of reasonable spec to!
I was already using various software to run, ‘Virtual OS’ for testing in a Windows environment. The two that I used:-
- Oracle VirtualBox
- VMware Player
Now my first task was to look at the, Windows 10 system I used for my existing shack PC to connect to the Radio and what current software I was using at that time. I also checked content of the following folders:- Download, Music, Pictures and Documents. Note:- Good time to clear out superfluous files to reclaim disk space! Once this was done, I next looked at the current software being used as follows:
- WSJTX
- GridTracker
- Log4OM
Now as I was planning to move over to a Linux OS (Kubuntu 24.10 “Oracular Oriole” with KDE Plasma Desktop), I needed to check what software could be installed to have a similar setup to the Windows environment. (Well nearly!)
Last but not least, once I was happy that all was backed up to my local NAS system including my log book of calls, I started the process of Virtualising the physical PC as this hardware was going to have Linux installed and would wipe the whole hard-disk capacity. I did not want a duel boot OS system!
Virtualisation of the PC hardware was done using VMware Convertor Stand-alone. This was installed on the target PC and run as the local administrator, this allowed me to have a fully working image of my PC. I tested this by using the, VMware Player and ensured the image started and the apps I used worked fine.
Now at the time of writing this, I have found that the VMware Stand-alone Convertor is not available to download since Broadcom acquisition of VMware products. There does appear to be another product, however I have not tested this as of yet. Here are the details if you want to investigate at your own risk! to evaluate the software. Ensure you check the site for content integrity. Search for:-
StarWind V2V Converter and P2V Migrator As a Hypervisor Switch
More to come……