Xtra-PC

[dudwell]

I suppose this is too good to be true?

http://www.studylifestyle.com/2016/xtra-pc/1/?cid=42&utm_term=dailymail-uk&sxid=c3s6ny97mfdy

[Glenn]

Seems like it is just a Linux install. https://www.cnet.com/forums/discussions/has-anyone-heard-of-xtra-pc/

[dudwell]

It's that little word "just" that bothers me Glenn. Possibly it might be worth the convenience for a techno-fumbler like me?

I'll do nothing for quite a while!

[Glenn]

Following a guide like http://www.everydaylinuxuser.com/2016/04/how-to-create-linux-mint-usb-drive.html allows you to make your own boot drive for the cost of the USB pen drive.

[zappaDPJ]

There are two ways to get an old laptop running better than it did when you bought it.

The first is to simply reinstall the operating system with something that didn't come with the device. That removes all the preloaded junk the laptop was supplied with and all the junk the owner installed along the way. I've done this many time now, updated old laptops with Windows 10 (including a 12 year old Sony Vaio) and I've yet to encounter a problem. I imagine that is what this device is doing but with Linux.

The other possibility is to fit an SSD.

[stevenrw]

Absolutely. Zap is right. An SSD and a fresh Windows install will breath all sorts of life into any pc. You can get a legit copy to D/L here https://softwaregeeks.co.uk/
Either 7 or 10. Perhaps if you have migrated your other sevices to W10, use the old laptop to play around with W7, in case there's software that works better on W7.
Keep an eye out here https://www.aria.co.uk/ - they often have really good deals on SSD's. I use Samsung which are not the cheapest but are really fast. Its normally an easy job to swap out the drive in a laptop.

[tehidyman]

If I install fresh copy of Windows 7 from softwaregeeks to replace my existing legit. copy on my laptop will other software be affected? I have Microsoft office on its third of three installed, other MS software and non MS software.

[Technical Ben]

Yeah, this is probably a tiny tiny but fast version of Linux. So being stripped of all but the basics, it will run "quicker" that and it will not be loading up loads of bloated and useless apps.

Though most people could do it themselves for the cost of a USB drive. I'd assume you would still need to set some things up to get the Xtra PC to boot, so may as well do the whole thing yourself and avoid the risk of a trojan also being supplied (as there is no guarantee from unchecked suppliers like Xtra-PC).

[stevenrw]

If the copies of all your software are legit, in theory there should be no limit to the amount of times you reinstall them. They recognise the motherboard, not the OS (AFAIK).
If you are really worried about it you could always take an image of your system as it stands at the moment. IMHO you should do this periodically anyway in case Windows becomes irreparably damaged.
You need (ideally) an external drive (if you have a spare HDD drive you can buy a USB enclosure very cheaply) and a piece of free software. I use Macrium Reflect Free, but EasUS ToDo Backup is also free and they are both easy to use.
They take images of your whole hard drive, so they are backing up both your Operating System, registry, settings, programs browser bookmarks  and of course your data. You will be able to restore so it looks exactly like it did when you made the image, right down to your desktop picture, shortcuts etc
Be aware that it provides a snapshot only, so you should continue to run backups of your data in the normal way. These programs enable you also to make a bootable disc so if Windows gets corrupted and your PC will not boot you can boot from the CD you've made which gets you into a "cut down" version of Windows where you can browse for the image you've made and restore from there.
Just Search for Macrium Reflect tutorials (or EASUS ToDo tutorials) on YouTube to see how they work.
**Important** Make sure you verify the image when you create it, otherwise it will not work.