Windows 10 support ended on October 14th, 2025. I have an almost 10 year old laptop that was struggling after many software updates and app installations but I was willing to upgrade to 11. When I checked if my laptop could run Windows 11 I found out that it doesn’t meet the Windows 11 upgrade requirements! Sure, I could get a new PC but I don’t want to spend hundreds of dollars on a new machine. As of this writing Microsoft does have a program that allows users to continue receiving security updates for another year but this program might not work for everyone. I wanted a solution: something that would work well on my old laptop, would offer a similar Windows like experience, and get regular security updates for as long as possible.
After some research I decided to try a Linux system called Zorin OS. Linux is an alternative operating system (OS) that is free and open sourced, meaning that anyone can download and install it as long as their computer meets the OS minimum requirements (most computers can handle some form of Linux). What OS engineers do is they tweak the operating system to suit the needs of their intended audience. Once they craft the OS to their liking, it is released to the public and called a “distribution” (or distro) of Linux.
There are many Linux distros (some of which can actually cost money, but many are free) but for the purpose of this post I’ll focus on Zorin OS. Zorin OS comes in three varieties, Zorin OS Core (which is free), Zorin OS Pro (which is ~47 dollars as of this writing and includes more apps, features and custom options) and Zorin OS Education. Since I wanted something free I chose Zorin OS Core. Installing the Core edition was easy and I have used it extensively for the last 30 days.
My laptop has handled the transition amazingly well. I don’t do anything too processor intensive, just web browsing and right now some light coding and photo editing. As I gave Zorin a trial run I discovered that it didn’t overload my hardware.with excessive background processing. My laptop actually runs better than it did with Windows 10. If you have an old laptop that can’t upgrade to Windows 11, maybe Zorin will help you too! Here are some of the Windows-like things that Zorin OS Core offers:
It has a desktop layout similar to Windows in that it uses an app menu akin to the Windows “Start” menu, listing all of your apps, settings, and other useful functions.
Zorin OS Core offers a file manager that allows for drag and drop movement of files, folder creation and management and desktop shortcuts, among other things.
Zorin OS Core features a familiar taskbar experience where icons in use are displayed at the bottom of the screen. Plus, you can right click on an app and click “pin to dash” which is similar to “pin to taskbar on Windows.”
A system tray that displays many of the Windows features that you’re likely used to, such as battery health, connection status, audio settings and calendar.
Brave Browser is installed on Zorin OS by default but many other web browsers can be installed instead such as Mozilla Firefox.
If you use a web mail e-mail account such as Outlook, Yahoo or Gmail, you can of course access your e-mails through your web browser. If instead you’re used to using an e-mail client you can use Mozilla Thunderbird, which is compatible with most e-mail domains and also offers many features that you’d find in mainstream desktop e-mail apps.
On the more functional side of things, Zorin is a very lightweight operating system, meaning that it doesn’t require you to have the fastest, most powerful processor around. My laptop is running a quite dated Intel Core I5 CPU and as you can see in the below screenshot, my system is not having a hard time running multiple applications within Zorin.
One thing I’ve really liked about Zorin is that the software update process is very straightforward. When a system update is available, I see a popup, then I click install and can keep working. While it isn’t a deal breaker for me, I don’t remember being forced to restart my computer after a system update either, which some of you Windows users may appreciate.
Lastly and most importantly, Zorin values user privacy. Since it is an open source system, anyone can investigate the source code to investigate their privacy claim firsthand.
If you have an old laptop/PC that you’d like to keep or that can’t update to Windows 11, you can try Zorin on your machine without deleting any files! I’ll post an article soon showing how you can do just that! However, if you have any specific questions or concerns about your situation, feel free to comment below and I’ll help as much as I can. I hope this helps you and have a GREAT day.
Legal disclaimer: This post is for informational and educational purposes only. Always back up your data before making any changes to your devices or software. I am not responsible for any loss or damage to data or systems as a result of this information. Full disclaimer statement here.
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