Today is October 14th, 2025. From today, Microsoft will no longer be providing support for Windows 10.
For me, Windows 10 was the best and worst thing that's happened to me as a PC user. I definitely have to thank Windows 10 for its existence - without it, I would never have become a Linux user.
I still remember all the problems I had from the beginning of Windows 10 back in 2015. Issues with Intel video drivers, sound problems. And don's even get me started on the constant operating system updates.
One of the main features I hated was the fact that the operating system completely updated every 6 months. It was almost an imitation of the Ubuntu model, where while there are minor updates every week, there's a complete system update every 6 months. But in the case of Windows 10, those semi-annual updates were a headache. Primarily because they were forced - Windows "technically held your PC hostage," and to top it off, they took forever to update.
Over time, Windows 10 proved to be an unreliable system. Not only for the things mentioned, but also because Microsoft introduced a ton of "bloatware" and telemetry to the system.
Luckily, the last part, the bloatware, I didn't have to suffer through, as by then I was already using Debian and didn't have to worry about anything related to Microsoft.
Aside from all the negatives, what's worth highlighting is that at the beginning of Windows 10, Microsoft decided to listen to PC users and forget about the user interface called "Metro," imposed in Windows 8, and give us the experience we always had on PCs, without forgetting that we could optionally use a "mobile" interface if we wanted. This is perhaps the best thing Microsoft implemented in Windows 10.
The ninth generation of video games will go down in history as the worst generation. A generation wasted on "sequels," "remakes," and "remasters."
While there's not much more to add to this topic, the YouTuber "Actman" already said it in his video titled "The Decline of Gaming", where he analyzes how the video game industry has entered its most decadent phase. This video was released 5 years ago, but this trend of decline persists, making the video still relevant.
For me, the main reason I'm no longer buying modern games is because many of them aren't worth it.
They aren't worth it because I'm not their "target audience." I mean, I'm not the kind of player who's happy to be scammed with incomplete games, filled with DLC, with stories that often contain cheap "political commentary," and in the worst cases, are full of bugs or poorly optimized.
Furthermore, you have to add the fact that major game developers are no longer betting on new ideas, but prefer to keep releasing their old games with a "fresh coat of paint," like Sony did with "The Last Of Us Part 1", or prefer to release a remake of a classic, like Capcom did with "Resident Evil 4 Remake".
Regardless, it seems to me that the video game industry peaked around the seventh generation (the era of the Xbox 360/PlayStation 3). That's when major developers last launched and bet on new intellectual properties (IP). Since then, the most important publishers have released fewer and fewer "new IPs" and have only dedicated themselves to producing sequels to their most successful titles. Over time, the industry worsened with the massive production of "remasters" and "remakes."
Honestly, this is unacceptable.
That's why I'm simply distancing myself from modern games and dedicating my time to appreciating "retro gaming." While I've been playing video games for over three decades, there are many titles I haven't been able to play or appreciate in their time. Games from the NES like "Shadow of the Ninja" or "Phantasy Star 4" from the Sega Genesis/MegaDrive are a clear example of great titles from their time that are still acclaimed for their quality and remain vivid in the memory of players who were able to appreciate them at the right time.
Friendship sometimes manifests in unexpected ways. In this case, my friend, on the verge of moving, offered his old PC to me. It's not a modern machine, but it holds sentimental and practical value: it is a machine built with love about ten years ago.
The PC was a DIY construction made by him in 2013 or 2014, featuring an AMD APU-4400 CPU with Radeon Graphics, 6GB of RAM, and a 1 TB hard drive. Interestingly, this PC is not compatible with Windows 11 but functions perfectly for Linux. Naturally, I accepted the offer enthusiastically, seeing it as the perfect opportunity to replace my old and worn-out computer. My plan was to use it as my new "RetroBox," a setup that would allow me to run retro games with RetroArch and older PC games.
The process of installing Debian seemed simple at first. I chose the latest version, Debian 13, hoping for a modern and functional system. However, my enthusiasm quickly faded. After completing the installation, the system simply failed to boot. The screen turned black, getting stuck in an undefined phase of the "boot" process. Frustration grew as I tested older versions of Debian, until finally achieving Linux initialization.
The investigation revealed the root of the problem: video drivers incompatibility. Debian 13 appeared to freeze completely when trying to load firmware necessary for the integrated graphics card. Fortunately, this frustrating issue was documented on Debian's "wiki" under an article called "AtiHowTo." The article explained that APUs from this generation included a power-saving function that, upon startup, froze the system. The solution was to deactivate this feature.
The key to reviving my RetroBox lay in a simple modification: altering the GRUB configuration file. I changed the line
GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT="quiet splash"
to
GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT="quiet splash radeon.dpm=0"
Then, I updated GRUB with
sudo update-grub
and, for precaution, updated the initramfs image with
sudo update-initramfs -u
With this simple modification, Debian 13 finally initialized correctly.
The next step was to install RetroArch and Wine, specifically PlayOnLinux, for running older PC games. However, the reality of compatibility in Linux with such an old hardware became evident. The performance of retro PC games on Linux was inferior to that offered by Windows, and compatibility problems were frequent.
An example of this was Resident Evil 4. To ensure videos played correctly, I needed to install specific dependencies through internet access. In Windows, everything worked perfectly without needing complicated additional installations. This limitation led me to a drastic decision: I reduced the Linux partition in half and installed Windows 10 alongside Linux on the same disk.
Installing Windows, however, brought new sets of problems. Like with Linux, the installation of video drivers resulted in a system that "froze." The same curse seemed to pursue the machine. I remembered that my friend had initially used Windows 7 on this PC, with video functioning correctly. Later, they attempted to upgrade to Windows 10, where they never managed to install the drivers without problems.
After failing with Windows 10, I decided to return to Windows 7. Trying to install the drivers again, the same errors reappeared. After extensive searching, I discovered the solution: I was trying to install the latest version of the drivers, which proved incompatible. The correct version was the one officially provided by the motherboard manufacturer, available on MSI's website. Once this specific version was installed, the driver functioned correctly.
The installation of Linux first and then Windows left me with an accessible operating system: Windows. To access both Linux and Windows, I had to reinstall GRUB in the hard disk drive. This was easily achieved using Debian's "recovery mode" installer.
With GRUB reinstalled, I proceeded to install RetroArch on Linux and prepare my library of retro PC games in Windows. The reason for this duality of operating systems is simple: Linux and RetroArch function perfectly together, offering optimal performance for game emulation. Additionally, the possibility of using an updated and secure version of Linux for internet navigation, rather than an outdated version of Windows, is a significant advantage. On the other hand, Windows 7 provides the compatibility and functionality needed to run PC games, a compatibility difficult to achieve with this hardware configuration in Linux through Wine.
My experience with this old PC has been an exciting and interesting adventure. Although it faces some challenges in terms of incompatibility and technical problems, the final result is gratifying. Having access to both operating systems allows me to explore the best aspects of each one and adapt to my daily needs.