What do all of you think about putting windows on my old MacBook Pro. And having a “free” second computer since I already have the product keys. I’m moving to a new Mac this release and I’ll have this other one just sitting around. It’s a 2015 2.8ghz i7 with 16gb of ram.
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Repurposing old Mac with windows
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I've installed Linux on Macs a few times for fun, usually when the Mac was a bit older than your 2015 and no longer able to run recent MacOS versions though. As for Windows...not much of a fan.
I’m not the hugest fan of windows either. It’s really just the one other computer operating system I know and I have the product Keys for the “pro” version.
I haven’t played around with Linux in over a decade. I just didn’t have the time. I may decide to take this opportunity to play around and learn a new OS.
Old Macs make good Linux boxes. I've been able to repurpose a 2009 Mac mini that would've otherwise been completely obsolete!
Depends on a lot of things like how you plan to use it and how much time you have to install and mess around with it. Ubuntu is a good starting point for just getting up and running quickly, I like the Ubuntu Budgie flavor of it as a pretty sleek and somewhat Mac-like UI.
I would probably play around with it. I may decide to install the web agent software for my UPS so I can monitor it from the web and see when I lost power, but other than that It would be for playing around with and learning.
It’s a great idea.
Sometimes there is that obscure software you need that was only released for Windows in 2001.
Linux is great to learn and use but OSX just laps it in every way and back
Sometimes there is that obscure software you need that was only released for Windows in 2001.
Linux is great to learn and use but OSX just laps it in every way and back
I have a MBP of similar vintage...and when I get around to it, I'll either make it a Windows machine or a ChromeOS Flex machine. I'm leaning towards ChromeOS because it is free and will receive updates for at least a couple more years. I'm not much of a Google fan but I feel MSFT and GOOG are equally bad when it comes to privacy so longevity wins.
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Certified models list - ChromeOS Flex Help
Last updated on: Mar 25th, 2024To ensure a consistent and high-quality experience, Google individually certifies and maintains a list of models that you can use with ChromeOS Flex. Model status
support.google.com
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Sounds like a great idea. I wish I would've thought of that before I gave away my old MBP 13".
I still have an Intel 16" MBP and this is a great idea of how to repurpose it after I get my new M2 MBP.
I mean, old macs with fresh installs are perfect for single purpose devices.
Eventually the web browser doesn’t support secure websites, but old iMacs as a bedroom or bathroom video streaming device, old mac as a couch or kitchen web browser. If you don’t have any software or logins on it, there’s no security issues to worry about.
Eventually the web browser doesn’t support secure websites, but old iMacs as a bedroom or bathroom video streaming device, old mac as a couch or kitchen web browser. If you don’t have any software or logins on it, there’s no security issues to worry about.
I repurposed a late 2013 21.5" iMac this way. Unsupported Monterey install,
edit: Safari being broken was my fault for not reinstalling the patches after the Safari update, it works fine after that.
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Microsoft will stop selling licenses for Windows 10 to consumers this month, so the writing is on the wall. At least the OP already has one.
Be a bit careful. If the machine has unpatched vulnerabilities and connects to the web at all, it could get some malware. If that computer is on the same network as other computers in your home, then there are risks. Perhaps keep it on a guest network to help with that a bit.
Yes, it's a shame the final few Intel Macs don't officially support W11 despite meeting the requirements.
ugh. I didn't even know that. I've been pretty out of the Windows game ever since getting a Mac in 2015/2016. I better get right on installing windows, and if I choose to do the Linux thing, do that after.
Apple announced the transition to ARM in 2020, windows 11 came out October 2021. Apple might have chosen to support windows 11, had they not already embarked on their transition to ARM.
Yes they probably deemed it wasn't worth it for a handful of Macs. It is a shame though, the 2019 16" would have been quite an interesting option at this point, it's main drawback afaic is Apple's rapid clearance of Intel based macs from macOS support. Having the option of using it as a W11 machine (without lots of tinkering to get it to work) would change things significantly.
Windows 11 has some pretty strict requirements regarding secure booting. Do Macs even come with the specific TPM 2.0 coprocessors required?
If it's too old to get MacOS updates, Linux might be the better choice. Who knows how long it will be before your MacBook stops getting Windows updates. But if you have a spare Windoes key anyway, I don't see the harm in giving it a try.
Windows works fine, but battery life might be less than desired. Also you might need MacsFanControl to get the fans right; stock windows always made my 2014 run stupid hot at idle.
I also just had ChromeOS flex installed a while ago and it’s cool enough, however I can feel the gaps with trying to survive entirely on web apps as Flex doesn’t support Play Store. There’s also some weirdness where it’s partially unresponsive or sluggish performance—which is weird for an OS designed to run on Celeron chips.
The problem that I’ve always run into with running different OSes is that the experience has been just okay, but has left me wondering if it would be better on the machines that are designed to run them (ie Chromebook or Windows OEM). But, it is fun to have nothing holding you back as far as software limitations because you “aren’t on the latest version”
I also just had ChromeOS flex installed a while ago and it’s cool enough, however I can feel the gaps with trying to survive entirely on web apps as Flex doesn’t support Play Store. There’s also some weirdness where it’s partially unresponsive or sluggish performance—which is weird for an OS designed to run on Celeron chips.
The problem that I’ve always run into with running different OSes is that the experience has been just okay, but has left me wondering if it would be better on the machines that are designed to run them (ie Chromebook or Windows OEM). But, it is fun to have nothing holding you back as far as software limitations because you “aren’t on the latest version”