Ugh. That reminds me of the Microsoft admin fanboys where I worked, dissing Linux because its all command lines, while saying that MS inventing PowerShell was a stroke of genius making their lives easier.

I’m afraid I’ve been using Linux for so long that I’m not very knowledgeable about backup software for Windows. But I’ve been using Duplicati for a single Windows computer for years, and it’s apparently also running on Linux. I never tried on Linux though, so don’t take my words for cash.

There’s also Duplicity, but it’s command line and will probably require installing the Windows Subsystem for Linux. There’s also Bacula but it’s mostly for businesses. This Wikipedia page may know more than me.

On Linux, Deja Dup acts as a graphical interface for Duplicity, is easy, and is the default for GNOME and Cinnamon. Compatible with Duplicity but as mentioned, it’s complicated for Windows.

However I think those are “too complicated” (I prefer raw files instead of archives) and for Linux I’ve been using rsync with a job scheduler (cron) for years. It’s technically not a backup solution in itself but many backup software, like those mentioned, use rsync in some form anyway. Unfortunately it does not work on Windows. My strategy is to use rsync to copy my important files to an older HDD, then the very important files are also sent on an online drive.

The TLDR would be to give Duplicati a try if you really want a backup solution that is cross platform and graphical. Otherwise, there’s nothing more certain than making copies yourself.

I guess I don’t need to remind you to be careful. Take your time. Try restoring to be sure it works. Good luck!

I have created directories of my own in several odd locations which I cannot recall but they also contain some critical files.

O_o If those files are critical, they should be backed up in multiple locations. But if you cannot recall, are those files really critical? Regardless, one day a drive will fail and those files will be lost. Critical data should be backed up in multiple locations.

I only have a single NVMe SSD installed that is almost out of space so I cannot dualboot

How do you intend to switch to Linux without available disk space? It is possible to install and boot Linux from an external drive but performance will obviously suffer. But any way you get Linux running, if it’s on the same computer and if your Windows drives are not encrypted, you should have access to them from Linux. There is no need to copy them or move them if Linux is on another drive but on the same computer. Simply installing Linux will not risk the data, as long as you don’t format the wrong partition. You can leave it there and probably access it from Linux to do what you want with it.

I can make use of an external HDD during the transfer.

Why not backup the critical data on an external HDD?

Please don’t tell me I have to copy and paste all files by hand because given the criticality of the stored data I would rather stay in Windows than risking data loss.

Erm, how do you proceed when you change your computer with Windows? Do you use specialized software to “migrate” your data for you? And if you want an automatic way to do it, how would you ensure the automatic way did it correctly? If this is what stops you from migrating, maybe it’s preferable to keep things as they are for you?! Maybe try a live USB drive environment instead of installing?!

In any way, seeing your other replies, I can only strongly encourage you to make proper backups as this may one day save your critical data, and also facilitate any future PC or OS migration.

I’m sorry I can’t be more helpful or positive but if you made a mess and want to make sure you don’t lose anything, you may want to start by cleaning up, know what you have, where it is, and have it in multiple locations. Then you can start thinking about migrating without worrying about the data.

Seeing a metalhead in the snow reminds me of this gem: The Mighty Gates Of The Couloir Bonaventure

It can’t hurt to know this but to me PS is not intuitive, looks like SomeLongString-ActingLikeA-Command, and I avoid it as much as using Windows in the first place, unless absolutely necessary.

For a moment I thought that ‘commandName -’ was some PowerShell stuff.

Genuine. I still wonder if I pronounced it correctly every time I use the word.

Also when someone you know uses Windows 11.

It’s kind of complicated. I’ve used Linux since Slackware 7 and I still have issues with some drivers.

Sometimes you just already have the hardware. Sometimes the vendor says it’s compatible but it’s not, or you have to compile drivers from a CD. Sometimes it depends on the version of the kernel used. Sometimes it depends on the architecture. Sometimes conditions change and what’s supposed to be working doesn’t.

I don’t think the meme is blaming Linux, it’s just how it is for some people. Some are gonna distro hop, some are gonna compile their own kernel.

It’s the same gender than all machines, which is obviously feminine.

There’s no fixed rule for this but if a noun ends with a consonant it’s probably masculine and if it ends with a vowel it’s possibly feminine. Again, not a consistent rule and it will not work for everything, but if you must take a guess, this might help, or not.

Now this reminds me of Sebastian Marx and his videos on French. Like this one on pronunciation.

They are UNIX systems, they don’t need an entire team to be managed once installed and running.

I’m only half joking. It’s not UNIX but I’ve been working with “legacy” systems like IBM i mainframes, and those things don’t need much to run. Sure, you have to update the system and the software once every few months, manage backups, role switches, etc., but it can mostly be done by a few people. But yeah, systems like this were (are) insanely expensive so most of his budget probably went there.

Just in case you don’t know, unless it changed last time I checked, some organizations like Comptia didn’t allow computers with dual boot to be used to pass a cert exam.

Any of the sixteen YouTube channel narrated by Simon Whistler.

It may not be intentional slop but it’s pretty much the definition of quantity over quality.

…is your taxonomic nomenclature.

I’ve seen another “joke” like this when I was on reddit and I had to save it to remind me how most people think it’s funny to drive a multi ton lethal vehicle when they can’t see shit around them.

Do you camp in the wilderness? Because most people insist on bringing their car or their SUV with them.

I make it a point to cycle to provincial parks and use rustic camp grounds, but most of these still have parking spaces. In fact, the provincial parks here literally have a disclaimer on their website to warn people that some camp sites are not accessible by car. You have to tick a box that says “I understand this camp ground is not accessible by car”.

And if people want to go on crown/public lands where wild camping is permitted, then they’re probably gonna use a fucking car.

I’m usually aware of my surroundings even with the headphones. Apparently sometimes more than some people without them. I just remove them when I need to interact with others. If I really needs to hear the crap around me, like when I’m cycling, I use bone conduction headphones.

And if it’s so crowded that I need to hear the people around me not to bump in them, then it’s too crowded for me to be there in the first place.

As a city dweller without a car, headphones are part of the essentials when leaving.

✅ Keys

✅ Money

✅ Phone

✅ Headphones

And probably a backpack.

Except that person that uses thorns in their comments. Apparently, this is not acceptable to a lot of people and they automatically downtove them.

I struggle to find anything. Maybe affordable housing, but that’s a thing of the past. It changed a lot in 20 years and everything that I may have been missing at some point is long gone.

The people there proud themselves in being a rural region with a small town surrounded by close villages, but everyone knows everyone and if you don’t fit socially with the others, mainly conservative, they will all bitch and talk about you in your back. Also, they take their cars to go literally anywhere. The next town is 7 km away, there’s a dedicated bike path, and they whine that “everything is so far away in the countryside that you absolutely need a car”. Yet, I moved in a metropolis where my work is 9 km away through dense urban landscape, and I can cycle there just fine.

I’m glad I left and I don’t really miss any of it. I don’t even like going back there. In fact, I prefer the services, and geographical features, of my new home.