Q4OS: An Ideal Compliment to your Windows OS..

Q4OS is a fast, powerful German developed operating system incorporating cutting edge Linux technologies in a modern, user friendly desktop environment. It's focus is on "security, reliability, long-term stability and conservative integration of verified new features."

Since it's introduction Q4OS has distinguished itself with its speed and minimal hardware requirements. It runs perfectly on newer machines as well as on older less powerful computers.

Q4OS just introduced a new installer that anyone can use to install it alongside Windows without modifying their existing Windows operating system or repartitioning their computer's hard drive.

Simply download the tiny Q4OS Windows installer from this address: (https://q4os.org/dnt8.html), and follow the simple included instructions. You'll install it just like you would any other Windows application. There is an option on the download page to chip in a buck or so to support the development of Q4OS if you feel so inclined, but contributing isn't required so don't let that slow you down.

The installer configures your computer to run Q4OS and Windows in dual boot mode, requiring no changes whatsoever to your Windows operating system. Once the setup is done you can switch back and forth between whichever version of Windows you're running, 10, 8.1 or 7, and Q4OS each time you restart your computer. The Q4OS Windows installer can even use Secure Boot if that feature is available on your PC.

You can remove Q4OS any time you wish by simply running the integrated uninstaller. The uninstaller completely eliminates the Q4OS installation and your computer goes back to exactly how it was before installation.

This new installer lets Windows users easily try Q4OS on their own machines, experiencing first hand what it's like using a fast, lightweight, user friendly operating system with a huge variety of applications available for installation from its online repositories.

Installed in this manner Q4OS isn't a replacement for Windows, but a complement to any existing Windows installation. I'd give it a try and tell everyone what I think if I had a machine running Windows, but I don't. However I can say, having run Q4OS in a virtual machine on my own computer, that it's a great Debian based desktop OS, well worth experiencing first hand. So let's hear what some of our Windows users think after giving Q4OS for Windows a go!..

Come on guys! Some of you still have an old Windows box or laptop stowed away gathering dust on a closet shelf somewhere, a machine that served you well back in the day but long ago lost it's ability to keep up with the demands new versions of Windows put on it.

So why not drag it out, fire it up again and give it a new lease on life by downloading and installing the latest Debian-based Q4OS in place of that tired old Windows XP or Vista OS currently languishing unused.

Q4OS v2.4 'Scorpion', developed by a team of software designers in Germany, provides users like us a lightweight OS that'll run on almost any hardware you have. Ageing computers from the early days of Windows XP and Vista to the most modern PC hardware you have will run Q4OS without a problem!

Q4OS v2.4 'Scorpion', released in early October this past year, can revitalize an older computer giving it the ability to do things people never imagined these older machines ever would again.

'Scorpion' is a long-term support (LTS) Linux desktop release that provides its user with a minimum of five years extended support including security patches and system software updates.

Based on Debian Stretch 9.2, Q4OS uses the Trinity 14.0.5 desktop environment (TDE) by default and is available for 64-bit and 32-bit/i686 PAE computers, as well as i386 systems without the PAE extension. In addition Q4OS's development team recently released Q4OS Scorpion for 64-bit and 32-bit ARM architectures as well.

Q4OS comes complete with exclusive utilities and features, in particular its 'Desktop profiler' used to profile your computer into specialized sets of working tools, a 'Setup utility' for the smooth installation of third-party applications, a custom 'Welcome Screen' with integrated short-cuts making system configuration easy even for new users, plus a number of alternate desktop environment options -- plus a lot more.



Q4OS is available in both 'Live' and 'Install' editions. Having run Q4OS myself I highly recommend this polished distro as a great way to bring old hardware back to life and introduce new users to Linux on the desktop!

So, one of these cold winter afternoons drag that old Windows machine out of the closet, dust it off and prepare to be amazed once you've replaced its tired old Windows OS with Q4OS Scorpion!..

Enjoy!..

Am running it in VMBox as a Guest OS...but being in a Virtual machine already sets up several limitations, not the least of which is RAM and HD space.
I could try it on my old laptop, I suppose...but the laptop is for when we travel and I need to be able to run EasyGPS, which isn't available in a Linux version.

...I guess I could always run VMBox with Windows as a guest...

If EasyGPS is a must have app, then running it in a VirtualBox instance of Windows seems your best bet. Otherwise GPSBable could be a credible option. It runs natively on Windows XP, Vista, Windows 7 and 8.1, and on Mac OS/X and Linux. GPSBable "converts waypoints, tracks, and routes between popular GPS receivers such as Garmin or Magellan and mapping programs like Google Earth or Basecamp. Literally hundreds of GPS receivers and programs are supported. It also has powerful manipulation tools for such data. such as filtering duplicates points or simplifying tracks. It has been downloaded and used tens of millions of times..."

Virtual Box can be configured to allow predetermined amounts of RAM and HD space. VB is an excellent piece of software and should easily handle any Windows programs. It's complex, however, to get it setup. I have 256 Megs of RAM and 15 Gigs on the HD. Haven't had any issues running some of the old Windows programs. Garmin's MapSource being one I like.

I too have an old Window XP system. It's a Rain Recording PC which years ago wasn't cheap. It's loaded with a lot of media related stuff. Like Sony Vegas Pro and ProShow Producer. I haven't booted that machine up in years, however.

I also keep image backups of the Windows O/S loads from decommissioned Dell PCs. Which could be restored if I need a specific machine back again. So far the Linux PCs have been fine. And I don't hate Windows or Microsoft. They are options for many not comfortable with Linux. Just know the shortcomings of both before you decide which O/S is best. If you need both on the same PC, VB is a viable option.

How much HD space you can allocate to your VM depends on how much unused physical HD space is available. RAM allocated to your VM is much the same, entirely dependent on how much physical RAM your machine has available. If you have limited HD space and physical RAM, then allocate what you can spare knowing that when your VM is running resources available to your computer will be limited by like amount..

The HD allocation in VB is a rubber tank. It grows as it fills. Obviously, RAM and HD space need to be available on the host machine. I quoted mine as an example of what runs many applications. Not over the top either.

The BIGGEST problem, is that Linux does not recognize Garmin GPS's and Garmin doesn't write Linux software.
Until either one of those changes...I'll have to use Windows if I want to do ANYTHING involving my GPSMap60CsX

That's true. However a Google search for solutions to running Garmin Map Source software in Linux comes back with page after page of suggestions, many reportedly working well. An idea I liked was to install Map Source in WINE running in Linux. See what you think after looking over the linked article..

WINE doesn't provide full support for the USB port. As you mention, Garmin doesn't support Linux.

I ran into this problem too when I decommissioned my Windows machine. Lost my Garmin software and GPS. Solved the problem nicely with Virtual Box. Virtual Box Virtual Machine provides full support for the USB ports and will work fine. It replicates Windows era hardware perfectly. I've loaded Garmin's MapSource under Windows XP (running as guest) and it works fine. GPS plugged into the USB port is also fine. In the connectivity forum I wrote an extensive set of instructions on installing VBVM. You'll also need the Guest Additions. My Linux O/S was Mint 17.3 then now 18.x Both work fine.

VBVM is a complex program given it solves a complex problem. Some wrinkles on the installation too. Covered in my write-up. Good luck.

Q4OS just posted a new release, v.3.1 'Testing', based on Debian's v10 'Buster' which is currently under development. I downloaded the 'Live' version, burned it to a USB stick, and ran it live to see some of what's in store once it's available for daily driver use. Big changes in the wind for Q4OS as it moves from v.2.4 to v.3.x! Going to be a lot of happy users once it's past this testing phase!..

You might want to post this under its own subject. Something to keep an eye on over time. As for us Mint users, why would we switch? Just curious.

Every article I've read so far says the same thing about WINE and EasyGPS...the two just don't get along...at all!
Tonight I booted into Linux Mint and ran Windows7 through WM and to my surprise, EasyGPS worked...so I might have an option after all.

I am posting via Win7 thru the VM, while in Linux...OS-ception!

There ya go! Good on ya!! That's why, on my tag along laptop, I run a VM instance of Win7 -- 'cause I never know if or when I'll need to run some Windows only program while working with others. Mostly it's not needed. But when it is it's instantly available to run whatever needs running, without having to bail out of Linux..

WINE was created primarily to replicate certain aspects of the Windows O/S. I think its primary motivation was to run video games. It works by creating the system call environment that Windows programs expect while under Linux. Keyboard, HD and display being essential for most applications. Like Adobe photoshop and illustrator as examples. The USB port(s) becomes much more complex. Dealing with all the classes of devices one can plug in. If I recall the mass storage class (thumb drives) was supported. Things like cameras and GPS units fall under what I believe are OTG (on the go) devices.

I contacted the WINE development team some years ago when I ran into this stone wall with my Garmin GPS which requires a USB connection to down/up load to MapSource. They basically said the USB device drivers are extremely complex to deal with. I read that as support isn't coming anytime soon. So WINE has its weak points and/or areas that aren't supported properly. Making it hit/miss with some applications. Not an issue with VB.

Oracle's VB will handle any Windows applications. As it isn't just a system call simulator but a complete hardware level machine replication. Even supporting hardware/processor changes as PCs evolved over the years. It's an amazing piece of software and capable of running the most complex Windows programs with faithful replication of both the hardware and O/S of a native machine. That to include full USB support for all classes of devices.

I do a lot of automation work and needed to run a stepper drive configure program (Windows only). It uses the old serial DB9 style link which is available through a device driver and USB->serial converter cable. Newer PCs don't have those D-shell connectors anymore. I had no problems installing this software and the special drivers required to deal with the USB cable. All from my old Dell Inspiron 1501 running Linux Mint 17.3 (then). Using VB to give me a Windows guest O/S, of course.

Properly setup, a Linux machine running VB with a Windows guest O/S is indistinguishable from a true Windows PC. Except, perhaps, the guest additions pop-up menu below the system tray. That I believe can be changed if you want.

The other small wrinkle is getting USB drives to automatically enumerate when plugged in. If you go into Settings->USB and click on the filter icon (right) you can register a device there to automatically enumerate when plugged in under the guest O/S. Makes life just a tad nicer.
Enjoy!

The subject of this thread is Q4OS. It began having to do with installing Q4OS 'inside' Windows as an app running in that OS. That being the case this bit of breaking Q4OS news fits here because once Q4OS 3.1x is released as 'final' one will be able to download and install its Windows installation version just like they can download and install Q4OS 2.4's Windows installation version right now.


I doubt Mint users like us would ever switch! I certainly wouldn't. But again, if someone wants a light weight Linux OS to run 'inside' their Windows machine, essentially as a Windows app, then Q4OS is an ideal way to accomplish that..

Thanks for the additional information. VB has a Windows download which could run Linux as a guest O/S. Just a thought.