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Comment by presto8 | Hacker News Reader

Discovered Windows 10 IoT Enterprise LTSC edition recently. It's great! It is supposed to get security updates through 2032. It doesn't have Cortana, OneDrive, CoPilot, Edge, etc. (Which is a good thing IMO.) Nor does it require a cloud account to use.

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Are there any limitations with this to be aware of? Are Hypervisor/Docker/WSL2 all supported?

I'm trying to decide if I want to transition my work computer to Linux or Windows 10 LTSC. Most of my day is spent working inside of WSL2. So, it kind of seems like I should just get on with using Linux native, but several decades of sunken cost have kept me on Windows. I don't think I have a desire to 'upgrade' to Windows 11 and Windows 10 Pro is just about EOL.

The only mid level hurdle you'll encounter is no Microsoft store. It was only an issue for me when gaming, but steam was fully supported. Same for Win 11 LTSC.

Not sure if this still works, but you used to be able to run "wsreset.exe -i" to install the Microsoft Store. The command kicks off the process in the background, so there's no progress indicator, but the Store app just appeared after a few minutes.

I am on an LTSC install. Installing the Microsoft store is as easy as typing `wsreset -i` into an admin powershell.

Wsl2 features like nested virtualization only work in the win11 version. The ltsc releases seem like the only viable option at this point.

Nested virtualization is a problem for systems with AMD CPUs I think, Windows 10 Hyper-V supported nested virtualization on Intel only. Since Windows 11 it is supported on AMD too.

I mean inside WSL. E.g. running nested virtual inside WSL env. https://github.com/microsoft/WSL/issues/11216#issuecomment-2... for details.

Yes, LTSC is literally missing parts that are standard on a Windows install - it's an operating system designed for ATMs and kiosks that run exactly one tested application, it is not a general-purpose operating system.

If you happen to not need those pieces, and you don't care about running super out-of-date software? Sure it might work. But it's not a Good Idea in general.

> it is not a general-purpose operating system

Name a single missing part that destroys the "generalpurposeness" of the OS?

That's not a fair take. The only things I noticed that were missing out of the box are the MS Store and some Dolby codecs. Both of those can be installed easily.

I estimate that 95% of people would be fine with Windows 10 21H2 LTSC. The 5% might miss some 3rd party software that requires version 22H2 to run (just because it's the latest, not for any technical reasons).

Not everything can be installed easily, or at all. WMR is one example which cannot be installed.

Yes, limitations are that some services do not come preinstalled by default.

Some like the Microsoft Store can be installed afterwards.

Some like Windows Mixed Reality cannot be installed afterwards.

So check carefully what you actually need and decide based on that.

Thanks for mentioning WMR. I was genuinely struggling to remember why I didn't install LTSC previously and that reminded me. Half the reason I'm stuck on 10 even if I wanted to go to 11 is WMR. LTSC would be perfect for me if it wasn't for that little caveat (and a few more if my memory serves correct).

Awesome that they created and then gutted a standard that just bricks my $400 device that they barely even seem to care to support on launch. There's patches that exist for 11 but they're just that, patches, and my WMR experience is already very jank. Nvidia also seems to be the target for most development so I'm not sure where I'll go once this all settles as I have my gaming PC in a nice position where I can just hop on after work and everything just works with no interruptions or issues currently.

11 is a hot mess and I already know that linux/proton simply won't work for the games I tend to quickly hop onto with friends.

Other limitations are that modern Adobe products will no longer install on Windows 10 LTSC as it is based on a too old version (but there are workarounds).

WMR situation isn't great but there are ways out. If you have a NVIDIA GPU then you can use Oasis on Windows 10 LTSC (AMD GPUs require Windows 11 24H2 for Oasis). Also on Linux, support for WMR devices has improved markedly via Envision / Monado, but some tinkering is required and it is still behind Windows.

I recommend Linux native and a MS Windows VM using livbirt/virt-manager unless you have need for GPU acceleration in your workflow.

This way you can slowly migrate your software to the Linux side and maybe eventually forget to turn on your VM for months.

Does steam work on that version?

That's pretty much the only reason I use Windows these days.

Steam works, and so do very competitive games with picky anti-cheats!

I've not bothered since switching from Win 10 LTSC to Win 11. Win 11 is definitely faster and better for everyday use in 2025, IMO.

I start with installing a Tiny11 build: https://ntdotdev.wordpress.com/2024/01/08/the-complete-tiny1...

Massgrave it to pro.

Then I debloat: https://github.com/Raphire/Win11Debloat

And you end up with a super zippy install that I've had zero compatibility problems with over the last year.

Did you find a good guide for setting it up?

Wait, is that a product that one can buy? It sounds like it would solve most of my issues with Windows.

You download directly from microsoft, here is a useful guide: https://massgrave.dev/windows_ltsc_links

It is purchasable only if you have access to business sales for Microsoft. You need to buy at least 5 normal licenses before being offered the LTSC upgrade option. It is quite pricey.

Windows 11 Pro is similar in not-including all the MS junk. The updates are another thing.

how do you buy windows 10 LTSC without being an enterprise?

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/evalcenter/download-windows-...

how does that download get me an activation key for it? As far as i know, you cannot just pay for one license of LTSC

I'm going to keep it real with you bro, I don't remember how it works, but the video below has been saved in my YouTube watch later for a few months and I think it's what I followed when I tried (I eventually moved onto Linux anyway):

https://youtu.be/s9dYV75sY3s?si=iIlg_0JDDMe8GWqI

and that video conveniently advertises an OEM key reseller as a sponsor.

G2A legit, Massgrave otherwise

Unless it has changed recently you need to have a minimum qty. license purchase. Any good reseller will sell you the one license of LTSC and pad the rest of the order with the cheapest qualifying license in the catalog. (In the past it was DVD playback licenses at a couple of bucks apiece, for example.) I was able to get licensing for my father's sole proprietorship DBA from a big name reseller w/o furnishing any kind of business-related docs and paying with his personal credit card. (In his case it was Windows Server and CALs, but the premise is the same for LTSC.) You'll probably have to talk to a sales gerbil but it's imminently feasible.

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