Microsoft – Paul's Tech Talk

Windows 10 was End of Life – So I decided to go to Linux Mint using ChatGPT!

PaulNovember 9, 2025

A fun illustration of a person stepping off a sinking ship with the Windows 10 logo on its sail, onto a bright, stable island with the Linux Mint logo. Bright colors, cartoonish but clean, eye-catching.

Windows 10 = End of Life updates

We knew this was coming a mile a way. It’s been advertised by Microsoft for years now and I just didn’t like Windows 11 and how they were wanting everyone to have an account to be able to use Windows 11. I shouldn’t need to link my account and that is one reason I “Jumped Ship” to Linux Mint. Don’t get me wrong, I use Windows 11 at work and I have no problem with it in my organization but Microsoft has very little information from my work life to my personal life and I am going to keep it that way. Since Microsoft is wanting to prevent users from making local accounts, I0 decided it was time to go check out some other operating systems like Linux Mint.

Using ChatGPT to help Installation!

I knew with my own built system, I built this desktop from mother board to GPU and Intel cpu. I knew I would have some issues with the installation of Mint to this system because it isn’t a prebuilt or one that is built by any companies. Let me be clear my system was built by me 3 years ago and it has been solid ever since the real issue is that the Mint is a lot of time developed for prebuilt systems, Asus, Dell, HP, and even Microsoft computers. It’s not something that will be a lot of issue for most because if you have a laptop or desktop that is pre-built then it most likely will install without a problem but my system has some special needs. I need it to do Video editing, Gaming, and even word processing from time to time. That’s where ChatGPT was really helpful. I didn’t have to go searching Google or Bing for how to solve issues like my video drivers and my KeyChron Keyboard which is AWESOME with this setup. Don’t get me started on Getting Resolve Video editing to be able to work with Linux but Chat GPT walked me through how to setup all the things I needed for me to be able to do what I needed. It even suggested ways to install the software from

Apt-get update to Apt-get Install
Or from the
Software Manager

First Impression of Linux Mint

It’s really not bad and I have a Good Geoforce RTX 3050 that is working just fine with the video drivers that I installed using ChatGPT. Gaming on it might be a bit different but most of my games including Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 and Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 are working just fine using Steam and Proton. They’ve really did do a good job with that and making it more available to the Linux Community is strangely getting better and better every day. I’ve used ChatGPT to help install Microsoft Flight Simulator even though there is people who have talked about how to get it to run on ProtonDB but it would of been harder to do without using ChatGPT to help install and get the game running smoother than it would have in previous years. The graphics for the game are top notch even now using the Graphics drivers and it even has seen some better FPS on MINT than Windows 10. So I can’t say I am looking at this without saying it is getting better.

Final Thoughts on Mint

If you’re staring down the “End of Life” message on Windows 10 and wondering what to do next, Linux Mint is absolutely worth trying. The learning curve is real, especially on custom-built hardware like mine, but ChatGPT made every step from Nvidia drivers to DaVinci Resolve, way easier than digging through old forum posts. What surprised me most is that not only does everything I need actually work, but in many cases it works better. My games run smoother, Resolve is stable, and my Keychron keyboard feels like it was built for Mint. If you’re on the fence about switching, let me just say this: I wish I had done it sooner.

In my opinion I’d say give a few Linux Operating systems a try and decide which one is best for your situation and know that at the end of the day. Your data is kept away from Microsoft now that you are using a free operating system.

The Dark Side of Job Hunting: Are You Being Tricked by Fake Interviews?

PaulJuly 23, 2024

Job search by Nick Youngson CC BY-SA 3.0 Pix4free

The Rise of Fake Jobs Listing!

There is a rise of fake jobs and even companies who have no intention of hiring anyone. CBS news did a talk about this on their website but I’m certain people still don’t know about this. It’s where companies. I am sure it isn’t being done all the time but i do think it’s something companies are doing that I have seen in the past. I’ve seen companies who do the interview but can’t find that one perfect candidate because they don’t want to have to train the potential employee.

I’ve heard all the excuses why the company wouldn’t do this but I suspect that companies are doing for one reason or another and are using potential interviewers as a way to gather data and also to try to find that one special candidate.

Job Interviews and red flags!

The real issue is understanding the red flags that are being done to tell you that it might not be an actual interview. They will do this for reasons like they want to learn from the interviewer on what it is like. I’ve had this one job where they reposted the job on LinkedIn before they even had a chance to interview me. If this happened to you then it is likely going to be like this, but it isn’t the only way to identify a company that might not be actually hiring anyone but doing this for other reason. Another way to identify if the company is having issues with employee retention is to check out the company careers page and see how many jobs are open in the company. This won’t tell you if this is a red flag but it will help you understand the chances of this interview being a real or if they are just going through the motions.

Impact to Job Seekers!

The real problem is that it impacts the job seeker by having them hope they get the job and it might be a real job but it really takes a lot out of the job seeker by doing all these interviews. If the job seeker sees a job that was reposted even before the job seeker goes through the interview process this can curb the enthusiasm and make the potential job seeker not to show the energy they are looking for in an interview. This is just a few things that will impact a job seeker from finding a job by them having too many interviews.

I could go into details about the job interviews, I’ve done that seemed like they were just going through the motions and that is one way to identify that it might not be a real job interview.

It’s really important to bring this to their attention if you think they are just going through the motions because you should make them consider that your time is valuable just like their time and maybe that will show them how interested you are to getting the job.

Have you had a job interview that you thought went really well and you got a denial letter? Why not comment and tell me your story. I’d love to her your experience on the subject matter.

The Surprising Advantage of Being Talkative in Job Interviews!

PaulJuly 2, 2024

Photo by kaushik26795 from PxHere

Be Yourself in an Interview!

Understanding is the best solution to being good talker in the interview. There are many who are saying you shouldn’t talk that much in an interview. I tend to think this isn’t really a good approach unless you want to come off as one who doesn’t want to be engage with the interviewer(s). Some would say, that you should just be yourself and I think that is good because if you are comfortable with the interviewers than it comes off as good fit for the job. If you come off as nervous or uncomfortable then you may come off as not the right fit. You might not know it or not but having the secret to keep quite maybe is the one thing that didn’t get you that one job. You should be actively listening but you should also be engaging and be ready to show them that you are the right fit for the job.

Showcase your Knowledge, Passion and Expertise

One of the biggest advantages of being talkative is that you show your passion and experience in during the interview. Some manager’s will like it and others will not, It just varies from one person to another. Some managers will want you to be concise and to the point because they are way busier and maybe don’t have the time to do the interviews. Read the room and understand when they are ready to go. Showing you have a passion will in one way or another provide them the assurance that are the right fit for the job because they don’t want to hire someone who will hate their job and just do the bare minium. Building Rapport is also good because they will want to know that you can do the job and put the customer first. Also let’s not forget that if you have the ability to build a connection with the interviewers because they will get to know you even more and They may see that you have a lot to bring to the company, which could lead you to having a job offer come your way.

Authenticity and Positivity

Both words are nouns but they have some great advantages as you are interviewing. You being authentic can help them see your personality and even see your values while at the same time measuring if you will be someone that people will come to acknowledge and being personable with. It’s only human nature to want to create connections and be social, so there isn’t anything wrong with being authentic and personable towards the interviewer(s). The real aim is that you shouldn’t talk way to long and you should keep your answers short as possible but you should also actively listen and respond to questions or show them you are the right candidate in one way or another. Just remember to address the potential concerns that the interviewers might have and by doing that you are also showing that you are concerned with their feelings.

Stories help make it memorable

Remember to be authentic but also come up with stories that will showcase why you are a good fit for the job. Understanding the job description and knowing what they are looking for can go a long way into being memorable. They created the job description for a reason and we should be mindful of that while interviewing with them. It’s definitely a two way street when it comes to job interviews, You get to know the people and make a connection with them and also learn more about them and see if the boss is someone you would like to work with in projects and other ways. Ultimately you will be working with this manager and you’d have to decide if they will be a good influence on you and vice versa. No manager is the same and as such you can tell from the interview if the manager does a lot of micromanagement or if they are more free spirited which can be a great plus in any work environment.

Have you had experiences where being talkative helped you in an interview? Share your stories in the comments below! And don’t forget to subscribe to my blog for more career tips and advice.

Say Goodbye to Sluggish Browsing: A Quick and Easy Cache Clearing Tutorial

PaulFebruary 22, 2024

Why should I clear my cache?

The simple answer is the most important. You have a limited amount of space on any given space. Most of the time it might not be a problem but if you like to visit sites constantly then you may get unwanted files stored on your system that could slow your system down and even slow down your browser experience. It depends on how fast your system will react to your browsing and what happens when you get some bad cache files from websites. This can help clear those up and stop all those popups that maybe becoming annoying to you. You might get advertisements and other pop ups that will cause problems while you are trying to use your computer.

How Do I clear my cache in Google Chrome and Edge?

The real questions is how you would do this quickly and easily to help you get where you can have your browser speed up and non intrusive as it should be. If you are getting popups or something that looks like a browser page then this is where you should start. Clear your cache and get rid of the potenital cache causing problems. Here’s how to do it easily and quickly:

On Google Chrome Press CTL-SHIFT-DEL, while you have Google Chrome up and running this is the quickest way to clear your cache in Chrome.

Google Chrome – Make sure you clear all the cache and click on Clear Data at the bottom to make sure you clear everything out of Chrome.

If you want to make sure you get all the data, you should select ‘All time” in Time Range and check all boxes to make sure you remove all necessary files off of Google Chrome. Once done close out Google Chrome and restart and you should have a cleaner experience with Google Chrome.

Windows Edge Browser

On Windows Edge Browser copy and past this into your address bar.

edge://settings/privacy

Once there you should see something like this:

This will be the same thing as you did with Google Chome select Time range “All Time” and make sure to check the first 4 options available and hit Clear Now as edge removes all the cache that was collected over time. Once done exit out of edge and then start it up and you should have no more problems with popups as long as you don’t have a different browser. If you have a different you should search for how to clear the cache in those types of browsers.

What if you can’t delete the cache?

In Google Chrome the best and easily way to fix this to load up chrome in incognito mode and then try to delete the cache that way. However this may or may not work depending on what might be causing this.

One Edge the easily pres Windows Key + R and type “start msedge -inprivate“. Once you do that then try to clear the browser cache and see if that allows you to clear the cache. The last part of this is that you might need to reboot your system to allow the system to complete some update or problems that might not allow you to clear cache for some reason or other.

Don’t forget to subscribe for more informatative information like this and others blog posts.

Unlock the Ultimate Minecraft Experience on Steam Deck!

PaulFebruary 8, 2024

Portable Powerhouse

Can you install Minecraft onto the Steam Deck? Yes you can. Having been using Steam Deck to play Minecraft, I thought I would at least talk about how to be able to play it and make it portable. Some of the ways I talk about doing this others have talked about but I have been playing around with it and It isn’t something that some people can do easily. This won’t be a Step by step but it will at least help you to understand what you might have to do get to play on the Steam Deck. You’ll need to have several things before you can do it on the Steam Deck like having a Minecraft License. I already created an ultimate Gaming Shell Script for Linux Mint which you could use if you use Linux Mint as your OS while using your Steam Deck. I’ve not really tried this but It seems like a good way to do it. Other ways to use Minecraft would be to install Windows 11 to your Steam Deck. I’ve also heard this be a possibility but I never found this to be very good. I must be one of the few who doesn’t like using Windows 11 with the Steam Deck due to it just not working properly. You can however Take your favorite block-building game anywhere with the handheld power of Steam Deck and that is where we will begin.

Install Minecraft

There are multiple ways to do it. Install something like Prism Launcher in your Linux Desktop environment. You’ll need to use the Desktop Mode, which is easy by press and Hold the power button until the power menu comes up and select Desktop Mode. You’ll probably should use a mouse and Keyboard and you can even use small dongle connection to do it temporarily so you can do what you need in the Desktop Mode. Once in the desktop Mode, You can either download Minecraft which would require some work around to keep you from having to login to Microsoft every time you launch the game or click on Discover and install one of the many Minecraft Apps available to install it. I suggest trying one of those to see if it will keep your login credentials when you launch the game. You’ll probably need to search for a work around on some of them to keep from having to login every-time. I can’t remember how I did but I think I installed the key-ring credentials to use the java version.

Adding it to Steam

You’ll want to click on Add a Non-Steam game!

Some things you will need to find out is where the Minecraft launcher is on the Steam Desktop. If you did it right it should be on your desktop. However, if you didn’t do it right, you’ll need to track down where it is on your steam os file system. However, it shouldn’t be hard to find and it should be hard to direct steam where to launch the launcher and stuff. I’ve done it on my Steam Deck and there are even instructions do it for Prism. I’ve not used Prism so I don’t know how well this will but it should work in theory.

Seamless Integration

Discover how Minecraft seamlessly integrates with Steam Deck’s controls for an immersive gaming experience. This is something you should be done before you do anything is to customize how it looks. You will probably need to add a custom Background and Custom Logo. You can easily do that by using clicking on the right mouse button and finding a background that would work for you. I typically search for a good background and save it to the Steam Deck to use. This helps when you leave the Steam OS desktop. You’ll need to also probably also look for a good Logo that you want to use as a way to identify with it as being Minecraft. This is something that can be easily done in the Desktop. Also you will need setup the control by clicking on the little COG icon and selecting the proper controller setup for Minecraft. I believe the WASP / Mouse settings work best for me and you will need to customize that to make it even more easy for you. Play around with the settings to see what works well for you.

What games are you using with the Steam Deck? Why not leave a comment and tell use what you are doing with yours and how you are using it? it can be very useful to know which games work on the Steam Deck? Don’t forget to subscribe for more Steam Deck tips and tricks.