Take the Power Back
Your computer was supposed to belong to you. Why does Windows keep adding accounts, ads, updates, and rules you did not ask for? Linux offers another way. I can move you to Linux, and you will never look back.
Linux is user-friendly. It respects you. And it puts you back in control.
Contact me to remove the Windows Problem ... →
See the bottom of this page to understand how Windows has turned against the user and how Linux is the next-generation replacement.
Linux is simple and powerful.
Linux
Linux gives you another operating system. Choose your software. Use your computer without a mandatory consumer cloud account. Keep capable older hardware working when it makes sense. Linux is an open ecosystem, not a promise of perfect privacy. We check your programs and devices before switching.
Brave
Brave blocks third-party ads and trackers by default. Your browser should serve your browsing. No browser makes you invisible.
Proton Mail
Proton Mail stores your inbox encrypted. Mail between Proton users is end-to-end encrypted; ordinary mail to other providers is not by default. Know where your messages go.
Here in Kirksville
At Switchboard Tech Services, I check compatibility, back up files, install Linux when it fits, move your browser and mail, and show you the new desktop. If Windows-only software makes the move impractical, I will say so.
Your machine. Your choice. Take the power back.
EDUCATE
How Windows Exploits You
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Forced Microsoft account integration — A computer you bought can require an online Microsoft account just to complete setup and use the operating system normally.
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Mandatory diagnostic data collection — Windows collects required diagnostic information even when the user would prefer a fully local, private system.
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Advertising and recommendations inside a paid operating system — Windows promotes Microsoft services, apps, subscriptions, and other recommendations inside software the customer already paid for.
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Updates are controlled by Microsoft, not fully by the owner — Users can delay updates, but Windows is designed around eventually applying them rather than giving permanent, absolute control to the person who owns the machine.
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Hardware obsolescence by policy — Windows 11 hardware requirements exclude many computers that are still physically functional and capable of ordinary computing tasks.
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End-of-support pressure — When Microsoft ends support for an older Windows version, users are pushed toward upgrading the operating system, replacing hardware, paying for extended support, or accepting security risk.
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Cloud services are increasingly woven into the operating system — OneDrive, Microsoft accounts, Microsoft 365, synchronization, backup, and other services are increasingly presented as default parts of the Windows experience rather than optional add-ons.
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The operating system is becoming a sales channel — Windows increasingly serves not only as software, but as a platform for promoting Microsoft subscriptions, services, browsers, storage, AI products, and other commercial offerings.
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User choices can be overridden or revisited — Settings, defaults, recommendations, prompts, and service integrations can reappear after updates or configuration changes, forcing users to repeatedly defend choices they already made.
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Automatic encryption can create dependency on Microsoft-controlled recovery systems — Device encryption and BitLocker can tie access to recovery keys associated with Microsoft accounts, creating serious problems when users do not realize encryption was enabled.
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The owner carries the risk while Microsoft keeps the control — Microsoft can change update behavior, hardware requirements, account requirements, supported features, and service integrations; the user bears the cost if those decisions break compatibility, require new hardware, or disrupt workflow.
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The broader pattern is loss of ownership authority — The recurring issue is not one bad feature. It is the gradual transfer of decisions from the person who bought the computer to the company that controls the operating system.
How Linux Frees You
You own your computer again.
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Your machine, your rules — No forced Microsoft account, no vendor deciding what software must be tied to your identity, and far more control over updates, defaults, and system behavior.
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Your data stays under your control — Linux can run without mandatory telemetry, cloud integration, advertising IDs, or an operating system built around collecting and monetizing user attention.
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Your hardware answers to you, not an upgrade policy — If the computer still works, Linux can often keep using it. No arbitrary Windows version cutoff gets to decide that functional hardware has suddenly become obsolete.
LIBERATE
What You Gain
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Linux — Own your computer again. Modern software and modern security without surrendering the freedom computers used to give you. You decide what runs, when it updates, how long your hardware remains useful, and what your machine does.
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Brave — Take back the web. Block invasive trackers, surveillance advertising, pop-ups, and other junk before websites get the chance to exploit your attention. Let websites operate within your limits instead of constantly expanding theirs. You have control. They do not.
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Proton Mail — Make your inbox private again. Ordinary email providers like Gmail can technically access messages stored on their servers. Proton Mail protects your mailbox with zero-access encryption, meaning even Proton cannot read your stored message contents. Messages between Proton users are end-to-end encrypted automatically. Your email becomes correspondence again—not another window into your life.
EMPOWER
Know Your Enemy — Greedy Elite Corporate Conglomerates
Fix the machine. Break the dependence.
Take back the tools they stole from you and forced you to rent.
Knowledge is how you stop asking permission.