Been a Linux user for almost a decade. Built a PC for someone recently and they wanted 11 Pro. Whatever, I shrugged, and downloaded the iso from Microsoft. I dd

Been a Linux user for almost a decade. Built a PC for someone recently and they wanted 11 Pro. Whatever, I shrugged, and downloaded the iso from Microsoft. I dd'd it to a usb, like every other iso, and boot to the installer menu. I'm greeted by an error that there are missing drivers. I'm familiar with this error, still, but I'm surprised to see it on the latest O/S. It looks exactly like I remember from 98. So, I spend two or three hours downloading drivers, copying to usb, booting up, waiting, selecting Find Drivers, manually choose each driver directory... and sub-directory, and sub-sub-directory. Error!.. Error!.. Installing... Hallelujah. An eternity ticks by as I watch a progress bar slowly filling up, indicating that, at last, Windows is installing the required drivers. At least it's finally doing something, I think... Nope! Despite loading every driver, the problem is never solved. No progress is made in two or three hours. More hours spent internet searching. Apparently, that "missing drivers error, please insert media containing drivers" error has nothing to do with missing drivers. No, it's because I was dumb enough to think I could just DD a Windows ISO, like every other ISO I've ever encountered. Microsoft are special, I need to use special tools. Fine, OK, done. Oh, you didn't think you could just boot the latest Microsoft Windows USB, did you? Oh no, friend, Microsoft corporation wishes to protect you from the threat of unsecured boot routines. You first have to choose the right combination of bios options to enable EUFI, or secure boot, or whatever. Now you've chosen all the right bios options, and you have created the boot usb, in a Microsoft compatible fashion, let's go! Wait, is that a usb3 key? That might not work, best use an old usb2 one, oh, but not that one, use a good brand, and don't insert it into that slot, use the other one, the black one, no, not that one... ARGHH!! Finally, after about 6 hours, it's installed. All that's left is to wait another hour or two while it updates and installs drivers, then install the other drivers from the motherboard makers website, and activate the licence. But the licence server doesn't work, I have to perform a phone activation. That means all the usual pain of automated phone systems... like, listening for 10 minutes to all that "hey, did you know it's easier to activate online? Simply log on to this, and that, and activate your licence the easy way! Are you sure you don't want to do that? It's easier, you know? Ok then, let's get ready to do a phone activation. You can still hang up, though, just hang up! No? Oh, ok then... Please enter your 64 digit code, and, if you get that right, I will give you the 64 digit response code that you can enter into your PC" At this point, I'm honestly wondering if I can sue Microsoft for the (hopefully mild) PTSD I will inevitably suffer from this. I'm never installing windows, for anybody, ever again. Ever. Never, never, never. Sorry for the long rant, but I thought, maybe, talking about it, openly, might help reduce the nightmares. Oh, the nightmares.