Same here, Jim.
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Well, I’m getting to test this already, Jim. Remember on my “big” thread when I said I have bad luck with electronics!?
Plugged this new Dell in and it would freeze every time it hit the Windows setup screen. Over an hour on the phone with Dell customer support, and they’re convinced that the Windows installation was corrupted. I have a 1GB, 4GB, and 64GB USB drives, but according to Dell you can only install Windows 11 via an 8GB, 16GB, or 32GB USB drive. I told them that if I have to drive to Costco to buy a new USB drive that I’m just going to return the computer when I am there. 
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I am now up and running with my new computer. I rather like it.
BUT: Do not follow my advice for the EaseUS PC Trans program. 
I connected the two computers with ethernet cables because wireless was not found by the new computer: Both being Dell. It said it transferred programs “successfully” but several of them would not load properly when I tried to run them. I would imagine some of you who are more computer savy could have figured it out but I just reloaded them from fresh downloads.
One program I could not get to load correctly so I think it is gone forever (Paint Shop Pro 2023). Not a big loss as the program was quite clumsy. I have been using Paint Shop Pro for over 30 years and paid for many versions and upgrades. It seems the newer versions just became more complex and I did not learn the changes. 
I still have the old computer running/available so I will probably be transferring more files. My wife still needs to get the 75 things she has on the Desktop placed in one folder. I refuse to add all of those icons/files/folders onto the new Desktop.
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I’ve been a “Microsoft Guy” since MSDOS 2.1. Used all the Windows versions, run 11 at my day job, (unhappily). Many Linux distros starting with SuSe back in, oh, 2003 or so. I was happy to just keep feeding Redmond’s coffers even with 11. But “CoPilot” was the last straw. Took my Win 10 computer running the table off the network, bought a new desktop for design and general computing. Threw Ubuntu on it and away I went. Inkscape and Sheetcam work fine in linux, (I don’t use Fusion but there’s even a workaround for it). I actually prefer the ease of Windows but, nah, I’m done.
@ChelanJim check your email for paintshop pro. You can still download new versions as long as you got your license key. Even if you choose to downgrade to 2022 or 2018 whatever the last one I have that you like.
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Thank you! I am systematically going thru my new computer. I had a hiccup along the way. I attempted to install something, haven’t had the time to figure it out yet, and after that issue my internet speed slowed from 30-40 MB/s to less than 3 MB/s. I kept blaming T-Mobile. It turned out that it was something with my computer setup.
I have now gone back to a previous configuration, prior to PaintShop Pro install. Appreciate the mention Sticks. I accidently found that install and had performed the 2018 version. When I tried to install the 2022 I got a error from the installer that a previous version had an error “consistent with a pirated version.” That was one of the examples of what the error “could” have been caused by. Right now I am going to wait and see what I really need on this computer and keep checking my download speed to find where the trouble happened.
I am currently at 40 MB/s provided my wife is not watching something on Hulu or AppleTV!!! I will report back about this issue when I find the culprit. This is one of those things I HATE about configuring a new computer.
Well I finally upgraded my Desktop system at my summer place. I decided to use the Rufus method as documented in:
I checked ALL the boxes in the Rufus window to remove hardware requirements and, when you’re ready to launch the installation, do it by opening the drive with the installer and manually launching ‘setup.exe’. This will safely upgrade while still keeping your existing apps and settings. There are other ways of doing that, but they are easily missed and therefore risky IMO.
Finally, after an excruciatingly long time to install and update (6 hours) I finally had a Windows 11 system. THEN I decided to go one step more and removed all the crap that MS tries to sneak onto your system:
I then realized, as my system was creeping along, that Windows Search was spending beaucoup time do crap that had nothing to do with my work, so I disabled Windows Search using:
Disabling the Windows Search Service:
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Open the “Services” application by searching for it in the Start menu.
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Locate the “Windows Search” service.
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Right-click on it and select “Properties”.
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In the “Startup type” dropdown, choose “Disabled” to prevent it from starting on boot.
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Click “Stop” to immediately stop the service.
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Click “Apply” and then “OK” to save the changes
That got me to a marginally usable system so, taking one last step, I replaced my Hard Drive with an SSD. Man! I should have done that first! Speedy quick now!
So… My Summer system will now support Fusion 360 when I come back next year and this learning will help me upgrade my workstation when I get back to my main home.
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I thought if you went this route you were opening yourself up to security risks?
Do you mean disabling TPM? I don’t believe TPM brings ANY value to a home system and brings plenty of risk of locking up your system permanently if you somehow mess up its settings. It’s the kind of thing that really needs to be managed by a central IT organization.
To my mind the GREATEST security risk in a PC is the Windows Operating system itself with all of its MS backdoors, hacks, and intrusive monitoring.
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This is where I heard it about 9 min mark
here is one more
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Ill say out loud “I despise windows”! Granted I still have to use a windows pc… 
and I am probably an exception to a few things tech but im also the guy whos shop has MacOS, Windows10 and Linux, all in the same garage lol.
Im a Fusion user and have been for about 4 years now. Ever since using and switching to a mac for my drawing I have never looked back. I am an ex tech guy… worked in IT, and Linux is my main choice for OS… BUT drawing on a mac has been so great for the last few years and no windows issues… and ask me what antivirus I run… none (none needed). Ask me about updates… no need MacOS asks ME when I want to update, not the other way around. Does MacOS have end of life days, sure but its nowhere near the hassle that windows is… dont ask me why on that one.
My 0.02 here, get yourself a macbook air or a mac mini (if you already have a monitor, keyboard and mouse and fusion will run GREAT on it, especially if youre only using it for plasma cutting… 2d baby! For under $1000, youll have a pc youll use for the next 4 or 5 years or longer and no windows hassles AND it runs fusion no problem. I run fusion on both a mac mini and macbook air, also found cheap and refurbished at places like Microcenter and they will also run Fusion no problem.
I know some of you guys will argue about this and that… I know the workflow for just 2d is much simpler but I run most of my CAD for 3d routing and such and I really would never use anything else for this stuff. So for 2d work… piece O cake!
As we speak there is a mac mini listed on Microcenter’s website for $449 and I promise you it beats any windows small form factor pc. No other apple products needed… wired or wireless keyboard you already have and mouse you already have and monitor you already have.
Hope this helps and again, its just an opinion but we are really all doing the same thing in our shops… so this is fairly universal IMO.
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You know, I have been so long thinking that Mac was always going to be odd man out that I’m embarrassed to say that I wasn’t aware that Fusion 360 supported Macs. With your post I’ve gone back and rechecked a number of my ‘go to’ apps and, with one exception, they all support Macs. The one exception is VCarve Pro, but that will run under Parallels.
Hmmmm, maybe this requires some more study… 
Thanks!
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So you use Fusion AND VCarve?
Of course. Plasma cutting is incidental to what I do. I do 3D print, 3d Carving, Laser Engraving, Laser cutting, CNC Carving, Wood Turning, Wood working, pretty much if it has ‘C’ in the acronym, I do it. Oh, and the occasional PCB/EE/Microprocessor design. And, according to @Bigdaddy2166 , I run an ongoing remedial course on Etymology.
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Ok, I had to look it up. I am one word smarter now, @TomWS
Etymology is the study of a word’s origin and historical development, including its changing form, meaning, and pronunciation over time
As for Windows 10. Just bite the bullet and load Windows 11. Go to Services.msc and turn off updates for 10 years.
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Sure… until the next week’s update that changes all of your settings back to what MS wants them to be…
Life without MS. THAT is the dream! sigh…. 
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All I can is WOW 
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There’s sposedly a big class action against microsoft for forcing old hardware to be obesolete with their win11 mandatory update.
Here’s hoping it either makes them have to support their old software, or older hardware profiles with a “watered down” OS with less BS running in the background.
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It’s just a means of ‘covering our own ass’ if you’re referring to the stringent hardware requirements.
Unless you’re running ‘ancient hardware’, there’s no reason why you couldn’t move up to Windows 11 from your current Windows 10 setup.
PC components have gotten way up there in price, but these would be specific to certain CPU’s and GPU’s that
A. limitless budget PC enthusiasts chase after
B. demanding computing power is required
Fusion 360 users do not fall in either of the above two examples, but it’s easy to get sucked into one of those groups simply because a random stranger on the internet is trying to convince you to buy a hard-to-find, and stupidly overpriced RTX 5090 only because he/she wishes to buy one themselves
For 2D stuff, and even much of any 3D rendering performed (within CNC plasma), an old GPU will only see as little as 10-20% utilization with highs up to maybe 40-50% on complex setups.
Fusion is by no means ‘hard to run’, it’s just not very efficient with its resources.
Meaning you can still get yourself some really fast (and copious amounts of) DDR4 or DDR5 ram, terabytes of storage for cheap, and a fully equipped motherboard.
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Thanks for saving me pasting this into a search engine… I had already copied it from @TomWS post…. Then scrolled down to read your reply. Thanks for the education Tom, I must have been staring across the isle the day my English teacher talked about etymology… as you no doubt have deduced, I spent much of my time in English class looking across the isle. As an engineering major English class was one of my only classes I could get distracted with eye candy. 
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