My grandpa is old and til now has always done things with paper copies including legal paperwork, taxes, and all that. Recently he's said the tax people don't want him using paper to file them and has sent him online resources to do so. Problem is his most recent computer runs Windows 7, and most web pages refuse to load. The only problem I have been able to determine is that the computer is wildly out-of-date, no longer receives security updates, and the internet doesn't like that.
Solutions I can think of are trying to prolong the life of the computer with Linux, getting a newer computer that has the hardware to run Windows 10/11, or taking him to the library to fill out info there. I am always glad to convert people to Linux, but for him it would have to run very similarly to the Windows 7 he's used to. He would have to be able to run EXEs easily and not have to configure anything. I know of low-to-no configuration distros, but I don't know if they can run his applications as easily. A new computer would be a pretty easy fix, but not exactly cheap either. The library, I'm not 100% sure they would allow you to do that paperwork there for security reasons, especially if the patron doesn't know how to log out and secure themselves. Even then, my grandparents have been reluctant to use our local library since they moved here from out of town, probably because they're old and don't like change.
So this is my predicament; if anyone has any suggestions regarding these or with different options, I'd appreciate them. If there is a way to use his current computer, that'd probably be ideal for him, but I do understand that's nowhere near ideal generally.
i second the linux route. like linux mint, especially if everything he is going to be doing can be accomplished via web interface (email, documents, verify identity/documents, etc). i think it will work out fine, and if not, it's cost you $0 to try. i would install linux mint, firefox, set up all his bookmarks/desktop shortcuts, and get him logged into everything with saved passwords and confirm 2FA for his phone/email and then confirm he can access everything. my favorite thing about linux was that the shit was so stable, never lost configurations, never required restarts to update random shit and always asked for permission to update which hardly took any time. i could walk up to it, move the mouse to bring it out of its inactive state, and it was always exactly how i left it. it made me realize how unstable and fucked windoze is.
anyway, the plan B/backup move would be to find the cheapest laptop you can find on the DFO website, making sure to check "scratch & dent" and sort laptops by cheapest. you can occaisionally find stupidly cheap deals on there for refurbs. chose no additional options whatsoever, including no support after 1 month. then plug a USB mouse+keyboard into it and an OK sized HDMI (or whatever connection is available) monitor into it so the screen is bigger and set up all the accessibility for contrast and larger type because it's probably gonna be some 15" display with a tiny, borderline unusable keyboard without the number pad. old schools like me live and die by the number pad for tax/budgeting.
Thank you. Mint is what I had in mind. He actually hasn't had internet at his home for a long time, so it's likely he doesn't have bookmarks or logins, at least that he remembers. This does make me worry he has a lot of offline applications I'd have to figure out.