How Bad Is Windows 11?

[GenXguy]

My concern with Windows 11 has to do with privacy issues. There were similar concerns with Windows 10, but most all of those "features" could be disabled or removed. It was time-consuming. My understanding is some of those "features" can't be disabled or removed in Windows 11.

Yeah, I get the general feeling over time that they are trying more and more to track us and spy on us giving us less options to avoid it, and using more of our personal data to feed their AI model.

 

[Ramen]

One of my W10 laptops says it will let me know when it's ready for W11. But PC Health Check says it's compatible. Can I go ahead and do a clean install from a USB drive? Or should I wait till Windows Update invites me to upgrade?

Regarding privacy, I've been using this tool for a couple of years. Seems to work well and is quick to run.

 

[bloom2708]

No issues at all with Windows 11. A couple tweaks and the UI is identical to Windows 10.

Zero reasons to not update if your PC/Laptop can take the update.

 

[rk911]

You might want to take a peek at the Windows 11 Forum before you update. Lots of folks posting about issues with the update.
Also check out

And take a read here before taking the plunge.

 

[Ramen]

Up and running now on my backup machine. No issues so far. Just a long process to do a clean install and set my many picky prefs. I ran the debloat script above, so it's pretty lean and mean now. Looked horrible out of the box. I miss my favorite Linux distro (Zorin) but need one app that requires Windows. Maybe I'll make my main machine Linux and keep this older one on W11.

 

[jim584672]

Up and running now on my backup machine. No issues so far. Just a long process to do a clean install and set my many picky prefs. I ran the debloat script above, so it's pretty lean and mean now. Looked horrible out of the box. I miss my favorite Linux distro (Zorin) but need one app that requires Windows. Maybe I'll make my main machine Linux and keep this older one on W11.

I run Win 11 in QEMU on Manjaro Linux, the best of both worlds.

 

[easysurfer]

I'm in the same boat as still am dependent on a few Windows programs so can't make the total leap away to Linux as my main machine or not. Still have several months to decide what I will do.

If you run Win11, even in a virtual machine, aren't you still stuck with having to do the system updates, whether the OS is on a physical or virtual machine? So, kind of like the expression goes: same difference?

 

[jim584672]

I'm in the same boat as still am dependent on a few Windows programs so can't make the total leap away to Linux as my main machine or not. Still have several months to decide what I will do.

If you run Win11, even in a virtual machine, aren't you still stuck with having to do the system updates, whether the OS is on a physical or virtual machine? So, kind of like the expression goes: same difference?

True, it acts just like a physical machine would. In QEMU even the USB ports work and pass through to Win11 so an obscure device that may not work in Linux due to a missing driver will work in the virtual Win11.

 

[Music Lover]

You might want to take a peek at the Windows 11 Forum before you update. Lots of folks posting about issues with the update.
Also check out

And take a read here before taking the plunge.

I've realized over time that some people are always having a problem with something regardless of what it is...their car, their phone, their computer, it doesn't matter. They even have problems with a simple grocery store trip. I now think that most of it is self inflicted or unrealistic expectations.

I bought a new computer a month ago with Windows 11 and it's worked perfectly.

 

[GenXguy]

I bought a new computer a month ago with Windows 11 and it's worked perfectly.

A new computer with Windows 11 pre-installed is more likely to work smoothly from the start than upgrading an existing machine from Windows 10 to Windows 11, which may have a lot of applications installed as well. I'm going to hold off on upgrading my old computer to Windows 11, which isn't officially supported on my old hardware but may work with workarounds. I might even build a new PC, finally, and start with Windows 11.

 

[rk911]

I've realized over time that some people are always having a problem with something regardless of what it is...their car, their phone, their computer, it doesn't matter. They even have problems with a simple grocery store trip. I now think that most of it is self inflicted or unrealistic expectations.

I bought a new computer a month ago with Windows 11 and it's worked perfectly.

Mine has too but I didn't upgrade my machine from Win10 or an older version of 11....it was a new purchase but I have disabled any updates until MS gets its act together.

OTOH, 100% of the complaints and reports of issues that I read in the Win11 forum were with upgrades either to Win11 or from Win10, not new purchases.

I've been fooling with MS Windows for decades (anyone recall v3.1?). MS has a very checkerd past when it comes to Windows upgrades. My advice is to tread carefully.

 

[gwill1010]

I've realized over time that some people are always having a problem with something regardless of what it is...their car, their phone, their computer, it doesn't matter. They even have problems with a simple grocery store trip. I now think that most of it is self inflicted or unrealistic expectations.

I bought a new computer a month ago with Windows 11 and it's worked perfectly.

This reminds me of my 92 yo mom. She does really good, but it boggles my mind how she can monthly screw up her android phone. Things like turning on visually impaired (voice every time you touch the screen) & malware. Stuff buried in the menus she turns off/on. She's a mess.

FYI - I've got it pretty locked down and it's better. Android store - "Square Home". Allows you to put icons on the home screen and lock it. No more, "Mom, your messaging and email apps were on the home screen yesterday, what happened?" IDK. I take care of her.

 

[Ramen]

I run Win 11 in QEMU on Manjaro Linux, the best of both worlds.

Thanks, I have thought about something like this but have resisted. Perhaps time to try it.

My main machine is also on W11 now, as of last night, so I have two laptops that are set up the same. All is well so far. With some tweaks, they both look almost as nice and clean as my previous Linux setups. Debloating is a big help, and a few minutes in the Personalization settings makes a big difference in the user experience. I even got the icons to look large and clear like Linux icons.

 

[tizod]

It's much easier to get a MAC, and also no need for subscription of 365 for basic mail,word, spreadsheet etc -all great programs included free with MAC. Plus no need to buy .pdf editor (amazing how that is still an issue in Win - my company requires it, & pays Adobe $20/month OUCH!!! to edit a few .pdf files. Been free on MAC's for so many years)...forget initial cost, they last 10-15 years with no issues, no subscriptions for basic use, and no ads and bloatware. IMHO

 

[robnplunder]

The main issue I've had with Win11 is that they auto update no matter what settings I put in to prevent it. But worse still, occasionally the update locks up my computer. A couple times it almost bricked it and I thought I lost everything.

This is also true for the Windows 10 home version. This drove me nuts, so I kept Windows 7 on a couple of systems. For the rest, I tried various things to stop the automatic update. I won't move to Win11 until I am forced to.

 

[Lsbcal]

I will have to buy a new PC this year as Win 10 is not getting full support later this year.

I do not understand why people do not want automatic updates. Don't they worry about security issues? I have auto updates turned on with Win 10 and no issues I'm aware of.

Here is the first part of an answer from ChatGPT on this:

Yes, turning off automatic updates in Windows 11 can cause users to miss critical security updates. Here’s why this can be a concern:

**1. Security Risks​

• Vulnerabilities: Microsoft regularly releases security patches to address newly discovered vulnerabilities. Missing these updates can leave your system exposed to malware, ransomware, and other security threats.
• Exploitation: Cybercriminals often exploit known vulnerabilities quickly after they are disclosed. Without timely updates, your system remains at risk.

 

[GrayHare]

"Security updates" are mostly an excuse to send non-security-related changes to the software. The update merely has a different set of vulnerabilities.

 

[Chuckanut]

It's much easier to get a MAC, and also no need for subscription of 365 for basic mail,word, spreadsheet etc -all great programs included free with MAC. Plus no need to buy .pdf editor (amazing how that is still an issue in Win - my company requires it, & pays Adobe $20/month OUCH!!! to edit a few .pdf files. Been free on MAC's for so many years)...forget initial cost, they last 10-15 years with no issues, no subscriptions for basic use, and no ads and bloatware. IMHO

I switched from Windows to Mac. In my mind Apple machines do last longer with fewer problems. But, 10-15 years? Not if you want to run recent versions of the software. At some point Apple stops support (you can find the support timeline on the Apple website). Then the software developers start coding for the newer version of IOS that your computer does not support. So, at some point you more or less are forced to upgrade, unless you are happy being behind the times, and the websites you use don’t require the later versions of the OS.

Overall, I am happy with Apple products and, IMO, the Apple Tax is actually very little given the increase in usability of the machines. But, 10-15 years? That has not been my experience. YMMV.

 

[PointBreeze]

I've been running Win 11 happily without any problems for well over a year now. I have it set to NOT do automatic updates (except for critical security patches), and I login using a PIN code, not a Microsoft account. I don't use Cortana, Copilot, or the Microsoft cloud for anything. It is very stable and runs everything I need quite smoothly. Honestly, I think it's just as good as Win 10, if not slightly better.

Ditto, although I do have my installation associated with a MS account. I, too, think it is just as good, if not better, than Win 10.

 

[GenXguy]

Overall, I am happy with Apple products and, IMO, the Apple Tax is actually very little given the increase in usability of the machines. But, 10-15 years? That has not been my experience. YMMV.

I think this depends a lot on the user and use. My main desktop PC is an Intel based PC running Windows 10 (originally Windows 7) that I built over 13 years ago. It's a 4 ghz overclocked Sandy Bridge i5 processor. I have upgraded the RAM, hard drive (to SSD), and OS, but it's the same base system of processor and motherboard, and it's never needed a reinstall of the OS. Even the Windows 7 to 10 upgrade was an in-place upgrade. And it's rock solid and still feels very responsive, but it's no high end gaming computer! lol The hardware isn't officially supported on Windows 11, although it's possible it can be made to work with published workarounds.

 

[DEC-1982]

I bought a new HP laptop with Windows 11 in August 2024. I was having to hard shutdown (aka force power down) the old 2019 laptop running Windows 10 far too frequently.

With the new laptop
After the first Windows update I couldn't connect to the Internet. Thinking there were other problems (I thought my Quicken 2008 was causing problems) I reset the PC to factory settings the first time.

When the next update caused this problem, I decided to reset the network card and reboot. That workaround worked. It has worked consistently after every update so far. My problem does occur after every Windows update.

I have learnt to budget some time to repair the system after every update, not knowing what else it might break.

My 2013 laptop on which I installed Fedora several years ago seems to be extremely stable.

 

[Texas Proud]

How do you find out what you are on? I have looked and do not see it...

Assume 10 because I am getting notices that 10 will not be supported..

Opps... found it... Win 10 22H2...

SOOO, I also have 80 points (wth) with Microsoft... what are these for? I clicked and they wanted me to do thing I do not want to do right now...