Microsoft Windows = [Almost] No Fanboys!
Microsoft showing Windows 11 upgrade prompts on more Windows 10 devices
Martin Brinkmann
Feb 29, 2024
If only Microsoft had developed an operating system like Windows 7 that people would truly desire to use. There would be no hesitation about upgrading.
They managed to make an older PC actually preferable and desirable. Well done, Microsoft.
Nothing specifically against Windows 11, but I have a PC that I want to continue to use Windows 10 on until the end of support in 2025. It would be nice if Microsoft would respect my decision as I have already declined a upgrade to Windows 11 multiple times. Since it is my business PC and it runs Windows 10 Pro I would have thought Microsoft would be a bit more respectful of my decline to upgrade. But apparently not, and this is where maybe Windows may become a bad option for me in the future.
Windows 10 was the great OS for me. The last version that Microsoft was ever going to release according to their tech guys, there were even rumors of MS dropping the number altogether and just calling it Windows. So in late 2021 I was feeling betrayed by the news that Windows 11 was going to be released, everyone could try to “upgrade” but some of us would not be allowed to. Not to worry W10 would still have support until 2025, and then you can just get a new computer.
2022 was the year that Linux became my operating system of choice, by 2023 it was on all my PCs.
There has been no looking back. I was lucky to choose a distro with excellent tech support and a GUI that is intuitive and pleasant to use.
I am no tinfoil hat wearer who is in denial. Windows now resides as a virtual image within my Linux shell to be summoned as an app only when it is needed to perform a function that is beyond my Linux skills.
I no longer suffer from lengthy updates that prevent my OS from starting, only to be greeted by the message “We couldn’t complete the updates. Undoing changes. Don’t turn off your computer”. System slowdowns as windows installs updates in the “background” no longer concern me. De-fragmenting hard drives and virus scans consuming resources are not a problem. The only software that gets installed on my PC now is the software that I choose to install.
Every operating system has it’s faults but we all have a choice. Why should we allow ourselves to be dictated to? Microsoft are desperately selling their operating system on broken promises and bloat gimmicks that should be optional not compulsory.
Windows desktop market share has dropped from over 90% to ~70% in the past decade. Apparently, Microsoft doesn’t care about what consumer users want. Enterprise Windows does none of the crap that Home and Pro versions do. Mac computers have triple in the same time. Linux went from 0.5% to 3%.
Must be in the one-of-a-few club: I prefer Windows11 to any previous version; I never have problems such as the OS crashing “for no reason whatsoever, twice a day or “occasionally Windows 11 “dies” for no reason.”
All that Car = Windows 11 sounds like some major MB or drive issues, and the guy needs a new computer.
Upgrade prompts can be disabled without much effort or techie knowledge. Any item that seems intrusive on Windows 11 can easily be eliminated by a tweak of some sort. Third party options abound, and a user only needs one good program to revert to a Windows 10 appearance [if UI issues are the problem–don’t get married–your wife is going to throw some real UI issues at you in the future, if not already–].
I recently tried Linux server with a lean desktop (few apps) as a replacement for my 24/7 windows 10 pro home server. It took weeks to figure out samba, webmin, finding a decent graphic sync program that worked as I wanted, cron, xrdp, and more. It was a major challenge to figure out how to not let it go to sleep after I put on a lean desktop – the power settings do not shut off sleep. And lots more. I needed ubuntu so I could use pihole. (currently I’m happily using pfBlockerNG on my pfSense router for ad blocking instead.)
The thing that made me quit Linux was an upgrade (apt-get update / upgrade) told me about a new release and how to upgrade using the command line. I did it their way. The end messages for the new release both implied the upgrade worked and failed, both at the same time using different descriptions for both. I did the upgrade a few more times. Each end message made it look like it worked better than the last time, but still wasn’t right.
I tried using the PC. It worked but the new version gave it a horrid desktop appearance and all the other choices were equally bad. And I wasn’t sure everything still worked because of the unclear end messages.
I revered back to Windows and upgraded to Win 11 pro. Everything is easy again.
Fifteen years later – this would be funny – if it wasn’t still true —
“If Microsoft Built Cars”
1. For no reason whatsoever your car would crash twice a day.
2. Every time they repainted the lines on the road you would have to buy a new car.
3. Occasionally your car would die on the freeway for no reason, and you would just accept this, restart and drive on.
4. Occasionally, executing a maneuver such as a left turn, would cause your car to shut down and refuse to restart, in which case you would have to reinstall the engine.
5. Only one person at a time could use the car, unless you bought “Car10” or “Car11” But then you would have to buy more seats.
6. Macintosh would make a car that was powered by the sun, reliable, five times as fast, and twice as easy to drive, but would only run on five per cent of the roads.
7. The oil, water temperature and alternator warning lights would be replaced by a single “general car default” warning light.
8. New seats would force everyone to have the same size butt.
9. The airbag system would say “Are you sure?” before going off.
10. Occasionally for no reason whatsoever, your car would lock you out and refuse to let you in until you simultaneously lifted the door handle, turned the key, and grab hold of the radio antenna.
11. GM would require all car buyers to also purchase a deluxe set of Rand McNally road maps (now a GM subsidiary), even though they neither need them nor want them. Attempting to delete this option would immediately cause the car’s performance to diminish by 50% or more. Moreover, GM would become a target for investigation by the Justice Department.
12. Every time GM introduced a new model car buyers would have to learn how to drive all over again because none of the controls would operate in the same manner as the old car.
13. You’d press the “start” button to shut off the engine.
I hear Microsoft is making a new motor oil for your car – it’s called “BSOD Motor Oil” …
It isn’t “still true”, a normal OS install with the right drivers is stable as anything, since Vista probably, no, since XP probably, windows has been relatively stable. I regularly have PCs with uptime in the triple digits. Random reboots is probably user error or hardware failure.
You’re blinded to the fact that Apple makes both the hardware and the software and curates the hell out of the “user experience”. Microsoft makes an OS that tons of companies make hardware for, it’s just not a fair comparison.
I appreciate humor and dunking on Microsoft/Windows, but the dunks have to at least be accurate.
LOL, however despite its funny side, it’s certainly true. So sad, then, and so bad.
Microsoft seems to consider itself to be in charge of the world’s biggest office where it dictates which user’s machine will be assigned the next upgrade. They seem to be entirely incapable of understanding the concept of people deciding for themselves what they want to do with their devices.
Imagine going into a store somewhere and being told this washing machine is the one you’re going to buy today even if you’ve already got one and are perfectly happy with it and had up until you entered that store no intention of buy a new washing machine. It’s just too ridiculous for words.
I haven’t had a BSOD since I upgraded from XP an E8400 PC to Win7 in late 2009. It got Win10 back in 2015 on the Insider track. XP gave me an issue now and then, mostly video.
Since then, no BSODs on four other systems to this day. Two running Win7, 10 and 12 years old, two Win10, 7 and 3 years old. Three of ’em I built myself. Every one works with near flawless dependability, applications’ updates and/or uninstalls the exceptions.
In the meantime, my EDU i9-9900K system has Win11 rejection via MTR andbios-disabled TPM.
Doubtless, all the problems you have with Windows is you. And most of the points you make are hardware related. You’re obviously running junk.
That said, I loath the path MS is on now. Three years from now, the timeline for my next build, no doubt I’ll have little choice. But by that time, there’ll be a history of best geek practices discovered since.
OK. Waiting now on the “Linux” upbraiding…
Is there easy way / program / script / powershell / other to disable Win11 upgrade prompts permanently and keep WIndows Updates enabled in parallel?
Yes there is, on github. Just Google it
If you’re using Windows 10 22H2, open cmd (Admin), and type these commands:
? reg add HKLM\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WindowsUpdate /f /v
TargetReleaseVersion /t REG_DWORD /d 1
? reg add HKLM\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WindowsUpdate /f /v TargetReleaseVersionInfo /t REG_SZ /d XXXX (You replace the X’s with 22H2)
? reg add HKLM\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WindowsUpdate /f /v ProductVersion /t REG_SZ /d Windows 10
Once done, you type: shutdown /r
And you’re won’t receive an upgrade to Windows 11.
https://www.ghacks.net/2024/02/22/windows-11-version-23h2-is-going-to-be-installed-automatically-on-older-systems/
For me there is simply to much old stuff behind the curtains hidden behind colorful amusement park attractions.
Besides there is way to much clicking around in sub sub sub menus and options which makes one dizzy.
As an administrator i prefer table like structures to set and control options without several dozen entry points into the settings. That was the old system settings dialog for example…
New day. Morning coffee. Starts as usual by having to feel hate for Microsoft.
Please stop. Leave us alone already. OUR PC’s = OUR CHOICE.
John G. said on February 29, 2024 at 9:42 am
Rien compris.
I use a new machine with Windows 11 preinstalled
I have a 12 years old PC with Windows 10 too, not eligible to Windows 11
You lucky guy!"
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