Windows 11 - Is everyone able to download?

[kiko]

well windows 11 is more stable specially when it comes to blue screens...never seen one yet...
as for compatibility...not great specially with some nvidia and very finicky...
you can install an nvidia on a pci-e slot and doesnt work...but it'll work under an older driver...change the slot on the motherboard and voilá...now works
windows 11 comes with a little feature "error 43" on drivers specially gpu's...but that's just a protection feature from being able to use it to it's full extent usually from something you have installed on your computer...
so all in all..don't trust error 43's specially on windows 11 saying your graphics card is busted...
download an iso of ubuntu linux or some other live linux distro...flash it onto a usb stick and boot from it...if the card works fine on linux..then the card is fine and there's no issues with it
then comes the windows 11 taskbar....
it's made for touch screen computers/tablets and the likes not for a performing power user that just wants to click on his app and open it..instead of clicking on a button to get a list of apps and then select the one you want...you can use a program called "explorerpatcher" to revert the taskbar to the classic version where you have a button for each app
also throttling...windows 11 comes with support for throttling apps based on power usage again...for laptops/tablets and so on...
then comes all the unnecessary hidden crap...reports for usage...don't even think of using edge...use chrome/firefox..anything but edge...
stuff for xbox continues since win10 which nobody cares...I've never even played on an xbox...
control panel still exists with limited functionality and has been replaced by "settings"
as for windows 11 requiring tpm2 to install...theres ways around it and unless you work on the X-Files for the FBI there's no reason why you'd need it
as for password guessing...even if you had a port open for remote desktop...as long that you use a decent password you should be fine
here's a list of how long it takes to crack a password these days:

so if you use a 12 character password with upper/lower case letters numbers and symbols...it'll take 2million years to crack
and even if you had access to supercomputers...nobody is going to waste millions in electricity to find out the neighbors wifi-password
windows 11 is more stable when is comes to multiple gaming windows specially farming games as it distributes the load and tries to keep the graphics card under 100%
a game that would use 100% on windows 10...even having 3 windows of that same game on windows 11 would park around 86 to 93%
all in all...I had windows 10...I've never used secureboot for windows....
they should take a page out of the linux kernel where it boots a kernel (basic OS system) then a basic system initrd..either built-in or as a separate image...then that mounts the partitions
which can be encrypted themselves
the issue with encryption and home users is that a disk goes kaputz..you just lost everything as your keys won't be the same...
the storage drive will be useless then (keys can be stored...but I've never met anyone that does it)
as for linux...as long as you know the password and have lets say a disk for /home (where your user files go)
then a disk for the rest of the system itself...
if the system disk went poof...you can still mount the /home partition using another installation as long as you know the password
at the end of the day...for people that don't do any gaming...I truly suggest looking at linux distributions as an alternative to windows specially the easier to install/use ones like "ubuntu"
and for the ones that game...windows 11 is the way to go with a few tweaks here and there...specially that damned taskbar...

 

[jaylach]

Windows 10 has been much better than anything I had. Windows 95 and then XP. I only wish Windows 11 could turn my now 5 year old PC into one that can play 4K vids. 720p is really its limit with short vids of SOME 1080 playing ok..some buffering. I have tried the 1400 just to see it play for a few seconds before it froze. Maybe the next tax rebate I can get something that has a top notch video card since I spend more time watching the internet, movies, and youtube on PC to Samsung TV.

To be honest I haven't had issues to speak of on any system since DOS but then I build my own systems and make sure that the components I buy are compatible. For instance my main desktop system ( I have a total of 5 systems )uses an AMD CPU so I use an AMD based video card as they are built to work together.

A five year old system can likely run Windows 11 just fine but tends to have issues as to the CPU generation, TPM and secure boot. There are other issues that can prevent an install but these are the three most common. However you can still install Windows 11 on these systems but it takes a few registry hacks. If the only problem is the CPU you can do a registry hack and do an upgrade install. If the issue is either or both secure boot or TPM you can still do but it has to be a clean install wiping out any installed programs and data such as pictures if they are on the same drive as the OS.

There is a bit of a trick that sounds like bootlegging but I don't consider it as such as Microsoft has to be aware and allow. When doing a clean install of Windows 10 or 11 just select that you don't have a product key when asked. The install will continue and finish. Once in Windows go to the activation part of the settings and select to change the product key. Enter a valid Windows 7 key and it will be accepted and Windows will activate just fine.

The actual biggest issue with bringing an older system up to Windows 10 or 11 is the availability of device drivers. Take your video card... Are there drivers available that will work with the new OS? If you can find drivers for Windows 10 they will likely work with Windows 11.

What I think is sort of funny in a sad way is that my main system fails for a Windows 11 upgrade due to the CPU (can fix with a registry hack ). Yet I have a micro system with a 4-core Celeron CPU that came with Windows 11. Now, realistically, is the 4 core Celeron CPU in my micro system more able to run the OS than the 8-core; 16 thread CPU in my main system?

A lot more I could say on this topic but my post is already long enough.

 

[kiko]

I have 3 computers running win11, 1 running linux gentoo...one laptop with windows 10 which is used by my maria and she doesn't like to update anything (works --> don't touch...)
and an older laptop that runs linux ubuntu which we use for vacations and stuff..
only 1 of my computers actually has an active tpm chip and just because there's no option to turn it off in the bios for some reason...
I've never used it...don't need it..couldn't care about it...it's just a gimmick to force people to upgrade to newer computers
as the market actually gets slower with slower and slower buying as computers get faster and faster...
when computers where doubling transistors annually sure thing...you'd see a difference from 1 year to the next let alone a 5 year old computer...
but if you have a 6 core from 5 years ago at 3.5ghz with 16gb ram...guess what? the advantages nowadays aren't that much greater for the average user
sure you can buy a 8 or even 12core....making sure it's not a cpu with dormant cores which is a feature used quite commonly on phone chips (big/little cpu's)
now....if 5 years ago you watched youtube and it used up 1 core....now you changed the system...more stuff in it and now it uses 2 of the cores just to play a 1024p
and that's mainly your thing...play some background music from youtube...do some homework play some game up to 90fps (human eyes can't see higher fps)
a newer computer would bring no advantage to the table hence the market had to adapt...
----> let's force everyone that uses windows which is like 80% to upgrade their computers to something recent
here comes linux....as the linux kernel is optimized over and over for stability and speed
you will see even the crappiest computer still play videos and so on without a hitch...
so for people that don't really play games on their computer and just want go browse...watch youtube..pay their bills and so on...
now...for someone that never used linux and has no idea on shell commands or even dealt with DOS...
I suggest linux ubuntu or linux mint which is pretty much like if someone were to change from windows to macOS
different uses and need for different people...but there's no way anybody should need to upgrade to a different computer from one that ran windows 10 flawlessly
just because it's missing a tpm chip or in many cases...just turned off in the bios
now...does a regular user need tpm? nop...I've never heard of anybody that cared about having a computer with a built-in sha1 crypto-generating piece of hardware VS a software one
specially these days with faster and faster computers?
there's no secret agency in the world that would use TPM vs an encrypted partition boot style specially when all versions of tpm allow for buffer overflows and stealing of passwords
cpu generation of encrypted keys/storage of encrypted keys?!? I bet more than 90% of the people doesn't even know what TPM is
and if you tell older folk that do online banking that their new computer stores his password in an encrypted form on a chip called TPM
that eventually when they get rid of that computer they will make a fire and burn it on a sunday bbq just because they don't know how to delete that stuff

 

[seangee]

I think MS may have eased the TPM requirement by default. Several of our office PCs that have older processors which don't support this have now started reporting that they are ready for upgrade (and compatable). Since there is no downside to upgrading I will do so before the free option expires.

 

[jaylach]

I also run Linux but just in a virtual machine to play. I've looked at quite a few distros and mine of choice is Mint.

Here is a link to a bit of a tutorial I did on my computer help forums as to installing Windows 11 on unsupported systems.

View topic - Installing Windows 11 on unsupported hardware • Computer Haven

Computer Help in Plain English, specializing in novice users

computerhaven.com

 

[seangee]

+1 for Mint as a great choice for a desktop system

 

[kiko]

Ms lowered requirements of win11 to tpm1 after tpm2 became obsolete with known exploits using buffer overflows for both read and write...
There's no justification for it and honestly asides from it being used for key generation...
I've never heard of anybody using it instead of encrypting an entire partition like android etc...
It's just not safe as a means of password storage

 

[jaylach]

Funny thing with Windows 11 and really old software. I love some really old games such as Zuma Deluxe. I can upgrade to 11 on my main system with using the CPU registry hack shown in my previous post giving a link as a how to do but these old games will keep dropping out of full screen mode. Probably a setting I haven't found and not a big deal as 10 will be fine until at least 2025.

What gets me with these install issues is the restrictions. Take the CPU restrictions as an example. I have a little micro computer that runs a 4 core Celeron CPU and it has zero problems with installing Windows 11. This was proven when I added an M.2 1TB SSD to be the system drive. Windows 11 installed without any issue. Now take my main system that will not install Windows 11 unless I use the CPU registry hack. This system runs an AMD Rysen 7 8 core/16 thread CPU yet does not allow a direct install of 11 due to the CPU being first generation.

Is all this garbage initiated my Microsoft to promote the purchase of a new system? Possibly but I have doubts on this aspect. I mean Microsoft is not all that much of a hardware seller. Sure they have such items as the Surface series but they are not all that heavy in the hardware world.

I don't claim to have an answer to any of this garbage but have t wonder if it is not the third party OEMs that are the true culprit in all this as they are the ones that actually profit from the install restrictions. Direct from Microsoft Windows 10 and 11 can easily be installed for free even if the system does not qualify using tricks that are actually put out by Microsoft. Considering that how does Microsoft really profit?

 

[raylove]

Loved Windows 7 but took the free upgrade to Windows 10 when it was offered. It was HORRIBLE and not fit for purpose so within the month trial, I rolled back. It didn't work. My computer crashed and had to go to the shop for repair. It was never the same after that and eventually I was forced to buy new kit with Windows 10.

It hadn't improved much since the initial launch and I had so many issues I started making a list. After just 3 years the computer expired by which time I had 39 pages of issues!

That was 6 months ago and with some trepidation I had to move over to Windows 11. I still prefer Windows 7 but I have to say it's not been too bad. Same old Microsoft issue with updates mucking stuff up of course but I'm well used to rolling back to earlier restore points to fix these.

 

[jaylach]

While I've had no issues with 10 or 11 I did really like 7. I've always considered it one of the 2 best operating systems MS ever put out. The other was 2000.