I'm only interested since I may have to put together a Windows machine (..yuk!) in the future for my nephew for school really, otherwise I use Linux Mint exclusively.
Allen
Hotshot
Joined: Oct 1999
Posts: 8,841
Ohio USA
Quote
Microsoft Windows 11 launches on October 5
« press release »
Today, we are thrilled to announce Windows 11 will start to become available on October 5, 2021. On this day, the free upgrade to Windows 11 will begin rolling out to eligible Windows 10 PCs and PCs that come pre-loaded with Windows 11 will start to become available for purchase.
new eligible devices will be offered the upgrade first. The upgrade will then roll out over time to in-market devices based on intelligence models that consider hardware eligibility, reliability metrics, age of device and other factors that impact the upgrade experience. We expect all eligible devices to be offered the free upgrade to Windows 11 by mid-2022.
The forgoing applies primarily to "automatic upgrades" of operational systems.
I assume that on October 5, W11 will be available to anyone who is willing to download a copy, do the install themselves, and take their chances. We'll see.
I'll try it on one of my "spare" PCs first. As usual, for me, a "clean install" to avoid the "extras" that come automatically.
Last edited by Allen; 08/31/2110:39 PM. Reason: Final Thought
Allen
Hotshot
Joined: Oct 1999
Posts: 8,841
Ohio USA
Quote
Windows 11 testers seem to be doing just fine with unsupported hardware
Given the surprisingly stringent supported CPU list and uninformative PC Health Check tool, it was inevitable that people would sign up for the Windows 11 Insider program and install the OS on unapproved hardware. And what do you know: It's seemingly been going just fine. If you do a few registry edits to bypass the system requirement checks while installing Windows 11 Insider, you can use a far older CPU—even as old as a 2008 Intel Core 2 Duo!
the fact that those testers have been able to use the OS without significant problems proves that the "minimum requirements" aren't about performance at all. So what are they about? Security? Maybe
As far as the Windows 11 thing goes - yes, security is part of it. But not all. There are often updates - not just third party stuff Microsoft redistributes through their update servers, either (like driver updates). At times, there have been updates to the actual OS code - which only Microsoft can provide/distribute - and these updates have either added or corrected features in the OS.
A good example is the UASP support I described earlier. It wasn't present in W7, but Microsoft added it in W8. Now, there's no technical reason they couldn't have added it to 7, as evidenced by the fact that USB hardware manufacturers could include it in their drivers if they chose to do so. But the OS itself didn't have 'built-in' support for UASP until 8. This means that whether you got UASP support or not was dependent on which motherboard you had (and therefore, which USB chipset)...but what happens if there is no motherboard manufactured that includes both the desired USB chipset and other features you might want (say, mutli-GPU support for both SLI and Crossfire)? You'd be forced - as I was - to "upgrade" to W8, or do without a feature you wanted. I don't think I have to say that W8 wasn't considered much of an 'upgrade' over W7...and if it hadn't been for UASP, I'd have stayed on 7.
Point here is that updates don't have to be about only security in order to be a deciding factor in choice of OS.
And yes, in addition, you have the security concerns. I build PCs for others outside my family; I have done it in one capacity or another for >35 years. I can tell you first hand that (for a number of reasons, all valid) that some clients/end users cannot accept an OS that will not provide security updates.
There are two very straightforward reasons Microsoft is doing this, IMHO: Money and Liability. I'm not even saying these aren't legitimate business considerations - but how they are handled doesn't necessarily have to be at the expense of the end user (be it money outright, or loss of compatibility, or lack of updates....whatever).
And, FWIW, I'm pretty sure the hardware manufacturers aren't too unhappy that people will now have to constantly buy new hardware, even though the stuff often runs for many, many years longer than the two years or so before Microsoft decide to yank 'support' on the OS. It was one thing in the past when it was just going to cost you a new OS license. But now? It'll cost you an enitrely new system - potentially hundreds (thousands??) more than an OS alone would've.
Not enough that "Windows as a Service" has become a 'bag over the head, kick in the pants' proposition it has...now they (Microsoft) are forcing hardware to be the same way.
Allen
Hotshot
Joined: Oct 1999
Posts: 8,841
Ohio USA
Quote
Windows 11 will be faster thanks to CPU, memory and storage optimizations
The Microsoft Windows 11 will make your PC faster thanks to various optimizations
The new UI and snappier animations are just part of the features that will make Windows 11 a worthy upgrade over Windows 10. The company still has a lot of work though
Windows 11 [will] save on average 32% of memory and 37% of CPU usage
Microsoft Windows 11 [still] launches on October 5th as a free upgrade to [some] Windows 10 users [depending on CPU in use].
And 10 did not offer anything Windows 7 was already able to do, except the whole smartphone crap
Even things like the latest DirectX and other real "advantages" would be able to run in Windows 7 if MS would allow it. But they don't have any reason to do so, cause many users cry for more restriction for the reason to have a so called "more user friendly and secure system".
The last real good and userfriendly Windows was 7. The rest is the same BS under the hood with a lot of extra restrictions, the artificial need for new drivers and hardware to stimulate the sale of the same and the painful update enforcement.
Things like running games without the use of the original CD's to keep them save in the box (with Daemon Tools or anything else) or even original CD/DVD's with copy protection aren't useable anymore since Windows 10. So if you still like your old games, and don't want to throw them away (like many of the childish W10 fan boys told you) you have to make a dual boot with W7 or create an extra W7 machine, if the new hardware doesn't support W7 drivers.
Nothing really has advanced under the hood since W7. Only some needless gadgets (apps) where added, an ugly as hell GUI and the update enforcement, which mostly will destroy more things as the whole sh... will do for your security. Windows 11 will only be another much more restriced system that will lead you by the nose. That's all!
Allen
Hotshot
Joined: Oct 1999
Posts: 8,841
Ohio USA
A Pundit's Summary (that fits with what I've noticed):
Quote
Bottom Line: Should I Upgrade to Windows 11?
If you're happy on Windows 10, Windows 11 doesn't feel like a must-have upgrade right now, especially if you're a desktop power user. If you're buying a new machine, you won't have much of a choice for long.
For every sleek, redesigned aspect and for every quality-of-life improvement, there's a step back. The changes to the taskbar and context menus are particularly egregious, reducing productivity at the worst of times.
I absolutely see the desire to streamline cruft in Windows 10, but in these areas, Microsoft is doing so at the expense of some long-time power users. Only those who use touch a lot, will benefit a ton from the initial launch.
If you're not a power user, you probably won't notice a ton of difference and may like the refreshing new design. But Windows' biggest fans are power users, so hopefully Microsoft is working on making sure they still feel at home.
Allen
Hotshot
Joined: Oct 1999
Posts: 8,841
Ohio USA
By the way, you can move the Task Bar items to the left (once you learn what sequence to click). So, you can get the W11 Desktop to look and function much like W10.
Well I won't be installing Win11 on any of these old machines due to the hardware requirements. And it is not free anyway. And also I don't think it is intuitive to learn anyway.
Udidwht, Viper1970 you're preaching to the choir. I have no desire for a Windows system. I have everything I need on a Linux system. Including latest security updates, free software and more power than anyone knows what to do with.
See DistroWatch for just some of the many distribution versions (aka Distros) of Linux and their special configurations, capabilities, etc.
Linux is really good, but not for gamers or simmers.
That's the problem. I hope this will change somewhere in future but at the moment you are very restricted if you want to use your PC for this kind of entertainment, too.
I have no problems with Windows at all, but I hate the way they go since Windows 10. Windows is mostly an entertainment system (what would be if no one would be gaming - I think we even had no Windows anymore) and sometimes you have to have the possibilities to change things to get stuff running or better running.
This never was a problem until Windows 10 with it's self defense options and it's forced updates appeared. And with Windows 11 they will make it much more restricted and nearly impossible to configure the way like an advanced user would like to do.
If I need security I use a Linux or better said a UNIX based system, but if I want to do some gaming I go with Windows and in this case it has to be more open to be better configurable.
The way it is now, there will be no more difference between a gaming console and a Windows PC in future. You can't do anything you want, cause all is restricted. Simply press the "ON"-button and start your software. Nice for people who don't want to learn anything about a PC, but where is the sense in using a PC anymore?
I think if someone want's to use a computer he has to learn something about it. If he has no interest in, just go with the console or smartphone cr...
Allen
Hotshot
Joined: Oct 1999
Posts: 8,841
Ohio USA
I haven't manually used Windows Update for a few days. I checked updates today to see if they might have W11 information.
They did (attachment). And the message noted that W11 still does not run all the "software" W10 runs.
The good news was that its still optional -- not yet pushing it onto devices like my "main PC".
My experiment with a "non-main PC" established I can set up the "desktop" to look like I want (like W10) and run my Software and Games (that I tried running).
Knowing me, I'll go to W11 Pro when its truly ready. But, it may not be everyone's "cup of tea".
I been running it for about two weeks. Not much different than Windows 10 really. Got installed on my laptop too. Driver support is the biggest thing now. AMD laptop network wifi adapter stopped working till I found a new Win 11 driver for it. My 5900x has firmware TPM as does my 4900U laptop.
Allen
Hotshot
Joined: Oct 1999
Posts: 8,841
Ohio USA
Quote
New Patches Resolve AMD Issues in Windows 11
While some programs were unaffected, AMD’s guidance suggested a 3-5 percent penalty on average with an even higher penalty being possible “in some games.”
According to AMD, those issues should now be resolved with the availability of Microsoft KB 5006476 and AMD chipset driver 3.10.08.506. That Windows 11 update contains a number of bug fixes and quality of life improvements
Multiple reviews pointed out at launch that the OS seemed a bit unfinished, and many of the bug fixes Microsoft has announced in this update should address that complaint.
The OS isn’t a must-have item at this time, and it isn’t crazy to watch and see if any further issues appear before pulling the trigger on an upgrade.