Consider carefully before you take the leap
Published on December 28, 2021 By Daiwa In Personal Computing

This was the subject of a reply of mine to Tatiora's October post on Windows 11 Updates that I think merits a separate thread.

I've been advised by my tech support company to not install Windows 11 under any circumstances.  A major reason for that is that I (and my office network) deal with protected health information and Windows 11 is not only not HIPAA compliant but opens your computer to all kinds of background third party access.  MS has decided to go the way of Facebook and make you the product which they will sell as the primary method of sustaining their business.  The 'upgrade' may be free but orders of magnitude more intrusive, mostly silently of course (the fine print applies when you click Agree).

Windows 11, per my tech, also is a major step toward forcing all your application purchases and subscriptions into the Microsoft Store, a la Apple.  They are steadily making it harder & harder to install anything from outside their controlled ecosystem.  They actually trialed this approach with a version of Windows 10 called Windows 10S.  I learned of this when we purchased a Surface which turned out to have that OS for a dedicated purpose servicing a biometric device early this year.  Initially I thought the "S" meant a version specific to the Surface but it turns out the "S" means Store, as in Microsoft Store.  Our tech had to force an install of a regular version of Windows 10 before the software for the biometric device could be installed (it obviously wasn't available on the Microsoft Store).  There were also incompatible drivers for things like our network printers & Bluetooth devices.  The latter issues are probably cleaned up a bit in Windows 11, but beware.

A good example of where this will likely lead is the recent behavior of Adobe regarding Adobe Acrobat Reader DC which is the subject of another post here.  They already have the ability to reach into your computer uninvited and steal paid-for software from you.

Enjoy the brave new world of computing and Happy New Year!


Comments (Page 3)
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on Jan 03, 2022

That is a Huge statement jafo about peeps not functioning in the modern world without the Windows OS and is just your opinion of which i am sure Millions would disagree with you, if the Windows OS never existed the world would function just fine as other systems will and would fill the gap, but if windows never existed, there would be no gap to fill and we all would have something else in it's place.

"No one cares about alternatives."   Wow you really are entrenched in your belief, but you are entitled to that opinion as we all are, I do not Like Macs but that is just my Opinion right or wrong and just because i do not like them, it did not stop the Apple Monster becoming the huge entity it has become, do you think this could happen if joe public shared your opinion, some of my mates love Apple and use Mac OS all the time, but it takes more than a few numbers for them to get to were they are today.

I agree with PhoenixRising1 , our data is skimmed in lots of ways these days as this seems to be the modern world we live in, but to not move with the times in favour of older ways, especially since we can close the holes easily ourselves in Win 11 seems to me as backwards thinking, an opinion of mine like yours to which i am also entitled.

 

on Jan 03, 2022


The 'spying' that MS was doing with prior versions, even Win 7, was almost entirely of the 'telemetry' variety, easily shut down - information that was useful to Windows developers but couldn't really be monetized in the Facebook sense.  Win 11 takes things to a different level & purpose.

Correct, but only with Windows 7 and below. Windows 8 was the birthing point whom stole the idea from Apple and Google. Of course every Windows release will take things to a new level. In windows 11 the stock start menu is part of Windows advertising mechanism. Definitely make sure you install start 11, only 6 dollars to remove a big piece of adware. 

If you do the things stated on this thread, Windows 11 should be just fine to use.

on Jan 03, 2022

naroon1

Wow you really are entrenched in your belief, but you are entitled to that opinion as we all are,

A lot of people have the same belief...hence market share percentages.

No need to paint me as an opinionated fool...I'm just looking at realities.

Apple was bailed out of potential extinction by a guy called Bill Gates to the tune of 100 million....it only became the monster it is by....

1 breaking agreement with the Apple Label to NOT get into music.

2. exploiting cheap labour to the point of needing to use catch nets to stop suicides..

3. not paying taxes owed in many OS countries.

Yes, millions won't agree....but billions will....

on Jan 03, 2022

Every version of Windows, ranked from worst to best | PC Gamer 

Curriously....found these rankings for the MS OS....

on Jan 03, 2022


Every version of Windows, ranked from worst to best | PC Gamer 

Curriously....found these rankings for the MS OS....

The picture of Steve Ballmer pretty much sums up the time period Microsoft was at its worst in almost all ways. While I would argue that Windows Vista should be ranked as the worst. Perhaps Windows 8 took Microsoft into a trend that it would never escape with a very funky os.

With Windows 11 I would probably slide its rank in at number 6. No it is not the same momentous release as a windows xp or windows 7 but at the same time it is not a Steve Balmer OS.

Even if we were talking about windows 8 instead of Windows 11 in this thread and if that were the times, I would still argue to use it and probably say something along the lines of, just use start 8 and you will have a really good os.    I tend to prefer going with the times, I am more afraid of being left behind. But that is my opinion.

on Jan 03, 2022

PhoenixRising1

I am more afraid of being left behind.

Ah.....but the lemmings left behind were never pushed over the cliff by the photographer...

I remember 'working' in a Computer shop [I knew the guys who ran it] and watched in real time while Win ME died.  It choked itself to death making restore points continuously until the HD filled and the system locked solid.

It was a dog.

I remember the 'unbreakable' Win 2000 that I crashed at least twice a day whilst rewriting shells for it.

I might have played with Vista more...if it only had a driver accessible for my modem.  A permanently offline OS is pretty bloody useless afterall....  Mostly Vista was just an uncooked 7  without drivers...

2 'error messages I always liked'...

"You must reinstall Windows"

and...

"Keyboard not found.  Press F1 to continue".

on Jan 04, 2022

Wow Jafo  "No need to paint me as an opinionated fool"

I painted you as nothing and just used some of your words which speak volumes by themselves.

I get it, you hate Windows 11 for your own reasons which are still opinions, we are all entitled to those as long as we do not break the rules in expressing them, your attempt to Flame me and draw me into a slanging match will fail, do not have a pop at me and then make the huge assumption I am Painting you as opinionated fool when again they are YOUR words and not mine, so in effect , you are doing the painting yourself, again nothing to do with me.

I choose to use Windows 11 based on understanding what Win 11 and MS are about, safe in my belief i can use this OS and negate the issues we are discussing.

I will not be accused of Painting you as opinionated fool in any topic in this forum, when i have not written anything of the sort, you are out of order jafo.

on Jan 04, 2022

I understand that this is a hot topic and I am always up for a good debate. But, we need to keep talks about the individual out of this as we discuss the topic, "about windows 11"

on Jan 04, 2022

Jafo - Microsoft, Apple, Facebook, Napster, ect... They were all founded basically by kids that had no idea what they were doing in the business world but were really smart when it came to the tech industry. I really could make an argument as to why all of these guys are "evil"

But where exactly does this fit in to trying Windows 11 over Windows 10. I challenge you to show me where exactly why Windows 11 is worse for our privacy over Windows 10. Mostly because if there is some hole somewhere, I would like to know what it is..

I can only think of one instance. It is more difficult to make a local account that is not attached to a Microsoft ID. But, this can still be overcome

on Jan 04, 2022

PhoenixRising1

But where exactly does this fit in to trying Windows 11 over Windows 10. I challenge you to show me where exactly why Windows 11 is worse for our privacy over Windows 10. Mostly because if there is some hole somewhere, I would like to know what it is..

There's the rub....11 is probably little different to 10 in that regard.  It's Daiwa's thread afterall, not mine.

For me, I will always be leery of someone giving me something that's too good to be true.  For decades I have been paying to upgrade my OS....then later via Technet....but along comes '10' and it's "free".

It isn't free....it's a mechanism to evolve into an entirely new commercial model for MS, one that I do not agree with.

99% of computer users are ignorant of the machinations of controlling there privacy....other than adding an AV proggy maybe.

And yet anything invasive is opt-out only.

No, I don't 'know' that 11 is worse than 10..... but I do know that 10 was worse than 7 - out-of-the-box...

on Jan 04, 2022

naroon1, I am not talking 'opinions' I'm talking real world data.  75% of the operating systems on computers are Windows.  Something like 98% of gaming computers are Windows.

Linux has always been a 'diversion' at best, and Apple, Linux, and the even rarer OS versions [most of which I've used at one time or another] all add up to 1/4.

If every MS OS ceased to function today the world's economies would crash tomorrow.  THAT is what makes MS relevant...and the others irrelevant....

on Jan 04, 2022


There's the rub....11 is probably little different to 10 in that regard

True enough. Windows 11 is definitely a little more invasive when it comes to advertising.

The start menu was really getting on my nerves until I found a way to replace it. For example, the whole recommendations section is really just an advertisement section AND if you turn off the recommendations then half the start menu remains empty asking you to re enable recommendations. It is a crafty trick to make you believe that the start menu works better with recommendations on and thus be advertised to.

I did get under the hood to make windows 11 run the way I want it to so the advertising is no longer in my face and it runs for me very well. But, I will concur with you that the majority of people will miss these mechanisms and be taken advantage of as is always the case in the world of advertising.


I do know that 10 was worse than 7

Windows 7 was also cracked day one of its release so the way to make money is also changing.

on Jan 05, 2022

PhoenixRising1

Windows 7 was also cracked day one of its release so the way to make money is also changing.

Yes...so to get away from issues of Warez they make the OS free....and a warez version is redundant.  Wait till they've locked the OS totally to the Windows Store....and then there will be overlays to simply bypass Explorer totally....Bring on Litestep for 10/11 and I'll go back to coding for it...

on Jan 05, 2022

I'm not qualified or knowledgeable enough to specify or list all of the things that make 11 more silently invasive than 10.  I can only relay the concerns of our tech support professional whose livelihood depends on understanding the inner workings of the beast.  He gives thanks each morning for Microsoft's hubris and stupidity; they keep him incredibly busy.  He supports a number of medical practices which is why HIPAA compliance is a concern to him.  And he maintains that the opening up of backdoor access to multiple third parties is orders of magnitude greater in 11 than 10.

As an aside, he also tells us that third party software vendors are in some cases taking advantage of this 'progress' by refusing to provide backward compatible Win 11 drivers for a variety of applications, rendering software that is fully functional in Win 10 useless in Win 11 (without expensive upgrades, of course).  And, as I mentioned in the initial post, third party software vendors already have the ability and willingness to reach into your computer and steal paid-for software (Adobe) unannounced.

on Jan 05, 2022


As an aside, he also tells us that third party software vendors are in some cases taking advantage of this 'progress' by refusing to provide backward compatible Win 11 drivers for a variety of applications, rendering software that is fully functional in Win 10 useless in Win 11 (without expensive upgrades, of course).

I can understand that, there is only so long a software maker can update old software for nothing.  It costs them to do it, and it become a ball-and-chain.  Same thing with hardware manufacturers and drivers.  They all just have to keep moving forward.

It is really frustrating, but major o/s changes frequently cost more ultimately than the price of the o/s itself.  You just have to do the math while asking yourself "How badly to I really want this?", or even perhaps "How long can I avoid this?".    

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