My new PC will be delivered this week. I’ve never used 11. I’ve had 8 all this time. I spent the extra money to get Windows 11 Pro in the hopes I could avoid more annoyances that way. I just wasn’t willing to jump into Unix.
I just want the desktop and not whatever new horrors Windows tries to force on you since 8. I have a Charms Bar killer app for 8. Why anybody would want super annoying non-desktop crap is beyond me.
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What can I do to eliminate annoyances - bloatware, spyware, etc.
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What should I do to protect my privacy from Microsoft? I want to turn everything off that reports to the fucking MS mothership.
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What apps, utilities, etc should I install? I’d like to use non-MS apps and utilities instead of whatever garbage comes with Windows.
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What apps, utilities, etc should I avoid?
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What am I forgetting to ask?
100%. I forgot this. Microsoft made this impossible to do without opening a command prompt during install, disabling internet, and rebooting. There are 3rd party guides available.
I guess although the PC is shipping with Windows pre-installed from the vendor, InevitableSwing might want to consider downloading the installation media tool from Microsoft, flashing a USB drive, and doing a clean install to remove any vendor bloat, and take the opportunity to set it up without a MS account.
I’m used to building PCs, but OS installation is always step one for me, even if the computer ships in a bootable state. The vendor install (and included installation media) almost always includes tons of free trial bullshit. While they also include drivers, Windows is pretty good at just downloading and installing these automatically.
As far as licensing goes, Windows activation keys have been stored in EFI variables since Windows 8 (if the machine shipped with a license). The installer should read this and continue without prompting for a key, even if the original install is wiped or the hard drive is discarded. Otherwise, third party activation scripts are available and seem to work flawlessly.
This is weirdly easier on the Home version. Just pretend you’re a stupid asshole, and keep entering a username when it asks for an email to a Microsoft account. It eventually gives up and just lets you make a local account.