Solved Returning to Win 11

quarkrad · Sep 9, 2024

Some years back I left win10 due to constant re-builds due to gradual slowing down of machine and managing bogus software being loaded from what appeared to be legit sites. I'm wondering how win 11 is now in terms of the usual things that have turned many away from Windows. If one was to leave protection to windows defender and avoid things like Norton, CCleaner, Malwarebytes, Driver Update programs, etc ,etc, how does win11 run? I do not wish to be negative but learn from experienced users who use win11.

Rollback_Jockey · Sep 9, 2024

Run's just fine here with zero 3rd party garbage.

glasskuter · Sep 9, 2024

I have no issues whatsoever and I don't think anyone will who has reasonable computer specs and spends a little time in this forum's tutorial section. Although 11 will run with 8 gb ram, I strongly recommend a minimum of 16 gb to prevent bottlenecking. But that's just me.

Winuser · Sep 9, 2024

I have no issues with Windows 11. I also didn't have any issues with Windows 10. I wish I could tell you that you won't have issues With Win 11 but I can't because I don't know why you had issues with Windows 10. I suggest that you make a backup image with a program such as Macrium, then give Windows 11 a try. That way if you don't like it you can use your image to go back. If you do try it and encounter any problems, we are more than happy to try and help you fix them.

PGHammer · Sep 9, 2024

I am running 24H2 on my laptop right now, and will update everything else this week. The laptop has the highest hurdle because of the Pentium-N processor and integrated GPU - yet it runs 24H2 with no issues.

TraderGary · Sep 9, 2024

I make my living working from home. My operating system must be stable and reliable. I've used Windows 11 pro for the past three years with no problems.

wabbit · Sep 9, 2024

glasskuter said:
I have no issues whatsoever and I don't think anyone will who has reasonable computer specs and spends a little time in this forum's tutorial section. Although 11 will run with 8 gb ram, I strongly recommend a minimum of 16 gb to prevent bottlenecking. But that's just me.

I'm running an old HP AIO with an Intel i3-4170T with only 8 GB of RAM. (unsupported) It runs Windows 11 very well. My two supported devices have 16 GB of RAM. I don't plan on upgrading the RAM on the old HP at this time.

Spunk · Sep 9, 2024

You should never use 3rd party Driver Update programs. IF you need a driver, it is available from the Computer/Motherboard Manufacturer.
Windows Security (Defender) is part of Windows and works just as well if not better than any 3rd party AV app like Norton, McAfee etc plus it's free.
You can install the Free version of Malwarebytes, you don't need to pay for it. You can install CCleaner as long as you don't use any Registry Cleaners/Optimizers. These cause more problems than they solve.

Bree · Sep 9, 2024

quarkrad said:
Some years back I left win10 due to constant re-builds due to gradual slowing down of machine and managing bogus software being loaded from what appeared to be legit sites. I'm wondering how win 11 is now in terms of the usual things that have turned many away from Windows. If one was to leave protection to windows defender and avoid things like Norton, CCleaner, Malwarebytes, Driver Update programs, etc ,etc, how does win11 run? I do not wish to be negative but learn from experienced users who use win11.

Welcome to Eleven Forum.

Let me come clean from the start. I have never left Windows. I've been using it since Windows 3.1x, through Win '95, XP, 7, 10 and now Windows 11. I avoided Windows 8 like the plague because.... well... have you seen it?

10 came as something of a culture shock when my trusty old W7 laptop got the free upgrade in 2015. It took all of two weeks to start feeling at home in it.

Of your 'avoid list' the only one I do use is CCLeaner - it's good for cleaning junk files (just as long as you avoid using the registry cleaner or driver updater). What I do avoid are any 3rd-party 'tweaker' apps. I see no point in bending (breaking?) the Windows GUI to look like a previous version, that's an uphill battle and can cause more issues than it solves. It's a more profitable use of my time to embrace the new GUI, find the ways MS allows it to be to customised, and adapt it to my needs.

quarkrad said:
I left win10 due to constant re-builds due to gradual slowing down of machine

I never found my Windows 10 to gradually slow down, nor did I ever have any problems with updates. I have never felt any need for a rebuild or a clean install either. I put that down to two things. Not using 3rd-party GUI tweaker, and a regime of regular system files cleanups using the tools MS provides.

In fact my System One in 'My Computers' below is running an OS that started life on my trusty old W7 laptop, took the upgrade to W10 when it was launched, and subsequently every Windows 10 feature update since then up to 2021, that's when I migrated the OS to its new home. There it got the Windows 11 upgrade, followed by the 22H2 and 23H2 feature updates. If it were to show any signs of slowing down under the weight of 'junk' accumulated through serial upgrades it would have done so by now. After more than a decade of upgrades it still feels like a fresh install.

Nor have I ever had any viruses or PUPs (well, maybe one in XP). From W7 on I've never uses any 3rd-party AV's either, just Defender (or its predecessor MSE in W7). That's possibly another reason my updates/upgrades have all been smooth and trouble-free. Keeping Windows lean and clean seems to be the secret of success.

So now to Windows 11. In my opinion it is the most stable Windows yet.

antspants · Sep 9, 2024

Welcome to the ElevenForums

We’d all be on Windows 10 if we weren’t happy and this forum would be empty.
Many in here stand by Windows Defender (now Microsoft Defender) and it’s their defence against nasties. Perhaps with malwarebytes added if wanted.

For everything else, there is an extensive tutorial section full of great tutorials, fixes and tweaks. And of course this forum, many members on standby or not far away to help wherever possible.

Welcome back to Eleven.
Enjoy.

colinp · Sep 10, 2024

I much prefer the simplicity of linux (currently a Mint user) over the somewhat "busy-'ness" of windows, but I think of both as a "means to an end". In otherwords, I mostly use the OS just to open and use a browser as that is probably the vast majority of what I use a computer for anyway. No gaming, coding, motion picture video editing, writing 1500 page novels, or computing the necessary trajectory needed to put a rocket in orbit around Saturn. I'm a simple computer user.

I find that linux does it easier, without much fuss and I have been a linux user since the latter "naughties". However, windows 10/11 (I don't really find much difference) works just fine OOTB for what I need. Since I don't really tinker for the sake of tinkering, I have had no problems using windows, since buying a refurb HP ProDesk that came with windows 10 in 2021. I knew that the HP's days as a windows computer were limited and moved over to Mint 22 in April of this year.

That would have been the end of my windows sojourn, but my son bought a new gaming machine, a couple weeks ago, and gave me his old one (10th gen i5 with a slue of "flashy" lights) that came with windows 11. It came with 32 GB of RAM, HA, I run Mint on a plethora of "obsolete-land fill" computers that would have a cardiac arrest with anything over 8GB of RAM. It looks as if I will be using windows for the forseeable future, or at least until MS gets totally out of hand with more keylogging shenanigans.

So, from one Mint user to another, go ahead and try out windows 11. This way you can have the best of both worlds and if you ever find yourself getting sick of the direction windows is going, you'll be ahead of the curve as you can just use Mint.

jvickers · Sep 10, 2024

I'm like @TraderGary. I work from home, must have a stable OS, have been running Windows 11 since its release, and have had little to no problems with it.

cereberus · Sep 10, 2024

quarkrad said:
I'm wondering how win 11 is now in terms of the usual things that have turned many away from Windows.

You mean the 0.001% of users who moved from windows?

TM21 · Sep 10, 2024

What can I say, but "some folks just don't seem to be able to adjust to new things, like a new OS".
With only a few adjustments (tweaks) Windows 11 can be the finest OS I've seen in 40+ years.

I'm really surprised at those who bad mouth Windows 8 without ever trying 8.1. Because I found 8.1 to be a far superior OS.

And those who really didn't like Windows 10 SHOULD like Windows 11, which can still stand a little Tweaking.
There is enough flexibility built in to Windows 11 to allow it to be bent to almost any ones wishes. If that were not so, then tweaking the registry would not work.
I've set up my own Windows 11 to look and play very much like Windows 7. Only Better! The Driver Pack, for instance, is far superior to Win-7.

Cheers Mates!
TM

Winuser · Sep 10, 2024

TechnoMage2021 said:
I'm really surprised at those who bad mouth Windows 8 without ever trying 8.1.

I loved running Win 8 and Win 8.1 on my Windows phone. IMO, MS had the best darn phone on the market but they didn't give it the support it deserved. Way too busy trying to make a one OS for all devices.

TM21 · Sep 11, 2024

I had the dubious honor of being asked to be a Moderator on the original Windows 8.0 forum. Those were some pretty WILD days, with spammers hitting that forum like bugs on a windshield. Finally, the Chinese owners of the forum decided to just close it down. What a relief that was!!
My fellow Moderator, got the nickname "The Hammer" for banning so many spammers.

Windows 8.0 was such a mistake, it made Windows ME and even Vista look good.
Thank God and MS for Windows 8.1/Pro/64. Now there was an OS that I could warm up to. And, it came with a very advanced driver pack, and could be installed just about anywhere. I think it would have installed on my refrigerator, if I could have found the USB port. :lmao:

And best of all, I could install 8.1 on a HD or SSD attached to my Main desktop PC and then move that same drive to a Laptop, and it would snuggle in, make itself at home, and run like it had been installed there. I actually did that many times. But now, v8.1 is just history, no longer supported by MS. :tears:

But I still have that OS on a Flash Drive, just in case I ever need it, to install on a really OLD PC.

Now I'm rambling! But, it's 9/11 and I'm a bit discombobulated.

Y'all have a great day now,
TM

Bree · Sep 11, 2024

TechnoMage2021 said:
I had the dubious honor of being asked to be a Moderator on the original Windows 8.0 forum. Those were some pretty WILD days, with spammers hitting that forum like bugs on a windshield. Finally, the Chinese owners of the forum decided to just close it down. What a relief that was!!

That one is not (I should point out) the Eleven Forum sister-site Windows 8 Help Forums which is still alive and well (albeit a bit quiet these days).

quarkrad · Sep 13, 2024

Thank you all for your replies. I have gone ahead and ordered a new pc with win11 pre installed.

spapakons · Sep 13, 2024

I too didn't like the tiles default interface (aka Metro GUI) of Windows 8.0, so I enabled a tweak to login directly to the desktop without having to see it. I had also installed Classic Shell (now known as Open Shell) to have the Windows 7 start button and start menu, so I never had to see the Metro GUI. Windows 8.1 was much better.

Now I run Windows 11 on the same unsupported 3rd generation Intel Core-i3 machine (now upgraded to Core-i7). When I bought it in 2013 there were no 8GB DDR3 modules available here in Greece yet, so I had to settle for two 4GB modules to make the RAM 8GB (my motherboard only has two slots). I never had any issues with 8GB RAM, even when I rendered HD video. Maximum usage was about 6GB so the computer would not hang. Since I could not afford buying a new PC, I upgraded this one as much as I could, so I replaced the two 4GB modules with two 8GB and maximized the RAM at 16GB, I replaced the original mechanical SATA disk first with a 480GB SSD and recently with 1TB SSD and my humble nVidia GTS 630 with an nVidia GTX 1050 Ti. Even with the original hardware Windows 10 64-bit and 11 run smoothly, never felt slow, except this July with very hot days that my inadequate CPU cooler allowed the CPU to reach the safety threshold of 105 degrees Centigrade and underclock from 3.5GHz to barely 1.4GHz. It was slower than a snail uphill! I replaced the CPU cooler with a better model and now the CPU temperature barely reaches 85 degrees and runs at full speed. However, this is not a Windows 11 issue, it was a hardware issue. So don't be afraid, install Windows 11. If you don't like the original interface there are customization utilities to change everything. Just have a look at the Personalization section of this forum. For any issue you have, we have the answer, just post!

PS: For the record, Windows 11 can run on unsupported systems with as low as 2GB RAM. It will be a little slow, minimum 4GB is much better. If you use the computer mainly for Office work and browsing the internet, you shouldn't see much difference in performance upgrading RAM to 8GB or more. If you don't play games, run virtual machines or do some serious video editing, you shouldn't see any difference beyond 8GB. Having 16GB or more is just to make your PC as future proof as possible. You won't notice any difference in performance. You will notice much more difference if you upgrade to a faster CPU or you replace your mechanical disk with an SSD. Replacing an SSD with a faster model also makes negligible difference, so I would recommend it only to go to a higher capacity (such as from 480GB to 1TB), not the same capacity.

PS2: Avoid praising Linux on a Windows forum. You may find it perfect, we don't. It is much more difficult to use (unless you only use a browser and a couple of apps), it has much less hardware compatibility and much fewer applications to choose from. Gaming is a joke. Linux sucks compared to Windows. Period. If you want to take the maximum possible performance and compatibility out of your computer, this is only possible with Windows. Using Linux is like using a smart typewriter that can connect to the internet, play media files and some simple games, not a general purpose computer that can do many more than that. Most of us paid a lot for our computer, so it is pity to install Linux and demote it to a smart typewriter. I would rather stay with Windows 7 or even XP than use Linux! Install Windows 11 ASAP to give it the promotion it deserves. There are ways to make Windows 11 as fast as Linux. For starters disable all visual effects, such as transparency, fades and animations. Then disable all startup applications and unneeded services such as Google Update and the like. Make sure you install the latest graphics drivers for your card directly from Intel/nVidia/AMD. Windows Update doesn't always install the best or latest driver, only the bare minimum just to make the card work. The official graphics drivers boost performance. Then check relevant threads for more ways to make it even lighter.

Bree · Sep 13, 2024

spapakons said:
PS: For the record, Windows 11 can run on unsupported systems with as low as 2GB RAM. It will be a little slow, minimum 4GB is much better.

Tell me about it! A PC originally supplied with only 2GB will probably only have a slow CPU too, compounding the problem. That was the case for my least appropriate device, my little Acer Aspire One D270 netbook. Although Acer specify the maximum RAM it can use as 2GB, its Atom N2600 can in fact support a little more. With a 4GB RAM installed it can make 2.99GB available to the OS. That extra 0.99GB is (just) enough to run a 64-bit OS quite well.

Bree said:
I can't say it's fast now, but it's certainly not slow any more. It's certainly up to running a native boot .vhdx of Windows 11 now, which before was no more than a painfully slow 'proof of concept'. Now it's quite useable....

Let's install Windows 11 on incompatible hardware - post 1,062

Solved Returning to Win 11

New member

My Computer

Well-known member

My Computer

aka Mama Glass

My Computers

Well-known member

My Computers

Active member

My Computers

Stock Market Wizard

My Computer

Well-known member

My Computers

Well-known member

My Computer

Well-known member

My Computers

Like a rolling drone.

My Computers

Well-known member

My Computers

The lunatics have taken over the asylum

My Computers

Well-known member

My Computer

Banned

My Computer

Well-known member

My Computers

Banned

My Computer

Well-known member

My Computers

New member

My Computer

Well-known member

My Computers

Well-known member

My Computers

Similar threads