Solved Rolling back to 10


cbiweb

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Location
Nova Scotia, Canada
OS
Microsoft Windows 11 Home x64, version 22H2 build 22621.2361
As I type this, my desktop is being rolled back to Windows 10. While it's nice to have Windows 11 because it's the latest version (and I've always upgraded to each new version the past 20-odd years) Microsoft broke one of its best features: Quick Launch.

Some might wonder what's the big deal about Quick Launch? Well, without going into a long explanation about it, suffice it to say that those who use Quick Launch probably feel my pain when it comes to not having it. I've used it since it was first introduced in Win98. It saves a LOT of clicking, and is such a great efficiency and organizational tool. Everything is always a click or two away when multiple windows are open. In fact, I've rarely needed the start menu or go to the desktop screen for anything. Quick Launch puts everything right there for me. Inexplicably and beyond all reason, Microsoft axed it.

Yes, I installed ExplorerPatcher, and it worked perfectly! Forum member valinet has done a fantastic job with it. However, insider builds of 11 keep breaking EP, and eventually I suspect (as does valinet himself) that EP will no longer work, because MS keeps messing with stuff. Sad but true.
In light of all that, I'm staying with Windows 10 until 2025, and maybe beyond if there is no improvement to 11 by then, or the mythical 12 is released, lol.

I've been with the various incarnations of these Windows forums since Win7 I believe, and have gotten a lot of great support. I don't post much, but I can always rely on real help. The Win10 forums will continue to be my go-to for a few more years, unless things change for the better in 11.

For those whom Win11 is a good fit, awesome! I don't begrudge anyone who likes it, because of course it will be a good thing for a lot of folks. Just not for me at this time. :)

Enjoy!
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Microsoft Windows 11 Home x64, version 22H2 build 22621.2361
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP Laptop 17-cn0008ca
    CPU
    11th Gen Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-1135G7 @ 2.40GHz
    Motherboard
    HP 883C
    Memory
    16 GB DDR4-3200 MHz RAM (2 x 8 GB)
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel® Iris® Xᵉ Graphics
    Sound Card
    Realtek Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Generic PnP Monitor (17.1")
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    (1) 256 GB PCIe® SSD
    (2) 1 TB 5400 rpm SATA HDD
    Mouse
    Dell Wireless
    Internet Speed
    Down: 35.53Mbps; Up: 26.19 Mbps
    Browser
    Vivaldi, Firefox, Cent, Chrome, Edge
    Antivirus
    Bit Defender
  • Operating System
    Microsoft Windows 11 Home x64, version 22H2 build 22621.2361
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Inspiron 7700 AIO
    CPU
    11th Gen Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-1165G7 @ 2.80GHz
    Motherboard
    Dell Inc. 0VY7G1
    Memory
    16.00 GB SODIMM
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel(R) Iris(R) Xe Graphics
    Sound Card
    (1) Realtek Audio (2) Intel® Smart Sound Technology for USB Audio (3) Intel® Smart Sound Technology for Bluetooth® Audio (4) Voice Changer Virtual Audio Device (WDM)
    Hard Drives
    C:/ 459.67 GB
    D:/ (Seagate External) 1.82 TB
    Mouse
    Logitech M220
    Browser
    Edge, Vivaldi
    Antivirus
    Defender
Okay, so a few days ago I posted about rolling my desktop back to Win10.

In the meantime, I had ordered a new laptop from Best Buy, which was advertised as Windows 10 but actually has 11 on it, and there's nothing they nor I can do, so I'm stuck with dealing with Microsoft's sins and adapting.

Fortunately, there is Explorer Patcher, so I'll be using that until MS breaks it for good.

I don't mean to come across snarky, but I'm not at all pleased with being forced to use 11 at this time. However, I'll leave that displeasure at the door from now on, and move forward. Might even be able to help someone else in the future as I get to know this latest iteration of Windows.

My desktop still has 10, so that helps.
 
Last edited:

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Microsoft Windows 11 Home x64, version 22H2 build 22621.2361
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP Laptop 17-cn0008ca
    CPU
    11th Gen Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-1135G7 @ 2.40GHz
    Motherboard
    HP 883C
    Memory
    16 GB DDR4-3200 MHz RAM (2 x 8 GB)
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel® Iris® Xᵉ Graphics
    Sound Card
    Realtek Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Generic PnP Monitor (17.1")
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    (1) 256 GB PCIe® SSD
    (2) 1 TB 5400 rpm SATA HDD
    Mouse
    Dell Wireless
    Internet Speed
    Down: 35.53Mbps; Up: 26.19 Mbps
    Browser
    Vivaldi, Firefox, Cent, Chrome, Edge
    Antivirus
    Bit Defender
  • Operating System
    Microsoft Windows 11 Home x64, version 22H2 build 22621.2361
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Inspiron 7700 AIO
    CPU
    11th Gen Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-1165G7 @ 2.80GHz
    Motherboard
    Dell Inc. 0VY7G1
    Memory
    16.00 GB SODIMM
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel(R) Iris(R) Xe Graphics
    Sound Card
    (1) Realtek Audio (2) Intel® Smart Sound Technology for USB Audio (3) Intel® Smart Sound Technology for Bluetooth® Audio (4) Voice Changer Virtual Audio Device (WDM)
    Hard Drives
    C:/ 459.67 GB
    D:/ (Seagate External) 1.82 TB
    Mouse
    Logitech M220
    Browser
    Edge, Vivaldi
    Antivirus
    Defender
Just stick W10 on it 🤷‍♂️
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro Beta, 11 Dev, W11 Canary
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Alienware M15 Ryzen Edition R6
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen™ 9 5900HX
    Memory
    32GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 3070 8GB GDDR6
    Hard Drives
    1 x Samsung 980 Pro 1TB
    1 x Samsung 970 Evo Plus 1TB
Doubtful, if there's a sticker on the bottom of the laptop (like they used to do) with a product key on it... (again, highly doubtful) you can download a Windows 10 ISO from Microsoft and install that using the same key and it will work. If not, you can buy a copy of Windows 10 (there are many sites that sell legit copies fairly cheap) and install it.

--Edit--
You can also try to get the key using the following tutorial... Windows 11 and Windows 10 keys are identical and will work for both.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro β
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP Pavilion Laptop 15-eg0070wm
    CPU
    Intel® Core™ i7-1165G7
    Memory
    32 GB DDR4-3200 SDRAM
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel® Iris® Xᵉ Graphics
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    2TB PCIe® NVMe™ M.2 SSD
  • Operating System
    macOS Ventura
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Apple iMac 27" 5K (2017)
    CPU
    3.4 GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i5
    Memory
    40 GB 2400 MHz DDR4
    Graphics card(s)
    Radeon Pro 570 4 GB
    Monitor(s) Displays
    27" 5K, 34" UW
    Screen Resolution
    Mon 1: 5120 × 2880 Mon 2: 2560 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    32GB NVME, 1TB SSD
Not denying that you guys know the real deal, but then the guy at Best Buy said putting 10 on it wouldn't work (pretty sure he's required to say that, though). I imagine it would bork the warranty and all that anyway, so...
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Microsoft Windows 11 Home x64, version 22H2 build 22621.2361
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP Laptop 17-cn0008ca
    CPU
    11th Gen Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-1135G7 @ 2.40GHz
    Motherboard
    HP 883C
    Memory
    16 GB DDR4-3200 MHz RAM (2 x 8 GB)
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel® Iris® Xᵉ Graphics
    Sound Card
    Realtek Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Generic PnP Monitor (17.1")
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    (1) 256 GB PCIe® SSD
    (2) 1 TB 5400 rpm SATA HDD
    Mouse
    Dell Wireless
    Internet Speed
    Down: 35.53Mbps; Up: 26.19 Mbps
    Browser
    Vivaldi, Firefox, Cent, Chrome, Edge
    Antivirus
    Bit Defender
  • Operating System
    Microsoft Windows 11 Home x64, version 22H2 build 22621.2361
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Inspiron 7700 AIO
    CPU
    11th Gen Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-1165G7 @ 2.80GHz
    Motherboard
    Dell Inc. 0VY7G1
    Memory
    16.00 GB SODIMM
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel(R) Iris(R) Xe Graphics
    Sound Card
    (1) Realtek Audio (2) Intel® Smart Sound Technology for USB Audio (3) Intel® Smart Sound Technology for Bluetooth® Audio (4) Voice Changer Virtual Audio Device (WDM)
    Hard Drives
    C:/ 459.67 GB
    D:/ (Seagate External) 1.82 TB
    Mouse
    Logitech M220
    Browser
    Edge, Vivaldi
    Antivirus
    Defender
if there's a sticker on the bottom of the laptop (like they used to do) with a product key on it... (again, highly doubtful) you can download a Windows 10 ISO from Microsoft and install that using the same key and it will work.
CoA stickers were last used with Windows 7. PC's built with Window 8 or later pre-installed by the OEM have the key embedded in the bios firmware. This key can be read with ShowKeyPlus. Keys are valid for Windows 10/11, Microsoft do not tie the key to one or the other.

But @cbiweb does not need to know this key to be able to install Windows 10. When you boot from from a Windows 10 install usb to clean install Windows it reads this key from the bios, using it to choose the edition to install (Home or Pro) and to activate it.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Home
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Acer Aspire 3 A315-23
    CPU
    AMD Athlon Silver 3050U
    Memory
    8GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Radeon Graphics
    Monitor(s) Displays
    laptop screen
    Screen Resolution
    1366x768 native resolution, up to 2560x1440 with Radeon Virtual Super Resolution
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung EVO 870 SSD
    Internet Speed
    50 Mbps
    Browser
    Edge, Firefox
    Antivirus
    Defender
    Other Info
    fully 'Windows 11 ready' laptop. Windows 10 C: partition migrated from my old unsupported 'main machine' then upgraded to 11. A test migration ran Insider builds for 2 months. When 11 was released on 5th October it was re-imaged back to 10 and was offered the upgrade in Windows Update on 20th October. Windows Update offered the 22H2 Feature Update on 20th September 2022. It got the 23H2 Feature Update on 4th November 2023 through Windows Update.

    My SYSTEM THREE is a Dell Latitude 5410, i7-10610U, 32GB RAM, 512GB ssd, supported device running Windows 11 Pro (and all my Hyper-V VMs).

    My SYSTEM FOUR is a 2-in-1 convertible Lenovo Yoga 11e 20DA, Celeron N2930, 4GB RAM, 256GB ssd. Unsupported device: currently running Win10 Pro, plus Win11 Pro RTM and Insider Beta as native boot vhdx.

    My SYSTEM FIVE is a Dell Latitude 3190 2-in-1, Pentium Silver N5030, 4GB RAM, 512GB NVMe ssd, supported device running Windows 11 Pro, plus the Insider Beta, Dev, and Canary builds as a native boot .vhdx.
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Lattitude E4310
    CPU
    Intel® Core™ i5-520M
    Motherboard
    0T6M8G
    Memory
    8GB
    Graphics card(s)
    (integrated graphics) Intel HD Graphics
    Screen Resolution
    1366x768
    Hard Drives
    500GB Crucial MX500 SSD
    Browser
    Firefox, Edge
    Antivirus
    Defender
    Other Info
    unsupported machine: Legacy bios, MBR, TPM 1.2, upgraded from W10 to W11 using W10/W11 hybrid install media workaround. In-place upgrade to 22H2 using ISO and a workaround. Feature Update to 23H2 by manually installing the Enablement Package.

    My SYSTEM THREE is a Dell Latitude 5410, i7-10610U, 32GB RAM, 512GB ssd, supported device running Windows 11 Pro (and all my Hyper-V VMs).

    My SYSTEM FOUR is a 2-in-1 convertible Lenovo Yoga 11e 20DA, Celeron N2930, 4GB RAM, 256GB ssd. Unsupported device: currently running Win10 Pro, plus Win11 Pro RTM and Insider Beta as native boot vhdx.

    My SYSTEM FIVE is a Dell Latitude 3190 2-in-1, Pentium Silver N5030, 4GB RAM, 512GB NVMe ssd, supported device running Windows 11 Pro, plus the Insider Beta, Dev, and Canary builds as a native boot .vhdx.
They can NOT deny the warranty (in the US at least) if you downgrade from Windows 11 to Windows 10... The Best Buy employee either 'had' to say that, or they honestly didn't know and were talking out their butt. :D

Last week I did a downgrade on two friends' computers... they both bought new laptops (1 with 11 pre-installed, the other they upgraded 'by accident') and they are happier (for now) with 10 since it's what they are used to.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro β
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP Pavilion Laptop 15-eg0070wm
    CPU
    Intel® Core™ i7-1165G7
    Memory
    32 GB DDR4-3200 SDRAM
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel® Iris® Xᵉ Graphics
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    2TB PCIe® NVMe™ M.2 SSD
  • Operating System
    macOS Ventura
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Apple iMac 27" 5K (2017)
    CPU
    3.4 GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i5
    Memory
    40 GB 2400 MHz DDR4
    Graphics card(s)
    Radeon Pro 570 4 GB
    Monitor(s) Displays
    27" 5K, 34" UW
    Screen Resolution
    Mon 1: 5120 × 2880 Mon 2: 2560 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    32GB NVME, 1TB SSD

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro β
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP Pavilion Laptop 15-eg0070wm
    CPU
    Intel® Core™ i7-1165G7
    Memory
    32 GB DDR4-3200 SDRAM
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel® Iris® Xᵉ Graphics
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    2TB PCIe® NVMe™ M.2 SSD
  • Operating System
    macOS Ventura
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Apple iMac 27" 5K (2017)
    CPU
    3.4 GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i5
    Memory
    40 GB 2400 MHz DDR4
    Graphics card(s)
    Radeon Pro 570 4 GB
    Monitor(s) Displays
    27" 5K, 34" UW
    Screen Resolution
    Mon 1: 5120 × 2880 Mon 2: 2560 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    32GB NVME, 1TB SSD

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