Still Win10 & hating the idea of switching to 11. I have QUESTIONS!

pparks1 said:

I live 4 miles from the stardock headquarters here in Michigan.

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Yeah I remember you saying that. I wanted you to “Pay them a visit” when they released Start11v2

Regarding that picture of your desktop, @antspants gave you the best answer when he said Start11 can give you what you want. I believe he uses that app himself so he would know.There are a number of ways to navigate windows, and most of us regulars here do not use your method, that is, having everything on our computers pinned to the start menu. But if that works for you, great. We're all different and have personalized Windows to fit out needs.
It might be helpful for you to find a friend or relative that runs 11 so you can see what a NATIVE Windows 11 looks like. Then go to the site of what 3rd party tool you decide to use and look at its screenshots to see what that tool can do for you. Seeing something is more beneficial than someone trying to tell you what it looks and acts like.
One thing I can guarantee. That's you won't find one site on the web that has as much helpful information as our tutorial index...and it's alphabetized.
Anything you want is in there.

LT23, take an image, take a deep breath and then jump in.
It won't hurt....i promise.

LT23 said:

I get how you think I'm just change-averse but that's not it at all. My needs/wants are far different from a generation who conducts their computer business on phones, which is what W11 is really gearing toward. I've literally owned computers for 33 years, so I've seen the changes and fully understand that not upgrading means no more updates.

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Just so you understand you're not talking to a kid who only knows about the latest and greatest computers and operating systems (and Windows on phones LOL)...... not only am I a good bit older than you, but my first computer was an Atari 400 in 1979, followed by an Atari 800 a year later and an ATT 6300 in 1984. I've purchased and owned dozens of computers for home and business since then and have used every version of Windows since Windows 3.1.

I do understand how we can become comfortable and "attached" to what we're used to. And while I disagree with you regarding your view(s) concerning Microsoft, I get that you don't want to update your system for the sake of updating your system. Having said that, it may well be time

Why not have both so you can switch back and forth at your leisure?



When I first decided to check out Windows 11 I bought a small drive (500GB) and loaded Windows 11 Insider Preview.



I eventually found myself booting into Windows 11 more often than 10 so I bit the bullet, left the insiders channel, imaged
my Win 10 drive, then upgraded Win 10 to Win 11 Stable build (RTM). Smoothest upgrade I ever did.

I then wiped the 500GB drive and restored Win 10 to that drive.

ExplorerPatcher also has a start menu replacement that looks and feels the same as Windows 10. In a few certain ways, this start menu replacement is simpler to use, less confusing than Start11 v2, and, the latter is not free (and I still wouldn't use it, even if it was free).

ExplorerPatcher is free open source software (FOSS) hosted on GitHub, and, I use it (the lastest pre-release version thereof) alongside Open-Shell (also FOSS, and also hosted on GitHub). There are many other UI limitations/shortcomings in Windows 11 besides the joke of a start menu that looks like a smartphone. Of all the ones that truly matter to me, most can easily be fixed. Some of these fixes are simple registry tweaks. Others can be done with tweak software like this. ExplorerPatcher and Open-Shell go hand in hand so perfectly well IME, I haven't really felt the need to install other tweak software like StartAllBack, Start11 v2 or etc.. The only exceptions to this are Winaero Tweaker and Ultimate Windows Tweaker 5.1 for just a handful of additional tweaks that AFAIK are still unique to these two programs or can't easily conveniently be achieved/managed another way (though most certainly can be). Both of these also are free.

It all runs extremely stable and reliable for me. More stable and more reliable than Windows 11 "non tweaked", actually. On two different Windows 11 laptops. Also see my recent post here.

The cosmetic look and feel of customizations is only a small bonus to me. The goal of turning Windows into a usable OS always takes absolute precedence over it.

LT23 said:

I am 64 and mostly would rather not have to go through all of that. When you get to be my age, you'll understand, LOL.

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antspants said:

Most of the members here that I communicate with privately are between 70 and near 90 years old.

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I am at the lower end of that age range. New challenges keep the brain fit and young.

I was in my 60s when my Win7 laptop got the free upgrade to Windows 10 in August 2015. That came as quite a shock to the system and woke my grey cells out of their comfortable lethargy. I felt rejuvenated and haven't looked back since. I now run the latest Insider Win11 24H2 builds on some of my machines.

LT23 said:

., but I am 64

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I am only 14 years younger than you, but sometimes I feel like I am at least 107.

LT23 said:

I'm glad that system works for you. However, my post was more about how I use Windows and whether or not I can get the same sort of navigational ease out of Win11.

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I guess the best way to find out is to try 11 out and see what you think. As long as you have a good backup copy you can revert to 10 if you don't like 11. It's hard for us to predicted if you'll like 11 or not.

Being 81 yrs old, and having started my PC hobby back in 1980, with DOS 2.0, I've learned a few things.
In fact, I was actually in the PC building and servicing business for decades.
Now retired, I'll install Windows 11 (one version or another) about once a week.
And I've learned to NEVER do an Upgrade. NEVER!!!

In your case, I would recommend that you perform a thorough Cleanup on your existing Hard Drive and then remove it from your PC, and set it aside for safe keeping of all those valuable data files, etc.

Install a New SSD, of 500GB or better, and then do a Clean Install of Windows 11 (your choice of versions) from an Install Flash Drive, to the new SSD, and get it all set up the way you want it. Installing the new "Classic Shell" might be good for you.

By connecting your old HD to a secondary SATA port on your motherboard, you'll be able to access all your data files from your old drive, from the new Windows install.

I've actually done this kind of thing, more times than I can relate. It's a painless way to get a new version of Windows on your PC, and preserve your old OS, for future reference.

I wish I could show you just how simple this technique really is.

Good Luck,
TM