- Local time
- 12:31 AM
- Posts
- 1,240
- OS
- WIN 11, WIN 10, WIN 8.1, WIN 7 U, WIN 7 PRO, WIN 7 HOME (32 Bit), LINUX MINT
The Windows Eleven Thing is annoying. What is the Windows Eleven Thing, you might ask? Well, briefly put, it concerns itself with making practically every PC that didn't have TPM2 non-compliant with Windows 11. Windows did back off a little on this requirement before it was finally released because initially this meant that unless your PC wasn't three years old or younger you could not legitimately use Windows 11 on your PC. Now most PCs that are around 5 years old or less can run Windows 11. Even some PCs that are older than this can run Windows 11 with the addition of a TPM module, a little device you can plug into your system board, but not all system boards provide this option and not all system boards using TPM 1.2 can be altered in this fashion, often because of the type of CPU installed on the board.
People found creative ways around this system requirement but this is usually scorned upon by Microsoft and Microsoft's own tentative offering for a work around includes a disclaimer. Installing Windows 11 on a PC that does not meet Microsoft's TPM and CPU requirements is discouraged. That said, this has not stopped people from finding "work-a rounds" and developing methods of installing Windows 11 on non-compliant hardware. This has in time become a bit of a fiasco. The Rufus installer has provided a dependable method of safely installing Windows 11 on a non-compliant system board.
Another aspect of the Windows Eleven Thing is Microsoft's heavy-handed attempt at forcing the user to set up a Microsoft account before being able to install Windows 11. Rufus (installation software) will provide a means of escaping this nasty bit of business, but some people actually want Microsoft accounts and Rufus has complied with this by making it an option before installing the operating system.
Mandatory TPM on the PC has never been a system requirement in the past for the domestic end user. We are told that this is done for security reasons but the matter is highly debatable. The Consortium (IBM, Cisco, Microsoft, Intel, AMD, and hundreds of others) that has implemented this requirement is not about to change their position, but the reasons for this are ambiguous as TPM has been around for well over a decade now and does not have a very reliable track record. Computers have been hacked and security keys have been stolen compliments of TPM. Additionally, those security protocols that are associated with TPM also result in additional obstructions. Often times the user cannot initiate the "Other OS" option in the UEFI without losing their accessibility to Windows 11. This presents a problem for people who enjoy multi-boot configurations. They are forced to keep toggling settings in the UEFI and eventually this can result in system failures.
This has not been the first time users have been compelled to perform massive surgery on Windows operating systems. It likely won't be the last. Some readers will recall that Windows 10 was rife with undesirable software that users found creative ways of removing. Of course, over time Microsoft has made some measure of cooperating with its users in this regard. Things like Cortana are not thrust upon the user as readily, for example. I don't know if Microsoft is still recording every keystroke its users make on Windows 10 or not, but there is a way to shut it off. Does it still turn right back on with an update? Some say it does. Spyware, bloatware, adware, malware, in your hair, I don't care... Call it what you will. This has always been an issue with most Windows operating systems. Mother Microsoft will wag her finger at us and admonish us that if we make such formidable alterations to their OS on our hardware then "all bets are off" so-to-speak. But, I would remind the user that "all bets are off" the moment the user puts that check mark in the EULA. So Mother Microsoft is making a moot point. No matter what the end user does, they will be the ones who are liable. None of this is news.
People are getting bored of the Windows Eleven Thing and frankly, I don't blame them; but before there was a Windows Eleven Thing there was also a Windows 10 thing. There was certainly a Windows 8.1 thing and the Windows 8 thing was so horrendous that Windows 8 didn't last long. The only thing any corporation understands is the language of money. If the end user buys the product the communication there is that the end user wants it. Perhaps in time Microsoft will concede to the reality that not all want everything that comes with the operating system and will develop a clean, no-nonsense, bare bones operating system with the end user actually having the liberty to pick and choose what they want without risking inavasive aps and annoying software they have little to no use for. For the time being I'm not holding my breath.
It is said that those who trade liberty for security deserve neither. Most end users appreciate flexibility and the freedom to choose what they will use. The "security" approach can only go so far when the end user is being stripped of their option to exercise those liberties they once enjoyed with Windows.
People found creative ways around this system requirement but this is usually scorned upon by Microsoft and Microsoft's own tentative offering for a work around includes a disclaimer. Installing Windows 11 on a PC that does not meet Microsoft's TPM and CPU requirements is discouraged. That said, this has not stopped people from finding "work-a rounds" and developing methods of installing Windows 11 on non-compliant hardware. This has in time become a bit of a fiasco. The Rufus installer has provided a dependable method of safely installing Windows 11 on a non-compliant system board.
Another aspect of the Windows Eleven Thing is Microsoft's heavy-handed attempt at forcing the user to set up a Microsoft account before being able to install Windows 11. Rufus (installation software) will provide a means of escaping this nasty bit of business, but some people actually want Microsoft accounts and Rufus has complied with this by making it an option before installing the operating system.
Mandatory TPM on the PC has never been a system requirement in the past for the domestic end user. We are told that this is done for security reasons but the matter is highly debatable. The Consortium (IBM, Cisco, Microsoft, Intel, AMD, and hundreds of others) that has implemented this requirement is not about to change their position, but the reasons for this are ambiguous as TPM has been around for well over a decade now and does not have a very reliable track record. Computers have been hacked and security keys have been stolen compliments of TPM. Additionally, those security protocols that are associated with TPM also result in additional obstructions. Often times the user cannot initiate the "Other OS" option in the UEFI without losing their accessibility to Windows 11. This presents a problem for people who enjoy multi-boot configurations. They are forced to keep toggling settings in the UEFI and eventually this can result in system failures.
This has not been the first time users have been compelled to perform massive surgery on Windows operating systems. It likely won't be the last. Some readers will recall that Windows 10 was rife with undesirable software that users found creative ways of removing. Of course, over time Microsoft has made some measure of cooperating with its users in this regard. Things like Cortana are not thrust upon the user as readily, for example. I don't know if Microsoft is still recording every keystroke its users make on Windows 10 or not, but there is a way to shut it off. Does it still turn right back on with an update? Some say it does. Spyware, bloatware, adware, malware, in your hair, I don't care... Call it what you will. This has always been an issue with most Windows operating systems. Mother Microsoft will wag her finger at us and admonish us that if we make such formidable alterations to their OS on our hardware then "all bets are off" so-to-speak. But, I would remind the user that "all bets are off" the moment the user puts that check mark in the EULA. So Mother Microsoft is making a moot point. No matter what the end user does, they will be the ones who are liable. None of this is news.
People are getting bored of the Windows Eleven Thing and frankly, I don't blame them; but before there was a Windows Eleven Thing there was also a Windows 10 thing. There was certainly a Windows 8.1 thing and the Windows 8 thing was so horrendous that Windows 8 didn't last long. The only thing any corporation understands is the language of money. If the end user buys the product the communication there is that the end user wants it. Perhaps in time Microsoft will concede to the reality that not all want everything that comes with the operating system and will develop a clean, no-nonsense, bare bones operating system with the end user actually having the liberty to pick and choose what they want without risking inavasive aps and annoying software they have little to no use for. For the time being I'm not holding my breath.
It is said that those who trade liberty for security deserve neither. Most end users appreciate flexibility and the freedom to choose what they will use. The "security" approach can only go so far when the end user is being stripped of their option to exercise those liberties they once enjoyed with Windows.
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My Computer
System One
-
- OS
- WIN 11, WIN 10, WIN 8.1, WIN 7 U, WIN 7 PRO, WIN 7 HOME (32 Bit), LINUX MINT
- Computer type
- PC/Desktop
- Manufacturer/Model
- DIY, ASUS, and DELL
- CPU
- Intel i7 6900K (octocore) / AMD 3800X (8 core)
- Motherboard
- ASUS X99E-WS USB 3.1
- Memory
- 128 GB CORSAIR DOMINATOR PLATINUM (B DIE)
- Graphics Card(s)
- NVIDIA 1070
- Sound Card
- Crystal Sound (onboard)
- Monitor(s) Displays
- single Samsung 30" 4K and 8" aux monitor
- Screen Resolution
- 4K and something equally attrocious
- Hard Drives
- A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O, P, Q, R, S, T, U, V, W
Ports X, Y, and Z are reserved for USB access and removable drives.
Drive types consist of the following: Various mechanical hard drives bearing the brand names, Seagate, Toshiba, and Western Digital. Various NVMe drives bearing the brand names Kingston, Intel, Silicon Power, Crucial, Western Digital, and Team Group. Various SATA SSDs bearing various different brand names.
RAID arrays included:
LSI RAID 10 (WD Velociraptors) 1115.72 GB
LSI RAID 10 (WD SSDS) 463.80 GB
INTEL RAID 0 (KINGSTON HYPER X) System 447.14 GB
INTEL RAID 1 TOSHIBA ENTERPRIZE class Data 2794.52 GB
INTEL RAID 1 SEAGATE HYBRID 931.51 GB
- PSU
- SEVERAL. I prefer my Corsair Platinum HX1000i but I also like EVGA power supplies
- Case
- ThermalTake Level 10 GT (among others)
- Cooling
- Noctua is my favorite and I use it in my main. I also own various other coolers. Not a fan of liquid cooling.
- Keyboard
- all kinds.
- Mouse
- all kinds
- Internet Speed
- 360 mbps - 1 gbps (depending)
- Browser
- FIREFOX
- Antivirus
- KASPERSKY (no apologies)
- Other Info
- I own too many laptops: A Dell touch screen with Windows 11 and 6 others (not counting the other four laptops I bought for this household.) Being a PC builder I own many desktop PCs as well. I am a father of five providing PCs, laptops, and tablets for all my family, most of which I have modified, rebuilt, or simply built from scratch. I do not own a cell phone, never have, never will.
