Removing Win11 'extras'

[john70t]

1) They first tried to take away the Start Menu and the Shutdown button but backed off that. I was using a "classic windows apprearance" program.

2). Then tried forcing the Edge browser. There was once a major court decision about that anti-competitive behavior but the DOJ seems to have fallen asleep and the other two are doing it as well.

3). And WebSeach/SearchBoxSuggestions. Which provides web ads from the start button instead of computer OS information. "Ha ha. Tricked ya. Made you use Edge again! So you're gonna keep using Edge. Right? Right? We will remind you again in case you forgot."

4). And Widgets Feed. Because you wanted to know what's on sale and the latest newz about Tiffany instead of doing actual work.

5). And now Copilot A.I. Combing through all your proprietary data whether you like it or not. May I kindly refer you to past PIPA/SOPA legal judgements regarding the theft of other people's information. Oh, and A.I. has been demanding users worship it like a god.

All of these fundamentally alter the original Operating System purchased after the fact.
The dealership decides to paint your car pink a week later.
There is no easy way for the average layman user to undo these forced changes. Mandatory.
There outta be a law!

When a user wants the regedit, gpedit.msc, services.msc, or CMD run, they should be accessible from the search menu.

To uninstall SearchWeb and Copilot you need to modify gpedit.
(but I couldn't get to gpedit because it wasn't even installed in my ver of Win11.)

Here is an easy .bat file: One click fixes it.
https://www.elevenforum.com/t/add-or-remove-copilot-in-windows-search-in-windows-11.5309/
What a difference...

[john70t]

fwiw I tried adding the extra keys in the registry, per official forums:
https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/all/how-to-disable-search-the-web-completley-in/ea22410a-3031-487f-b5de-5a0113d656c5

That didn't work.

[pmax]

[flipper35]

Unlike Miata, Linux is not always the answer. For us, maybe one of our several computers would work as a Linux machine. The others are entertainment pieces and most won't run on Linux properly.

For some that just browse the web, sure. Put a GUI on Linux and have at it!

[Zeke]

Thank you for putting up info about Win 11. I really haven't had any malicious problems but I realize my C drive is full of something and I don't use a virus program other than the onboard Defender. Everytime I allow an upgrade it gets fuller. But I don't want to not have the latest virus tools.

I have had an inclination to go Mac but I hear they are invasive as well. What are the facts?

[GH85Carrera]

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/free-up-drive-space-in-windows-a18fae02-a0fa-8df9-9838-8970f9939de4

Here are some thing you can do in Windows to recover storage space and get rid of files of no use anymore.

[pmax]

[john70t]

^ TY pmax.

Enter BIOS Setup.
Set primary boot to USB/Removable Devices, then CD/DVD, and finally C: drive.

A stick or disk should boot Linux first. As an alternative.

[masraum]

Originally Posted by john70t

1) They first tried to take away the Start Menu and the Shutdown button but backed off that. I was using a "classic windows apprearance" program.

2). Then tried forcing the Edge browser. There was once a major court decision about that anti-competitive behavior but the DOJ seems to have fallen asleep and the other two are doing it as well.

3). And WebSeach/SearchBoxSuggestions. Which provides web ads from the start button instead of computer OS information. "Ha ha. Tricked ya. Made you use Edge again! So you're gonna keep using Edge. Right? Right? We will remind you again in case you forgot."

4). And Widgets Feed. Because you wanted to know what's on sale and the latest newz about Tiffany instead of doing actual work.

5). And now Copilot A.I. Combing through all your proprietary data whether you like it or not. May I kindly refer you to past PIPA/SOPA legal judgements regarding the theft of other people's information. Oh, and A.I. has been demanding users worship it like a god.

All of these fundamentally alter the original Operating System purchased after the fact.

Wow, sounds like time to find something new.

I was a die hard Windows fan for a LOONG time (came up from DOS). And I'm a tech guy, so I've tinkered with several versions of linux and have worked with Unix and had dual boot systems.

I defended Windows to lots of folks that complained about it sucking. I've been through Win 2.0, 3.11, Win 95, NT4.0, 98, 98SE, XP, Vista, and Win 7. I held on to Win 7 as long as I could, until it after it was no longer supported. Every version seemed to be better, more stable than the last. I didn't want Win 8 or 10.

Originally Posted by Zeke

Thank you for putting up info about Win 11. I really haven't had any malicious problems but I realize my C drive is full of something and I don't use a virus program other than the onboard Defender. Everytime I allow an upgrade it gets fuller. But I don't want to not have the latest virus tools.

I have had an inclination to go Mac but I hear they are invasive as well. What are the facts?

For many, many years, I didn't use anything but the Microsoft malware/defender/malicious software tools, and had great luck with those.

We got my wife a Mac and she asked me to learn it and get it setup and ready for her 10-12 years ago. I fell in love and knew that my next PC would be a MAC. I finally switched from Windows to Mac 4-5 years ago (damn PC wouldn't die).

My experience is that Mac is nothing like Windows seems to have become. I don't feel like it's invasive at all. I had a colleague that had a macbook that would not die. He finally replaced it at 8 years old. I think my wife's macbook lasted about 7 years and it was the cheapest, most low-performance model they made.

I've had great luck with everything Apple that I've had.

[black_falcon]

Originally Posted by masraum

My experience is that Mac is nothing like Windows seems to have become. I don't feel like it's invasive at all. I had a colleague that had a macbook that would not die. He finally replaced it at 8 years old. I think my wife's macbook lasted about 7 years and it was the cheapest, most low-performance model they made.

I've had great luck with everything Apple that I've had.

I just retired my Mid-2012 MacBook Pro 15 and replaced it with an M2 MBP 16.

It still works perfectly, mind you, I just wanted the latest tech. It probably would have lasted many more years with the 1TB SSD and 16GB I added. I'll find a use for it somehow, bootcamp maybe, or pass it on to someone else.

Once you get used to MacOS, Windows becomes hard to swallow.

[Deschodt]

Originally Posted by john70t

All of these fundamentally alter the original Operating System purchased after the fact.

You are not wrong !
Have no choice at work, since support for Win10 is ending in june(?) and extensions to support are gonna be $$$.. Yes the new menus are annoying, and yeah they turned off classic mode with 22H3 I think... So you are stuck with that new interface for the most part..

Aside from that, to be fair, every annoying medical software / desktop interface / single sign on stuff I build or use still works A-OK. Internals work the same, GPOs still work the same, it's not like they changed the registry either... Start menu aside, Win11 is more like Win10 + a UI patch... not THAT bad.

Edge... is also pretty good - it's Chromium based so it's essentially Chrome for better or worse, even works with chrome extensions or settings. Yes some $%$#% is encrypted like browser Extensions state, thanks a bunch MS (not super practical for me), but other than that it's way better than IE was.

Macs? I was swearing by macs since 1984 so it's not like I hate them. But I gave my last one to my kid 2y ago. Every new OS they try and turn them more into ipads, and frankly I got tired of looking for codes on my ipad/iphone or wherever to confirm my $%$#% apple ID on the mac all the damn time, I am sick of their closed ecosystem and entering that apple ID every 17 seconds when you set stuff up on the computer or the phone... Kinda fell out of love.

I'd have to be pretty pissed off to go Linux... I wanna use the thing, not recompile it all the time, too much work. I sorta kinda support all 3 at work but after doing all the work for Win11 in the past few weeks.... not loving it but it's not that bad - YMMV.

[Tobra]

Just came here to say that I was finally forced onto windows 11 and it sucks so much ass it is incredible.

[masraum]

Originally Posted by Tobra

Just came here to say that I was finally forced onto windows 11 and it sucks so much ass it is incredible.

LOL! Thanks for the update.

I used to be a Windows guy. I held on to Win 7 long after they stopped supporting it. I haven't used the new stuff (except at work, where I really don't do anything other than use a few apps, so it's the sysadmins' problem). I'm still loving Mac OS. I don't have to enter the Apple ID much. It's not perfect, but then no OS made for "the average Joe" is ever going to make a tech person 100% happy. I haven't used Linux in forever (use Linux CLI at work for some stuff). I'm sure that it's far, far better and more main stream than it was the last time that I tried to use it as my main desktop (which was probably 20 years ago, practically the stone age in Tech years).

[john70t]

Toby, go through Settings/Privacy&Security and turn off all of them to begin with.
(also in the small Advanced tab on the right)
There are a hundred App "sharing" settings all turned ON by default.

Also turn off remote access unless working away from home.
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/troubleshoot/windows-server/windows-security/user-account-control-and-remote-restriction

Also might want to kill CoPilot Cortana and OneDrive through the Registry and Gpeditor:
It may change back with updates.
https://www.elevenforum.com/t/add-or-remove-copilot-in-windows-search-in-windows-11.5309/

Turn off 'participating':
https://www.howtogeek.com/698003/what-is-the-windows-feature-experience-pack-on-windows-10/

Make the Search feature look at your local HD instead of of opening stupid Microsoft Edge for AI search which doesn't make sense:
https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/all/how-to-disable-search-the-web-completley-in/ea22410a-3031-487f-b5de-5a0113d656c5

That's a start.

Some other suspect Apps which can't be stopped because of Server Initiated Healing:
CTFloader (online translation despite only english)
UserOOBE (supposed to help find and update with initial setup only)
AggregatorHost (telemetry whether you wanted it or not)

[pmax]

[Tobra]

Medical records system I use is not compatible with Apple.

Bill Gates had best hope I never bump into his doughy ass.

[GH85Carrera]

Originally Posted by Tobra

Medical records system I use is not compatible with Apple.

Bill Gates had best hope I never bump into his doughy ass.

Once you get used to Win 11 it becomes familiar again. Yea the shut down button in in a new place, and some things just work differently. Every new version has to change the simple things.

We also have mapping software the REQUIRES Win 11 Pro to work.

My biggest complaint is Windows 11 is just sure I want to play games, and my computer is a laptop and I use it with unsecured WiFi. I am just sure I don't play games on a computer and my computer must weigh 40 pounds and and is as far removed from a laptop as a tower computer can be.

[id10t]

When we lose Enterprise support for Win10 I'll be campaigning to get my Linux desktop back. All of our tools are native Linux applications that have been ported to Windows anyway....

[A930Rocket]

I rarely use my two-year-old Azus laptop, but wanted to download some video from a track weekend. There wasn’t enough room on the C drive. I started looking into it, reset the laptop as new and the operating system, etc. was using 32 GB of the 40 available. WTF.

With all the crap that Azus and MS install, I’d like to get rid of everything except the operating system.

[john70t]

hate to say this...but I still believe that Microsoft is the 'least-worst' of the three.

The bloatware/ads are obscene obtuse and obvious.
But mostly 'user-controlled'.
For now.

They are sure pushing hard to catch up with the surveillance game.
I'd like to see it all 'Opt-In' legally, or face stiff penalties by automatic default.
No different than any internet stalker.