So...Windows 11?

[pierces]

I'll be installing it tomorrow since the PC Health Check app says my computer is safely within the hardware requirements.

 

For registered users of Windows 10, the upgrade is free. Based on reading, I don't expect any real problems or serious interface shock. The Start Menu is moving to the center but can be moved back if desired. The Live Tiles are gone, replaced by a conventional icon grid. I won't miss live tiles and based on their demise, I'm not the only one. The new screen layout options allow you to organize open applications on larger screens to specific areas or just stack them randomly as is normal (for me) now. Voice input has been improved and I'm interested to see if it will work as smoothly as Google's does on Android. Speaking of Android. You will be able to run Android apps on Windows 11. This won't be available on release, but it will appear via a software update soon afterward. Define "soon"? I can't. It looks like they will run natively like Windows 10 apps did and it also looks like the source will be the Amazon App Store, so you would be limited to the 500k or so apps available there. Teams is replacing Skype (mostly - it will still be available for download) and will be included as part of the system so you can chat and call any other Teams user right from the taskbar. The Microsoft assistant, Cortana, is being demoted to an add-in instead of a having default taskbar spot. With the growing partnership with Amazon, I wonder if her days are numbered and if Alexa is already measuring for new drapes? Internet Explorer 11 was really the last release and it won't be part of the base install. Edge will be installed as the default browser. I have been using Edge for a few years now and with very few exceptions, I find my experience to be smoother than my years with IE and Chrome. Gaming performance is being improved and that may have a spillover to all rendering, which is good news for photo editing. Several other minor apps like Paint 3D will be removed from the base install, but like Cortana, they will be available to download.

 

I guess I'll find out tomorrow.

 

Want to see if your PC will run Windows 11? Go to the link below and scroll to the bottom:

Upgrade to the New Windows 11 OS | Microsoft

 

Look for this box and click on "DOWNLOAD PC HEALTH CHECK APP"

 

I'll let you know what I find out. If you don't hear from me for a while, you may want to hold off on upgrading right away... 😁

 

Dave

[pierces]

Looks like I didn't draw the lucky number. My update check didn't trigger an upgrade, so I'm going to have to wait until the Lords of Windows deem me worthy. I've been part of the Windows Insider program since Windows 8 but because I use my computer to connect to work and no longer run a secondary machine, I 'm reluctant to load a developer version that might orphan something I need. 

 

Will keep checking.

 

 

Dave

[zackiedawg]

I know this is a stupid question, but I don't think I've ever transitioned a computer from one full version of Windows to another - the Windows upgrades seemed to usually time themselves to when I was getting a new computer anyway, so I just went over to the new version with the new computer...

 

The question is: When you do an upgrade install like this, going from Win 10 to Win 11, does the Win 11 install keep all the same apps, programs, defaults, etc that you have now?  IE: does the default browser get changed?  If I have IE11 installed, does it keep it?  Will the various layout choices in Office programs and icons/shortcuts on the desktop remain?

 

I'll be watching to see your experience with it before doing it myself, but also wanted to know how these things work before I do it...if any of those things change, I just want to log everything I had before the install so if it does change things, I know what I need to change or install back again.

[pierces]

1 hour ago, zackiedawg said:

I know this is a stupid question, but I don't think I've ever transitioned a computer from one full version of Windows to another - the Windows upgrades seemed to usually time themselves to when I was getting a new computer anyway, so I just went over to the new version with the new computer...

 

The question is: When you do an upgrade install like this, going from Win 10 to Win 11, does the Win 11 install keep all the same apps, programs, defaults, etc that you have now?  IE: does the default browser get changed?  If I have IE11 installed, does it keep it?  Will the various layout choices in Office programs and icons/shortcuts on the desktop remain?

 

I'll be watching to see your experience with it before doing it myself, but also wanted to know how these things work before I do it...if any of those things change, I just want to log everything I had before the install so if it does change things, I know what I need to change or install back again.

 

The "stupid" question would be, "why didn't I ask this before the install ate all my files?"

 

Typically, a full version upgrade will offer the option of "clean install" or "keep files and applications". Choosing the latter should leave all of your files and programs intact unless there is a compatibility issue like when they eliminated support for older 32-bit programs. This update will benefit from Windows 10 being designed to be updated with new features and functions in chunks so there shouldn't be any major incompatibility with any established program running on Win 10. You may have to update your system's BIOS (pretty easy on newer machines) and download a few new drivers to support things like DirectX 12 for graphics. I'll keep an eye out for the inevitable list of issues as they start popping up and post them here as well as my own experience. As for defaults, I assume you mean the ones you have set up in Office, Adobe or Topaz products? If so, there shouldn't be any changes to those since the settings are stored by those programs in their own preference files. As for IE 11, it is dead to them. It isn't included in the install and won't be getting any new functional or security updates. I strongly recommend Edge or Chrome over IE as they both have fairly good protection against malware and all of the exploits the bad guys have been writing for IE for the last million years.

 

Stay tuned.

 

 

Dave

[zackiedawg]

Thanks.  I do mostly use Chrome, occasionally Edge.  I do keep IE installed though as I have a few specific work-related programs that require it to run - they are working on transitioning to Chrome, but may still be a few months or more before they are ready, so I need to make sure IE stays on there and doesn't disappear.

[pierces]

23 minutes ago, zackiedawg said:

Thanks.  I do mostly use Chrome, occasionally Edge.  I do keep IE installed though as I have a few specific work-related programs that require it to run - they are working on transitioning to Chrome, but may still be a few months or more before they are ready, so I need to make sure IE stays on there and doesn't disappear.

 

Something to try before updating. Choose "Settings" from the three-dot menu in the upper right corner of Edge. The second setting on the page is "Allow sites to be reloaded in Internet Explorer mode" which might also help with any page-to-page navigation issues.

 

 

See if your IE specific programs will run

 

Dave

Edited October 6, 2021 by pierces

[pierces]

Well, that was easy...

 

[pierces]

About 1½ hours of download and a bunch of unattended restarts.

 

 

More to come after I play for a while.

 

Justin: Photoshop, Lightroom and topaz didn't even notice that I gave them a new home. I even updated Topaz Denoise AI to the latest version. My desktop was untouched but the start menu no longer supports live tiles and had been loaded with a bunch of defaults, so I had to rebuild it.

 

Dave

 

Edited October 6, 2021 by pierces

[pierces]

54 minutes ago, urbanspaceman said:

Did you have to pay for the upgrade?

 

My experience is that I will do a version upgrade like that if it was free - and it was from Win 8 to 10. But if I have to pay for it, I'd rather put that cash toward a new PC with the new version installed.

 

And I would wait a few months.

 

If you have a valid copy of Windows 10, the upgrade is free. The caveat is that to avoid the train wreck that was Vista, they have fairly strict hardware requirements that will ensure that the system will perform as expected. THe requirements aren't too onerous and my nearly 2-year old machine passed the "PC Health Check" easily. There are ways to work around this with big "your mileage may vary" stickers on them. To see if your machine is up to snuff, download the health Check app as shown in an earlier post and run it. If it isn't, virtually every manufacturer is now preloading Win 11 on new machines.

 

The Windows Update announcement that your PC is ready to upgrade will appear between now and the end of the year as they roll out the automated updates incrementally to avoid a million simultaneous attempts to download the multi-gigabyte upgrade package.

 

General FYI: So far, so good. Nothing has caught fire and died and pretty much everything I use on a regular basis is working like it did before. The start menu is my biggest hurdle right now, but that is due to my familiarity with the old one. The new layout looks like it will actually be more functional once I get used to it. Played with the speech recognition and so far it seems pretty slick. More toy than tool for me right now, but who knows? 

 

Dave

[boeckli]

10 hours ago, pierces said:

 

I strongly recommend Edge or Chrome over IE as they both have fairly good protection against malware and all of the exploits the bad guys have been writing for IE for the last million years.

 

Stay tuned.

 

 

Dave

 

What are your thoughts on Firefox?

[boeckli]

Watching with interest, Dave ...

 

So I ran the PC HEALTH CHECK APP on my new machine - which I love dearly BTW Dave 😉 - thinking it would come through with flying colours ... not so 🙄

 

 

HELP  🙏

The link to "More about enabling TPM 2.0" was working yesterday but today the destination comes up with a 404 error (as also does the sub-link Enable TPM 2.0 on your PC  )

 

Edit: Just noticed that I did take a screenshot yesterday of the How to Enable page:

 

 

Edited October 7, 2021 by boeckli
Additional screenshot added

[pierces]

31 minutes ago, boeckli said:

Watching with interest, Dave ...

 

So I ran the PC HEALTH CHECK APP on my new machine - which I love dearly BTW Dave 😉 - thinking it would come through with flying colours ... not so 🙄

 

 

HELP  🙏

The link to "More about enabling TPM 2.0" was working yesterday but today the destination comes up with a 404 error (as also does the sub-link Enable TPM 2.0 on your PC  )

 

The important word is "enabled". The Trusted Platform Module Is a part of the hardware and usually is disabled by default. I had to enable it on mine to pass the test. You will need to reboot your machine and enter the BIOS setup (usually by holding down the F2 button as the system boots). Scroll through the menus and enable the option. Reboot and retest.

 

Worst case is you may have to upgrade the BIOS. The support site for your computer should have instructions and links to the update file. Sounds scarier than it is. Most new machines can update from the desktop in Windows with a downloadable utility from the manufacturer.

 

Dave

Edited October 7, 2021 by pierces

[pierces]

41 minutes ago, boeckli said:

 

What are your thoughts on Firefox?

 

Used it briefly many years ago. No real experience to share.

[boeckli]

18 minutes ago, pierces said:

 

Used it briefly many years ago. No real experience to share.

 

I use it all the time - was thinking more in terms of your mention of protection

[boeckli]

22 minutes ago, pierces said:

The important word is "enabled". The Trusted Platform Module Is a part of the hardware and usually is disabled by default. I had to enable it on mine to pass the test. You will need to reboot your machine and enter the BIOS setup (usually by holding down the F2 button as the system boots). Scroll through the menus and enable the option. Reboot and retest.

 

Worst case is you may have to upgrade the BIOS. The support site for your computer should have instructions and links to the update file. Sounds scarier than it is. Most new machines can update from the desktop in Windows with a downloadable utility from the manufacturer.

 

Dave

 

Thanks again 😀 I will do a bit more reading (and if need be ring my local computer guys who built it to talk me through it).

[pierces]

Feeling brave? Love to be in on the ground floor? Willing to update your machine with the understanding that I have absolutely no responsibility for providing a way to jump the line?

 

Seriously, if you are a casual user and have never done this before, do some research before jumping in or simply wait until the normal update cycle comes around to you. If, however, computers aren't considered magic and you want to get the upgrade early, download the PC Health Check App (https://aka.ms/GetPCHealthCheckApp) and run it. It will either give you a thumbs up or a list of why your machine doesn't meet the requirements. If the thumb is up and you decide to proceed, BACK UP YOUR DATA! Oh, and BACK UP YOUR DATA! Make sure you have access to all the media to reinstall your software in in case something goes horribly wrong. I don't mean to paint a dark picture of the process, but decades of experience building computers and installing software has taught me that guaranteeing 40 million lines of code can be made 100% fault free is just silly.

 

With all the caveats out of the way, I can tell you that I installed the update yesterday and have opened and used all of my daily software and even some occasional stuff like my older scanner control panel. So far, everything has worked as expected. The new start menu has been fiddled with and is starting to grow on me. The most significant thing I have noticed is that everything honestly seems pretty much the same. The machine starts a bit faster and programs and web pages load a bit quicker, but since the optimization to new hardware was one of Win11's big talking points, that was no surprise. I have a fairly new machine (Jan. '20) with hardware from established manufacturers and no odd legacy software installed, so I am probably well inside the "no problems expected" bubble. So far, so good.

 

If you have heeded all my warnings, packed your own parachute and are ready to jump, here's the link to the page with the Windows 11 Installation Assistant:

Download Windows 11 (microsoft.com)

 

Download and run the Assistant to download and install Windows 11. It takes about two hours but you can continue to work on you machine through much of it. 

 

Happy computing!

 

And...BACK UP YOUR DATA!

 

 

Dave

[pierces]

Full day 2 with Windows 11

 

Normal workdays connected to my laptop via Remote Desktop...No issues.

 

Cleanup and touchup on Lightroom with a few visits to Photoshop....No issues

 

Modify some flowcharts and design plans in Visio...No issues

 

Except for the start menu, I have not noticed a difference except for the aforementioned small but noticeable bump in performance.

 

The upgrade left a 36GB Windows.old directory on the boot drive for rollback if needed and after a couple of weeks I will delete it (the option to rollback expires after a while anyway).

 

Two days of normal usage without a hiccup. Again, I will mention that I notice almost no difference beyond it being a bit peppier. I will do some research on the new cool stuff I haven't touched yet and post if anything seems useful. 

 

Smiles for now!

 

 

Dave

 

[donaldsc]

Mine won't.   I have a 3 or 4 year old fairly expensive gaming laptop but W 11 doesn't like it.  I don't really care.

 

DON 

 

 

[Heidi13]

Finally got around to the upgrade this morning. Laptop is < 1 yr old, so already indicated it was Win 11 compatible. Full upgrade took about 45 mins, no issues. It retained Chrome as my browser and the desktop icons are all unchanged.

 

Tried a few programs and everything is stable, so far. I also have a 33 Gb Win 10 folder on my drive to revert back to Win 10, if required. 

[zackiedawg]

Good news so far - thanks for all who are testing this out for the rest of us.  I'll probably do it right away on my home machine.  I don't think it should have any trouble meeting requirements since it's not even a year old and pretty high-specced - though I'll save the notes on that enable that might need to be done in BIOS.  Glad to hear no changes to desktops, defaults, and programs noted so far.

[Crew News]

Downloaded the ISO file for Windows 11 and installed it on my laptop.  The installation removed my sound drivers from Device Manager and so I received "No audio devices installed"  error message. 

 

Solution:  It was very fortunate that I run Belarc Advisor every few months to record all of my hardware and software installed.  Using the multimedia section of the Advisor, I noted the drivers for my laptop.  On the Device Manager, I used the View Tab "Add Legacy Hardware" option to open a list of missing drivers to add back the missing drivers.  I downloaded the latest Realtek Audio driver and installed it (took several attempts and reboots).  With still no sound, used the Sound Troubleshooter and sound was restored.

 

Right clicked on the taskbar and chose "Left" to move the Start Menu out of the center of the screen.

 

Went through the Start Menu and deleted unneeded new items.  Had to re-pin a few programs to this menu.

 

No other issues but will give a few weeks before deciding to update PC.

[Crew News]

Updated a friends laptop yesterday with only two issues:  access to the Windows folder was blocked and double-clicking to open folders had to be reset.  After reading expert tips, I have been cleaning the Windows/Software Distribution/Downloads folder to remove no longer needed files when updates are completed.  The contents of the folder are hundreds of files that can really drag out backups.

 

Tried each of the themes and found them really strange.  The calculator conversion options are a nice touch.  Found  that using the View .> Compact option squeezed the file names closer together to fit more file lines on a page.  The windows key +  period brings up lots of emojis and special characters.

[Crew News]

Update:  No issues so far.

 

I open my laptop every few days and there is always an update available so I know people are tweaking some bugs.  Watching lots of YouTube videos of hints and tips helps the learning process.

[pierces]

After a month there are no issues to report. A few notes below.

 

Went to delete the Windows.old directory (rollback files set aside during the upgrade) and found it to be missing. Turns out the system deletes it after about 10 days, so if you are unsure about your upgrade and want to roll back, don't dawdle. IMHO, if you are having real issues with the upgrade, a data backup and a clean install would be a better choice.

 

I didn't specify any theme when I upgraded and except for the centered start menu (which I could change, but now prefer) and the rounded edges of the windows, my system looks the same. 

 

No program abnormalities or performance issues so far.

 

Honestly, this is the least problematic update I've had since I started using Windows 3.0 back in the PC stone age. I usually only change versions when it's time for a new PC and go with a clean install on recommended or better hardware but this went really well.

 

The ability to run Android programs seamlessly on the desktop is in the public Windows Insider channel and is moving toward general release after the first of the year. Being able to run Ring and Blink camera apps on the desktop will make me happy since Ring is sunsetting their Windows app and Blink never had one.

 

That's all for now.

 

Happy Windowing!

 

Dave

[PaulMCO]

Horrible UI. 

 

Window 7 was good -- Window 8 garbage, Windows 10 good, Windows 11 Garbage.

Windows 10 started with a UI that did not allow multiple tabs of a program to be on the taskbar.  There were so many complaints that in the first upgrade, they provided this as an selectable option.   So what so they do when windows 11 comes out -- same. Cannot have multiple instances open on the taskbar.  Makes productivity suck having to hope and look for the instance you want.