Tech Advice for Windows Needed Please

[GeordieGirl]

This is not about a normal Windows security update.

 

I have received a Windows 11 version update - Windows 11 version 24H2.

 

I am just wondering if any of our techie bros or sis who already use this update could tell me what benefit there would be to updating to this version or if there is a big difference between this version and the 2023 one. Among other things, is the UI any different and is it possible to turn off the AI features introduced in this update.

 

Thanks for any help before I make a decision on whether to download it or not.

[Myew]

Here's a great summary video. Generally speaking, there's few visual/UI changes, some actually useful changes for once like archive filetypes being supported but they may not benefit most users. No real reason not to upgrade. I recommend most users wait a bit to check there's no big issues with updates, but it seems fine. What 'AI features' in particular are you referring to? Recall? (not out yet for most people) Copilot?

When it comes to disabling windows 'features', there are several legitimate tools or debloat scripts that can make it easier than going to the command line yourself. I like Chris Titus' Ultimate Windows Utility. https://christitus.com/windows-tool/ As with any such tool, you can mess up your system if you don't know what you're doing and start uninstalling things that are required for other parts of the operating system. But the options are there.

 

 

Edited December 5 by Myew

[StarHope]

I downloaded 24H2. I'm not super tech-savvy, so the major issues aren't bothering me, but I should've waited until Microsoft ironed out the kinks in the update.

 

Here are some links summarizing the major updates in 24H2 (YouTube links):

• Windows 11 Major Annual Update 2024 - Biggest Changes (24H2)
• Windows 11 24H2 Has Some Major Problems

One user on the comment section of the 2nd link stated the "Sfc /scannow is fixed in the latest Release Preview Channel Build. It will ship to Main Release in about 2 weeks in the Feature Update."

 

Anyhow, I would wait before downloading 24H2. Just my two cents.

[Sheep]

Thanks for the warnings.  I would rather avoid it for the time being too.

[Myew]

It has been a couple of months since it came out now, so they have patched several issues, which is likely why they're now rolling it out to more users and I'm not too worried about it,but perhaps not all of the issues yet. If you have any qualms about updating, it wouldn't hurt to give it more time as long as you're getting security updates.

[Myew]

Here's the lists of known and resolved issues.

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/release-health/status-windows-11-24h2
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/release-health/resolved-issues-windows-11-24h2

 

The only thing I would be concerned about in particular is some news about BSODs when using certain Western Digital SSDs/on certain prebuilt systems. Which I happen to have one in my older desktop PC here, but this one is running Windows 10 still... my laptop is on 11 and doing fine.

[computerwiz]

One of the latest updates (not sure which one) black screened our KH PC.  It would not get past the login screen (after logging in, the screen would just go black).

 

Had to System Restore.  Will wait a month before trying again...

[GeordieGirl]

Thank you everyone for your input and advice. ❤️

[Myew]

On 12/5/2024 at 12:30 PM, computerwiz said:

One of the latest updates (not sure which one) black screened our KH PC.  It would not get past the login screen (after logging in, the screen would just go black).

 

Had to System Restore.  Will wait a month before trying again...

Curious about this now, is it a laptop by chance? I've seen some mention of fast startup and hibernation messing up updates when it fails to do a proper full shutdown and restart or tries to load hiberfil.sys after an update. I disable fast startup and hibernation on all Windows PCs except handhelds.

[computerwiz]

47 minutes ago, Myew said:

Curious about this now, is it a laptop by chance? I've seen some mention of fast startup and hibernation messing up updates when it fails to do a proper full shutdown and restart or tries to load hiberfil.sys after an update. I disable fast startup and hibernation on all Windows PCs except handhelds.

 

No it's a tower PC.

 

I was looking for how to disable fast startup on Win 11 a few days ago and couldn't find it.  Perhaps you have to be logged in as an administrator to even see those settings?

Edited December 6 by computerwiz

[Myew]

Possibly. Though if you choose to open an app as admin, that should also work. If the option is available, it will be in the Control Panel under Power Options. https://www.howtogeek.com/how-to-fix-windows-11-freezing-on-startup/#turn-off-fast-startup

If the option isn't there, it may not be available or enabled due to the BIOS, registry/group policy or other configuration settings.

Edited December 6 by Myew

[Sheep]

My laptop updated to Windows 11, 24H2, a couple of days ago. So far, so good. It seemed to bring back a couple of hiccups from before, but they were easily fixed. Anyway, it's got my thumbs-up .

Edited December 15 by Sheep

[Qapla]

I have contemplated updating to Windows 11 ... just don't want a new interface that doesn't look or work like the one I'm used to

[jwhess]

1 hour ago, Qapla said:

I have contemplated updating to Windows 11 ... just don't want a new interface that doesn't look or work like the one I'm used to

That was my reasoning about 2 months a go.  I finally wanted to stop the worrying about the Win 10 'end of life'.  So I updated to Windows 11 and bought the Stardock 11 app and loaded it.  Then I chose Stardock's choice of making things look like and operate like Windows 10.  I loaded my old Win 10 desktop background, put my 'staet' button in the lower-left corner and made the startup menu into a vertical list like it had been.

 

To almost any person looking at my computer casually, it looks like Windows 10.  I have 4 Windows machines and on three of them I just took their SSD drives and directly copied my main drive onto the SSD (the last unit had too small of an SSD and I had to manually update).  So they all look the same, like Windows 10, with all the desktops and apps an features located where the alweays were.  It works very well.

[SteveAus]

20 minutes ago, jwhess said:

...Then I chose Stardock's choice of making things look like and operate like Windows 10...

 

yep, another vote for Stardock. I used it to restore the ability to dock my taskbar to the top of the screen, something Win 11 removed.

[Qapla]

I like my taskbar on the bottom

 

[Sheep]

3 hours ago, Qapla said:

I have contemplated updating to Windows 11 ... just don't want a new interface that doesn't look or work like the one I'm used to

When I first got this laptop two years ago, which had Windows 11 22H2 installed on it, it didn't look any different from my previous Windows 10 laptop. I hardly noticed it was a different OS. However, this latest rollout of Windows 11 (24H2) seems to add quite a few new features in it, so much so that it no longer looks like this laptop when I got it. That part might throw you off a little.

[Myew]

3 hours ago, Qapla said:

I have contemplated updating to Windows 11 ... just don't want a new interface that doesn't look or work like the one I'm used to

https://open-shell.github.io/Open-Shell-Menu/ It's fully customizable.

Edited December 16 by Myew

[Qapla]

Alex, I think that may be the app my nephew mentioned

 

[GeordieGirl]

I use Open Shell and my laptop looks like Win 7. I started using it when I updated my old laptop to Win 10 and have used it ever since.

Edited December 17 by GeordieGirl

[Myew]

Mine's a blend of 7, 10 and personal preference. It's really easy to make profiles to export/import between multiple computers.

There are many choices for customizing your GUI. Another one a lot of people use is ExplorerPatcher which does more with the taskbar and explorer windows. I tried it once in addition to OpenShell, but didn't really see a need to keep it. Occasionally people have had some issues with it as well, like losing their explorer and not knowing how to fix it from Task Manager. (Ctrl+Shift+Esc) https://github.com/valinet/ExplorerPatcher

[Sheep]

12 hours ago, GeordieGirl said:

I use Open Shell and my laptop looks like Win 7. I started using it when I updated my old laptop to Win 10 and have used it ever since.

You too? WOWW!!! You're just like me. I always preferred the look of Windows 7's start button and menu. So I (too) used Open-Shell (and its predecessor Classic Shell) ever since I first got Windows 10!

 

You didn't get that idea from me, did you?

 

 

P.S.: The only thing I didn't like... somewhere during the time of Windows 10, Windows lost its ability to make the taskbar transparent (or translucent), and it has never seemed to regain that ability. Open-Shell lost that ability at the same time, and can't get it back. I now use TranslucentTB (from the Windows Store), and it's compatible with Open-Shell. So I've got my translucent taskbar back!

Edited December 18 by Sheep
Added PS

[GeordieGirl]

7 hours ago, Sheep said:

You too? WOWW!!! You're just like me. I always preferred the look of Windows 7's start button and menu. So I (too) used Open-Shell (and its predecessor Classic Shell) ever since I first got Windows 10!

 

You didn't get that idea from me, did you?

 

 

P.S.: The only thing I didn't like... somewhere during the time of Windows 10, Windows lost its ability to make the taskbar transparent (or translucent), and it has never seemed to regain that ability. Open-Shell lost that ability at the same time, and can't get it back. I now use TranslucentTB (from the Windows Store), and it's compatible with Open-Shell. So I've got my translucent taskbar back!

Haha! Fortunately for me, I don't like the translucent taskbar, so that bit doesn't worry me.

As soon as I saw the Win 10 start button and menu, I knew I'd have to change it, so I went on a search and found Classic Shell -  which is what I'm actually still using. I'll eventually get around to installing the latest version from Open Shell.

 

I didn't copy you - it's just that great minds and all that .... 😁😉

 

 

[Pabo]

On 12/18/2024 at 11:51 AM, Sheep said:

I always preferred the look of Windows 7's start button and menu. So I (too) used Open-Shell (and its predecessor Classic Shell) ever since I first got Windows 10!

 

I still use Classic Shell on my work laptop. I'm staying with Win10 until it is absolutely necessary, and by then, I will probably have a new laptop then.

 

I still use a Dell E6520 Win7 at work, as it still has a software that a client uses and we no longer have the intallation disk. What OS is the client still using? Win XP!

[Myew]

I wouldn't recommend connecting any device before Windows 10 to the internet at this point. XP is extremely vulnerable to remote exploits. Old government/utility services get hacked all the time.