[GoofGarage]

So I had similar concerns regarding Windows 11, but I sat down, learned how to clean it up, and put a Creative Commons open source guide for others to follow. I knew many other reluctant friends who are senior devs at prolific companies in the tech space, and with my guide they seem to have no real remaining complaints.

It covers both the initial installation, as well as all my post-install recommendations. It eliminates I believe all the tracking, adware, suggestions, Cortana, feeding the Bing/ChatGPT machine, telemetry, etc. Absolutely nothing breaks. No need for a Microsoft account. It should be straightforward and to-the-click/keystroke.

https://github.com/GoofGarage/Win11Clean

If there’s any bugbears, create an issue. I’ll be responding to them every few weeks, and I try to update the release every 3 months.

[fnordpiglet]

This is gods work. But it also convinced me to not install windows 11. In particular the post install notes is such a massive amount of labor to get what I get out of the box with other OS. I’m now 100% convinced to not upgrade, and hold hope that Linux gaming as driven by valve matures into something usable by the time win10 becomes non-viable.

Regardless awesome guide thank you.

[GoofGarage]

I don’t disagree. In terms of wall clock time, I do run through my entire guide prior to every release and it’s about one total hour including the installation of the OS itself, and I’d say 40 minutes or so is part 3, which is the bulk of the guide.

I don’t disagree that it shouldn’t be necessary, though thankfully it’s a one time cost.

[aaomidi]

Linux gaming works fine. I’ve not used windows for 3 years now.

[sickofparadox]

Is there a fix for the insidious problem of updates changing your settings to less secure/privacy conscious ones or is that a constant fight we just have to fight if you're on windows?

[GoofGarage]

Yes. There are suggestions in the guide regarding handling auto updates.

[sickofparadox]

Thanks! I skimmed through but didn't see anything, appreciate the answer!

[PrimeMcFly]

I've bookmarked your guide, and will use it when I setup a W11 machine in 2025. I haven't used 11 yet, but I understand the taskbar is no longer full length and is now more like the mac dock.

Is there a fix for that other than installing something like OpenShell?

[dimava]

I had more problems with it being quite wide and not being able to move to top of screen

That may be fixed with https://github.com/valinet/ExplorerPatcher which restores win10 bar, there's no builtin solution to any of the above afaik

Labels, combining, alignment and displayed system icons (search, etc) may be configured in settings

[PrimeMcFly]

Honestly I don't even use the win10 bar because it wouldn't let me ungroup applications even if the setting to do so was checked.

I have two monitors, and might want some distances of the same application to be on separate taskbars with two monitors, and it just wouldn't respect that at all.

I use OpenShell currently, but I really shouldn't have to.

[GoofGarage]

It’s not that it’s not full length, it’s that it’s center aligned by default. It’s a very quick change to left-align it again, and that’s in the guide.

[PrimeMcFly]

Got it, thanks.

[nemomarx]

Do you have a fix for the taskbar?

[GoofGarage]

Fixing what? There are multiple sections in the guide addressing the task bar and start menu depending on what you’re looking to address.

[stronglikedan]

You cannot drag files onto it to open in other programs or copy/move them, last I checked. This is a showstopper for my workflow. I just want to drag a file over my explorer icon, choose the window from the popup preview that I want to move it to, have the window get focus, and drop it in the window to move it. Or drag a file over a program icon, have the program get focus, and drop the file on it to open it. Apparently, that is too difficult to port from every previous version of Windows into v11. It sucks.

[wvenable]

Does the preview not open up? I run Windows 11 but I'm so old school that I don't group taskbar buttons and you drag a file to the taskbar it will bring the app into focus and I drop it on that app.

But I noticed that I don't get the preview when dragging over the button but that might also have something to do with my particular setup.

[GoofGarage]

I just made a very cursory look into this, but this is possibly that a Group Policy default that has changed to a different setting in Windows 11 than it had been in previous versions of Windows.

It absolutely does work if you disable UAC via Group Policy, but disabling UAC in my opinion is much a step too far as that loosens security in too many areas and would greatly increase Windows 11's attack surface.

I'll open an issue to investigate trying to identify the Group Policy setting to change to specifically re-enable this behavior without disabling UAC. Be advised that it'll be a few weeks as I'll be waiting until the January patch to drop (should be January 9th, 2024) for me to test prior to the January 2024 update to the guide.

[stronglikedan]

> I'll open an issue to investigate

Wow, that's awesome. Thanks! (I love HN)