Why people are running away from Windows 11? Can't Co-Pilot be deactivated completely?

[throAU]

I have never been nagged to use OneDrive.

Not sure if shilling/trolling or just forgetful.

 

[throAU]

You can disable AI in notepad. And the Onedrive thing is quite annoying, but easily dealth with. It's like pick your poison. Windows does these annoying things but at least you can get in the registry and fix them. Mac is very hard to change so when they keep altering the terms of the Walled Garden deal and quality keeps going down, then that also can make one feel trapped.

I don't think CoPilot works that way, but honestly it's the first thing I remove. I do use AI some, but I prefer that not to happen at an OS level.

The issue isn’t whether it is “easily dealt with” it is whether or not you’re having to fight the damn OS to make it usable and get your job done.

 

[maflynn]

You can disable AI in notepad. And the Onedrive thing is quite annoying, but easily dealth with. It's like pick your poison. Windows does these annoying things but at least you can get in the registry and fix them.

Yeah, there's a whole cottage industry that has debloating scripts, which in of itself is a sad state of affairs. What annoys me the most is MS actively trying to stop people from using windows the way they want, specifically local accounts, not being forced to use onedrive, etc.

Mac is very hard to change so when they keep altering the terms of the Walled Garden deal and quality keeps going down, then that also can make one feel trapped.

I think that's why there's a lot of frustration in seeing advertisements from apple, trying to promote their icloud and subscription services. We're paying for a premium product and have to accept the walled garden, yet the very things we fled from are showing up in the apple ecosystem.

There's a third alternative and I've not fully vetted it out, but so far I'm quite impressed, and that's Linux. I'm not trying to proclaim that 2026 is the year of Linux, but linux is now uniquely position to offer the best of both windows and macos worlds. The linux platform is still quite fractured that will probably prevent wide spread adoption but I'm seeing people flee windows in numbers that I've not seen before - if you are to believe reddit,youtube, and social platforms.

I installed cachyos on my PC, perhaps I'll do one of those 30 day challenges of just using Linux? it has a few rough spots like trying to mount my icloud drive but overall, everything I can do on windows and macos, I can do with cachyos.

 

[maflynn]

The issue isn’t whether it is “easily dealt with” it is whether or not you’re having to fight the damn OS to make it usable and get your job done.

And lets be honest, the majority of people using windows will not even bother trying, they have no knowledge or expertise to undertake such an operation.

This in a weird way makes it even more infuriating that MS removed the oobe\bypassnro command to allow those who know install windows with a local account. I mean the majority of people won't go that route, only techies, some prosumers and hobbyists, but they bent over backwards to force everyone onto their online account

 

[dmr727]

It's weird, my desktop is running 11 from an old license from long ago. I've said for years I'll switch away from Windows once they finally stop letting me use it, but it just keeps working. And other than friggin' OneDrive ads, it seems pretty bloat and AI free (don't have to log in either).

That said, I'll never pay a dime for Windows again. I only keep this one because I have an old digital logbook that uses Excel (an old 2016 license) to print the pages. I'll switch to Linux full time once MS forces my hand.

 

[pshufd]

Yeah, there's a whole cottage industry that has debloating scripts, which in of itself is a sad state of affairs. What annoys me the most is MS actively trying to stop people from using windows the way they want, specifically local accounts, not being forced to use onedrive, etc.

I think that's why there's a lot of frustration in seeing advertisements from apple, trying to promote their icloud and subscription services. We're paying for a premium product and have to accept the walled garden, yet the very things we fled from are showing up in the apple ecosystem.

There's a third alternative and I've not fully vetted it out, but so far I'm quite impressed, and that's Linux. I'm not trying to proclaim that 2026 is the year of Linux, but linux is now uniquely position to offer the best of both windows and macos worlds. The linux platform is still quite fractured that will probably prevent wide spread adoption but I'm seeing people flee windows in numbers that I've not seen before - if you are to believe reddit,youtube, and social platforms.

I installed cachyos on my PC, perhaps I'll do one of those 30 day challenges of just using Linux? it has a few rough spots like trying to mount my icloud drive but overall, everything I can do on windows and macos, I can do with cachyos.

I am very tied to iCloud apps and I do not want to change ecosystems. Apple's iCloud has proven itself as super-reliable to me. I also have programs that run best on Windows. I really find both Windows and macOS to be great but it requires some work to get there. I am very cautious on Tahoe though I need to test it out to see how it feels.

I run into a decent number of people that use my three primary programs that complain about the lack of native Linux support. One of the programs could be set up to run through WINE - that's how it runs on macOS and it is supported by the vendor but they don't put out a Linux version. So you are free to do it yourself if you want to.

The next is a portable program. It supports macOS x86, macOS Apple Silicon, and Windows 11 natively. It does not support Windows 11 ARM natively nor does it support Linux at all. I suppose you could try to run the Windows 11 version through WINE or a virtual machine but you take a hit in performance, UI responsiveness and battery life if on a laptop. I suspect that they could add Linux support with a flip of a switch and adding another testing platform but that the percentage of their customer base that uses Linux is tiny.

So macOS and Windows serve me well right now but I have to modify them on a new system reinstall or upgrade. And that's acceptable to me these days. I don't see myself moving away from macOS because of the ecosystem and don't see myself moving away from Windows because my software runs best on Windows. It's possible that the latter changes but it would most likely be from Windows to macOS and not Linux as my software vendors don't seem to be interested in doing Linux.

M5 likely overcomes the costs of WINE and Rosetta 2 for my main application so that an M5 Studio would likely perform comparably to my 2020 i7-10700 system. It is possible that such a system could replace the need for using my Windows desktop and it would simplify things. And that's why I'm considering an M1 Max to M5 Max upgrade. It probably isn't a good option on the laptop because the double translation, while performing well, would probably hit battery life pretty hard.

There's one other application that may be useful for me with Linux but I haven't gotten it to work but it's something that I try every now and then. But that would run in a virtual machine under Windows or macOS.

 

[pshufd]

And lets be honest, the majority of people using windows will not even bother trying, they have no knowledge or expertise to undertake such an operation.

This in a weird way makes it even more infuriating that MS removed the oobe\bypassnro command to allow those who know install windows with a local account. I mean the majority of people won't go that route, only techies, some prosumers and hobbyists, but they bent over backwards to force everyone onto their online account

This appears to be the new incantation:

The thing is that most people getting a new laptop will want to set it up as quickly as possible and then get to running it instead of digging around for an incantation to avoid using a Microsoft Windows account.

 

[pshufd]

It's weird, my desktop is running 11 from an old license from long ago. I've said for years I'll switch away from Windows once they finally stop letting me use it, but it just keeps working. And other than friggin' OneDrive ads, it seems pretty bloat and AI free (don't have to log in either).

That said, I'll never pay a dime for Windows again. I only keep this one because I have an old digital logbook that uses Excel (an old 2016 license) to print the pages. I'll switch to Linux full time once MS forces my hand.

You haven't needed a license to run Windows in a long time since Windows 10 days. If you aren't licensed, there's a watermark in the lower right corner of the display and there are a few UI operations that you can't do.

 

[dmr727]

You haven't needed a license to run Windows in a long time since Windows 10 days. If you aren't licensed, there's a watermark in the lower right corner of the display and there are a few UI operations that you can't do.

Huh. There certainly doesn't seem to be any indication that it's unregistered - no watermark, no messages, etc. When I built the machine a few years back I seem to remember entering that long license number, but maybe I'm misremembering. That said, if I can't tell any difference, that's fine with me. 🙂

 

[pshufd]

Huh. There certainly doesn't seem to be any indication that it's unregistered - no watermark, no messages, etc. When I built the machine a few years back I seem to remember entering that long license number, but maybe I'm misremembering. That said, if I can't tell any difference, that's fine with me. 🙂

You may be licensed.

I'm just saying that you don't need to be.

I've been building Windows virtual machines for a very long time on a bunch of systems and I wouldn't be if I had to pay Microsoft $130 for each VM.

 

[splifingate]

...if I'm weather curious

Really like the way you say that! Can I steal the phrase? 😉

 

[eltoslightfoot]

The issue isn’t whether it is “easily dealt with” it is whether or not you’re having to fight the damn OS to make it usable and get your job done.

Agreed, the problem is, Apple is going down the same path. It's not good in either case. I guess the difference is that with Microsoft at least I can disable the annoying things.

 

[wonderings]

This appears to be the new incantation:

The thing is that most people getting a new laptop will want to set it up as quickly as possible and then get to running it instead of digging around for an incantation to avoid using a Microsoft Windows account.

I am wondering if the version of Windows I use is why I don't have the same issues being forced on me, I know it is why I can make an offline account simply by setting one up. I have a Windows Enterprise key through work. I don't really know what is different between that and other versions, but I never get asked about one drive or office, no copilot popping up for anything, it is there I know that, just never use it. And as I said before I can make an offline account and have an offline account which involved zero work arounds. When I built my PC a month or so ago I loaded windows, entered in my username and password without needing an email address or anything like that. Not sure what the price difference is or if you can even buy Windows Enterprise but if not a crazy difference in price maybe that is something to look into for people.

 

[maflynn]

I have a Windows Enterprise

Yes, the enterprise version of windows does not have the same requirements and it also lacks advertisements. I don't know about telemetry but at the very least you can use local accounts.

 

[eltoslightfoot]

I am wondering if the version of Windows I use is why I don't have the same issues being forced on me, I know it is why I can make an offline account simply by setting one up. I have a Windows Enterprise key through work. I don't really know what is different between that and other versions, but I never get asked about one drive or office, no copilot popping up for anything, it is there I know that, just never use it. And as I said before I can make an offline account and have an offline account which involved zero work arounds. When I built my PC a month or so ago I loaded windows, entered in my username and password without needing an email address or anything like that. Not sure what the price difference is or if you can even buy Windows Enterprise but if not a crazy difference in price maybe that is something to look into for people.

Pro is a happy medium. It allows full Bitlocker, and you can disable most things in Pro. Enterprise is better, but you have to have a Business Account and spend like $400 a year for 5 accounts or something like that...

 

[wonderings]

Pro is a happy medium. It allows full Bitlocker, and you can disable most things in Pro. Enterprise is better, but you have to have a Business Account and spend like $400 a year for 5 accounts or something like that...

Yeah I found that out when I just googled it to see if you could buy Enterprise. When I think to my previous build that I purchased a copy of Windows 11 for, think it was Home. I would get Windows trying to get me to opt into deals after a big update or something like that. Was not evertime so just skipping worked out well. Enterprise is definitely the cleanest version of Win 11 I have used and will be sticking with that as long as I can.

 

[pshufd]

Pro is a happy medium. It allows full Bitlocker, and you can disable most things in Pro. Enterprise is better, but you have to have a Business Account and spend like $400 a year for 5 accounts or something like that...

This may be why I don't see ads in my virtual machines. I install Windows 11 Pro even though I don't pay for it.

 

[throAU]

Yes, the enterprise version of windows does not have the same requirements and it also lacks advertisements. I don't know about telemetry but at the very least you can use local accounts.

Enterprise is also not legal without an enterprise agreement.

No, buying keys on the internet doesn’t count: they’re not for resale.

 

[wonderings]

Enterprise is also not legal without an enterprise agreement.

No, buying keys on the internet doesn’t count: they’re not for resale.

Yeah I found that out when I did a search. We have it as a Microsoft reseller through our web devision. It would be tough going back to a non enterprise version if we ever gave up the reseller program.

 

[pshufd]

Enterprise is also not legal without an enterprise agreement.

No, buying keys on the internet doesn’t count: they’re not for resale.

Google AI says that you can install Windows 11 Enterprise without a license key, same as Home and Pro.

When you go to install, it asks you for the version you want to install and it gives you five options. I always just choose Pro but Enterprise might be in the list too.

 

[wonderings]

Google AI says that you can install Windows 11 Enterprise without a license key, same as Home and Pro.

When you go to install, it asks you for the version you want to install and it gives you five options. I always just choose Pro but Enterprise might be in the list too.

Enterprise is in the list but you need a valid key for it, so without it it won't install and from what I understand you can't go to a store and buy Windows 11 Enterprise. Not sure if you install without the key if things will change over time if it will ask for it or turn off features till you register.

 

[pshufd]

Enterprise is in the list but you need a valid key for it, so without it it won't install and from what I understand you can't go to a store and buy Windows 11 Enterprise. Not sure if you install without the key if things will change over time if it will ask for it or turn off features till you register.

Challenge accepted.

It looks like it is a separate kit as it didn't offer me Windows Enterprise in the kit that I had on my NAS.

Google AI said that you could install Windows 11 Enterprise without a key - you would just get the watermark and a few things would be unavailable.

 

[throAU]

Google AI says that you can install Windows 11 Enterprise without a license key, same as Home and Pro.

When you go to install, it asks you for the version you want to install and it gives you five options. I always just choose Pro but Enterprise might be in the list too.

I know you're saying with no key, but for those who think they can just buy a third party key:

Florida woman imprisoned for massive Microsoft license fraud scheme

A Florida woman was sentenced to 22 months in prison for running a massive years-long scheme to traffic thousands of stolen Microsoft Certificate of Authenticity (COA) labels.

www.bleepingcomputer.com

enterprise requires enterprise media download which is only available via the enterprise agreement portal

 

[eltoslightfoot]

I know you're saying with no key, but for those who think they can just buy a third party key:

Florida woman imprisoned for massive Microsoft license fraud scheme

A Florida woman was sentenced to 22 months in prison for running a massive years-long scheme to traffic thousands of stolen Microsoft Certificate of Authenticity (COA) labels.

www.bleepingcomputer.com

enterprise requires enterprise media download which is only available via the enterprise agreement portal

This is something far different honestly. These are physical media codes for Office and Windows 10. Windows 11, to my knowledge, doesn't even use them.

 

[wonderings]

I know you're saying with no key, but for those who think they can just buy a third party key:

Florida woman imprisoned for massive Microsoft license fraud scheme

A Florida woman was sentenced to 22 months in prison for running a massive years-long scheme to traffic thousands of stolen Microsoft Certificate of Authenticity (COA) labels.

www.bleepingcomputer.com

enterprise requires enterprise media download which is only available via the enterprise agreement portal

Don't think that is true, I did not get the Windows installer from work, did that just through the normal Windows channels. I cannot remember which file I downloaded, but if it was the Enterprise version then that is downloadable via the regular download section for Windows. If not then all you need is your Enterprise key when it prompts you for it.