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Windows 11: Why does Microsoft think they should change the START menu?

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Bicurico:
My laptop just updated to Windows 11. I did the upgrade for professional reasons, as a distributor of professional CAD/CAM/CAE software, I am required to use the latest versions of the operating system and applications we sell.

Anyway, after the computer booted into Windows 11 for the first time, I was greeted by this HORRIBLE new START menu. Yes, you can move it to the left, but you can no longer pin your favorite applications in groups for a quick access, like you do on Windows 10. Instead, they are pinned on a first START screen, where you cannot group them at all and only the first 15 are shown. If you want to see more, you need to scroll to the next page.

It gets worse: half of the START menu is used for recommendations: last accessed documents or applications. Why Microsoft? Why should I want to show my students and customers which were the last documents I accessed? Hello? Have you heard of privacy?

So next I searched how to get the old START menu back and found this Registry hack:

Open: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced
Then right-click on Advanced and select New → DWORD (32-bit) Value.
Name the new value Start_ShowClassicMode.

But, it does not work, because Microsoft disabled this key with heir latest November, 24th update.

WHY THE F*** DOES MICROSOFT INVEST SO MUCH TIME AND MONEY IN ANNOYING THEIR CUSTOMERS???
LEAVE THE F***ING START MENU ALONE!

It's not that I dislike Windows generically, like many do, and I am stuck on using it due to most professional software running on Windows only. But they make it really hard.

I dislike Linux even more than Windows and I think it is far away from real usability for the masses. Plus it lacks the professional software and drivers. Finally it is difficult to earn money developing software for Linux due to the GNU licenses and what not. Anyway, this is not a thread to discuss Windows vs Linux vs MacOSX (which I dislike, too, especially because once Apple considers your iMac/MacBook obsolete, you are excluded from getting most of the software, despite it being able to run perfectly well on your hardware - the proof being that you can hack MacOSX to install anyway).

This is just a runt on the stupid new START menu. I hope they get quickly a major shitstorm from users and revert back to the old one - or at least reactivate the Registry hack option.

Regards,
Vitor

tszaboo:
L'art pour l'art.
It's like the change for Windows 8. Everyone hated it, and they went back on it eventually.
I don't think I will install Windows 11.

PKTKS:
Just came across my attention recently how
they actually handle things...  like PERPETUAL and property

over what is now their property on GITHUB buz...


Contributor License Agreement (microsoft.com)

    Licenses.

    Copyright License. You grant Microsoft, and those who receive the Submission directly or indirectly from Microsoft, a perpetual, worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free, irrevocable license in the Submission to reproduce, prepare derivative works of, publicly display, publicly perform, and distribute the Submission and such derivative works, and to sublicense any or all of the foregoing rights to third parties.
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INSANITY or landlord fever ?

I will not write or support a single BIT of such terms...
Paul

Marco:
What the hell does Microsoft want ... the Windows 10 start menu might not have been popular for users, but for corporations it was pretty useful. XML configuration, lock all the important stuff behind nice big tiles etc. This new start menu seems designed specifically for the dumbest subset of normal users and almost unusable for corporations.

--- Quote ---When you customize the Start layout, you overwrite the entire full layout. A partial Start layout isn't available. Users can pin and unpin apps, and uninstall apps from Start. You can't prevent users from changing the layout.
--- End quote ---
???

What the hell is Microsoft doing? I don't want to get forced to buy Apple in the future, stop bloody failing Microsoft.

PS. as for why this happened, the new configuration is in JSON ... I assume they just have too much churn and there are no adults left to make decisions.

kaz911:
Well all the "Windows 10" updates kept adding more and more "advertising" for me

I "cross graded" to MacOS 2-3 years ago - and now my very stubborn better half who absolutely HATES new things :) has "cross graded" to MacOS as well. It took her about a week to get used to but it is like a breath of fresh air vs Windows 10 / 11.

The final straw for my better half was the amount of crap they kept serving up in Solitaire. She likes her puzzles and card games - but MS Solitaire became "advertising from hell" product - and that was the straw that broke the camels back.

We both have a Win 11 "parallels" available. But we rarely use it apart from for a few engineering tools (and Visio)

I still have a few Win 10 machines running - but every time I turn them on it is "wait 20 minutes to install updates" before you can work. Then the updates force the Anti "virus" scanner to run - then the indexer runs - so if you are on battery - 25% of the battery have drained due to "updates" and related start up issues. Then after normal update - Microsoft "Store" then starts updating all the "little app's" - and reinstall ALL the crap utilities I have uninstalled before and neither want or need.

Microsoft are bonkers...

Btw I do not think Apple and MacOS is without issues. But the user experience is just so so much better. The HW might be crappily made - and expensive. But it is not full of the constant Microsoft nagging and advertising.

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