Windows 11, a beautiful but broken update; So should you upgrade?

Windows 11 is the latest generational upgrade to Microsoft’s Windows operating system that appears to be largely a visual overhaul but with few functional improvements here and there. By the former, I mean the cleaner and redesigned UI elements which makes it look different from its precursor but a lot similar to macOS or ChromeOS. And the latter includes the more accessible settings and search functionality. As is common with any new update, the company also boasts the new OS to be better at performance, power efficiency, and security. Now, while some of those things seem true from our experience of the new Windows, not everything is sunshine and rainbows as Microsoft wants you to believe.

This is evident from the get-go, i.e., from the Windows OOBE (Out of Box Experience) or in other words, the Windows 11 set-up process. So, let’s start off with that and then get into the other underlying issues with the Windows 11 update.

Windows 11: Proceed with Caution

The stable Windows 11 update has started rolling out. And if you are planning to flash it on your personal computer or say thinking of buying a new Windows 11 machine, then these are some things you ought to know while making that decision:

Windows 11 Login and Lock-in

The new OOBE interface is pleasant and you can easily breeze through it. Here, you have to set the basic choices like your language, your country/region, your most common use case with Windows, privacy settings, and such. But, on the 6th or 7th screen, you’ll be asked to set up a pin. Mind you, this is not optional anymore like it was on the predecessor. Anyways, you do as asked and move to the next screen. Well, now, you’ll be asked to sign in with a Microsoft account, which also means you require an active internet connection. Again, it’s mandatory to do so, and if you don’t have an account, you are in effect forced to create a Microsoft account. Also, note that this is compulsory on the Windows 11 Home edition, not the Pro edition. In the latter, you get an option to skip.

Sure, a Microsoft account makes the whole Windows experience seamless with synced-up settings and the option to download apps from the built-in Windows Store (more on this later). And there are workarounds to bypass this login requirement. But, the point is that while Microsoft is beating the drum around Windows 11 as being an accessible operating system, we don’t get a similar sentiment right from the outset. Incidentally, this lock-in feeling would come up more in this article.

And that’s just the beginning folks.

Windows 11: Different can be Disorienting

Once you land on the desktop, you’ll just know things are different. As part of the UI revamp, Microsoft has taken a leaf out of Google and more importantly Apple’s book. Anybody who has seen the latter two’s operating systems would straight away realize where the design cues are from. The icons on the taskbar are now centered like the dock on macOS or shelf on ChromeOS. I, for one, like it, but I can understand how some might find it odd. Change can be scary even. For what it’s worth, the taskbar icons can be switched back to the left. This happens with a nice animation. There are plenty of such subtle animations but I’m not sure how they would appear on lower-powered devices.

Now the visual alteration continues on the Start Menu, Search Window, Action Center, Task View, File Explorer, and other areas. It’s all refreshing if you’d ask me, but the problem is some of it demands a learning curve that could be testing for some people. So Windows 11 might not be ideal for somebody who has trouble adapting to new technology or environment.

Then there is…

Windows 11: The Big Bing Theory

There is a new Widget pane that can be accessed by clicking on a dedicated taskbar button or pressing the ⊞ Win+W key combination. This could be a nifty feature presenting you all the important news headlines, sports scores, weather forecasts, and stuff in a neat panel. But since Windows 11 defaults to Microsoft’s own services, the results of clicking on Widgets open in MSN (Microsoft News). Similarly, when you look up for something in the Search option, it is opened in Bing, even if you have Google set as your preferred search engine. Perhaps, you can get past Bing by using Chromium extensions like Chrometana, still, it is clear that Microsoft wants to lock you into its product, rather than freeing you to make the choice.

Note that it is also a chore to switch your default browser. I agree that Edge browser has done wonders ever since it became Chromium-based (btw, it’s my pick over Chrome for its battery and memory efficiency) and that you can get by Bing too for most search and surf, but those browsing decisions should be your own, not Microsoft’s. Don’t you agree?

Windows 11: Skype and Zoom to Meet and Chat

Microsoft has integrated its proprietary communication platform called Teams into Windows 11. This appears as Chat on the Taskbar. Contrary to what you’d think, it lets you connect with family and friends anytime, start a quick call just by sharing a link, and support for sharing the screen, multimedia items, status settings, and emojis. You can also import contacts and calendar details from other Microsoft products like Outlook and Skype.

As such, Teams or Chat in this context has the potential to be a good video conferencing and chat app, for not just business, but personal. Be that as it may, you can’t push people to use a new communication medium, if they are already entrenched in alternatives like Zoom, Google Meet, WhatsApp, etc. And so, if you want to get rid of this, the easiest thing to do would be to remove the app from the taskbar. But even then, the Microsoft Teams runs in the background, and the Task Manager shows it as consuming 330 MB of memory. So, for those who don’t need it, Microsoft should offer an option to uninstall Teams. That’s all I am asking.

Windows 11: Some things are missing, for both good and bad

In the process of upgrade, Windows 11 has shed some things. While most of it is for good reason, some aren’t. Let me explain.

Windows 11 ditches stuff like Timeline, Live Tiles in Start Menu, 3D Viewer, Paint 3D, Internet Explorer, and Skype. To all these, I say Good riddance. But, what I miss (and I suppose many of you would) are options to Drag and Drop on the taskbar, to set taskbar size and position (btw there’s a registry hack), to set smaller icons on the taskbar, and to open Task Manager by right-clicking on the taskbar. So, basically, I feel Windows 11 has dwindled Taskbar functionality to a great extent and I don’t like it.

Some other things like the DirectStorage technology for faster load times on the Xbox has also not appeared yet. Also, downloading certain AAA titles from the MS Store takes you to Xbox store. And speaking of the Windows 11 Store, the promised app support isn’t completely here. I am not referring to Android apps and games, which as Microsoft has announced would be available only later this year. That’s alright, I guess. What I actually want is the regular x86 apps in the store. Some of them are already here like VLC, Zoom, Adobe suite, Discord, Visual Studio Code, etc. But, I want more. And I am sure, you too.

Chuck the absent, but what about the features that are available?

Windows 11: Stable Build, but with Behavioural Inconsistencies

One of the highlight features of Windows 11, as you know by now, is its visual renovation and a big part of it is dark mode. But, even whence the said mode is selected, apps like Task Manager and Run command box appear in white. Weird.

Likewise, when you dig deep into some advanced settings, you’d find legacy elements and design language.

I also find the touch targets a tad distant from the rounded corners of the windows so you’d have to place the resize pointer accordingly, to maximize.

Then there are bugs like when I press enter on a Local Drive (within This PC) and instead of opening the thing, the system displayed its Properties. Another time, upon a fresh installation, as I opened Microsoft Store, the old Windows 10 variant of the store showed up. The Windows 11 store presented itself only upon restarting the system three to four times. Granted these were isolated cases, but there are several such bizarre instances that make you wonder if you are using a stable build. Mhmm.

Moving on…

Windows 11: Still Excited, but is your System Ready?

Upgrading Windows from 10 to 11 isn’t easy as checking for updates in the settings. The thing is even if you are interested in Windows 11, the question is whether Windows 11 is interested in you, and most importantly your machine. To know if it is, you can use tools like PC Health Checkup Tool and the more bluntly named WhyNotWin11. If the said apps show your system as not ready, the reason could be that it fails to meet any of the following minimum system requirements for Windows 11:

So, you see there are certain upgrade restrictions on older hardware. And Microsoft’s ‘It’s not you, it’s me’ reason is “reliability” and “security” that Windows 11 is positioned to offer. Not just that, you will have to also ensure that —

• TPM 2.0 is enabled within your PC’s BIOS settings for Secure Boot to function, and
• Windows 11 is installed on MBR (Master Boot Record) storage, not GPT (GUID Partition Table).

I know those are a lot of technical mumbo jumbo. So in other words, let’s just say the upgrade situation is a bit complicated. Any if you don’t want to be bothered by these complex setup workarounds to get Windows 11 running even on older unsupported systems, the only solution you are left with is to buy a new Windows PC. And one might criticize this as Microsoft’s ploy, but who’s to say.

And with that we are at the finishing note —

Windows 11: Coaxed and Coerced into a Coarse Experience

So now that you have read so far, do you think you should upgrade from Windows 10 to 11? Well, if you ask me, it is not so smooth an experience as a stable release is supposed to be.

For all the reasons mentioned above, one might feel that Microsoft is coaxing and in some cases coercing the Windows users into a coarse software treatment. For the very least, it could have waited a bit longer and ironed out most, if not all the kinks before pushing the update. It’s not like we were eagerly waiting for a new Windows since Microsoft itself had in the past called Windows 10 the full and final version. And out of the blue comes Windows 11 six years since the former.

We get there has been a sudden spike in PC demand due to the new work and e-schooling lifestyle. And the Redmond-based company probably wanted to capitalize on that. But, be it because of the pandemic laden hurdles or organizational silos, things here aren’t well put together or polished enough. Differently put, Windows 11 still needs some work to be ready for the mainstream audience. And, until Microsoft fixes it, we think its users are in for a quirky ride.