Even the required Microsoft account sign-in, one of the most complained about aspects of Windows 11, was a Windows 10 innovation: it was easier to bypass than it is today, and it was only for the Home edition of the software, but in retrospect it was clearly a step further down the path Windows 11 is currently on.
However, Windows 11 has made things worse
A desktop with an extra informative background icon, a Start menu full of apps you may or may not use, and a busy taskbar greet you the first time you log into Windows 11.
Andrew Cunningham
A desktop with an extra informative background icon, a Start menu full of apps you may or may not use, and a busy taskbar greet you the first time you log into Windows 11.
Andrew Cunningham
A cleaner desktop, taskbar and Start menu, with many unnecessary elements removed. With the exception of Edge, most Windows apps can be kept or removed as desired.
Andrew Cunningham
A cleaner desktop, taskbar and Start menu, with many unnecessary elements removed. With the exception of Edge, most Windows apps can be kept or removed as desired.
Andrew Cunningham
A desktop with an extra informative background icon, a Start menu full of apps you may or may not use, and a busy taskbar greet you the first time you log into Windows 11.
Andrew Cunningham
A cleaner desktop, taskbar and Start menu, with many unnecessary elements removed. With the exception of Edge, most Windows apps can be kept or removed as desired.
Andrew Cunningham
But many of the annoyances of Windows 11 Are new. And the big problem is that these annoyances are piled on top of the annoying things Windows 10 already did, gradually piling up to take the new PC setup process from “mild” to “extremely” annoying.
The Microsoft account sign-in requirement is zero for many of these, because logging in with an account unlocks a litany of additional ads for Microsoft 365, Game Pass, and other services you may or may not need or want. Connecting to the internet and logging in became a requirement for new installations of both Home and Pro versions of Windows 11 starting in version 22H2, and while workarounds existed then and still exist today, you'll need to know about them beforehand or look them up yourself – the operating system doesn't give you an option to skip. Microsoft will also apparently close some of these loopholes in future updates, making circumvention even more difficult.
And as if going through those screens when setting up a new PC wasn't annoying enough, Windows 11 will regularly remind you of other Microsoft services again via the Second Chance Out-Of-Box Experience screen, or SCOOBE. This default enabled “feature” has helped me “complete” Windows 11 installations that are years old and rather thoroughly set up. It can be disabled via a hidden checkbox in the notification settings, but removing it or making it easier to remove it permanently from the SCOOBE screen itself would be a more user-friendly change, especially since Microsoft already bombards users with “helpful reminders” about many of the same services via system notifications.
