Rolled Back to Windows 10

After using Windows 11 for more than month. I went back to Windows 10 yesterday.

This is the 3rd Windows I blew away, over the past two decades. The others being, Vista and 8.

Observations from use

  1. Not as reliable yet for production use. The reliability history was riddled with errors, not previously in 10. Also, freezing on the desktop. This never happened with Windows 10.
  2. UI is a step back from Windows 10. Dumbed down start menu, buried context menus, etc.
  3. Other issues, like strange, intermittent Microsoft sign in problems.
  4. Gaming seemed less in Windows 11 (FPS). I am not sure if it’s my imagination. Or perhaps, an unoptimized driver for the older card?

I might install Windows 11 again, in a year or two from now.

Windows 11 is honestly not bad, it just needs another year of refining, patching, and finessing. It might be perfect then!

Note:

My PC is a 2018, Dell XPS 8930 with an I7-8700, 16GB RAM and GTX 1060. It meets all the requirements and is not the issue.

Conversation 13 comments

  • hrlngrv

    Premium Member
    26 March, 2022 - 7:07 pm

    <p>FWLIW, I like experimenting with different desktop shells or UI components. Windows 11 with a dock and a 3rd party Start menu is bearable, though I’m likely to be unusual in not caring about seeing notifications (using an immobile desktop PC always on AC with cabled networking there aren’t many urgent notifications anyway; in my experience on my own PC, Security Center notifications are more often annoyances than urgent).</p><p><br></p><p>Cairo Desktop Environment, vaguely Mac-like, is OK but not for me. I’ve been trying StartAllBack, and it may become my preferred option.</p><p><br></p><p>As for context menus, you could use 3rd party file managers, but that’d still leave the desktop (unless using a complete replacement desktop shell like Cairo Desktop Environment) and context menus access from applications’ File-Open and File-SaveAs dialogs.</p><p><br></p><p>Sadly, it seems one legacy Sinofsky left MSFT which MSFT has either embraced or hasn’t cared to shrug off is the <em>my way or the highway</em> approach to UI changes. IOW, unlike Vista and prior, <strong>there will be no configuration option to use the previous version’s UI</strong>. One could use Program Manager and File Manager (Windows 3.x defaults) from Windows 95 through Windows 2K, and Excel 4 menus through Excel 8 (Office 97), but Windows 7 no longer included the Classic Start Menu (thankfully that spawned Classic Shell, which has become Open Shell), and Office 2007 imposed the ribbon . . . <em>you’re welcome</em>.</p><p><br></p><p>Let’s hope Windows 11 finally reaches feature parity with Windows 10 before Windows 10 reaches EOS.</p>

    • polloloco51

      26 March, 2022 - 7:23 pm

      <p>Windows 11 just needs another year to be perfected. </p><p><br></p><p>I wish Microsoft could bring back, legacy UI. Like the 9X classic theme! I miss being able to change themes! </p><p><br></p><p>Windows 7 &amp; Vista had Basic, Aero, and Classic Theme. Now, Windows is just one theme, with limited options. </p><p><br></p><p>Windows 98 had the cool themes you could make with custom mouse cursers, and system sounds.</p>

      • hrlngrv

        Premium Member
        26 March, 2022 - 9:59 pm

        <p>There’s always WindowBlinds from Stardock.</p>

  • dftf

    27 March, 2022 - 7:48 am

    <p>Unless you’re a tech-reviewer and so have to use the latest version, there’s no real compelling reason to move to Windows 11 right-now.</p><p><br></p><p>Windows 10 will get security updates until October 2025, or later, for some of the LTSC variants (Jan 2029 for the 2019 LTSC, for example).</p><p><br></p><p>All current apps, games and drivers will continue to support it for years yet. Most apps right now still support Windows 7 (though drivers not-so-much and many AAA games either don’t, or won’t provide any support for issues on those platforms).</p><p><br></p><p>Unless you <em>really </em>need to run Android apps on a Windows device, what other exclusive features or apps make it a must-have?</p><p><br></p><p>Plus, given Windows 11 means that Microsoft have reverted to the old release-schedule then surely we can expect Windows 12 around late 2024? So you could skip 11 entirely (as many did with both Vista and 8) and wait for 12 while still being safe on Windows 10 until then…</p>

    • polloloco51

      27 March, 2022 - 10:44 am

      <p>"Unless you’re a tech-reviewer and so have to use the latest version, there’s no real compelling reason to move to Windows 11 right-now."</p><p><br></p><p>Or, preinstalled on a new machine! Windows 11 feels beta-ish still and not in its final form yet. It needs a lot more time to be refined. </p><p><br></p><p>File explorer actually crashed, when I was copying over 2GB worth of files. This is why, I cannot recommend 11 to friends and family! </p><p><br></p><p>I agree</p><p>There is nothing compelling in Window 11. There is no reason to upgrade right now! </p><p><br></p><p>Windows 8 at least, offered material reasons to upgrade. The improved performance and faster boot time. Windows 11 is all just cosmetic.</p><p><br></p><p><br></p><p><br></p><p><br></p>

      • justme

        Premium Member
        31 March, 2022 - 9:25 am

        <p>Yes. Have the pre-installed issue with a relative’s new machine. With 11 on it, freezes, periodic UI stuttering, and crashes galore. The machine also had occasional issues just booting. Did a clean install of 10 and the problems went away (and have stayed away, touch wood). I suspect faulty drivers may be at the core of the issue – but at the end of the day, 11 just feels not-ready-for-prime-time.</p>

  • navarac

    27 March, 2022 - 9:39 am

    <p>Anyone rolling back might bear in mind that they should ensure that TPM2.0 is either not installed discretely or in the BIOS. You may not want MFST sneaking W11 back on the system when your back was turned.</p><p><br></p><p>I personally dumped W11 within 2 weeks or release last year. Panos Panay being in charge of Windows is a case of "Sinofsky MkII". I’m happily using Linux except for Gaming on W10.</p>

  • yb

    Premium Member
    27 March, 2022 - 10:28 am

    <p>I agree with most of the observations above;</p><p><br></p><p>Using Windows 10 extensively, for work, volunteering and my own things, I create, edit, share and save lots of files; this includes my photos too. I need different logins for different things, so I use local accounts only. I do not play games.</p><p><br></p><p>I loaded Win11 on one of my older spare machines; as has been said before, Win11 dumbed down menus and users choice, causing me to have to use on extra click for so much of my routine work. This is *unproductive*- or as Paul calls it- a regression.</p><p><br></p><p>I installed third party software to restore Win 10 window explorer; I have Start11; I have my own screen saver.</p><p><br></p><p>Looking at the result, my OP system does not look like Win11 at all; But, looking for all of those third party software packages, installing and testing them took much more of my time that I would have liked.</p><p><br></p><p>My colleagues at work and the organisations I volunteer are non Tech but experienced users – not as technically confident as I am – they would not install any of the above, so they would not touch Win11 at the moment. they are on Win10.</p><p><br></p><p>I am not convinced at all that the Win11 team would repair the damage they have caused to those who use Windows/office intensively. Win11 for me is a a triumph of form[different interface and rounded corners] over substance [usability] .</p><p><br></p><p>the forthcoming 22H2 package contains mostly cosmetics – most of it is not much use to office workers. maybe the snap app is useful… </p><p><br></p><p>at least Win11 is not as bad as Win8 was; for ordinary non tech users the experience was terrible; Win 11 is not good for non tech intensive users- the ones not confident enough to trawl for and install third party packages to restore productivity that was lost with Win11 ‘modernisation’ of windows explorer and taskbar. </p><p><br></p><p><br></p><p><br></p><p><br></p><p><br></p><p><br></p><p><br></p>

    • dave78

      27 March, 2022 - 10:29 pm

      <p>8 was fine for me having only used 7 until I bought a touchscreen Dell laptop with 8.</p>

  • yaddamaster

    27 March, 2022 - 3:17 pm

    <p>Been using Windows since 2.0. Fanboy for decades. Wide variety of hardware: custom, dell, lenovo, microsoft (surface line).</p><p><br></p><p>Macbook at work for last four. Yesterday I went to BestBuy and directly compared Apple vs a wide variety of Windows machines.</p><p><br></p><p>My next laptop will almost certainly be a Mac at this point. Yes, there’s a slight premium cost. But it just works. Microsoft has had enough time to catch up. Instead they let Windows 10 languish.</p><p><br></p><p>Too little. Too late for me.</p>

  • Rachel Gomez

    28 March, 2022 - 4:32 am

    <ol><li>Here’s how to do it: Start menu &gt; Settings &gt; Windows Update &gt; Advanced options &gt; Recovery &gt; Previous version of Windows (you may see "Go back" instead). That’s it!&nbsp;</li><li>Once 10 days have passed, you can still go back to Windows 10, but it’ll be a little trickier: You’ll need to back up your data and perform&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">what Microsoft calls a "clean install"</span>&nbsp;of Windows 10 on your PC. </li><li>Or, if you’re smart,&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">you will have backed up your system</span>&nbsp;before installing Windows 11 in the first place and can restore from that.&nbsp;</li><li>Should you choose, you can stick with Windows 10 for&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">four more years</span>&nbsp;until Microsoft stops supporting it in October 2025. If the 10-day countdown sounds new, that’s because&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Windows 10 initially launched with a 30-day window</span>&nbsp;for easy rollbacks.&nbsp;</li></ol><p>Greeting,</p><p>Rachel Gomez</p>

  • sherlockholmes

    Premium Member
    28 March, 2022 - 9:23 pm

    <p><em>Been there, done that. Back on Windows 10 Enterprise and I never thought I would be so happy to use Win 10 again. </em></p>

  • rickeveleigh

    Premium Member
    30 March, 2022 - 4:10 am

    <p>Been on 11 since it went to beta (not dev); still in the beta channel. No issues, no crashes, not using any 3rd party additions. Got used to the changes quite quickly including the centred taskbar.</p>

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