Windows 11 25H2 officially released

[Sirius]

Thankfully as a Nobara 42 user with the KDE desktop i dont have to worry about copilot, recall or any of the other bull excreta that microsoft is trying to force on users.

Originally Posted by Hugh

If there is AI in Windows, I want it to be my choice to use it, rather than it being on by default.

But ... but ... but its AI, why wouldn't you want it.
AI is the best thing ever, or so they would have you believe ...

[Carth]

Originally Posted by Paul

But ... but ... but its AI, why wouldn't you want it.
AI is the best thing ever, or so they would have you believe ...

I believe, I believe . . honestly I believe AI is brilliant

right, that's the AI search bots satisfied and reporting back that everything is going fine

[Anonymouse]

I love Big Brother! Nice one!

[Anonymouse]

ATM I'm running 23H2 (yes, that's a 3, which is not a typo!) with a Registry hack to defer updates till next year. This is why.

If they can't even do updates properly, how do they expect people to accept the AI agents? It's no wonder folk are defecting to Linux - I'm on the verge myself.

[Anonymouse]

Apparently support is ending this year for 23H2.

<sarcasm> (we need that emoji!) Oh, I'm so sad. And so surprised.</sarcasm>

I lived without updates on my 8 laptop for NINE YEARS. I won't miss them on 11, and thus far I've seen no detrimental effects from my Registry hack. If Windows stops working I'll just nuke it and give my 4TB to Linux Mint.

In fact I may do that anyway.

[Jaymoss]

Sometimes I feel like I am the only tech expert that likes Windows in nearly all its variations. I Liked Vista because I invested in plenty of Ram and it run awesome I liked 8 once Start8 was installed and I like Windows 11 too

I liked Windows 2000, and I dont mind Windows 7.

Never used Windows 8, but I gather its similar to Windows 7.

Dont care for Windows 10, and certainly dont like Windows 11, they messed up all the context menus.

(Just part of a bigger issue with W10/11, they made loads of unnecessary changes, and added tons of bloat).

[Sirius]

The only time i use windows now is at work. I am not into AI or having all my usage monitored and analysed. My home Pc's are all linux based and i will not be changing back to the latest AI slop from Microsoft.

[Jaymoss]

Originally Posted by Paul

I liked Windows 2000, and I dont mind Windows 7.

Never used Windows 8, but I gather its similar to Windows 7.

Dont care for Windows 10, and certainly dont like Windows 11, they messed up all the context menus.

(Just part of a bigger issue with W10/11, they made loads of unnecessary changes, and added tons of bloat).

Can not argue with that but if you install English international instead of UK or US you get a lot less bloat

[damien c]

Originally Posted by Jaymoss

Sometimes I feel like I am the only tech expert that likes Windows in nearly all its variations. I Liked Vista because I invested in plenty of Ram and it run awesome I liked 8 once Start8 was installed and I like Windows 11 too

Vista was great when you ran it how it should and had a system powerful enough for it.

My issues with Vista started after a GPU Waterblock cracked, after that it never ran fine for me, and I ended up back on XP till about 12 months after Windows 7 released.

I have still not done a fresh install using my Enterprise ISO's yet, but I have a lot going on at the moment but once I am able to relax etc I will be doing that, will get rid of a lot of crap that is not needed.

Did a fresh install though the other night using a normal Win 11 Pro iso, the International one not using the media creation tool, my god they have filled that with so much bloat and you cannot uninstall a lot of it without using something like the Chris Titus tool.

For those interested though the "Shift + F10" then "oobe\bypassnro" then unplug your ethernet or do the "Ipconfig/release", bunch of commands still works on Win 11 Pro to create a local account.

Microsoft may learn one day but sadly I don't think I will be alive when that day comes unless a miracle happens.

Originally Posted by Jaymoss

Can not argue with that but if you install English international instead of UK or US you get a lot less bloat

Its my Work Laptop, so I dont really have a choice on that.

[djmagnifique]

I really liked Windows ME. So much more stable than Win 98.

https://www.techpowerup.com/345893/m...-core-features

February 2nd 2026

Microsoft Steps Back from "AI Everywhere" in Windows 11 to Focus on Core Features

If you're tired of seeing Microsoft's AI features like Copilot, agentic workloads, and Recall forced into their products, you're not alone. Microsoft has finally confirmed that it will be stepping back from its "AI everywhere" strategy.

According to an exclusive report by Windows Central, the internal Windows 11 teams at Microsoft are now focusing on reducing forced AI integration. Instead, they aim to address what truly matters to consumers, such as fixing the bug-prone operating system and enhancing core features for a smoother user experience. The integration of Copilot into basic apps like Notepad and Paint is reportedly under review, and Microsoft may remove these features to restore the basic functionality users have come to appreciate. This includes features like basic text formatting and tables in Notepad, which are nice additions to a core application.

Additionally, forcing Copilot AI button in every application has been paused, as there has been very little interest from users in actually using these features. TechPowerUp Forums has been a constant source of criticism for Microsoft's forced AI integration, among the remaining large crowd of PC enthusiasts who have been fighting the "AI everywhere" approach for a while. Microsoft's telemetry records usage of these AI buttons and additions, likely showing that only a few percent of Windows 11 users are actually interested in having AI access every application layer, especially with the recent ambition to shape Windows 11 into "agentic OS." The company confirmed that these features are a security nightmare to maintain, so thankfully these efforts are now cancelled

[Anonymouse]

I don't believe it, they're showing sense at last! Who's died/been shot and replaced?

I'm still not going to update Windows, though. Not until I see some positive feedback.