When Windows 7 came out I told my customers that Windows could be problematic but would serve them mostly well as long as they installed a good anti-virus. But with Windows 8, 10, 11, Office 365, and the sadism of OneDrive and Windows Update, Microsoft has gone off the rails. Aside from becoming an unreliable partner, they seem to be more in the way than leading the way. I suggest you consider them as we did AOL and start limiting your exposure to their products and your chances for harassment and random suffering. Eventhough just under 90% of the world still uses Windows PCs, this post is to plant the seed that you deserve better.
The days of exciting new software upgrades are long gone. The best software does this: work smoothly and not be a pain in your ass. It should be invisible to you like your steering wheel.
The dust and hype has settled and it turns out our computers only need to browse the net, play songs, gather an unmanageable amount of photos, watch movies, and send email.
Here is what I use, respectively: Google Chrome, iTunes, Google Photos, Media Player Classic or VLC player, and Gmail.
There is no rush here. I am presenting these suggestions as part of your long game. Not all of these strategies will be practical for everyone or easy to navigate. They are here because I believe that Microsoft’s trajectory will continue to make your life more complicated, not the less you should be seeking. Microsoft is an entity that hungers only for market share. If intuitive workflow and your routine get in the way, so what.
When it comes to any Microsoft update or upgrade, if your computer works fine, don’t fix it. I promise you will only be left behind with the all those people whose computers still work. Wait until you are compelled to upgrade by something tangible, (like an evil step-mother forcing you or ISIS holding a family member hostage until you do, or maybe until “the power of Christ compels you”). An MS update will never make your computer run faster, usually the opposite.
Become dependant on no new Microsoft products. If you need a new free email account, video player, calendar program, don’t get a MS one. There are better options, for the long run.
If you want a word processor, try Google docs or Open Office. Microsoft Office has gone online and charges too much. From what I have seen so far, it can be a fiasco. Try and track down an OEM Office 2007 disk and serial number on Ebay, and use it in perpetuity. Ask me to install Office 2007. It will do exactly the same thing as the newest versions: type letters, do spreadsheety stuff and nothing more, but not extract $70/yr for the rest of your life.
OneDrive is shoved into your face, like it or not. It is the worst. The best time to get rid of it is first thing when you start up a new computer, which I do for my customers. If you miss that window, don’t log into it and don’t uninstall it unless it is the first thing you do when you boot your new computer. It is like a persistent virus. In short, what it does is take over your Documents, Desktop, and Pictures folders and MOVE THEM to a place you don’t know. Once it does that, removing it is quite a project that doesn’t always succeed. Don’t encourage it.
Transition away from Outlook the program, Windows Live, all Microsoft emails, i.e., @hotmail, @msn, @live, @outlook, and @email-password-got-hacked-and-torture-me-because-there-is-no-one-home-at-microsoft-to-verify-who-I-am.com.
Once everyone gulps and accepts Windows 10 it may not be that bad. (Update: It was that bad.) But what about the OS after that? Their record is not comforting. Your stance should be more like that of someone who has for 20yrs listened to a compulsive gambler ask for money because this time it's a sure thing!
Maybe it's time to transition to a Mac? They have a slightly different interface, but it’s not that different. I transitioned my Mom to a Mac, and she loves it, because it just works. Think about this: the transition from Windows 7 to annoying Windows 8 and 10 were at least as different as the interface change you will experience going from Windows Crap to Mac OS. The fear about going to Mac is unnecessary, except the initial cost.
Windows 11?
I would avoid it as long as you can ignore the nagging to upgrade. Is it better or worse? Seems about the same as Windows 10, not really ready for prime time. The Windows updates that screw people’s computers up are a large percentage of my business lately. Don’t run the updates if you are in a hurry or have something important to do on your computer that day. Anything can happen. I only see the updates that go wrong, but that percentage has gone up.