Windows 11: “Bringing you closer to what you love”

We wanted to write a short blog post on Windows 11 so far. This article will not go into depth and include too much technical language, but we hope it is informative enough for people making a decision on whether to upgrade from Windows 10 or not. Enjoy!

On October 25th 2021, Microsoft introduced us to Windows 11. As with every new release of Windows that we’ve seen over the years, the new operating system brings us the realisation of how much we don’t like change. In addition, just like with every Windows release, Windows 11 was released with a tonne of issues making some users regret their decision to upgrade. One common issue we have seen several times at LC Computers since it’s release, is that after upgrading, Windows 11 prevented users from logging on to their machine.

Although a fixable solution, this is just one of many annoyances that people have so far had to deal with since the release.

So if you haven’t yet seen Windows 11, let’s take a look…

First Impressions Are Everything!

So at a first glance, the desktop appearance is quite appealing. It looks clean, modern, and the default background is satisfying on the eyes. We can’t help but feel that there is a feeling of Apple’s MacOS and Google’s ChromeOS within Windows 11. It could be due to the new placing of the icons on the bottom taskbar, having previously been placed to the left by default on most previous versions of Windows. Again this can be customised and moved over to the left. Users of Windows for many years have had strong opinions on everything relating to the Windows start button. Microsoft have again disappointed people who are still wishing they could just go back to using the Windows 7 Start menu. So what do people want from the Start menu that Windows 11 does not give us? Well as we said, we realise how much we don’t like change, so many of us would have been glad to see just a simple list of menu items instead of recommendations that we won’t use.

Now in the bottom right we also see some big changes. There are some similarities in that we still see our battery, wifi signal and volume. However upon clicking the icons to bring up information or to make changes, we are again presented with more Apple feeling windows, that suddenly give the look and feel of being on an iPad.

Performance

Performance wise, on a new machine, with the right hardware and a fresh install of Windows 11, the new operating system seems speedy to boot up, quick to react, and smooth running. Having said that, we don’t all have shiny new computers in front of us. Now in computers, there are two main manufacturers of processors. Intel and AMD. Microsoft have been working alongside Intel throughout the development of Windows 11, leaving AMD users to find out that after upgrading they would be met with sluggish performance and other annoyances. Microsoft claimed to have fixed this issue for AMD users, however not everyone has been convinced and many claim the issues still stand.

So what we’ve talked about briefly so far regards to Windows 11 already being installed or upgraded to. But what if you’re still on Windows 10 and looking to upgrade? Well, for a home user with limited IT knowledge, configuring your machine (if it meets the requirements) can be an overwhelming task. If your PC is not configured to meet the requirements, you will receive an error message telling you that you do not meet the system requirements. Oh dear. Once you receive this message you can think two things. Does my PC not support Windows 11? or do I need to configure it to be able to support it? Going on to complete the task yourself then requires research, time and head scratching depending on your technical knowledge. Explaining the process and technical details is outside of the scope of this blog, but we are happy to do the work for you.

You can still upgrade without meeting the strict requirements, however it is not recommended. Microsoft have implied that unsupported hardware will not receive important security updates for Windows 11. To find out if your system meets those requirements, you can download the ‘PC Health Check’ tool from Microsoft. If you would like to use Windows 11 but your machine is getting on a bit, then maybe it’s a good excuse to upgrade to a new computer!

Should I upgrade?

If you are pleased with Windows 10, then at this moment in time we would suggest to stick with what you’re comfortable with. Microsoft will continue to support Windows 10 with updates and bug fixes up until October 2025, so theres no need to rush into upgrading yet. We would still consider Windows 11 as new, and new software comes with it’s challenges. Electric vehicles have been around for quite some time now, but the world is still catching up to the new technology. For example, charging stations need to be installed in homes, petrol stations, car parks etc. It is the same with new operating systems, hardware and software needs to catch up to ensure compatability between technologies.

If you are still unsure on if you should upgrade or not, please feel free to give us a call or speak to a member of staff in store. We also have a PC on display running Windows 11 if you would like to get a feel for it before making a decision.

Subscribe to LC Computers on Youtube to see future videos and tutorials on Windows 11 and other software.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5plGTYOUI6HdvklO_GsCFQ

Thank you for your time!