Windows 11: Worth Upgrading?
1.28.22 | by Mount Vernon Computers Staff

It’s been six  years since a major Windows release, so it was no surprise when Microsoft announced Windows 11 over the Summer of 2021. 

Just like with any operating system release, there are positives, negatives, and a number of unnecessary changes. We break them down below.

The Good

An upcoming feature that will be released in a future update will allow Android apps to run on your Windows PC. However, this will be limited to apps from the Amazon app store. You will be able to find them in the new, combined Windows and Amazon store.

TPM 2.0 offers better security to your files and data. Here are instructions on how to enable TPM 2.0. In order to upgrade from 10 to 11, TPM 2.0 must be active and enabled.

It feels more modern. The menus have been given a  face lift, and feel more mobile – which is ultimately a good thing, since it’s the best version of Windows to use with a touchscreen device. The nearly-useless “Cortana” search bar, which we always turned off, is now no longer taking up valuable real-estate on the taskbar. 

There have been significant improvements to how Windows allocates resources – allowing computers to wake up faster and quickly open new programs, even with a near-maxed-out CPU.

The Bad

Most computers that come with Windows 11 and computers that have had a “clean” installation of Windows 11 have VBS (Virtualization-based security) enabled. This is an effective security feature, but it has a severe negative impact on gaming performance even on high-end systems and it may also harm performance during everyday tasks, especially on weaker computers.

System requirements are the heftiest yet – with some confusion initially from the software giant. 

Local accounts have been removed – so a Microsoft account is necessary in order to use Windows 11. 

The Unnecessary

The start menu and taskbar items have been centered a la MacOS or ChromeOS.  However, it can be moved back to the left if desired.  A Windows 7 style start menu can be installed using Classic Start  – however, on certain Windows 11 installations, pressing the “start button” causes both menus to open. No thank you…

Microsoft has removed 3D viewer, OneNote for Windows 10, Paint 3D, and Skype from coming installed with Windows 11. However, these programs can be found in the Microsoft store as free downloads.

Final Thoughts

Like with most software releases, it’s best to give time for the developers to work out any bugs – especially when it comes to an entire operating system. As of now, we recommend sticking with 10, and waiting until Spring or Summer 2022 once any issues are ironed out. 

Did your new computer come with Windows 11? If you prefer Windows 10, we can help.

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