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Replies to Msg. #1268138
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 Msg. #  Subject Posted by    Board    Date   
11029 Re: My New (Sorta) Windows-11 Laptop
   Hey De. Thanks for the tips and tricks. My 'tax computer' runs Wi... 		Zimbler0   GRITZ   23 Jul 2025
 12:36 AM
11024 Re: My New (Sorta) Windows-11 Laptop
   De, nice job and congrats on the new machine. I use OPERA browse... 		micro   GRITZ   23 Jul 2025
 12:13 AM
11004 Re: My New (Sorta) Windows-11 Laptop
   ...it don't matter what ya do, if ya got windows 11 microsoft is gonna... 		ribit   GRITZ   22 Jul 2025
 6:17 PM

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My New (Sorta) Windows-11 Laptop

By: De_Composed in GRITZ
Tue, 22 Jul 25 5:42 PM
Msg. 11002 of 11045
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I don't think there are any fans of Windows 11 here (Mmmm. 'cept for scuba, mebbe. But, according to him, he'll eat anything.) I figured some of you might get a little value from what I'm dealing with and attempting to surmount. Most of you will probably be doing it too, eventually. (And ribit already has, right?)

Two weeks or so ago I bought a new (refurbished) laptop from Woot for $419. It arrived yesterday. Amazon sells it for $634 (What you see at the bottom of this post is Amazon's ad since Woot no longer has the product.) That's a pretty good discount but, of course, what I bought isn't "new" like the one Amazon has. Mine comes with a 180 day warranty, but warranties don't usually get used. If the laptop works for a week, it's sound and I won't expect any further problems.

My old laptop still works, but it's a 2014 Dell that I bought (refurbed) in 2018. (That's ancient for a machine put through the wringer.) It's got several age-related glitches and needs to be retired.

My challenge is to configure the new laptop, an "MSI," to be tolerable. It won't be easy. Several of my applications (Dragon Naturally Speaking, Windows Classic Shell) don't work. Others might not (MS Office 2007). And there's all sorts of junk Microsoft forced upon me in the process of being set up as a 1st Time user. Here are the early steps I've taken:

1) I declined nearly all of the special offers Microsoft made. No tailored ads. No to all the optional requests for information. No additional utilities based upon my interests EXCEPT for "Pictures and Videos" - I'll know soon if that was a mistake.

2) I did sign on with my old Microsoft account since I didn't know at the time that I could have refused to do so. I did not allow the install to synch with my other devices to grab their apps, credentials, passwords, etc. If that means I lost the ability to "move" Minecraft to the MSI, then I'll probably regret that.

3) Upon 1st successful login, I deleted Microsoft OneDrive. I've heard too many horror stories about files that can't be found until they're found to have been moved mysteriously to the OneDrive cloud. I don't want Microsoft managing MY file system for me. It pisses me off even thinking about it.

I thought it was important to expedite OneDrive's deletion since doing so later runs a risk that something important would make its way onto OneDrive. Once OneDrive gets its vile fingers into your data, it is very difficult to get them out of it again. Here's how to delete OneDrive:

1. Uninstall OneDrive via Settings

• Open Settings: Press Windows key + I to open the Settings app.
• Navigate to Apps: Go to Apps > Installed apps.
• Find OneDrive: Scroll or search for Microsoft OneDrive in the list.
• Uninstall: Click the three dots next to OneDrive, select Uninstall, and confirm. This removes the OneDrive app from your system.


4) I don't want Microsoft Edge. So I used Edge to • download and install Google Chrome. I used an old gmail account for authenticating it. Then I • deleted the Edge shortcut from my desktop and • unpinned Edge from the taskbar. I'm not going to actually delete Edge from the system since I think there could be unpleasant repercussions but I will never use it again if I can help it.

5) I'm a big fan of Classic Shell to make Windows look and behave like Windows 7 and was sad to find that even though it worked under Windows 10, it doesn't under Windows 11. But I learned from Grok that the product evolved into Open-Shell. • So I installed Open-Shell. It's different but still a huge improvement over the unwanted look-and-feel of Windows 11.

Step 1: Install Open-Shell

• Download Open-Shell:Visit the official Open-Shell GitHub repository (https://github.com/Open-Shell/Open-Shell-Menu).
• Go to the Releases section and download the latest version (e.g., OpenShellSetup_x_x_xxx.exe).
• Ensure you download from a trusted source like GitHub to avoid malicious files.


6) I • downloaded and installed Lazarus pascal. I did this early because I seem to recall having trouble doing the install in the past due to interference by AVG antivirus. Notice that AVG was my very next step.

7) I used Google Chrome to • download and install AVG Antivirus Free. I declined AVG's setup offers except for the offer to • install the AVG Secure Browser. I did not make it my default browser as part of the installation but will do so afterward.

8 ) A nice thing about AVG Secure Browser is that it supports the uBlock Origin ad-blocking extension which Google Chrome doesn't. So I • installed uBlock Origin as well as two other extensions I like: • Instant Dictionary by GoodWordGuide.com • and Read Aloud.

9) I • downloaded and installed CCleaner.

10) I • ran a CCleaner scan. You wouldn't believe all the crap it found and removed!

11) I • ran a fast antivirus smartscan with AVG antivirus. It gave me a bunch of offers that, as always, I declined. It didn't find any real problems.

12) I • ran a deep scan with AVG antivirus. I clicked the "Shut down when finished" checkbox then left the laptop for the night.

There's a lot more to do. I don't think I can install my old version of MS Office but I have to try. I've seen discounted copies of Office for as little as $40 and may buy one. If nothing else, I'll install Libre Office which is supposed to be pretty good.

I know I can't install Dragon Naturally Speaking but I'm going to experiment with the narration software that comes built-in with Windows 11. Maybe it's usable.

It will make me sad if I can't play Minecraft anymore. (GREAT game! if you haven't ever tried it because you think it looks stupid, you're wrong. Just wrong. I think it's on a par with Halo as the best computer game of all time. If pressed, I think I'd assign #1 to Minecraft. As a programmer, its sophistication leaves me dumbstruck.)

As a last resort, I may buy Minecraft just for the new laptop.

That's where I sit today. I'm glad my old laptop works even though it's glitchy. I have a lot of files to port to the MSI. And I don't think I can go cold-turkey without Dragon or Minecraft... I need to find an external DVD drive since the MSI doesn't have one. I own several. And I've already found a USB->SD-card adapter since the MSI didn't come with an SD-card reader either.

I'll reply to this post if I come up with work-arounds for the other hassles that always seem to plague us when we "upgrade" to a new version of Windows.