I don't want to have incompatibility issues with my recording software.
I don't want to log in to Microsoft to use it.
I don't want to be stuck using Tiles. I like to old fashioned menu.
I want to use Power Shell which makes the start menu similar to Windows 7.
I do want good internet security. I haven't had any problems with W10.
Thank you for suggestions.

I never used Tiles. I think Microsoft is moving away from that.

I never use Cortana.

I do use Edge, to avoid Google.

I remember Start 8, similar to Power Shell It should be easy enough to find out if there’s a Windows 11 version.

My Windows 11 has not caused a problem with any of my music software.

I run win 11 on one of my main machines and win 10 on the other main machine. I don't have any real issues with either. I do like win 10's layout better, most likely because I have used it longer.

I have win 10 on my Lap Top. I have win 7 on an older machine and UNIX on another old machine.

I am not having any issues with any of the operating systems other than windows is a pretty intrusive system that sometimes causes issues when it updates.

I have not seen any real advantage to win 11 for me. Better internet security with win 11...who knows.

Billy

Windows 11 works fine with everything I've got. Slight layout differences to Windows 10 but easy to adapt to and seems marginally snappier. Go for it.

I have no problem with Win 11

I don't have a Microsoft account - I got advice on how to avoid it here: https://www.ghacks.net/2022/05/13/how-to-bypass-the-microsoft-account-requirement-during-windows-setup/

I don't use Cortana, somewhere on the web I learned how to minimize her intrusions, but sorry, I didn't bookmark the link. (I did that in Win10 and after the upgrade I haven't heard from her)

Instead of Google, I use StartPage.com - a European privacy search engine that gives Google results, without the tracking

No tiles for me, the Start Menu in Win 11 isn't that much different from Win 10

If you want good Internet security, you need to go to Win 11 when support stops for Win 10 (whenever that is). Also, I read that WIn 11 is more secure than Win 10 - but I haven't researched that.

It's your call, I upgraded to 11 and am happy with it.


Insights and incites by Notes ♫

I'm running Win 10 on one machine, Win 11 on another.

One thing I definitely don't like about Win 11 is that you cannot move the tool bar. I like my tool bar on top, in Win 11 is permanently fix on the bottom. There was a hack to be able to move it but with the most recent Win 11 update the hack no longer works. I'll get used to it.

One thing I like about Win 11 is that it seems much faster than Win 10. Both my machines have NVME OS drives but the one with Win 11 definitely starts much faster. They must have done a few startup tweaks.

Jeff

This may or may not apply, but Win11 has some specific CPU requirements. I'm particularly aware of it as I had to update when I was forced to change to Win10, but the CPU I got then is not supported by Win11.
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-gb/windows-hardware/design/minimum/windows-processor-requirements

Microsoft says Windows 10 will be supported until October, 2025 so it's not a decision you have to make right now. The longer Windows 10 and Windows 11 co-exist the less you have to worry about encountering Windows 11 break-in issues. By 2025 Microsoft Windows 11 should be pretty stable.

Thank you for all the replies. I think my biggest concern has been addressed; No known compatibility issues with common music software.
I'll wait until I get another reminder then probably accept the update then.

All.
(Re win 10//11)

for those amongst us experiencing(/concerned about) latency which can impact ones music projects…this is rather an interesting document by microsoft.
(page down to ms 'Audio stack improvements' section and notice the comment bout win 10 and later…point 1 ie seeing a reduction in round trip latency of 4.5 to 16 msecs
compared to previous version 8.1.)


https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-hardware/drivers/audio/low-latency-audio

ie its rather an interesting document.

thus win 10 and greater versions afford a benefit.

in my case i have to admit on win 11 (and same as win 10 before) i have no latency problems currently on my new pc which i purposely chose for its low latency
performance and my choice of audient interface whose drivers have never given me one problem. in summary i can easily get 4 msecs or less low latency.

my new pc per the following detailed evals has one of the lowest latencies.
anyone anticipating a new pc purchase might peruse the following from notebook check….viz latency. (ive had no win 11 issues so far..ymmv.)

https://www.notebookcheck.net/DPC-Latency-Ranking-Which-laptops-and-Windows-tablets-offer-the-lowest-latency.504376.0.html

i would recommend anyone looking to purchase a new pc not just purchase any pc…cos as can be seen from the above lists latency stats are an important factor.
the list goes from highest latency figs down to lowest.

happy new year to all.

om

I have been on 11 almost since I first could update. Not one issue of stability, compatibility. Nothing at all. Plenty of ways to make it look and work like win 10. Do a search and you will find easy hacks to restore stuff you like in win 10 as far as looks and such. It doesn't change the underlying functions, just makes it familiar. 11 is not hard to get used to.

I have Windows 11 on my production machine, but the CPU on my backup machine in another location won’t allow Window 11 so that still has 10. I have no trouble switching back and forth.

Of course we all know this pray..,
"God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference."

New MS operating systems just need to be accepted!

I hardly know the difference between 10 and 11 except for two things:

1) Minor cosmetic changes in the GUI

2) I can no longer move the taskbar to the top

I know that MS has had some lame upgrades like Win8, Vista or 2000, but this doesn't seem to be one of the lame ones. I'ts more like 10.1 than 11 from this user's point of view.

PC Mag says there are some 'under the hood' changes that make it more secure and robust. I can't verify that, it's working as well as 10 did.

Insights and incites by Notes ♫

What Notes said...... I adopted all 3 of my computers to Win11 within a couple weeks of release in October 2021. No issues at all since then.

I use Stardock Start11, which gives me a Windows 7 like start menu (actually, Start11 works with both Windows 10 and 11). Costs $5.

I still use the old Classic Shell for my Start button. It's no longer updated for newer Windows systems but still works in Windows 11 and it's free.

Isn't that called Open Shell now?
https://github.com/Open-Shell/Open-Shell-Menu

I'm going to modify the code to match Windows 13. That way, I'll have a few years before I have to adapt.

Yup, that's the newest versions of it. I was just too lazy to sift around and figure the most recent downloads plus the last version of the original works great.

I just use the plain, vanilla Win11 menu. I did shift it to the left.

It's nice that I can fit a lot of app icons on the taskbar, so I don't have to use the menu for the apps I go to every day.

As long as my apps work on the OS, I'm fine, and Microsoft is pretty good about backwards compatibility.


Insights and incites by Notes ♫

1st thing I did on Win11 install. It was a blatant copy of the Apple OS when they shifted the menu to bottom center. Luckily very easy to change back to the left.

I don't mind that it's an Apple copy, both Apple and MS copy each other.

I moved it to the left simply because I like it better there.

I do wish I could move it to the top again, but it's really not that bad on the bottom.


Notes ♫

John, totally off topic, you have had a PM from me for quite some time and have not read it. Just wondering if everything is okay with you.

Been using that product since it came out for Windows 8.0 and am still using it for Windows 10. I highly recommend that product for both what it does and what it costs. You cannot go wrong.

It sounds like you've got a sweet setup with Windows 11, especially with the tweaked taskbar.

Your approach makes sense – if your apps are working fine on Windows 11, and you're loving the features, there's no pressing need to rush the update. Microsoft does a decent job with backward compatibility, so you're probably good to go.

But if you ever decide to make the jump, remember that there's a platform where you can find Windows keys and some insights on this topic. Just in case you need it down the line.

Although I’ve used these shell products that emulate an appearance you may prefer, I’ve stopped using them. I offer free computer support to many people and a few organizations. Sitting down at a computer that doesn’t have such a shell became a hindrance when I had to remember the standard way. I carry several utilities on a flash drive when I work on someone else’s computer, but nothing I do changes the appearance of their computer.