I’ve had to use Windows since version 3.0 back in 1990. I’ve never liked it. It’s an unreliable, low performance, insecure buggy “toy” operating system. Even after Windows NT 3.51 which was the first somewhat reliable version (thanks to David Cutler because nobody at Microsoft could have pulled that off), it was still insecure and unreliable.<\/p>\n
But plenty of software runs on Windows, so many of us are stuck with it. As Linux has advanced in maturity and popularity I’ve reached the point where it does 99% of what I need. But I still need Windows for a few things, namely running TurboTax, getting library books (Adobe Digital Editions) and printing to CDs and DVDs (Epson).<\/p>\n
Now that Windows 10 is being decommissioned, the upgrade to Windows 11 should be seamless – but it’s not. Every new version of Windows gets increasingly bloated with worse performance, and Windows 11 also requires TPM and Secure boot. I run Windows 10 in a VirtualBox VM and need to upgrade to version 11. But the Windows upgrader refuses to do this, saying TPM and Secure boot are required. This means starting with a new install on a new VM, losing all my data and apps, or having to move them over from the old VM to the new one.<\/p>\n
Windows 11 can run just fine on this VM. There is absolutely no technical reason it can’t upgrade. It refuses due to an arbitrary decision Microsoft made, that everyone needs TPM and Secure Boot. Microsoft is like Apple – they think they know what their users need, better than the users themselves. So Microsoft does not allow users to override these artificial requirements, which adds a level of capricious arrogance to their decision. And leaves millions of users stranded.<\/p>\n
Flyoobe “FLY-Oh-Bee” is an open source Github project that fixes this problem: https:\/\/github.com\/builtbybel\/Flyoobe<\/a><\/p>\n It runs the standard windows installer yet bypasses the unnecessary restrictions & requirements. But wait, there’s more! It also facilitates getting the Windows 11 upgrade files, providing several methods. And it improves the installation and customization, making it easier to remove the junk you don’t want, such as bloat-ware, spy-ware, AI and advertising.<\/p>\n The entire process is self-explanatory and there is plenty of info and reviews from reliable sources. Check it out and Google it.<\/p>\n After the Windows 11 upgrader refused to upgrade my Windows 10 VM, I used Flyoobe to do it. It worked great, in place preserving my apps and data, and also enabled me to customize the Windows 11 to eliminate junk I didn’t want, saving disk space and improving performance.<\/p>\n The only drawback is that the upgrade took over 4 hours to run. This was due to the fact that the upgrade needs 30+ GB of free space that you don’t need after the upgrade is complete. I had to use an external USB stick for this, which slowed the process.<\/p>\n The net result is that I’m finally upgraded to Windows 11. Thanks to Flyobee, not to Microsoft.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Windows Rant (Skippable) I’ve had to use Windows since version 3.0 back in 1990. I’ve never liked it. It’s an unreliable, low performance, insecure buggy “toy” operating system. Even after Windows NT 3.51 which was the first somewhat reliable version (thanks to David Cutler because nobody at Microsoft could have pulled that off), it was … Continue reading Windows 11<\/span> Cut to the Chase<\/h3>\n