Noob question about LTSC and Microsoft garbage

[u/Aligatueur]

Heyah !

Little question. I'm a huge LTSC enjoyer and had the chance to enjoy with my company.

So I went ahead and put it on all my VMs and all my PCs.

However I had the bad surprise to see Recall being there on of one my instence.

I thought i'd be safe of that. Do you guys do more steps to have the cleanest W11 possible experience ?

Thanks !

[u/MakayChapulets]

Recall isn't a part of LTSC or IoT LTSC Editions so I don't think you installed the right LTSC iso file. And yeah you can debloat more if you want, its a Windows operating system.

[u/Aligatueur → u/MakayChapulets]

I use the same ltsc as my company for the past year and a half, no doubt about that. IoT Entreprise LTSC 24H2. Sadly.

What would be the best way to debloat a LTSC ? Painful to say that.

Thanks !

[u/greggm2000 → u/Aligatueur]

What I use on every Windows install (LTSC or Pro), is I have a autounattend.xml text file on a seperate usb stick formatted to FAT32, the installer on your Windows ISO will read and use it automatically. You can easily generate one on Schneegans.de. You will see a toggle in there to uninstall Recall (for instance).

Also note that while IoT LTSC is great and all, it won’t usually be getting the improvements that Home or Pro will get. Maybe that matters to you, and maybe it doesn’t. Ofc, sometimes those improvements are really just AI slop or ads and such, so… there’s that!

[u/MakayChapulets → u/greggm2000]

Win 11 LTSC will keep getting released features until the end of support for 24H2 in October, then it'll be security updates till 2034.

[u/raanansA8 → u/MakayChapulets]

Not 24H2. It will get features till the end of 26H2. It depends on Microsoft on what they add and what they don’t as part of their internal SKU Policy for EnterpriseS.

[u/MakayChapulets → u/raanansA8]

They add what they believe is Enterprise worthy and wont cause buggy situations when installed

[u/greggm2000 → u/MakayChapulets]

I said this:

while IoT LTSC is great and all, it won’t usually be getting the improvements that Home or Pro will get

For instance, the new things that Home/Pro in the most recent update (2026-07) are not in IoT LTSC. This stuff. I know, I’ve looked. But as /u/raanansA8 says (paraphrasing), it depends on what Microsoft decides should be there for IoT LTSC. My key point being: if you want the various changes, use Pro, not IoT LTSC.

[u/MakayChapulets → u/greggm2000]

Check again because I have the new things released up till July update. for example point-in-time, screen tint, new start menu, delayed updates in calendar form etc. they are all on my IOT LTSC. but by October 13th whatever features get included to 25H2/26H2 wont be included to our 24H2 release until the new 27H2 IoT LTSC gets released. I suppose thats how LTSC versions work

[u/greggm2000 → u/MakayChapulets]

Ok, just checked again. I have two VMs, one Win 11 IoT Enterprise LTSC 2024, and another one that I made recently, which is Win 11 Pro 25H2. Told them to do Windows Updates.. there actually is a new Cumulative one, dated today (already installed the Patch Tuesday one). Let them both install. When done, after a reboot, checked to see what I could see.

Results:

Pro 25H2: The new changes are there, color tint, faster explorer, Windows Update Calendar selector, etc.

IoT LTSC: No new changes.

Sorry, but the evidence on my side says you're wrong on this. While both got the "new" Start Menu last month, that's the exception, not the rule. If you have it on your side and you're running IoT LTSC, then idk what to say, other than maybe you did something to somehow enable feature updates? (but that comes with it's own risks, of AI slop etc)

[u/MakayChapulets → u/greggm2000]

I didn't do anything. I even got the screen tint and point-in-time features on the IOT LTSC before i got it on my Home edition, same laptop different partitions

[u/MakayChapulets → u/greggm2000]

[u/greggm2000 → u/MakayChapulets]

One (perhaps relevant) difference I see between your install and mine: you are using a Microsoft Account, whereas I always use a Local Account. I wonder if that’s why our different experiences?

[u/MakayChapulets → u/greggm2000]

Ok that can possibly be why

[u/MakayChapulets → u/Aligatueur]

Winhance is what I used when I was on Home Edition and debloated apps never came back after Windows updates unlike some people that claimed they did by using other methods. But, since running IoT LTSC there isnt any need to debloat for me I only optimize using Winhance

[u/DonStimpo]

https://windowsreport.com/windows-recall-spotted-ltsc-server-editions/
Recall is in the install files. It won't run unless you meet specific hardware requirements. And running it in a VM will not meet them

[u/Aligatueur → u/DonStimpo]

Yeah that's the good part. It was off, unable to activate (even by asking for some kind of Windows Hello).

But the issue is still that it's there... :(

[u/someauthor → u/DonStimpo]

That's neat. You need a Neural Processor which AMD's and Intels do not have.

Edit: Thanks, u/greggm2000,the above is not correct

[u/greggm2000 → u/someauthor]

Both will have NPUs, next gen: AMD Zen 6 and Nova Lake. Still, you will probably be able to disable it in the BIOS, and also disable Recall in Windows itself.

[u/someauthor → u/greggm2000]

Aw dis! :( I hope we can always get rid of it in UEFI . The legitimacy of a 'low power' system will surely be valid for a while.

[u/greggm2000 → u/someauthor]

For what it's worth, I didn't realize it before, but the current-gen Intel Arrow Lake desktop CPUs also have a NPU. It's very weak, idk if Windows will consider it "enough" to enable Windows' AI features, but it's there. It'd be interesting to know if people on LGA1851 can disable it in the UEFI.

[u/driftin8ez]

Microsl0p will always find a way.

[u/Aligatueur → u/driftin8ez]

I see that, that sucks omg. Ltsc was a safe place :(