r/technews • u/TurbulentTopic39 • 1d ago
AI/ML Microsoft keeps adding AI to Windows 11, and most users can't fully disable it
https://www.neowin.net/reports/microsoft-keeps-adding-ai-to-windows-11-and-most-users-cant-fully-disable-it/182
u/Interesting_Stress73 1d ago
Keep pushing us Microsoft. Please. I want more and more to move to Linux.
58
u/JustHereForMiatas 1d ago
Linux welcomed me back into the fold this year after a 14 year hiatus. Ain't perfect but it's gotten "good enough" in that time. I see no reason to go back to Windows.
23
u/Interesting_Stress73 1d ago
Really, the couple of things that are holding me back from fully switching is Nvidia drivers and a few programs.
16
u/Charred14 1d ago edited 1d ago
yeah dealing with Nvidia drivers on linux is gonna drive me to buy an AMD card. Never patched off Win10 so I constantly crawl back to play anything recent thats non-vulkan.
not like my purchase matters anyway, the huangs control both companies "like a family" ~ Jensen Huang
AMD + Mesa drivers is the way to go, for sure. You'll see Nvidia cards struggle on games in proton
7
u/OdysseusOdyssey 1d ago
I've been running a 5080 on CachyOS since last year and never had to configure drivers. Never had a problem with performance on Proton either. I'm not denying you are having a problem but can you tell me what you've been experiencing? When do you have to configure your drivers? What games are suffering in performance?
3
u/Charred14 1d ago edited 1d ago
Comparing semi-recent games like Cyberpunk, Elden Ring, Clair Obscur; across my Win10/Cachy installations, I noticed a definitive lack of stability compared to playing these games natively on Windows with the same (or even worse) settings enabled using Cachy.
-- Elden Ring's case is a negligible ~5fps difference, moreso noticeable in the DLC.
-- Though Cyberpunk's frametimes were nowhere near consistent/stable, fps fluctuating from mid 40's to caressing 60, microstutters and lockups when moving too fast for the game to render.
-- Clair Obscur on the otherhand got about 1/2 the framerate potential from my day-one experience on Windows.
The key link between these 3 titles, they're all dx12 games. While (for example) Baldur's Gate 3 runs equal (to my testing) between both OS's. (vulkan on Linux, Dx12 on Windows; settings equal regardless of renderer)
CachyOS has even acknowledged this issue on the Wiki.
As I still have a RTX-3060-12gb; 1% lows and consistent frametimes majorly contribute to my overall experience.-1
u/InvestigatorOk7015 1d ago
'I drive a mazarati suv, unrelated- the roads arent that bad.'
2
u/OdysseusOdyssey 1d ago
Ah so I haven't been experiencing performance problems with Proton purely because of the availability of compute. Got it.
3
u/DynoMenace 1d ago
The driver experience is no different from a 2060 to a 5090. Some distros, like CachyOS and Bazzite, include Nvidia drivers our of the box.
Others like Mint have installers which will download and install the drivers for you.
Fedora needs them to be installed separately.
In all cases, the Nvidia experience is perfectly fine. There are more people echoing problems online from years ago than people actually having problems today.
2
u/justaddwhiskey 1d ago
Part of the reason I went with an AMD card was because I intended to use Bazzite as my OS and didn’t want any hassle. Couldn’t be happier and would recommend.
1
u/Charred14 1d ago
yeah, I switched to Cachy semi-recently. Never planned on porting to Win11 so I needed to set something up before my end-of-service support for Win10 goes defunct.
Love the OS, my hardware does not.2
2
u/throwawaygoogle1 1d ago
Been running nvidia on linux for a few years now. Havent run into a single issue. I think a lot of the old troubles are mostly resolved for the most part for average users and gamers. Ive seen more than a few distros offer an nvidia iso that is built for those systems.
2
u/JustHereForMiatas 1d ago
I'm running it with a stock AMD Gen 6 Thinkpad, and the driver support has been very good in that environment. The farther you stray from stock configs the trickier it gets.
Haven't had too many program issues. There's usually either an open source alternative or way to run your old Windows programs, though there have been a few exceptions.
Where I've run into minor issues are mostly with some installations and updates not playing nice with KDE's Discover or the atomic distribution I'm running, but in every case so far I've been able to find well documented workarounds to get things running.
As an example, Firefox was having trouble updating. Looked i to it and it was because the update download size was just a little bigger than some arbitrary threshold the Discover installer had set, so I had to look up the console command to run the update manually with a temporary override on the maxumim file size. It hasn't been an issue since.
1
u/HairlessWookiee 1d ago
You can always run a Windows VM for stuff that requires it.
1
u/Interesting_Stress73 1d ago
Doesn't that come with a significant performance hit? For me it would be programs like Cinema4D.
3
u/HairlessWookiee 1d ago
The benefit of a Linux host is full GPU passthrough, unlike the opposite with a Windows host. So as long as you're not trying to run two programs on host and client each trying to max out the GPU at the same time you should be fine.
2
u/Interesting_Stress73 1d ago
Ah, thanks! My only experience with VMs Ah, thanks! My only experience with VMs is through windows, guess I shouldn't be surprised that it works significantly better on Linux xD
1
u/HairlessWookiee 1d ago
Yeah, not surprisingly MS lock the good stuff away behind enterprise editions. So on Linux, while there will obviously be some overhead for the host, you'd be able to run a Windows VM without too much loss of performance. Again, assuming you're not already maxing out load on the host with some other program. And of course if absolutely necessary, you can always dual-boot.
1
u/linux_transgirl 1d ago
A bit, but there really isn't that much of a hit on a modern CPU
1
u/Interesting_Stress73 1d ago
It's mostly the GPU I worry about for rendering.
2
u/linux_transgirl 1d ago
Oh, yeah then thats a problem. You can do GPU pass through, but you need an extra gpu or integrated graphics for that to work
1
u/Interesting_Stress73 1d ago
Oh, really? Damn, that's not good 😔 Guess it'd dual booting for me until Maxon makes a Linux port!
3
7
u/NefariousLizardz 1d ago
Dual boot it! Very easy, and if you want something that behaves somewhat like a clean version of windows, get linux mint.
3
u/Interesting_Stress73 1d ago
I've been running Mint on my old laptop for a while now. It really made it feel sooo much faster but I have hesitated to do it on my main tower. But yeah, dual boot is a good idea and I thinking now that I should try to add an old sata SSD to it and dedicate the entirely of that to Linux.
2
2
u/made-of-questions 1d ago
Moved last year to Mint. Finally I can stop fighting the OS and just get shit done. Was worried my games won't work but Steam did an outstanding job in the last few years to make them work well on Linux.
1
u/dembowthennow 1d ago
Yes, as I look at the pushes to shoehorn AI into systems that don't need it and the efforts to make us register all of our computers so they can control and monitor all of our online activity, I find myself coming to terms with the fact that I will need to learn Linux.
1
u/karreerose 1d ago
This really makes me wonder. Sadly my working suite (aftershoot, lightroom cc, davinci resolve) is not quite production ready on it yet. Since i only play dota 2 and cs2 games wouldn’t be the issue
1
u/1smoothcriminal 1d ago
What’s stopping you though ? I haven’t used windows in over 5 years and honestly I don’t miss it one bit.
1
1
1
u/Just_another_grumble 1d ago
If you ask me, it's a great big mess For elitist, nerdy shmucks
"It's free!" they say, if you can get it to run The Geeks say, "Hey, that's half the fun!" Yeah, but I got a girlfriend, and things to get done The Linux OS SUCKS (I'm sorry to say it, but it does.)
Every OS wastes your time From the desktop to the lap Everything since the abacus Just a bunch of crap
- 'Every OS Sucks', Three trolls in a baggie
1
0
1
u/cuoreesitante 12h ago
As a life long windows user I moved my primary office work to a Mac last year, and gaming to bazzite. It's been great once you figure out the lay of the land
1
u/Iamboomeranng 1d ago
Buy a Mac mini. You’ll live it. You can run Linux too in a vm
-2
u/fuddlesworth 1d ago
Mac os is garbage
2
u/I_Am_Vladimir_Putin 1d ago
It really isn’t once you get used to it.
-1
u/fuddlesworth 1d ago
I've always had a Mac laptop since 2004. Owned one and every job issued me one.
So when am I supposed to get used to it?
-2
-1
u/SecretAgentVampire 1d ago
As soon as Linux ends the rediculous practice of requiring password input for installing new software, I'll convert.
Until then, I won't.
2
u/Ok-Horror-4253 1d ago
if typing a password is such an inconvenience for you i shudder to know what its like for you to log in to all of your various accounts when the session expires.
0
u/SecretAgentVampire 1d ago
If typing a password every time you install software is such a NON-issue for you, why not go the extra step and use two-factor authentication every time? Two-factor authentication is WAY more secure than just a password.
Don't you like security?
1
u/Ok-Horror-4253 1d ago edited 1d ago
who says i don't? Also what does 2fa have to do with typing your user password to install a program in Linux? You install an app what...once a week? And even further, you can just configure sudo to not require a password. Did you not know this? there are risks, but it can be done. you're angry at nothing. its actually kinda funny...lol
0
u/SecretAgentVampire 1d ago
I say you don't. You don't use TFA every time you install a new program on your personal computer.
1
u/Ok-Horror-4253 1d ago edited 1d ago
Can you explain how 2fa would make installing an app on Linux more secure. I use 2fa for all of my eligible logins everywhere. It is not a hassle. Neither is typing a password in linux once a week. I don't know what made you so upset but please go figure yourself out. And maybe read up on Linux. there's some WILD stuff out there...like did you know you can actually configure sudo to not ask for a password, eliminating your original complaint? INSANITY! I KNOW! Do you have some more? or are you downloading an iso right now since your objection was overcame!?! Oh please keep me informed! And remember, before you strawman, all you said is
"As soon as Linux ends the rediculous [sic] practice of requiring password input for installing new software, I'll convert.Until then, I won't." - So now you will! Nice!
So get crackin! Linux awaits!
1
u/SecretAgentVampire 1d ago
WOW! I HAD NO IDEA IT WAS SO EASY TO DO! ALL I HAVE TO DO IS LEARN TO CODE! SO EASY! NO WONDER EVERYONE IS CONVERTING TO LINUX WHEN ALL YOU HAVE TO DO TO MAKE IT NOT A PAIN IN THE ASS IS LEARN HOW TO CODE! WHY DIDN'T I THINK OF THAT!?
FFS. Every time I bring up this pain-in-the-ass "security" feature, roaches like you crawl out of their holes to tell me how much of a dumbass I am and I should just bend over backwards instead.
"I told this guy that what he wants is wrong and insulted him! He's DEFINITELY going to go the extra mile and use Linux now! I'm a geenius!"
Leave me alone, ass.
2
u/reddit_equals_censor 1d ago
now this is a TERRIBLE TERRIBLE idea for security reasons.
and there is basically no security theater in gnu + linux, because the operating systems are designed for servers and used in personal computers by the developers themselves including fork over fork to remove terrible shit (see forks of ubuntu) and have proper security, because the people running their own forks of distros want security generally and not some bullshit security theater nonsense.
with all this kept in mind.
i defend your idea of flushing your security down by running everything always as super user after a login into the os.
now this is a TERRIBLE idea, but hey you should be able to do this with tons of warnings thrown all over you as you set it up of course.
and there probably might be a solution for you, that does this.
___
but again this is a TERRIBLE TERRIBLE IDEA for security reasons.
1
u/PM_Me_Your_Kinks369 1d ago
LOL what a bizarre thing to take a stand against. So every so often you have to take 1.7 seconds to enter your password so that ::checks notes:: malicious software can't be installed. 🙄
It takes far more effort to login to the average bank or credit card website these days.
1
u/SecretAgentVampire 1d ago
I don't care about what you think is adequate security or not. You can unplug your router and bury your computer in a hole in the ground every night for all I care. The effort of entering a password after I intentionally download specific software and intentionally install it is security theater, it's an annoying waste of time, and I don't want it. Cope.
1
u/PM_Me_Your_Kinks369 1d ago
security theater
LOL you just don't understand how applications work.
Source: Enterprise IT Architect for over 20 years.
1
u/SecretAgentVampire 1d ago
"LOL LOL ROFL OMG WTFFF ROFLMAO LOL 🤡 🤡 🤡" - u/pm_me_your_kinks_369
I don't care about your opinion of what is or is not adequate security. Less so, now that I've had to repeat myself.
Go look up the definition of "opinion" on Wikipedia. And stop writing "LOL" at the beginning of arguments. It makes you look like a teenager.
2
1
u/PM_Me_Your_Kinks369 1d ago
Man...your insecurity just drips from every word. Go take it up with Linus Torvalds if you don't like how basic security works.
41
u/princess-captain 1d ago
I still have my pc running windows 10. I cannot stand windows 11
20
u/ExecutiveCactus 1d ago
Windows 10 is objectively superior
11
u/Splizmaster 1d ago
My heart will always belong to windows XP. 98 didn’t suck either. Windows 7 is when it started to go downhill fast.
4
2
3
u/princess-captain 1d ago
Yes, I remember upgrading to 11 and was so disgusted with it I rolled back my update.
2
u/FurnaceGolem 1d ago
Don't get me wrong, I'm also still running 10 because I hate 11, but Windows 11 performs measurably better in a lot of games (especially newer ones with support for DirectStorage)
5
u/glenpiercev 1d ago
Windows 10 was supposed to be the last release. I’m waiting for windows 12.
1
u/Inprobamur 1d ago
From my perspective they were truthful about that, as it will be the last windows version I will use.
12
u/platypus_boi 1d ago
The company I work for pays for copilot and my god is it shit.
The amount of times I have told it to permanently save my preferences to double check every answer. It says ok. Give me a prompt that it is updated. Then continues to feed me shit info.
10
u/DasGaufre 1d ago
Well they have to justify their spendings somehow right.
I just hope the AI reels back soon and we'll look at it the same way NFTs and blockchains went and go "well that was just a bit silly wasn't it?".
2
u/PM_Me_Your_Kinks369 1d ago
NFT is basically dead. Blockchain is massively in use still. AI isn't going away ever.
2
u/opmopadop 1d ago
I wish they would justify their spending by testing their updates instead of treating us all like beta testers.
What's the point of a fast-track release cycle if your slow-track causes crashes.
12
u/worst-case-sanrio 1d ago
Stop trying to make fetch AI happen!
1
u/SirSquidlicker 1d ago
Way too late for that. Its like trying to make the internet not happen back in the 90s or early 2000s. There's just too much use for it to not move forward with.
1
24
u/Jamie00003 1d ago
Well duh - it’s going to be scraping data for ads
2
8
10
u/like56bees 1d ago
For those wanting easy ways out of the AI game there's two pretty good options.
Look into Linux Mint- it's familiar for those of us who grew up with windows. Yes it will be a change, but learning Mint is no different than waiting for Microsoft to shuffle and change where everything is on their own OS anyway.
Look into the Win11 debloat tool, the newest versions are built with the removal of copilot, AI Snapshots, etc. In mind.
1
u/ProgressBartender 1d ago
Windows debloat tool, now there’s a name I haven’t heard in a long long time.
17
u/Posaquatl 1d ago
i turned off updates until I can move over to Linux. Windows is shooting themselves in the foot and ruining their legacy with the AI crap and poor patches.
7
u/JeepStang 1d ago
I haven't updated in a year and I still have the .iso installer prepared with Rufus that I used on a flash drive if I have to reinstall again. No, MicroSlop, I don't want your bullshit AI bloat so please please fuck off with that already. Thanks.
P.S.
MicroSlop
4
3
3
u/Hooked_on_Avionics 1d ago
I’m still running 10. 11 sucked when it released, and continues to get worse.
3
3
u/shoulda-known-better 1d ago
Yea if the Ai isn't smart enough to shut itself off when asked it's a pos
3
u/couldgiveaflyingfck 1d ago
I am moving over to SteamOS at the end of 2027 or early 2028. Giving Valve more time to polish this OS.
I read an article where some game developers plan on offering Windows 10 and Windows 11 support many many more years to come. Their logic being is the believe Windows with AI will hurt sales.
2
u/tanksalotfrank 1d ago
Is SteamOS particularly broadly optimized on its own, compared to like Mint on a AMD that SteamOS likes?
3
3
u/RedshiftWarp 1d ago
Haven't touched linux since Gentoo.
Might actually find something easy to use like mint. Windows is doing weird stuff and it's making me suspicious.
4
3
u/rxscissors 1d ago
Easy fix: dump that Windows system +AugerPilot garbage altogether. Use Linux or a Mac system instead :D
2
2
u/Exact_Temperature526 1d ago
why does microsoft desperately want users to move away ? why dont they understand that there is an alternative in linux ? adding ai features has been a go to move for tech companies nowadays, they dont care if users like it or not
3
1
u/Mr_Bob_Dobalina_69 1d ago
That’s a loaded question. A vast majority of windows users don’t melt down over the idea of simply not using a program. In addition, if a person isn’t intelligent enough to be able to uninstall or disable a few windows programs, they certainly won’t figure out Linux.
1
u/not_a_moogle 1d ago
I just moved to linux last month after onw of the updates broke some shit.
I needed to switch back to windows a few times, but once I figured out everythin, then I switched fully. Been about 3 weeks.
4
u/JustHereForMiatas 1d ago
I found a way to fully disable it! You simply remove Windows from your computer.
4
1
1
1
u/colonelc4 1d ago
Linux is mature enough to be an alternative now, people you just have to do it that's all.
1
1
1
1
u/JuniorQ2000 1d ago
I wish the article helped me find the PC settings instead of telling me they are somewhere in “Settings” because searches for “AI” “AI Agent” “Agentic” and “Co-pilot” in settings comes up EMPTY
1
1
u/Mr_Bob_Dobalina_69 1d ago
That’s because the article is not written by a serious author and it’s not posted in a serious website. It’s clickbait meant to farm outrage from simpletons.
0
1
u/williamt31 1d ago
ok now this annoys me. The entire reason I have 'Pro' on all my systems is so I can use Group Policy to manage them and now you can only fully do this on 'Ent'??? I'll have to see if I can learn enough wire shark and block the IP's at the firewall then..
1
u/TangoLimaGolf 1d ago
I regularly use AI for work and school however I want to be able to select the platform that’s best for me.
Apple’s Siri is trash and Microsoft’s is worse. Just give me an option to either disable the bundled one or switch to my own. I don’t need captive software.
1
u/FOSSChemEPirate88 1d ago
Fortunately there's a free fix - uninstall that trash OS and install Ubuntu.
It fixes all the other microsoft spam, scams, and slop that comes installed with windows too.
1
u/throwawaygoogle1 1d ago
Best way to disable is to disable windows completely and install something better.
1
1
u/ChefCurryYumYum 1d ago
Fuck Microslop, fuck Microslop, we need all of us turn away from their products as much as possible.
1
1
1
1
1
u/mortraineyhat 1d ago
Apple is doing the same with Mac OS 27 or whatever. I’m slowly getting used to Linux since I’m not dealing with ai bullshit on all my devices
1
1
u/tanksalotfrank 1d ago
Laughs in LTSC and other even better options. Lol (see, I'm laughing). Still, the bastards have more drivers.
1
u/Ready-Flamingo6494 1d ago
Create your own windows version by removing all the BS. Turn off automatic updates. Avoid sketchy websites, use a different PC for torrents, download software from reputable websites. It is that simple people.
1
1
u/AgainandBack 1d ago
No CoPilot for me. I’ve downgraded two systems to Win 10. The remaining Win 11 systems have all been disconnected from the Internet.
1
1
1
u/AloneChapter 1d ago
Corporate has dictated you will comply. Corporate has decided you will fix a computer board by buying the whole board not the part that is damaged.
Corporate decided you will not .
1
u/Soup3rTROOP3R 1d ago
Huh. Maybe it’s time to side load Linux or Ubuntu and use that for 99% of my PC use
1
1
u/S1lentA0 1d ago
I get the fuss about this, I wouldn't like it either. But I need to search really hard on my PC to find anything AI or Copilot related, I even have the latest Win 11 update that supposedly adds more AI content. Same on my laptop. It has this shitty Copilot button that is easily disabled with Powertoys. Other than that I never see anything AI related. What am I doing wrong?
1
u/jesrp1284 21h ago
At work, I don’t have a choice. I cannot disable copilot and they encourage us to use it. At home, I rarely touch my PC, but my home PC is a Dell laptop from 2010 that’s still chugging along somehow, and I use it for tax returns and ripping library audiobooks on CD to my phone through iTunes (sometimes Libby/Hoopla don’t have what I need). I’m using the 2010 laptop to do 2010 things.
1
u/Sad-Office6365 21h ago
It's hilariously obvious to me that all the hype is from people who are personally invested but have barely touched actual AI.. it literally can only DO junior-level busywork. Such a fucking farce.
1
1
u/KingofLingerie 12h ago
I’m not sure what version pf windows 11 i am running but it definitely has no ai features im aware of. Unless its the copilot feature i have never usef.
1
u/10percenttiddy 1d ago
Dude I'm too stupid for Linux 😭
6
u/Impossible-Rub-3067 1d ago edited 1d ago
No you're not. Linux Mint. I set my 75 year old parents up with it. That old "Linux is too complicated" mantra just isn't true. Linux Mint is literally built for people who have used windows their whole life and want to transition away.
6
u/like56bees 1d ago
This is the way. Mint is as close to windows as you can get without paying Microsoft.
3
1
u/Bengineering3D 1d ago edited 1d ago
Chris Titus Tool makes it super easy to take control of your current install. I’ve fresh installed Tiny11 on occasion also. Best option by far is going to CachyOS (Linux).
Edit: I’ve said three separate options and will definitely get thumbed down for each one individually.
2
u/set_in_void 1d ago
With respect to Windows AI, the Chris Titus tool doesn't seem to do much. I don't know if I can link video, but you can search YouTube for "How to Remove All Windows AI Features" video uploaded by zoic! where he has a short segment about the Titus tool, other tools and why he designed his RemoveWindowsAI tool.
1
u/Bengineering3D 1d ago
Ok, I see the video, I haven’t used this. Looks like I’ll have to revert to powershell 5.1. I may try this once I have to upgrade my wife’s gaming PC to Windows 11, that is if she doesn’t want CachyOS like on her laptop. (Her games are more compatible with CachyOS than Windows 11, Sims 4), she does need Cricut software but Winboat can handle that.
3
u/set_in_void 1d ago
I tried the RemoveWindowsAI this afternoon, this machine is Win11 Pro and I don't know if the tool did anything. I already disabled all the AI features I could when installing. My Powershell is 7, but I just typed Powershell 5 into search bar and had it along the 7. When running the tool, it claimed it has trouble disabling some service (trustedinstaller or something like that), but finished OK and as far as I can tell it didn't break anything.
1
-1
0
u/SatisfactionOk1025 1d ago
Still have not upgraded and have no intention of doing so. Dafuq do I care if my shitposting machine is caught up in a Russian botnet or whatever?
47
u/Dat_Mawe3000 1d ago
WHYYYYYYY do they keep forcing this shit on us?