My new PC will be delivered this week. I've never used 11. I've had 8 all this time. I spent the extra money to get Windows 11 Pro in the hopes I could avoid more annoyances that way. I just wasn't willing to jump into Unix.
I just want the desktop and not whatever new horrors Windows tries to force on you since 8. I have a Charms Bar killer app for 8. Why anybody would want super annoying non-desktop crap is beyond me.
-
What can I do to eliminate annoyances - bloatware, spyware, etc.
-
What should I do to protect my privacy from Microsoft? I want to turn everything off that reports to the fucking MS mothership.
-
What apps, utilities, etc should I install? I'd like to use non-MS apps and utilities instead of whatever garbage comes with Windows.
-
What apps, utilities, etc should I avoid?
-
What am I forgetting to ask?
I read your post a third time: You really don't want to share anything with MS. That's good. You should consider using a Linux (I prefer manjaro, btw ;) ) because if you really hate MS that much, you shouldn't use their products. If you don't want to use a Linux, you'll have to deal with MS. (Or Mac)