Have you been prompted to upgrade to Windows 11? If so, you might want to wait a while first. Why, you ask? Nearly every customer who has done so has experienced problems with their computer, and wished they never upgraded. If you wait longer than 10 days, you’re stuck with it. The only fix is to wipe the computer completely and downgrade back to Windows 10.
What seems to be the problem? Think about it. When Windows 10 came out, forcing users to upgrade, there were all kinds of issues. Devices stopped working, computer would blue screen and crash, applications were no longer compatible. These are just a few of the problems people experienced back in 2015 when Windows 10 was pushed out. Was it ready to be deployed? Not really. Microsoft forced it upon users who didn’t know better. Why would they do that? It’s called BETA TESTING. The more users who run the updated software will ‘supposedly’ help future users. Should a company as large as Microsoft beta test software on mission critical computers? The answer is no, they should not. It took Microsoft nearly 5 years to make Windows 10 usable on a day to day basis without crashing constantly.
Is Windows 11 better? I’ve used it, and decided it has been ‘prettied up’ over what Windows 10 had. However there are some features of 10 that are no longer available in 11. Yes, they stripped out some of the good stuff we’ve been using for years (and rely on to keep our systems running properly). In order to run Windows 11, you need a computer with a TPM 2.0 chip. This is used for security purposes. Without it, Windows 11 doesn’t function properly. You also need a hard drive that has been formatted in a newer format (GPT) instead of the older format. It should be a computer that is running at least an 8th generation processor. Anything older is not really compatible. Does Windows update check this first? I don’t think so, since I’ve seen older machines getting the upgrade offer. This just means there will be problems.
There is NO RUSH to upgrade! Windows 10 will be supported until 2025, even though they said back in 2015 that “Windows 10 will be the last version of Windows EVER!” That promise didn’t last long.
What can you do if your computer has already been upgraded to 11? If it’s been more than 10 days, you’ll have to back up everything and reinstall 10 from scratch. If it’s been less than 10 days, you can roll back. But be aware that your system may change. If you upgraded from home to pro, you could lose that upgrade. You could also lose other software features as well.
The recommendation from Beck PC is to WAIT BEFORE UPGRADING! Let Microsoft work out the bugs (and add a few more) before jumping into that ship. Users with AMD processors had the hardest time when 11 was pushed out. If you think that was the end of the problems, think again.
Windows 11 is trying their best to be like Apple. They want you to log in with a Microsoft account. This is so they can track you and learn your habits on the computer. This is so they can send you junk mail and sell your information to a third party. What are they watching? Everything. They can tell what websites you visit, what apps you run, even what movie you may be watching! What happens when my account has been hacked and I can get into my computer? Well, that can be a tough one. If you can’t reset your password (because the hacker changed your security info), you will be locked out. The only option is to back up (if you can) and start from scratch. We have had to do this multiple times for customers, so it does happen!
Oh… one more thing. If you’ve turned on ENCRYPTION and you get locked out, forget about recovering any of your data. Without being able to log into Windows, you’ll never gain access to your files and documents again. They will be lost forever, unless you have a back up. Dell computer has that option turned on out of the box. It activates when you sign into your Microsoft account, without your knowledge. Unless you are running some high end software, you really don’t need to have encryption turned on. If your hard drive dies (which they do often), kiss your data goodbye! It won’t be recoverable.
Always remember …
- Backup your data
- Don’t upgrade to Windows 11 just yet
- Get your computer checked out, especially if its getting slow. This is a good indication that it could die soon.
- Call Beck PC if you have any concerns regarding your computer.