Windows 11. Anyone going to install it? Plus discussion and observations, experience etc.

[melmerby]

1 hour ago, Hroth said:

This morning, it downloaded a Lenovo "system update", then gobbled down 2023-10 Update for Windows 11 Version 22H2 for x64-based Systems (KB4023057), followed by the Windows 11, version 23H2 feature update, and now seems quite pleased with itself!

Interesting.

May Acer laptop, now 12 years old has never, as far as I can remember, ever had an Acer update.

Mind you it did have a clean install of Win 10 after it had updated from Win 7, which would've blitzed all the Acer stuff it still had.

It's had another clean install since then when I changed the HDD to a SSD.

[melmerby]

I notice the motherboard in the PC I have just resuscitated Win 10 on, recommends a BIOS update for Win 11.

As I have just ordered a better processor, I can do the Win 11 update once it has been done and the BIOS sorted.

[Reorte]

6 hours ago, Hroth said:

 

Only if you hover the cursor...

Must be something in my setup then, because it doesn't need a hover. This is what mine looks like:

 

It's the current version (claims it's up to date anyway). Must hunt around to see if there's a way to put the menu bar above get messages etc.. I hadn't actually noticed the chat button before, but that's easy enough to get rid of if you don't want it.

 

This is from my Windows 10 machine but it looks the same on my Windows 11 laptop (I exported the profile from this machine to that one).

Edited November 3, 2023 by Reorte

[StuAllen]

6 hours ago, Hroth said:

Its probably been redesigned by the smartphone generation, who are really a bit clueless about how people work with laptop and desktop computers...

I’m not so sure I agree with you, yes it’s been redesigned by the smartphone generation, but you need to look at how they consume the technology. Why shouldn’t the Microsoft apps look and feel the same across any device I use - doesn’t matter if it’s an iPhone, iPad or windows 11 laptop - Apple also do this as well, we recently bought a MacBook Air for our son for college (our first Apple laptop) using it I didn’t think it was really that different to an iPad. But installing Microsoft Office on it, still has the same feel that I get with a Windows laptop.

 

Personally I can’t see an issue with Windows 10 or 11 (I know I may be in a minority on this thread based on some of the recent comments). I can’t remember anything from Windows 7 or XP that would make me want to go back.

 

Full disclosure, I work for a Microsoft Partner as a Business Applications Architect for the Microsoft Dynamics products (their ERP and CRM applications) so need to keep at the bleeding edge of the technologies so I may be a bit biased. Microsoft are spending a lot of money on CoPilot - it’s in all of the 23H2 releases - some of it is very clever/cool. CoPilot is Microsoft’s branding for AI, it’s designed to work with you not replace you.

[melmerby]

1 hour ago, StuAllen said:

(I know I may be in a minority on this thread based on some of the recent comments

I don't think so, they're mostly positive.

My Win 11 machine runs fine and hopefully the next one will be up and running some time next week.

 

I suppose the new style of operation is for such things as a Surface Pro and similar, where it's all touch and nowt else.

 

 

 

 

 

[kevinlms]

12 hours ago, Hroth said:

Not as bad as a recent update to the Thunderbird email program.  Instead of an unambiguous button labelled "Download New Messages", the update hipsters replaced it with an insignificant icon consisting of what I think is meant to be a cloud with an arrow dangling beneath it.

 

It looks rather constipated...

 

What I find is happening, is that TB used to go to the first unread message when I open it.

 

Now it goes to some random date, that can be at least a year old. I actually replied to an email, that was 18 months old - naturally I spotted that, immediately after pressing send!

 

Anyone know how to set TB to go to where you left off after closing it last time?

[Miss Prism]

I'm about to press the install button on 23H2, but I thought I would check out what was new first. There's probably a zillion videos and webpages out there on the subject, but this video seemed quite useful:

 

 

[Hroth]

14 hours ago, StuAllen said:

CoPilot is Microsoft’s branding for AI, it’s designed to work with you not replace you.

 

Clippy Mk2?

 

Noooooooooooooooooooooooo.....

 

[melmerby]

1 hour ago, Hroth said:

 

Clippy Mk2?

 

Noooooooooooooooooooooooo.....

 

I remember that from Office 2000☹️

 

Used to turn the damn thing off.

[Reorte]

18 hours ago, StuAllen said:

 Why shouldn’t the Microsoft apps look and feel the same across any device I use - doesn’t matter if it’s an iPhone, iPad or windows 11 laptop

Because one size doesn't fit all. What works on a small handheld touchscreen is often terrible on a large monitor when using a mouse and keyboard and vice-versa. They're all quite different devices, at least when it comes to the best way to interact with them.

[Chris Turnbull]

21 hours ago, Miss Prism said:

I'm about to press the install button on 23H2, but I thought I would check out what was new first. There's probably a zillion videos and webpages out there on the subject, but this video seemed quite useful:

 

 

 

Thank you for pointing me in the direction of this video.  I am wading through it at the moment and am finding it fascinating.  There is quite a bit that I didn't realise you can do.  The trouble is that there is always more than one way of doing anything and you tend to settle on the method that suits you best - I do at any rate.  There may well be a quicker way but if you don't use it regularly you forget how to do it.

 

One new feature that will develop, I am sure, is Copilot.  At the moment I think this is a bit of a gimmick, a toy, and I was pleased to see that I am not alone in this appraisal.  I await developments with interest but whether I shall see anything tangible from AI in my lifetime remains to be seen.  When a Cyberdyne Systems model 101, complete with Austrian accent, knocks on my front door (or, more likely, smashes it in), then I will be worried!

 

In answer to the question, "should I install it?" I would say yes.  Its free and you will get the latest updates.

 

Chris Turnbull   

[Miss Prism]

My feeling was much the same - can't see me using the more fancy things in the upgrade, except that layers in MS Paint is going to be very useful. (There's always a snag though, and that is the new version of MS Paint is not as good, in many respects, as the version shipped with XP!)

[Harlequin]

Has anyone actually got Copilot to work?

 

When I press Windows+C here precisely nothing happens.

 

[Miss Prism]

For me, Copilot launches in a sidebar.

 

I asked it when the GWR stopped painting its goods wagons in red.

 

Hmmm.....

 

[Chris Turnbull]

Launches in a sidebar for me too.

 

I asked it where I put my spectacles.  Much to my surprise it came up with a list of advice on finding lost spectacles one of which was check your head... 

 

Chris Turnbull

Edited November 5, 2023 by Chris Turnbull

[Reorte]

1 hour ago, Harlequin said:

Has anyone actually got Copilot to work?

 

When I press Windows+C here precisely nothing happens.

 

Ditto, not that I'm at all interested in having it and would be searching around for ways to remove it if it was there.

[RFS]

Works OK for me but them I'm on Release Preview version. I believe the roll-out of this function is being staged as it's still only a preview version.

 

Go to start -> settings -> personalization -> taskbar. Is it listed under taskbar items?

Edited November 5, 2023 by RFS

[Chris Turnbull]

3 hours ago, Harlequin said:

Has anyone actually got Copilot to work?

 

When I press Windows+C here precisely nothing happens.

 

 

This may be a stupid question but have you been able to instal 23H2 yet?  My Dell has it but my wife's Asus is still waiting to be offered it.  It was the same with 22H2 (see earlier posts).

 

Chris Turnbull

[Harlequin]

4 minutes ago, Chris Turnbull said:

 

This may be a stupid question but have you been able to instal 23H2 yet?  My Dell has it but my wife's Asus is still waiting to be offered it.  It was the same with 22H2 (see earlier posts).

 

Chris Turnbull

Yes, it was offered to me a couple of days ago (also on a Dell).

 

It is now telling me that there's a Cumulative Update Preview, which I guess includes Copilot, but install is sitting at 0%...

 

[RFS]

System build for the latest 23H2 version is 22631.2506. That's what I have on all my systems, including a laptop that is not using Windows Insider builds. 

[Chris Turnbull]

48 minutes ago, Harlequin said:

Yes, it was offered to me a couple of days ago (also on a Dell).

 

It is now telling me that there's a Cumulative Update Preview, which I guess includes Copilot, but install is sitting at 0%...

 

 

Copilot was included in cumulative update KB5031455 so that's the one you should be downloading.  I seem to remember that this update took a while to download and install so give it a few minutes to work.  If it's still not started to download after 30 minutes, say, then it may have got stuck so stop the download, wait a minute and try again.

 

Chris Turnbull

[Butler Henderson]

HP laptop has 23H2 now on it. Old acer laptop in use as a keboard and separate monitor in the railway room has not been offered it,

[chuffinghell]

I won’t be installing windows 11 as I’m quite happy with 3.1

[StuAllen]

14 hours ago, Chris Turnbull said:

One new feature that will develop, I am sure, is Copilot.  At the moment I think this is a bit of a gimmick, a toy

It’s what Microsoft is spending its money on at the moment so will develop and quickly. It seems like every app in the autumn release has copilot in it. I haven’t used it in anything other than demos yet but I’ve been quite surprised/impressed with it. In the April release of Dynamics 365 Business Central (Microsoft’s ERP for SME’s) they introduced copilot to help write marketing text for items based on attributes and description. It was mostly correct, but it did need double checking. 
 

I was catching up with some of the launch videos for the CRM 23H2 releases on Friday and real practical examples are being introduced but I suspect it will be business focused applications that will use it more than home computing. The example I saw used Copilot to summarise all of the content (engineer notes, customer emails, transcripts of Teams call etc.) that had been attached to a Customer Service Case and presented that to the customer service user. So seconds worth of effort that could have taken the services user 5-10 minutes to work through everything. But it’s not a big leap though to feed that information into a Virtual Agent - do you need a customer service person then?

 

I did see a positive AI based story this week on BBC breakfast - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-england-beds-bucks-herts-67289237 ChatGBT wrote a poem for Betty Webb - a 100 year code breaker from Bletchley Park

[Reorte]

30 minutes ago, StuAllen said:

But it’s not a big leap though to feed that information into a Virtual Agent - do you need a customer service person then?

Why develop technology to do something humans can already do? Unless it's a job too dangerous or unpleasant for anyone to really want to do I'm more and more convinced that it's completely counter-productive to a healthy society. Sure, I wouldn't like to go to the pre-industrial extreme in the other direction, but it does feel like we're already past the optimum point in many areas.