4 ms·

I would instead suggest two things for power users: installing Windows using autounattend.xml[1], and secondly visiting the mass graves to turn your Windows ins

I would instead suggest two things for power users: installing Windows using autounattend.xml[1], and secondly visiting the mass graves to turn your Windows install into Enterprise (or, if you can wrangle it, get an Education licence from your academic institution/alma mater), which completely gets rid of all consumer-oriented stuff. To be honest, I don't mind the Windows games. In fact I believe the ones shipped with XP, Vista, and 7 were top-notch. What I mind is games with annoying advertisements in them. I mind when my Weather program is not native and is a glorified web app, also ridden with advertisements. [1]: https://schneegans.de/windows/unattend-generator/ https://schneegans.de/windows/unattend-generator/

B1FF_PSUVM 10mo ago
> I mind when my Weather program is changed into a stock ticker and tabloid news cornucopia... dagnabbit, I know where to get those, I just want the weather info. "They have no taste" was right.
vladvasiliu 10mo ago
What do you mean by consumer-oriented stuff? I'm typing this on my company azure ad integrated windows 11. The system info says it's windows 11 enterprise 25h2. My start menu still has multiple random xbox crap in there, game bar (what even is that?!), "game mode", "solitaire and casual games". It shows random ads in the weather app. It invites me to do more with a microsoft account, even though the computer is fully azure ad joined and my windows session is an azure ad account with some expensive office365 licence attached. Before reinstalling the other day for unrelated reasons, I had actually tried to add that account. Turns out it doesn't work with a "work or school" account, it requires the personal one, but it doesn't say it clearly, only that "something went wrong". I honestly don't see any difference when compared to my personal windows install I use for the occasional game and Lightroom / Photoshop.
- delta_p_delta_x 10mo ago
  I suspect you'll additionally need to make some GPO changes so that things like Game Bar, Xbox, and Copilot are disabled.
- LorenDB 10mo ago
  Fresh installs of Enterprise do not have any of the extra garbage on the start menu. It's just a few Office apps, Edge, and Explorer. Your Windows install probably started as Pro and then was changed to an Enterprise license key later.
  - apexalpha 10mo ago
    My enterprise start menu has a entry for MSN.com which rotates between pictures and headlines you would find on TMZ. Why MS feels the Kardashians should be in my start menu, I don't know.
    - fuzzfactor 10mo ago
      You're not supposed to know or care :(
      - apexalpha 10mo ago
        Microsoft certainly doesn't.

B1FF_PSUVM 10mo ago

> I mind when my Weather program is changed into a stock ticker and tabloid news cornucopia... dagnabbit, I know where to get those, I just want the weather info. "They have no taste" was right.

vladvasiliu 10mo ago

What do you mean by consumer-oriented stuff? I'm typing this on my company azure ad integrated windows 11. The system info says it's windows 11 enterprise 25h2. My start menu still has multiple random xbox crap in there, game bar (what even is that?!), "game mode", "solitaire and casual games". It shows random ads in the weather app. It invites me to do more with a microsoft account, even though the computer is fully azure ad joined and my windows session is an azure ad account with some expensive office365 licence attached. Before reinstalling the other day for unrelated reasons, I had actually tried to add that account. Turns out it doesn't work with a "work or school" account, it requires the personal one, but it doesn't say it clearly, only that "something went wrong". I honestly don't see any difference when compared to my personal windows install I use for the occasional game and Lightroom / Photoshop.

delta_p_delta_x 10mo ago
I suspect you'll additionally need to make some GPO changes so that things like Game Bar, Xbox, and Copilot are disabled.
LorenDB 10mo ago
Fresh installs of Enterprise do not have any of the extra garbage on the start menu. It's just a few Office apps, Edge, and Explorer. Your Windows install probably started as Pro and then was changed to an Enterprise license key later.
- apexalpha 10mo ago
  My enterprise start menu has a entry for MSN.com which rotates between pictures and headlines you would find on TMZ. Why MS feels the Kardashians should be in my start menu, I don't know.
  - fuzzfactor 10mo ago
    You're not supposed to know or care :(
    - apexalpha 10mo ago
      Microsoft certainly doesn't.