6 ms·

I do not have ads in my start menu, and no, I didn't "debloat" my PC. This is a base install where I flipped a couple of settings in the start menu options.

blackcatsec 8mo ago
For those that want to remove items, You can quickly disable these options by going into Settings > Personalization > Start and turn off "Show recommendations for tips, shortcuts, new apps, and more". It's like a 10 second fix and basically everything is gone.
- tracker1 8mo ago
  That's not what I'm referring to... it was a beta test that included actual internet ads in the start menu search results... It was literally a product I was looking at on the previous day.
  - blackcatsec 8mo ago
    Again, let's clarify here. Microsoft implemented, in its Beta Windows Insider Channel in 2024, ads in the "Recommended" section of the Start Menu. The very section I just described pretty plainly how to turn off. I mean I don't understand why everyone is so puffed up about this. You read some internet headline and start screeching about it on social media as if it doesn't take 2 seconds to literally turn off.
    - dijit 8mo ago
      The Ass-Fucker 3000 fucks you in the arse when you use your car ignition. But don't get bent out of shape - you can disable it in settings. Takes 10 seconds. Assuming you know it exists and the option doesn't disappear in a future update. And if it re-enables itself after the next patch? Well, at least the option to disable it still exists! Probably. Why would you buy a different car? It's so easy to turn off. What, you want to use a BMW? Be a BMW-user? A sheep? All your tools already integrate with our car anyway. There's no real choice, is there - unless you want to be a try-hard. And maybe it doesn't even work properly. You don't want that hassle, do you? Just accept the Ass-Fucker 3000. Next week they'll add the Wife-Beater 2000, but don't worry -that'll have a toggle too. Cope harder. I wish I had apologists like you for my software.
      - selimthegrim 8mo ago
        This sounds like Boeing MCAS cant.
    - tracker1 8mo ago
      AGAIN this is NOT what I was referring to... I'm referring to when you start typing in the name of a program you have installed, and you get a short list of matches, with maybe additional results... not a PRODUCT ADVERTISEMENT (not software) from the internet at the top, which is what I got. It's not a feature that should EVER exist at an OS level... I didn't even mind the adjacent product ads or the Recommended section you mention that much... but it's emphatically not what I'm fucking talking about. The fact that this was even something that was implemented and tested means that I'm not someone who will buy or choose Microsoft Windows at all from here forward. I have over 3 decades of development experience on/for/with software that runs on Windows. An even then... It doesn't matter if I can shut it off, it shouldn't have existed in the first place.
      - blackcatsec 8mo ago
        As a reply to this, because it's important. Searching does indeed bring up ads, however, they're to the right and only if you do not have whatever it is you're searching for installed. I know this is splitting hairs, but I like data and not emotional driven decisions. When I tap "Start" and search for "World of Warcraft", which is installed on my PC, the very first item is the shortcut to WoW on my PC. In terms of Start Menu Zones (as I'm calling them), on the Left is the "best Match", which links to WoW on my PC. The next zone beneath that is "Apps", which are the multiple permutations of WoW on my PC, and beneath that is "Search the Web", which offers a few search terms related to WoW. Beneath that is a "Store" link to WoW, which links to the Microsoft Store. The right zone of the Start Menu offers a menu of what I want to do with the app: Open, Run as Administrator, Open File Location, Pin to Start, Pin to Taskbar, or Uninstall. This is the same behavior on all programs I have installed on the PC: I can type "Steam", same behavior. Discord, same behavior, Signal, same behavior, Battle.Net, same behavior, etc. Now, for items that are not installed on my PC, for example, Half Life. Since I don't have it on my PC, it immediately wants to only search the web. On the right zone, which on installed apps shows a menu of options, this now shows a mini Bing search window which basically has sponsored content at the top with ebay links to Half Life editions (also holy crap those are expensive). So for applications not installed on my PC? Yeah, it's showing me some search bing ads. For every application installed on my PC? It's not showing any ads. From what I'm reading, it seems many people have a workflow that leverages the start menu pretty heavily. My workflow since the early days of XP has never included the start menu. In Windows XP, I used the Quick Launch Bar and always had a 2nd row of icons above my taskbar for which I used to open apps. When Microsoft changed this, I simply pin everything to the taskbar instead and use that. The only time I use the start menu to search and load something is usually if I want to CTRL+SHIFT+ENTER to run whatever that is as Administrator. And that workflow has never once "tricked" me into loading any ads, websites, bing searches, or anything. It has always, for over a decade including on Windows 11 25H2 done exactly what I was expecting every single time. So perhaps our workflows differ for which this is an annoyance for you, but I cannot replicate your specific problem that you mentioned.
    - jayd16 8mo ago
      It might be different if they didn't push updates every other month that changed settings like default browser back to their products. You're right that there are simple fixes but the point is that Microsoft is no longer on your side. You're now stuck defensivly scrambling for value in a product where you are no longer the customer.
- anon291 8mo ago
  I mean you can also copy my dotfiles onto your linux machine and have a more advanced system than anything windows would provide, and it'll take less than ten seconds, but this is 'fiddling' or somethin.
tracker1 8mo ago
It was a test they ran on Insiders channel to see how people reacted to them. It never mated it into GA, or for that matter the entire insiders channels... They'll feature gate things to some insiders users and A/B test them to see how the user response looks. There was a bit of an uproar at the time for those that saw them, including myself... I ditched windows altogether (except my assigned work laptop).
- MarkSweep 8mo ago
  I think some form of ads made it into the release channel. I recently did a clean install of Windows 11 25H2 and I could not figure out how to get App Store ads out of the search results in the start menu. That and a game working better on Linux than Windows was the straw that broke the camel’s back for me and I installed Ubuntu.
- user3939382 8mo ago
  The OS has been full of ads for years. TV channel BS xbox this and that. You need magical PowerShell incantations w correct permissions etc to remove it. I saw ads in the Ubuntu installer! I’ve retreated back to FreeBSD and OpenSUSE Heaven help us.
dijit 8mo ago
You're missing the point entirely. The problem isn't that ads can be disabled. The problem is that a paid operating system ships with ads in the first place. Full stop. There's no universe where that's acceptable product design, and the fact that you can disable them (for now, at least) doesn't make it less offensive. I don't understand why you're going to bat for a trillion-dollar corporation here. Your settings work now. Great. They won't after the next feature update, this is a well-documented pattern. Windows updates routinely re-enable telemetry, Bing integration, and promotional content that users explicitly disabled. You're not configuring your OS, you're fighting it. The TPM2 requirement is pure planned obsolescence. Millions of perfectly good machines binned because Microsoft decided hardware from 2016 is suddenly "insecure"... whilst the actual benefit is DRM enforcement and remote attestation. It's a corporate compliance tool, not a security feature. The Insiders build being referenced had actual web advertisements in search results. That's where this is headed. If you're comfortable defending that trajectory, carry on flipping those settings.
- benjiro 8mo ago
  > The problem is that a paid operating system ships with ads in the first place. You never buy a laptop or pre-build? They are often full of ads that are not Microsoft Windows build in but add-on by the OEM. Now i agree that Ads in your OS that you paid for, is a big nono. I never understood why Microsoft threats Home and Pro as almost the exact same. Sell Home for cheaper and with Ads, but keep the more expensive Pro clean. Microsoft can do that easily because Windows Server is just that ... But on the Linux front, i have never been happy with the desktop experience. Often a lot of small details are missing, if the DE itself not outright crashes (KDE, master in Plasma/Widget crashes!). And so many other desktop feel like they have been made in the 90s (probably are) and never gotten updated. And i do not run W11, still on old and very stable W10. There is no reason to upgrade that i see. Did the same with W7, for years after support ended (and by that time W10 was well polished and less buggy). The problem is, what does Linux Desktop offer me more, then a few annoyances that i can remove after a fresh install? Often a lot more trouble with the need to use the terminal for things, that are ancient in Windows. That is the problem ... With Apple, you can get insane good M-CPU hardware (yes, mem/storage is insane), for the os/desktop switch. I noticed that often the people who switch to Linux, are more likely to send more time into finetuning their OS, tinkering around, etc... aka people with more time on their hands. But when you get a bit older, you simply want something that works and gives you no trouble. I can literally upgrade my PC here from a NVidia to AMD or visa versa, and it will simply work with the correct full performance drivers. Its that convenience that is the draw to keep using (even ifs a older) Windows. For now 25 years every few years, i look at upgrading to Linux permanently, install a few distro's and go back. Linus Desktop does not feel like you gain a massive benefit, if that makes sense? Especially not if your like me, who simply rides out Microsoft their bad OS releases. What is the killer features that you say, hey, Linux Desktop is insane good, it has X, Y, Z that Microsoft does not have, its ... That is the issue in my book. Yes, it has no adds but that is like 5 min work on a fresh install, a 2 min job of copy/past a cleanup script to remove the spyware and other crap and your good for year. So again, killer features? Often a lot of programs that are less developed or stripped down compared to Windows, let alone way too often 90 style feels programs. You can tell its made by developers often, with no GUI / Graphical developers involved lol I said it a 1000 times but Linux Desktop suffers from a lot of distro redoing the same time over and over again. Resulting in this lag ... That is my yearly Linux rant hahaha. And yes, i know, W11 is a disaster but i simply wait it out on W10, and see what the future brings when the whole AI hype dies down and Microsoft loses too much customers. I am betting that somebody is going to get scared at MS and we then get a better W12 again.
thunfischtoast 8mo ago
How generous of them to allow their paying user to disable the ads. It's only a matter of time until this either becomes some sort of premium feature.

blackcatsec 8mo ago

For those that want to remove items, You can quickly disable these options by going into Settings > Personalization > Start and turn off "Show recommendations for tips, shortcuts, new apps, and more". It's like a 10 second fix and basically everything is gone.

tracker1 8mo ago
That's not what I'm referring to... it was a beta test that included actual internet ads in the start menu search results... It was literally a product I was looking at on the previous day.
- blackcatsec 8mo ago
  Again, let's clarify here. Microsoft implemented, in its Beta Windows Insider Channel in 2024, ads in the "Recommended" section of the Start Menu. The very section I just described pretty plainly how to turn off. I mean I don't understand why everyone is so puffed up about this. You read some internet headline and start screeching about it on social media as if it doesn't take 2 seconds to literally turn off.
  - dijit 8mo ago
    The Ass-Fucker 3000 fucks you in the arse when you use your car ignition. But don't get bent out of shape - you can disable it in settings. Takes 10 seconds. Assuming you know it exists and the option doesn't disappear in a future update. And if it re-enables itself after the next patch? Well, at least the option to disable it still exists! Probably. Why would you buy a different car? It's so easy to turn off. What, you want to use a BMW? Be a BMW-user? A sheep? All your tools already integrate with our car anyway. There's no real choice, is there - unless you want to be a try-hard. And maybe it doesn't even work properly. You don't want that hassle, do you? Just accept the Ass-Fucker 3000. Next week they'll add the Wife-Beater 2000, but don't worry -that'll have a toggle too. Cope harder. I wish I had apologists like you for my software.
    - selimthegrim 8mo ago
      This sounds like Boeing MCAS cant.
  - tracker1 8mo ago
    AGAIN this is NOT what I was referring to... I'm referring to when you start typing in the name of a program you have installed, and you get a short list of matches, with maybe additional results... not a PRODUCT ADVERTISEMENT (not software) from the internet at the top, which is what I got. It's not a feature that should EVER exist at an OS level... I didn't even mind the adjacent product ads or the Recommended section you mention that much... but it's emphatically not what I'm fucking talking about. The fact that this was even something that was implemented and tested means that I'm not someone who will buy or choose Microsoft Windows at all from here forward. I have over 3 decades of development experience on/for/with software that runs on Windows. An even then... It doesn't matter if I can shut it off, it shouldn't have existed in the first place.
    - blackcatsec 8mo ago
      As a reply to this, because it's important. Searching does indeed bring up ads, however, they're to the right and only if you do not have whatever it is you're searching for installed. I know this is splitting hairs, but I like data and not emotional driven decisions. When I tap "Start" and search for "World of Warcraft", which is installed on my PC, the very first item is the shortcut to WoW on my PC. In terms of Start Menu Zones (as I'm calling them), on the Left is the "best Match", which links to WoW on my PC. The next zone beneath that is "Apps", which are the multiple permutations of WoW on my PC, and beneath that is "Search the Web", which offers a few search terms related to WoW. Beneath that is a "Store" link to WoW, which links to the Microsoft Store. The right zone of the Start Menu offers a menu of what I want to do with the app: Open, Run as Administrator, Open File Location, Pin to Start, Pin to Taskbar, or Uninstall. This is the same behavior on all programs I have installed on the PC: I can type "Steam", same behavior. Discord, same behavior, Signal, same behavior, Battle.Net, same behavior, etc. Now, for items that are not installed on my PC, for example, Half Life. Since I don't have it on my PC, it immediately wants to only search the web. On the right zone, which on installed apps shows a menu of options, this now shows a mini Bing search window which basically has sponsored content at the top with ebay links to Half Life editions (also holy crap those are expensive). So for applications not installed on my PC? Yeah, it's showing me some search bing ads. For every application installed on my PC? It's not showing any ads. From what I'm reading, it seems many people have a workflow that leverages the start menu pretty heavily. My workflow since the early days of XP has never included the start menu. In Windows XP, I used the Quick Launch Bar and always had a 2nd row of icons above my taskbar for which I used to open apps. When Microsoft changed this, I simply pin everything to the taskbar instead and use that. The only time I use the start menu to search and load something is usually if I want to CTRL+SHIFT+ENTER to run whatever that is as Administrator. And that workflow has never once "tricked" me into loading any ads, websites, bing searches, or anything. It has always, for over a decade including on Windows 11 25H2 done exactly what I was expecting every single time. So perhaps our workflows differ for which this is an annoyance for you, but I cannot replicate your specific problem that you mentioned.
  - jayd16 8mo ago
    It might be different if they didn't push updates every other month that changed settings like default browser back to their products. You're right that there are simple fixes but the point is that Microsoft is no longer on your side. You're now stuck defensivly scrambling for value in a product where you are no longer the customer.
anon291 8mo ago
I mean you can also copy my dotfiles onto your linux machine and have a more advanced system than anything windows would provide, and it'll take less than ten seconds, but this is 'fiddling' or somethin.

tracker1 8mo ago

It was a test they ran on Insiders channel to see how people reacted to them. It never mated it into GA, or for that matter the entire insiders channels... They'll feature gate things to some insiders users and A/B test them to see how the user response looks. There was a bit of an uproar at the time for those that saw them, including myself... I ditched windows altogether (except my assigned work laptop).

MarkSweep 8mo ago
I think some form of ads made it into the release channel. I recently did a clean install of Windows 11 25H2 and I could not figure out how to get App Store ads out of the search results in the start menu. That and a game working better on Linux than Windows was the straw that broke the camel’s back for me and I installed Ubuntu.
user3939382 8mo ago
The OS has been full of ads for years. TV channel BS xbox this and that. You need magical PowerShell incantations w correct permissions etc to remove it. I saw ads in the Ubuntu installer! I’ve retreated back to FreeBSD and OpenSUSE Heaven help us.

dijit 8mo ago

You're missing the point entirely. The problem isn't that ads can be disabled. The problem is that a paid operating system ships with ads in the first place. Full stop. There's no universe where that's acceptable product design, and the fact that you can disable them (for now, at least) doesn't make it less offensive. I don't understand why you're going to bat for a trillion-dollar corporation here. Your settings work now. Great. They won't after the next feature update, this is a well-documented pattern. Windows updates routinely re-enable telemetry, Bing integration, and promotional content that users explicitly disabled. You're not configuring your OS, you're fighting it. The TPM2 requirement is pure planned obsolescence. Millions of perfectly good machines binned because Microsoft decided hardware from 2016 is suddenly "insecure"... whilst the actual benefit is DRM enforcement and remote attestation. It's a corporate compliance tool, not a security feature. The Insiders build being referenced had actual web advertisements in search results. That's where this is headed. If you're comfortable defending that trajectory, carry on flipping those settings.

benjiro 8mo ago
> The problem is that a paid operating system ships with ads in the first place. You never buy a laptop or pre-build? They are often full of ads that are not Microsoft Windows build in but add-on by the OEM. Now i agree that Ads in your OS that you paid for, is a big nono. I never understood why Microsoft threats Home and Pro as almost the exact same. Sell Home for cheaper and with Ads, but keep the more expensive Pro clean. Microsoft can do that easily because Windows Server is just that ... But on the Linux front, i have never been happy with the desktop experience. Often a lot of small details are missing, if the DE itself not outright crashes (KDE, master in Plasma/Widget crashes!). And so many other desktop feel like they have been made in the 90s (probably are) and never gotten updated. And i do not run W11, still on old and very stable W10. There is no reason to upgrade that i see. Did the same with W7, for years after support ended (and by that time W10 was well polished and less buggy). The problem is, what does Linux Desktop offer me more, then a few annoyances that i can remove after a fresh install? Often a lot more trouble with the need to use the terminal for things, that are ancient in Windows. That is the problem ... With Apple, you can get insane good M-CPU hardware (yes, mem/storage is insane), for the os/desktop switch. I noticed that often the people who switch to Linux, are more likely to send more time into finetuning their OS, tinkering around, etc... aka people with more time on their hands. But when you get a bit older, you simply want something that works and gives you no trouble. I can literally upgrade my PC here from a NVidia to AMD or visa versa, and it will simply work with the correct full performance drivers. Its that convenience that is the draw to keep using (even ifs a older) Windows. For now 25 years every few years, i look at upgrading to Linux permanently, install a few distro's and go back. Linus Desktop does not feel like you gain a massive benefit, if that makes sense? Especially not if your like me, who simply rides out Microsoft their bad OS releases. What is the killer features that you say, hey, Linux Desktop is insane good, it has X, Y, Z that Microsoft does not have, its ... That is the issue in my book. Yes, it has no adds but that is like 5 min work on a fresh install, a 2 min job of copy/past a cleanup script to remove the spyware and other crap and your good for year. So again, killer features? Often a lot of programs that are less developed or stripped down compared to Windows, let alone way too often 90 style feels programs. You can tell its made by developers often, with no GUI / Graphical developers involved lol I said it a 1000 times but Linux Desktop suffers from a lot of distro redoing the same time over and over again. Resulting in this lag ... That is my yearly Linux rant hahaha. And yes, i know, W11 is a disaster but i simply wait it out on W10, and see what the future brings when the whole AI hype dies down and Microsoft loses too much customers. I am betting that somebody is going to get scared at MS and we then get a better W12 again.

thunfischtoast 8mo ago

How generous of them to allow their paying user to disable the ads. It's only a matter of time until this either becomes some sort of premium feature.