I’ve used Windows since I was a kid, but this isn’t the Windows I grew up with.

 It seems that Microsoft has forgotten what once made Windows the dominant force in the desktop OS market: the feeling that you truly own your computer, not merely rent it.

Back in early Windows 10 builds, Edge couldn’t be uninstalled if I remember correctly. But now? Microsoft is blatantly stripping away user choice, forcing Microsoft Accounts at all costs since Insider Preview Build 26220.6772, and this change may soon arrive in the next major Windows 11 release. These restrictions can’t be bypassed without third-party tools like Rufus or command-line tweaks. This feels like you are borrowing Microsoft PCs, not yours.

If Microsoft still refuses to listen, this might be my last post about Windows. I’ll enjoy Windows 10 as long as it lasts and when it’s over, I’ll move on to something that still respects its users.

And if you think I’m joking, just take a look at these videos.

John Lawson was a Windows user for 32 years, right up until Windows 10 reached its end of life. He switched to Nobara Linux, his laptop is an Acer Predator Helios 300 still runs perfectly.

It is powered by an Intel i7-7700HQ, with 4 cores, 8 threads, and a max turbo of 3.80GHz , more than enough to handle Windows 11. The machine also has 16 GB of DDR4 RAM, a 512 GB NVME SSD, TPM 1.2 , and Secure Boot.

Yet Microsoft said “NO!.”

Link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4PyxWPuIUyk&t

Next, we have Salem Techsperts, a Youtuber channel with 2.3 million subscribers has switched their machines in their shop to Fedora Linux once Windows 10 EOL. Moreover, they have revived old machines and installed Linux Mint to make them usable again. They have clarified that in the comment section and you can check it out in the link below.

Link:

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/DXaFkA6Hovc

It honestly feels like Microsoft doesn’t want users to use their own operating system anymore.

Here is what Microsoft should do if they want to rebuild trust:

1.Stop forcing Microsoft Account and ads.

There are a bunch of full-screen pop-up ads in Windows about the benefits of logging in MS account in Windows. You can take a look at these pictures below:

Hey Microsoft,

I’ve been using Windows since I was a kid. I grew up with this operating system, it’s been part of my life for decades. But lately, it feels like the Windows I once loved is gone.
Windows is a paid OS, and the license fee is already included in the device’s price. So stop treating users like products. Stop pushing ads, telemetry, and features we never asked for. Here is the proof that Windows is a paid OS:

As you can see, the same hardware, one with Windows, one with Linux, and the Linux option is $159 cheaper.
That difference is the Windows license fee, just hidden in the device price.

So let’s be clear: Windows isn’t free. it’s prepaid. And paying customers deserve freedom, not ads.”

Let people decide how to use their own computers whether to sign in with a Microsoft Account or a Local Account, and what apps to keep or remove.

According to Tom's Hardware, “The controversy began with a forum post. “This installed automatically on my PC, and watching the network traffic, I realised (sic) it was automatically sending everything I was doing to Microsoft (including an NDA’d game I’m playing,” user RedbullCola said in the forums. “I checked the settings, and by default, it’s set to train on text seen on the screen — it screenshots everything, and OCRs text from in-game and sends it to MS. MS then uses what you’re doing to train their AI models.”
Here is the link to the article:
https://www.tomshardware.com/video-games/pc-gaming/microsoft-says-gaming-copilot-uses-screenshots-to-understand-in-game-events-not-for-training-ai-models-optional-feature-can-be-turned-off-but-not-easily-uninstalled

As Microsoft explained to Tom’s Hardware, “When you are actively using Gaming Copilot in Game Bar, it can use screenshots of your gameplay to get a better understanding of what’s happening in your game and provide you with more helpful responses. These screenshots are not used to train AI models, and Gaming Copilot is an optional feature that only has access to gameplay when you are playing a game and actively using it,” the representative said to Tom's Hardware.

And what’s worse: “Model training on text” is enabled by default silently sending user activity to train Microsoft’s AI. You can turn it off, but no one was even asked in the first place. That’s not transparency, that’s violation of trust.

If the screenshots are not used to train AI, then why there is an argument that is ”provide you with more helpful responses” ? Isn’t that still an AI process that requires analyzing user data in real time?

An operating system should serve its users, not exploit them. Right now, it feels like Microsoft is using us to train their AI and generate ad revenue instead of serving us, the paying customers.

2. Lets users choose what updates to be installed

In Windows 7, users had the ability to select which updates they wanted to install, as shown in the screenshot below. Unfortunately, that option no longer exists in Windows 10 and Windows 11.
Therefore, there should be an option in Advanced settings called “Manual update mode”, which lets users manually select the updates they want to install.

Additionally, there have been numerous cases where Windows Update caused issues by downloading and installing outdated drivers automatically, especially for AMD and NVIDIA GPUs.

To address this, there should be an option to ignore all updates for a specific driver.
For example, if you don’t want Windows Update to install a particular GPU driver anymore, you could simply right-click it and select "Ignore all updates for this driver".
I know there is an option called Group Policy Editor, but it is only available on Windows Pro/Enterprise. This should be an option for Home users in "Advanced Settings" too.

That’s it, simple and effective.

3. Bitlocker

Recently, more new laptops come with BitLocker enabled by default, often without the user even knowing it.
While encryption is important for security, automatically enabling BitLocker can cause serious issues later, such as data loss when reinstalling Windows or switching to Linux for dual-boot setups.

Here is a post from Reddit, OP didn’t even know why they were stuck at this screen. That means this feature is automatically enabled without asking the owner of that device. 

When that happens, people suddenly find themselves locked out of their own computers, simply because the system decided to encrypt the drive on its own.

If Microsoft wants to keep this feature on by default, there should at least be a clear notification during setup explaining what BitLocker does, where the recovery key is stored, and giving users the choice to opt out.
Security should empower users, not confuse or lock them out of their own devices.

I’m not writing this out of hate. I’m writing this out of hope. Because if Microsoft is ready to listen, then maybe, together, we can bring back the Windows we once believed in.

So, everyone. It’s time for the community to speak up and protect the operating system we all use and grew up with. We can’t let it fall apart because of Microsoft’s controversial and anti-user decisions!