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WHAT YOU CAN DO o Upgrade to Windows 11 on an unsupported PC o Use Windows 10 or 11 without a Microsoft account o Stop Microsoft forcing you to use its Edge browser o Ditch the new Outlook for a superior email program o Pause Windows updates until you're ready to install them o Block and uninstall unwanted Microsoft Store apps o Customise the Windows Start menu and taskbar o Disable settings that share your data and show ads BEAT WINDOWS ITS UPGRADE RESTRICTIONS The Windows rule that's currently bothering the most users is Microsoft's insistence that your PC meet specific system requirements to upgrade to Windows 11. Run Microsoft's PC Health Check app (wwwsnipca. com/53573) to see which requirements your PC meets (see screenshot below) With support for Windows 10 ending on 14 October, these restrictions are no longer merely frustrating but also a safety concern. Windows Server doesn't check whether a PC has the correct technical specifications for running Windows 11, and Flybyll lets you exploit this loophole to install the operating system. [...]when you perform a clean install from a USB stick, or buy Windows 11 from an authorised reseller, you may be prompted to enter a product key.
COVER FEATURE
Take control of your PC by beating the restrictions that are imposed on every Windows user. Robert Irvine explains how to do what Microsoft really doesn't want you to
Microsoft likes to suggest that Windows gives us the freedom to do whatever we want on our PCs. Back in 2015, it launched Windows 10 with the slogan "A more human way to do", and six years later it claimed Windows 11"brings you closer to what you love".
To emphasise its generosity, Microsoft made both operating systems available as free upgrades - Windows 10 until 2017, Windows 11 ongoing - allowing everyone to "create, learn, play and most importantly connect in all new ways"(www.snipca.com/53614). In truth, Windows is more restrictive than Microsoft would have us believe, with certain rules we must accept and obey.
Some of these rules limit what we can and can't do on our PCs, while others govern what Microsoft wants Windows to do - whether we like it or not. In this feature, we reveal how to beat many of the most frustrating and pointless restrictions in Windows 10 and 11, and take full control of your computer.
Breaking some of these rules involves tweaking system settings, so you may want to create a system restore point before following our advice. Type system restore in the search box and click Open under 'Create a restore point'. Select your main hard drive then click Create. To roll back your PC, click System Restore.
WHAT YOU CAN DO
o Upgrade to Windows 11 on an unsupported PC
o Use Windows 10 or 11 without a Microsoft account
o Stop Microsoft forcing you to use its Edge browser
o Ditch the new Outlook for a superior email program
o Pause Windows updates until you're ready to install them
o Block and uninstall unwanted Microsoft Store apps
o Customise the Windows Start menu and taskbar
o Disable settings that share your data and show ads
BEAT WINDOWS ITS UPGRADE RESTRICTIONS
The Windows rule that's currently bothering the most users is Microsoft's insistence that your PC meet specific system requirements to upgrade to Windows 11. Unless it has TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot enabled, a compatible processor, at least 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage, you won't be able to install the new operating system. Run Microsoft's PC Health Check app (wwwsnipca. com/53573) to see which requirements your PC meets (see screenshot below)
With support for Windows 10 ending on 14 October, these restrictions are no longer merely frustrating but also a safety concern. If you can't afford to buy a new Windows 11 PC, like Microsoft wants you to if you can't upgrade, you'll be left using a computer that won't receive security updates or bug fixes.
At the end of last year, online reports suggested that Microsoft had relaxed the upgrade requirements for Windows 11, but this was swiftly denied (see www. snipca.com/53562). If you try to install the operating system on a PC that doesn't meet the minimum requirements, the installer will refuse to continue, just as it did before.
Thankfully, there are ways to beat this strict rule and upgrade to Windows 11 on an unsupported PC. Bear in mind, however, that Windows 11 may not work as smoothly as it will on a machine that's built to support it.
We've previously recommended the free program Rufus (www.snipca.com/53499) for this purpose - see page 51 of our 'Windows 10 is doomed Cover Feature in Issue 693 (buy a back issue from www. snipca.com/52735). But Rufus requires you to boot Windows 11 from a USB stick, and is best suited to performing a clean install of the operating system. Our preferred method for breaking the minimum-reauirements rule is nowFlybyll (www.snipca.com/53563), which lets you perform an in-place upgrade directly from your Windows 10 PC.
This ingenious new tool works by using the installation setup designed for Windows Server, which businesses use to run Windows across a network of computers. Windows Server doesn't check whether a PC has the correct technical specifications for running Windows 11, and Flybyll lets you exploit this loophole to install the operating system.
Since we last wrote about this free tool - in our How To section in Issue 698 (page 35) - it's been redesigned with a much simpler interface and a new 'upgrading assistant'. We'll now explain how to use Flybyll to beat Microsoft's upgrade restrictions.
Upgrade to Windows 11 using Flybyll
Download the latest version of Flybyll (1.1 at the time of writing) by visiting www.snipca.com/53564 and clicking the 'Flybyll.exe' link in the Assets section. Double-click the EXE file and click 'More info' then 'Run anyway' at the SmartScreen warning (it's completelysafe to use).
Flybyll gives you two options. You can either click the Microsoft Site link (? in our screenshot above) to download a Windows 11 ISO file from Microsoft, or click 'Download via Fido (Recommended)' 0 to use a PowerShell script from Fido (the developer of Rufus). The second option is easier - just click 'Yes' to allow PowerShell to make changes to your device, and download and run the Fido script.
When the 'Fido - ISO Downloaded box opens, select Windows 11 in the dropdown menu, click Continue and choose 24H2. Click 'Continue' again to set the Windows edition, language and architecture, then click Download.
The ISO file is huge (5.4GB) so will take a while to download. Once complete, drag and drop the file from your Downloads folder to the grey rectangular area in Flybyll. This will mount the ISO (click Yes if prompted by PowerShell) and display a message saying you're ready to install Windows 11 on unsupported hardware S
When the Windows Server Setup box opens, click Accept and choose either 'Keep files, settings and apps' or 'Keep personal files only', depending on your preference. Click 'Next' and Windows Server will confirm your PC is ready to install Windows 11.
On the 'Ready to install' screen, click 'Install' (see screenshot left) to install Windows Server and Windows 11. Your PC will need to restart a few times. The Windows 11 installer will automatically detect the digital licence for your computer, so you shouldn't need to enter a product key - see our advice on page 52 if you encounter this obstacle.
USE WINDOWS WITHOUT A MICROSOFT ACCOUNT
Microsoft now requires you to sign into a Microsoft or Outlook account when you install Windows 11. This keeps your files, passwords and settings synced across devices and services, but it also allows Microsoft to track your activities and target you with adverts. Unlike a local Windows account, your data is stored online rather than on your PC, which puts it at greater risk from security breaches.
Although you can no longer skip the Microsoft-account option when you set up Windows 11, there is a workaround using Rufus (www.snipca.com/53499). This lets you perform a clean install of the operating system from a USB stick without requiring an online Microsoft account.
Download a Windows 11 ISO file from Microsoft (www.snipca.com/53568) or using Flybyll (see page 51), then insert a USB stick in your PC. Launch Rufus and it should automatically detect the USB drive. Click the Select button, add the ISO file, then click Start. When the Windows
User Experience box opens, tick 'Remove requirement for an online Microsoft account' and choose to create a local account instead (see screenshot above). You can also tick the option to bypass Windows 11's upgrade requirements if your PC is unsupported.
Click 'OK' to burn the modified version of Windows 11 to your USB stick, and install the operating system from there. Skipping the Microsoft-account requirement won't prevent Windows from detecting your digital licence for activation (see below).
If you already use a Microsoft account on your Windows 10 or 11 PC, it's easy to switch to a local one. Open Settings and choose Accounts, then 'Your info'. Click 'Sign in with a local account instead (see screenshot above) and Microsoft will ask if you're sure you want to switch.
Click 'Next', enter your current Microsoft password or PIN, then choose a username and password for your local account. Click 'Sign out and finish' to confirm - this will sign you out of all Microsoft services.
RUN WINDOWS WITHOUT A PRODUCT KEY
When you upgrade from Windows 10 to Windows 11, the new operating system will be activated automatically using a digital licence associated with your Microsoft account. But when you perform a clean install from a USB stick, or buy Windows 11 from an authorised reseller, you may be prompted to enter a product key.
If you don't have this 25-character key to hand, you can use Windows 11 without activating it by clicking 'I don't have a product key' on the Activate Windows screen. This is completely legal and there's no time limit on running an unactivated version of the operating system - you'll even receive system updates.
However, there are several caveats to be aware of, most notably an Activate Windows' watermark in the bottom-right corner of your desktop, though it is possible to remove this - see box below.
You won't receive security updates or be able to change your desktop wallpaper, theme or cursor style via Windows Settings. But you can still set an image as wallpaper by right-clicking it in File
Explorer and choosing 'Set as desktop background.
If you've previously entered a product key, but can't find the email that contained it, you can retrieve it through Command Prompt. Type cmd in the search box and press Enter. Type the following command and press Enter again: wmic path SoftwareLicensingService get OA3xOriginalProductKey - copy this from our Pastebin page at wwwsnipca. com/53572.
Use it to activate Windows 11 manually by going to Settings, then System and clicking Activation. Click 'Change' next to 'Change product key' (? in our screenshot) and copy and paste the key from Command Prompt H.
Remove watermarks from your desktop
If Windows is showing a watermark in the bottom-right corner of your desktop, such as Activate Windows or 'System requirements not met', you can remove it by tweaking the registry Type regedit in the search box and click 'Run as administrator' under Registry Editor.
To remove the Activate Windows watermark, navigate to the key HKEY_ CURRENT_USER\Control PanelXDesktop and double-click PaintDesktopVersion in the right-hand panel. Set the 'Value data'to'0'then click OK.
To hide the 'System requirements not met' watermark, navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\ UnsupportedHardwareNotificationCache and double-click SV2 in the right-hand pane. Set the 'Value data' to '0' then click OK. Restart your PC to apply either of these changes.
STOP MICROSOFT FORCING YOU TO USE EDGE
Microsoft Edge is now a pretty good browser, but many of us still prefer alternatives such as Chrome, Brave or Firefox. Although you can set any of those as your default Windows browser, it's difficult to completely avoid Edge and its associated search engine Bing.
Edge opens automatically when you click web-search results in the Windows search tool, any content in Windows ll's Widgets feature and Windows 10's 'News and interests' widget, and support pages in any Windows app. It's also impossible to remove - go to the Apps list in the Settings app and you'll see the Uninstall button for Microsoft Edge is greyed out.
Microsoft says this is because Edge is an "essential component", but Windows users in the EU can now uninstall it, in accordance with the European Commission's Digital Markets Act, so it can't be that essential. In the UK, the best way to break free from Edge is to download the free tool GoAwayEdge (www.snipca.com/53576).
This easy-to-use new program (our previous favourite - MSEdgeRedirect - hasn't been updated since December 2023) redirects Windows to use your default browser instead of Edge (? in our screenshot) and your preferred search engine instead of Bing. Alternatively, you can completely remove Edge from your system H.
The latest update to GoAwayEdge also lets you change Windows' default AI assistant from Copilot to ChatGPT or Google Gemini. The program triggers a SmartScreen warning, but it's safe to use so click 'More info' then 'Run anyway'.
DITCH THE NEW OUTLOOK APP
On 31 December 2024, Microsoft officially ended support for the Mail and Calendar apps in Windows 10 and 11. These have been replaced by the new Outlook app and, though they haven't yet been removed, if you open them you'll be redirected to Outlook.
Frustratingly there's no way to block the installation of the new Outlook, which Microsoft is forcing on Windows users whether they want it or not. The app has the advantage of integrating email and calendar tools in one interface, but it also has many flaws.
The new Outlook's design looks more like a website than a Windows tool, it's slow to open and it uses more RAM than the old Mail app. It also lacks features offered by rival email software, such as a unified inbox that combines messages from multiple accounts, and it shows personalised ads at the top of your inbox. To remove these, you need to pay from £1.99 a month for a Microsoft 365 subscription.
If you had the previous version of Outlook installed, you can revert to it by clicking the Help menu in the new app and choosing 'Go to classic Outlook (Q in our screenshot) - or by switching off the 'New Outlook slider if you see it H. Microsoft has promised to support the classic version until 2029. But if you've never installed Outlook - either as part of Office/Microsoft 365 or separately -you won't see either option.
To beat this restriction, download the classic version of Outlook from the Microsoft Store (www.snipca.com/53580). This works in Windows 10 and 11, but requires a Microsoft 365 Personal or Family subscription. Alternatively, switch to the brilliant free email client Mozilla Thunderbird (www.snipca.com/53578), which is packed with useful features, or the new free program Wino Mail (www snipca.com/53583), which looks like the old Mail app. Both let you import your Outlook messages and contacts.
To remove the new Outlook app, go into the Apps section of Windows Settings and choose Apps & features' (Windows 10) or 'Installed apps' (Windows 11). Select 'Outlook (new)' and click Uninstall. You can reinstall it from wwwsnipca. com/53581.
Uninstall Copilot from Windows 10 and 11
Microsoft's AI assistant
Copilot is now automatically installed in both Windows 10 and 11. Previously it was tightly integrated with the newer operating system, which made the chatbot impossible to remove or ignore, but thankfully that's now changed.
Last December, Microsoft redesigned Copilot to transform it from a built-in taskbar feature to a 'native' Windows app. This means you can now move it around your screen, decide whether to pin it to your Start menu and taskbar, and - most importantly -uninstall it from your PC. Co to the 'Apps & features' or'Installed apps' list in the Settings app, select Copilot and click Uninstall (see screenshot). If you later want it back, you can reinstall the app from the Microsoft Store (www.snipca.com/53484).
DELAY WINDOWS UPDATES FOR AS LONG AS YOU WANT
As we reported in Issue 702 (page 6), despite all the problems that have beset the 24H2 update, Microsoft is rolling it out anyway. On Windows 11 Home and Pro PCs, the update will be installed automatically, though it's possible to postpone it for up to five weeks.
Open the Settings app and choose Windows Update, then 'Pause updates'. Click 'Pause for 1 week' and ensure the option 'Get the latest updates as soon as they're available' is switched off. You can pause the 24H2 update five times to delay it for 35 days, after which it'll be installed whether you like it or not.
The same applies to other Windows 'feature updates', which often cause problems on release (though 24H2 has proved worse than most). The Windows Insider Program is supposed to identify bugs in new versions of the operating system, so Microsoft can fix them ahead of public release. But in practice, the company seems to rush out updates before they've been fully tested.
To protect your PC from enforced and problematic Windows updates, download GRC InControl (www.snipca.com/53585). This free tool keeps your Windows version on the current release, while still allowing Microsoft to install essential security updates. It works by tweaking registry settings to disable feature updates, and is safer than changing them manually.
When you run InControl, it will show your Windows version in the bottom-left corner (D in our screenshot). Click the Take Control button 0 and the program will confirm that 'You are in control of OS upgrades on this system'. This prevents Microsoft from forcing updates on you until you're ready to install them, and stops it automatically upgrading
Windows 10 PCs to Windows 11. Simply click 'Release Control' to resume Windows updates.
InControl was last updated a year ago, but it successfully blocks the 24H2 update. The developer says it will address "whatever curve balls and antics Microsoft might come up with next" - including when Windows 12 eventually arrives.
STOP MICROSOFT DOWNLOADING APPS AUTOMATICALLY
The new Outlook is far from the only app Microsoft has forcibly installed on PCs. It often adds apps to Windows without your permission - including Copilot, PC Health Check, Spotify Candy Crush Saga and new versions of tools such as Paint and Photos.
Because these apps usually come from the Microsoft Store, they're installed and updated separately from Windows Update (which only controls updates for system components). This means they'll still be downloaded after you pause automatic updates, but it also enables you to block them (though this won't work for Outlook, which is delivered via a security update).
First, open the Microsoft Store app, either from the Start menu or your taskbar if it's pinned there. Click your profile picture in the top-right corner and choose Settings. Switch off the 'App updates' option to stop Microsoft Store automatically downloading and installing app updates.
Next, to ensure Microsoft doesn't sneak other apps on to your PC, you need to tweak the registry. To do so, type regedit in the search box and click 'Run as administrator' under Registry Editor.
Navigate to the key HKEY_CURRENT_ USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\ CurrentVersion \ ContentDelivery Manager
(? in our screenshot) and double-click the SilentlnstalledAppsEnabled value 0 on the right. Change its 'Value data' to '0' B and click OK to disable silently installed apps. If the SilentlnstalledAppsEnabled value doesn't exist, right-click ContentDeliveryManager and select New, then 'DWORD (32-bit) Value' to create a new value with that name.
You can also remove app promotions from your Start menu, so you won't accidentally click and install them. Open the Windows Settings app and click Personalisation, then 'Start'.
Switch off the option 'Show suggestions occasionally in Start' (in Windows 10) or 'Show recommendations for tips, shortcuts, new apps and more' (in Windows 11).
Remove built-in bloatware in seconds
You can uninstalljunk apps that came installed on your PC - or have been added since - using the new free Windows-tweaking tool Bloatynosy (wwwsnipca. com/53417). Unlike most uninstallers, Bloatynosy's Dumputer feature focuses solely on Windows apps, rather than traditional desktop programs, and lets you remove them in bulk in seconds.
Click 'Dumputer' on Bloatynosy's home screen, then click the plus sign to move unwanted apps from the left-hand list to the right. Click'Remove' (see screenshot) to uninstall them all in one go (bear in mind, some apps may be unremovable). Bloatynosy works in Windows 10 and 11, though some features are limited to the latter. It triggers a SmartScreen warning, but it's safe to use so click 'More info', then 'Run anyway1.
CUSTOMISE THE WINDOWS START MENU & TASKBAR
Two of the most controversial aspects of Windows 11 are Microsoft's pointless redesign of the Start menu and its locking of the taskbar so you can't move it to the top or side of your screen.
To restore the classic Start menu, we've previously recommended the free tool Open-Shell (wwwsnipca. com/53587) and the paid-for program StartAllBack (www.startallback.com), which also lets you move the taskbar.
We've now found an even better solution called Windhawk (wwwsnipca. com/53588). This fantastic free software lets you apply more than 100 'mods' (modifications) to Windows 10 and 11 tools, including the Start menu and taskbar.
Download and run Windhawk, then click the 'Browse for Mods' button on its Home screen, or Explore in the top-right corner (? in our screenshot above right), to browse the available options (no mods are pre-installed so you can choose only the tweaks you need). Click a mod's Details button to learn more about it, then click Install. Windhawk will warn that dangerous mods can damage your PC, but all its tweaks have been tested by its development community, so click 'Accept Risk and Continue'.
Once a mod has been installed, click Details again, then the Settings tab H. Most mods have a Theme or Mode dropdown menu B that lets you choose your preferred customisation style.
For example, Windows 11 Start Menu Styler can transform the Start menu to look like Windows 10, present the old-style menu list alongside the new-style menu tiles, or make the menu translucent (this also works in Windows 10). You can right-click tiles to unpin them from the menu (see screenshot above right). To move the Start button to the left, install the 'Start button always on the left' mod. Or right-click the taskbar, choose 'Taskbar settings', then 'Taskbar behaviours' and set Left as the 'Taskbar alignment'.
The mod 'Vertical Taskbar for Windows 11' lets you move your taskbar to the left-or right-hand side of your screen, while 'Taskbar on top for Windows 11' moves it to the top. We also like the 'Classic context menu on Windows 11' mod, which restores the full right-click menu.
Click 'Save settings' to apply a mod, and Disable or Remove to undo its changes. See www.snipca.com/53590 for the full list of Windhawk mods.
UNLOCK & DELETE FILES THAT WINDOWS WONT
It's always annoying when you try to delete, move or rename a file or folder, only for Windows to tell you that 'access is denied'. The error message may say the item is in use by another program, or that you don't have permission to perform the action, but unhelpfully Windows won't tell you what's locking the file.
To beat this restriction, download the free tool LockHunter (wwwsnipca. com/53593), which makes unlocking items incredibly straightforward. Simply right-click a locked file or folder and choose 'What's locking this file/folder?'.
Click 'Yes' to launch LockHunter and it will tell you which process is restricting your access. Choose 'Unlock it!' (D in our screenshot below) to free the item or 'Delete it!' Q to send it to your recycle bin. Alternatively, click the Other button to rename or copy the file or folder, or terminate the locking process El.
Microsoft PowerToys (wwwsnipca. com/53594) includes an option called File LockSmith, which also unlocks restricted files and folders, and terminates their processes. Ideally, Microsoft should add the feature to Windows, instead of preventing access.
Stop Microsoft keeping you signed in
Microsoft has removed the 'Stay signed in' option that appears when you log into your account in a web browser. This means you can no longer choose not to stay logged in.
The change is supposed to make everything more convenient, but it also poses a major security risk. Anyone who uses the browser after you will have instant access to your data on Microsoft services, including Outlook, OneDrive and Microsoft 365.
To stop this happening when you use a shared or public computer, switch to your browser's incognito or private mode when you need to sign into your Microsoft account. If you forget to do so, you can use the new 'global sign-out' option.
Co to www.snipca.com/53596 in any browser and sign into your Microsoft account's security dashboard. Scroll down to the 'Additional security' section and click 'Sign out everywhere'. This will log you out of your Microsoft account on all your devices and services, though this can take up to 24 hours to take effect.
STOP WINDOWS SHARING YOUR DATA
It's no secret that Windows shares details of your activities with Microsoft - unless you were very careful, you probably consented to this when you installed the operating system. Some of this information is collected for 'diagnostic' purposes, to help Microsoft identify and fix problems, but most of it involves monitoring your activities and interests.
This data is supposedly gathered to improve your Windows experience, but it's also used by Microsoft and its commercial partners to target you with personalised ads, 'relevant' content and recommendations. The settings that control this tracking are scattered and buried across Windows, which makes them difficult to locate and disable.
Thankfully, there are several free programs that break the 'you will be tracked' rule in Windows 10 and 11, by switching off the most intrusive options. Our favourite is O&O ShutUplO + + (www.snipca.com/53360), but there's a powerful new tool to try -if you don't mind its silly name.
Privacysexy (www.snipca.com/53604) offers more than 900 scripts for blocking,disabling and removing Windows features that compromise your privacy. Download its desktop version (www.snipca.com/53606) - you can also use it online, but that's more fiddly - and click 'More info' then 'Run anyway' if you see a SmartScreen warning.
When the program opens, you'll see a set of tweaking categories, including Privacy Cleanup, Configure Programs and Security Improvements. Click 'Tree' in the top-right corner (Q in our screenshot) to switch to an easier-to-browse list view.
The most useful category is 'Disable OS data collection' B, which lets you prevent Windows' access to your personal information, location and search history; opt out of telemetry, Windows privacy consent and the Customer Experience Improvement Program; block targeted ads and marketing, and much more.
Tick the boxes for all the actions you want to perform and Privacysexy will generate a script in the panel on the right. You can click the 'i' (information) icon next to each one to learn what it does. Click the green Run button (B - scroll down if you can't see this) to open Command Prompt, run the script and perform your selected tweaks. You can undo changes by clicking the Revert button next to each setting to create and run a new script.
It's also worth exploring the 'Block tracking hosts' category, which includes options to stop your data being shared in the background, and 'UI for privacy', which disables privacy-compromising features in Windows tools.
BLOCK ADS IN WINDOWS TOOLS
As well as collecting and sharing your data, another unwritten rule in Windows 10 and 11 is that Microsoft has the right to show you adverts and 'suggestions'. These now appear across the operating system - not just in the Start menu (see page 55), but also on your lock screen, in File Explorer, in desktop notifications and even in the Settings app. The ads are usually for Microsoft's own products and services - including OneDrive, Edge and Microsoft 365 - but that doesn't make them any less irritating.
Although you can disable most of these ads through the registry, you need to know exactly which settings to change or you could mess up your PC. Bloatynosy
(www.snipca.com/53417), as mentioned in the box on page 55, makes this easier by performing the tweaks for you.
Click 'Experience' on its home screen, then the Filter button (? in our screenshot) and select Ads B. This will list options to disable ads in the Start menu, Settings, File Explorer and the lock screen, as well as personalised and general ads. You can also block the annoying 'Let's finish setting up this device' screen that Windows displays after installing updates. Click the 'More Infos' [sic] link next to a setting to view the registry tweak it will apply.
Tick and untick the options as required, then click Activate All B
- choose Deactivate All to undo your changes. Some of the ad settings are specific to Windows 11, but others work in Windows 10 too.
Copyright Future Publishing Ltd Feb 12-Feb 25, 2025