Maximum PC

WINDOWS 11 TAKE OUT THE TRASH

OPERATING SYSTEMS should just get out of the way. Increasingly, however, Windows 11 appears intent on getting in your face.

Perhaps emboldened by a decade of largely being left to its own devices by the competition authorities, Microsoft is increasingly testing consumers’ patience by injecting more and more unwanted extras into Windows 11: widget sidebars full of tabloid news stories; apps appearing on the Start menu; AI services being shoved into the limelight.

It’s a frustrating battle for control of your own hardware. Microsoft sees Windows 11 as its territory, but many consumers think otherwise. If you’re among them, then read on, because we’re going to show you how to get a grip on Windows 11, curb Microsoft’s worst excesses, and run Windows as you’d like it. We’ll even give you a couple of alternative OSes to consider if Microsoft has stretched your patience too far.

JUNK NEWS IN WIDGETS

 opportunities that are Windows 11 Widgets continue to infuriate rather than illuminate. With Microsoft’s glacially slow approach to offering Widget space to third parties, it continues to stuff screen real estate with content from news channels, meaning you will often find your Widgets panel stuffed with utter drivel that you never asked for.

You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

More from Maximum PC

Maximum PC3 min read
Sapphire RX 7900 GRE Pulse
WE ALL KNOW the story of the tortoise and the hare: the rabbit races along for short periods of time and then rests, while the turtle plods along at a steady pace and ultimately wins the race. AMD’s RX 7900 GRE, the ‘Golden Rabbit Edition’ that was o
Maximum PC5 min read
Convert Media Files with VLC
YOU’LL NEED THIS An up-to-date version of VLC Media Player I SINCE 2001, VLC Media Player (Previously ‘VideoLAN Client’) has developed a solid reputation as a lightweight and free media player. It supports a huge number of media types, DVD playback,
Maximum PC3 min read
OLED Isn’t All Upside
FOR WHAT SEEMED like forever, I waited for the first high-refresh 32-inch 4K OLED monitors to arrive. Well, now they have, and I’ve spent quality time with a couple of them, namely the Alienware 32 AW3225QF and Asus ROG Swift OLED PG32UCDM. They both

Related Books & Audiobooks