Tool Reviews

Making good even better is a task that Microsoft Corporation solves with variable success, offering new and new versions of Windows. What surprised the developer this time?

Windows 11: what’s new

If we talk about the innovation briefly, the following points can be highlighted:

• System requirements have increased significantly
  Microsoft ignores the interests of users who cannot update their PC components every 3-4 years.
• The main focus is on the interface
  It is clear that it is easier to change the design of windows, change the places of controls, etc., than to implement some radically new ideas.
• When switching from the “eight” to Windows 10, the topic of widgets receded into the background
  Now the developer decided to reanimate it, filling it with new chips. Even a separate button for widgets appeared.
• The developer worked on the design of the Microsoft Store
  The company strongly promotes its programs.

Windows 11 has many new aesthetic improvements. Fresh Winda looks stylish and modern.

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System requirements

Microsoft’s desire to accelerate demand for new components for PCs was noticeable even earlier. However, the “ten” from the software giant turned out to be not too demanding, which cannot be said about Windows 11. The new system will work normally if on board a computer or other device:

1. Minimum 4 GB of RAM.
2. Free disk space — 64 GB.
3. Video card is compatible with DirectX12, supports WDDM2.
4. Display — from 9″ with resolution from HD — 1366×768 pixels.
5. Internet connection works, there is a Microsoft account.
6. The Intel processor is no older than the 8th generation or Ryzen is no older than the 2000th line. The chip must be 64-bit, although support for 32-bit software remains.
7. A front-facing camera is required on laptops and tablets.
8. There should be TPM 2.0 encryption, which is not on all motherboards. Concern about information security, which leaves no choice to users, does not motivate the transition to a new operating system.

The limitation of processors caused the most questions. Now on sale are many monoblocks and other expensive hardware with 7th generation Intel chips, which remain behind the board of the latest Windows. Microsoft, in principle, does not prohibit installing Windows 11 on outdated computers, but does not guarantee the operability of the operating system and is not going to send updates to such users. Dozens of users can check compatibility with the new Windows using Microsoft’s PC Health Check program.

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Interface

The task bar has become wider. Program icons are now not in the left part of the panel, but in the center. If you don’t like the icons in the middle, you can switch to the classic interface. To do this, you need to right-click on the panel, open the options and change the corresponding setting.

If you move the cursor over the button that expands the window, a new menu will open. With its help, you can divide the screen into 2-4 parts. Animations of changing window sizes look nice. Another interesting feature is the rounding of window corners. Standard icons in the explorer have become more colorful. The developers increased the distance between the displayed folders and files.

There is a dark theme. Icons have completely replaced the tiles in Start. An indication appeared showing the status of the running program: the program is installed, minimized, expanded, etc. The interface of virtual desktops has become more interesting. The design of the new Windows 11 is definitely prettier.

Widgets

For those who want to keep up to date with events all the time, a block of news widgets has been made. Its exemplary content: weather forecast, exchange rates, sports news, politics. To activate or remove the icon for expanding widgets, click on the lower right panel and go to the settings.

There is a possibility:

• rearrange widgets,
• adjust the news feed,
• expand the widget panel to full screen.

Over time, the panel will become available to third-party developers.

Update Microsoft Store

The developer redesigned the store and renovated the library. Additional information is displayed when the cursor is placed on the programs. The main store options are now shown on the left, and all downloaded or available app updates are on the right. The store allows you to publish 32-bit applications. Microsoft does not take a percentage of sales from third-party developers, with the exception of games. For software for gamers, the commission has been reduced from 30% to 12%.

The developer has improved the search in the store. I aligned the full-size search bar in the center. This approach fits well into the new design concept, a vivid example of which is the location of the taskbar. The changes also affected the search results interface. The store shows the most relevant result at the top. The user can install the application without spending time visiting its page in the Microsoft Store. Filters will help simplify the use of the store.

On the release date of Windows 11, the developer did not have time to implement support for Android applications, but one can note the corporation’s desire to make the store better.

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Any improvements for gamers?

Will games run faster on Windows 11? Numerous tests show that in terms of gameplay quality, there is no noticeable difference between the “ten” and the latest Windows. Such a result gives a comparison of systems after installation. If you use the “ten” for 5 years and compare it with Windows 11, which was just installed on a clean disk, the games will work more fun on the update. But this is not related to the quality of the code, but to the fact that the “ten” during operation was clogged with software garbage.

More comfortable gameplay is facilitated by high requirements for processors. The new bar set by the developer encourages users to upgrade their hardware. Game creators also take this factor into account. Perhaps the software written taking into account the new requirements for processors will become more interesting.

The only gain, not related to the upgrade and other side factors, is more economical power consumption in laptops. You can play on laptops without an outlet a little longer. Although such a scenario cannot be called typical: most fans of computer battles hang out at home on stationary PCs and the issue of laptop battery consumption does not bother them.

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Other innovations of Windows 11

• File search has become faster and more accurate.
• The developer has separated the quick settings and notification panels. The first shows information related not only to the system tray icon that the user clicked on. Along with the messages, the calendar opens. Not all users like such innovations.
• In the power settings, Microsoft introduced a new schedule for tracking power consumption, combined the settings for turning off the display and sleep mode.
• Changed the selection of programs by default, and not for the better. It has become more difficult to choose a standard browser for all occasions.
• A ribbon with file management icons has been added to the context menu.

This concludes the review of Windows 11 innovations. Next, we will allocate in a separate section the changes that need to be refined.

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Underdevelopment of the new version of Windows

1. The context menu of the explorer has reduced items. An additional mouse click is required to see the extended list.
2. Unable to change the thickness of the taskbar. Windows for some reason does not allow you to drag shortcuts to it, nor can you place this strip on top or on the side of the screen. Good, although they left the option to fix the icons at the bottom using the context menu.
3. You can assign another default browser instead of Edge, but the procedure requires extra trouble.
4. Microsoft imposes not only Edge, but also its service OneDrive for storing files in the cloud. OneDrive is part of the operating system, it is registered in autoload.
5. Recently launched documents and utilities are highlighted in Start, and this is a disadvantage for general purpose computers. And this section is called “Recommended” for some reason.
6. After clicking on the sound icon in the system tray, a window with a lot of unnecessary information appears.
7. There are fewer icons in the classic control panel.

If we summarize the main complaints of users, we get: they took away the necessary, added the extra. Perhaps the criticism is partly subjective.

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How to check compatibility with a new version of the OS

To check compatibility, Microsoft created the PC Health Check program. You need to download the utility from the Microsoft website, install it on your computer, and run it. After launch, click “Check now”. If the program likes the configuration of the PC, it will issue a message that everything is OK. Otherwise, a window will appear, the meaning of which is that the device does not meet the requirements of Windows 11.

You can also check compatibility using third-party programs such as WhyNotWin11. In both cases, do not be upset if the computer has not passed the test. This does not mean that it will not be possible to install a new system from the ISO image. Sometimes, checking a PC that already has a legitimate Windows 11 installed shows that the computer does not meet the compatibility requirements.

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Windows 10 or Windows 11: should you switch?

Many users are concerned about the question: switch to Windows 11 or stay on Windows 10? Here are the results of testing some system speed parameters:

To get the results, they took a computer, 2 laptops, measured the speeds of operations and calculated the average values. As can be seen in the table, in the test “ten” bypassed Windows 11. A comparison of performance in games shows that the systems are approximately on the same level. Functionality has also changed a lot. If you switch to a new Windows in the first months after the release, then only because of the design, the desire to show off the new windows.

In the end, we note that Microsoft has marked the end of the technical support of the “tens”. It will be difficult to use it after 2025. Another factor due to which the gradual transition of users to Windows 11 is inevitable is the upcoming changes in driver developers. Now many new components are not compatible with the “seven”, and in a few years the same fate will befall the “ten”.

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