I’m on 24H2 Windows 11 with a local account set up, ran windows debloat tool and have CoPilot/onedrive/other data mining features un-installed.
Edit: I have a plan to make the switch to Linux. For now I was just looking for any feedback on how to handle current Windows OS. I whole heartedly hate Microsoft as much as the next, I promise lol.
It’s not very different if you don’t dig into the guts of the thing. I think the people most afraid of making the switch are actually the ones it is easiest for. If you’re not used to digging into the windows registry and haven’t upgraded to powershell 7, then you probably won’t touch much of what’s different in Linux.
The hardest part is picking a distribution – I usually recommend either Fedora or Ubuntu. – and an xwindows system – and coming from Windows I usually recommend KDE Plasma or from MAC I’d recommended GNOME. So either:
https://fedoraproject.org/spins/kde/
OR
https://kubuntu.org/
The only reason I stuck with Windows for so long was PC gaming. But I don’t do much of that anymore and what I do actually do runs fine on Linux these days. So I haven’t looked back. But you can always install Linux after Windows is already present if you have a spare hard drive and boot into either at will. Just don’t try to do the opposite since Windows installer will corrupt your Linux boot setup.
But to each his own. Windows is now a platform like many others where you trade your personal information for services instead of or in addition to your money. Some people are OK with that and that’s totally fair.