Windows 11-24H2 installations with certain update statuses can no longer install further updates. Only a manual correction will help.

Last Christmas, a problem with Windows 11 24H2 installations became known that they cannot install further updates if they were installed from an installation medium with certain update statuses. Microsoft has now given up looking for an automated solution to this problem or developing a fix-it tool – The only option available to those affected is manual correction.

Microsoft has confirmed this decision by setting the entry in the Windows Release Health announcements to “resolved”. Specifically, the problem description is that a Windows 11 installation on version 24H2, which was installed from a CD (sic) or USB drive with integrated October or November updates from 2024, can no longer install any further security updates. This also includes media created with the Windows Media Creation Tool at those times. However, installations that have downloaded the updates via Windows Update and applied them do not have this problem.

Windows update dropouts: only manual solution available

The entry on the problem from Microsoft has had the status “resolved” since the end of last week. However, it still only contains the previous workaround as a solution: The problem can be solved by overinstalling with an installation medium that contains at least the security updates from December 2024 – i.e. was created from December 10, 2024 –. Microsoft does not mention a fix-it tool, script or other options, such as registry changes.

Such an updated medium can be created with the Windows Media Creation Tool, which is available on Microsoft’s Windows 11 download website. This either downloads an ISO file that can be transferred to DVD or creates a bootable USB stick with the Windows installation; this should have at least 8 GB of space.

cross-posted from: https://lemm.ee/post/55122353

https://www.heise.de/en/news/Windows-11-24H2-update-problems-Microsoft-gives-up-on-finding-a-solution-10275962.html

  • @[email protected]
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    1714 hours ago

    What a hot mess Windows has become. It’s over, Microsoft. Give it up. Your precious hacks on top of hacks on top of half-ass fixes on top of even more hacks of half-ass fixes has finally become unfixable.

    It’s time to move on.

    • @[email protected]
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      26 hours ago

      Are you suggesting the build a new OS from the ground up? It’d certainly be interesting

  • Phoenixz
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    412 hours ago

    And yet again: install Linux. I’ve been a happy lojix desktop user forever 2 decades now. Linux was ready for normal users 10 years ago, it was more than ready 5 years ago, and it is definitely beyond ready today

  • @aesthelete
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    3822 hours ago

    That manual correction: installing Linux.

  • @TheGrandNagus
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    24 hours ago

    I’m frequently told that Linux is hard and you need to be a tech guru to use it, yet every week I see 1-2 articles of issues in windows you need to do some bullshit to fix, and in my own use of it I’ve ran into issues (especially after doing an update) that I just don’t run into on Linux or MacOS.

    • Something Burger 🍔
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      23 hours ago

      Windows is easy, bro, you just need to run this shady PowerShell script to get rid of ads, run this random EXE from github.ru to disable telemetry, install ClassicShell to make the UI actually usable, install a million utilities for basic features (each from a separate site, of course ; the centralized Windows Store is full of malwarei), then pray sfc /scannow fixes your system after every update.

      BTW, don’t bother searching for a solution to your problems other than “retry, reboot, reinstall” ; even certified MS professionals don’t know how anything works.

    • @Kyrgizion
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      351 day ago

      I’ve been on Win10 for years, never had a single problem with any update whatsoever.

      Still not subjecting myself to W11 though. As soon as Win10 support ends, I’ll make the switch.

      • @[email protected]
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        23 hours ago

        I recommend setting up whatever your alternative is a little before committing to ease the transition a bit. It’s different, and it’s good to fall back to something else for a bit if you get frustrated.

      • @HeyJoe
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        91 day ago

        It’s been the same on win 11. The only experience i have had was at work. I work closely with the updating team, and there have been a few times where things would break like printers, and we would revert the updates to stop it from going to everyone and uninstall. Sometimes, that meant a help desk guy had to go to the pc or remote in to do it manually. I’ve been there 19 years now, and it’s happened twice?

        • @[email protected]
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          622 hours ago

          I’ve had my enterprise-distro linux machines updating by cron for 22 years. I had two glitches in those 20 years, too, just like you. But in addition to my two glitches - I had to bring in one unlisted dep for cobbler and also correct the smb.conf’s old format on another box - in 20 years, I also got

          • out-of-the-box
          • do-nothing patch runs
          • trivial back-out if I needed it

          And while I know your numbers are excellent, I simply haven’t had to DO ANYTHING since deploying some boxes. They patch, they bounce later on a weekend if they need it (‘needs-rebooting’ is centralized because ALL software installs are) and I can patch while under load because linux write-locks instead of read-locking. My effort is to check ‘some time later’ and ensure things are working in ways nagios doesn’t catch.

          Printer issues? Nah. Supply thing. App not working because java/perl/python/DLLs rug-pulled a dependency? Proper packages list hard dependencies, so that cobbler thing is a bug not an expectation. Network offline? nah. Reboots? timed at 3 minute downtime (1 min before systemd), or 7 minutes if I just updated 1gb of gitlab install because it starts like a manatee.

          It’s really a different world; and while I’ve teased the heck out of my windows peers, it’s a true statement.

          • @HeyJoe
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            117 hours ago

            Absolutely, I don’t disagree with your statement at all. I work heavily in systems administration and recently transitioned to networking. I deal with Linux systems, servers, vm’s, Azure daily, and for stability nothing beats Linux. I just tend to agree with the statement above commenting on how you always see these Windows articles, yet almost none actually affect you in the end.

      • @WindyRebel
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        1 day ago

        Same boat here.

        The only issues I’ve ever personally run into with Windows are a missing driver for a software I was installing, like twice, and compatibility for gaming which was solved with admin mode and selecting a different compatibility. I’ve used Windows since 3.1

      • @TheGrandNagus
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        17 hours ago

        You are wrong. Ran is past tense of run.

        https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/run-into

        run into something

        present participle: running | past tense: ran | past participle: run

        If you run into problems, you begin to experience them:

        example: We ran into bad weather/debt/trouble.

        If you’re going to try to correct people, please make sure you’re actually right first.

        It’s ran. Because I’m talking about past events.

        • @[email protected]
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          315 hours ago

          I don’t mean to say that you’re completely wrong in your reasoning, but grammatically speaking, we use have + verb in past participle which we call present perfect no matter what verb is used.

          In this case, you’re talking about something you’ve experienced, so the correct way would be “I’ve run” (as the past participle of run is run).

          If you’d like to take a detailed look at it, here you have: Present Perfect - British Council and Using “have ran” or “have run”.

          Btw, It’s completely normal to make mistakes! We’re all human, and part of being human is learning and growing from our errors.

        • @[email protected]
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          012 hours ago

          It’s either “I ran into…” or “I have run into…”, it’s never “I have ran into…”

          So yeah, the one correcting you was right.

    • @[email protected]
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      -131 day ago

      At least that shit is somewhat documented.

      If you are so sure about the way Linux is fully usable and understandable: Please tell me the proper way to set a static IP via terminal on Raspberry Pi OS and/or Debian bookworm.

      Because last I checked (about 4 weeks ago) it was basically impossible.

        • @[email protected]
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          24 hours ago

          I believe I tried the exact raspberry forum entry but it didnt catch on even with reboots and whatever I tried.
          Saved for the future though.

          • femtech
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            1023 hours ago

            If you can I would set static IPs from the router though. That’s what I do as another device can still take the IP and cause issues.

            • @[email protected]
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              323 hours ago

              At least set it outside your DHCP range.

              I have my DHCP set to use from .100 and up, and my static addressee are in the .1-99 range.

              I still set it through my router so I have a place to look up which one is which (they’re piling up), but they’re all in that range.

          • @[email protected]
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            523 hours ago

            How you set it can vary depending on what you’re running. Linux is all about choice, and choice means multiple ways to do a thing. Places to look:

            • raspi-config - catchall CLI tool on Raspbian, not sure if it covers both of the following, but it’s a good option to start with
            • /etc/network/interfaces - the Debian way to do things
            • Network Manager - usually used for desktops, but can be used by servers; if the first two don’t work, try this

            But you could also have installed something different. If you post your OS and version and what you’re running on it, I can give better advice.

            That said, normal networking rules apply:

            • don’t set a static lease in your DHCP range, or you could get conflicts, which can look like it’s not working
            • consider using DHCP and setting the static lease through your router; use the MAC address and you’ll never need to mess with network settings on the Pi
            • if you set on the pi, make sure everything is correct (netmask, gateway, interface)
            • @[email protected]
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              215 hours ago

              I will remember it for next time I need to set a static IP in Linux. Comment is saved and hopefully I can reference it.

              I appreciate the effort you took to help me and anyone that is still looking for help :)

        • @[email protected]
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          -124 hours ago

          Somewhat. That means partially.

          At least there arent 500 different ways to set a static IP.
          Don’t get me wrong. I like Linux but I can’t get warm witg it as a desktop OS besides SteamDeck.
          But I like it very much as a server OS.

          • @[email protected]
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            723 hours ago

            So you’re saying you don’t like the choice in Linux? On a given distro, there’s usually one right way and maybe 2 other ways. Learn the right way for your setup and you’re good.

            If you’re using Network Manager, do it the Network Manager way. If you’re using Debian as a server, do it the Debian way (`/etc/network/interfaces). If you’re using SUSE, do it the SUSE way (YaST).

            If you don’t want to deal with it, use DHCP (usually default) and set the static lease on your router using the MAC address. That’s better anyway because you can change all of your static leases in one spot if you ever need to.

            • @[email protected]
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              119 hours ago

              I tried doing it the debian way and (I believe) followed the instructions of one of the debian manuals.
              Problem: Most assume (like you) that the DHCP server is always on and able to give out adresses. But sometimes life is in the way (and in my case: offline for maintenance) and it doesnt work with the DHCP option.

              • @[email protected]
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                118 hours ago

                Usually the DHCP server is the same as the router, so if the router is offline, you can’t access it anyway. Right?

                Or are you saying you’d plug in directly with a patch cable?

                Could you explain more about your network setup?

                • @[email protected]
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                  118 hours ago

                  My router is just that: A gateway
                  This follows a HW firewall (I intend to replace)
                  Behind that is

                  • My proxmox host with a bunch of VMs (including the DHCP/DNS server)
                  • A raspberry PI (which I reformatted and had the trouble with getting a static IP)
                  • Bunch of other stuff like servers, NAS and stuff.
          • @[email protected]
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            116 hours ago

            I do like the diversity. You learn a few patterns and you can do them all. In the end basically the same but more flexible.

        • @[email protected]
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          324 hours ago

          If I remember correctly that didnt work despite following the instructions.
          Either I did it wrong or something changed. Oh well. I will keep that for future reference and maybe it’ll work then.

  • Joe Dyrt
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    1021 hours ago

    I made the switch too! I bought a MacBook! After 40 years of MS OSes, Outlook-online and Windows 11 made me quit. And so far so good!

  • Optional
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    1223 hours ago

    Microsoftatemyface

  • ZyratoxxOP
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    321 day ago

    I REALLY want to see normies “manually correct” their machines after bragging with Windows supremacy for so long

    • JWBananas
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      26 hours ago

      Normies don’t tend to perform OS installs from slipstreamed update media.

    • @spongebue
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      491 day ago

      normies

      bragging with Windows supremacy

      I don’t think that’s as common as you think it is. Most Windows users see Windows as part of the computer, a tool to get the job done. As a DIY’er (basically a tool normie) I don’t brag about the supremacy of my Kobalt tools, I just drill the damn hole

      • ZyratoxxOP
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        71 day ago

        As far as I know a lot of Windows users are unhappy with Windows itself but can’t/won’t make the switch for various reasons. I don’t mean them, they are usually very nice.

        I mean those people who judge you for not using Windows because “Linux is crap because of drivers and updates” (as if those were uncomplicated/unproblematic on Windows) and then blame every tiny inconvenience on Linux. One dude I used to play games with topped it when they blamed my Linux distro for him experiencing lags claiming Linux was “messing with the game server” (before that they used to say “switch back to Windows” every time I encountered lags or similar).

        • @[email protected]
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          61 day ago

          Most users could work with Linux without problems. They are using their browser, maybe a mail client and maybe some office suite to write stuff. If you mention this on the internet, there will always be someone who shows up and complains that his personal workflow with some obscure software that powers the nuclear reactor that he is running as hobby in his home won’t work with Linux.

          It’s kind of the same with discussions about commuting/bicycles/cars. If you’re discussing that maybe more people could commute by bike, the same people will show up and complain that this would not be possible for them because they live on a remote mountain top in the scorching desert far away from civilization and it’s raining every day where they live.

          • andrew_bidlaw
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            323 hours ago

            MS Office’s lie of WYSIWYG and the idiotic requirements to follow absurdly complicated formatting guidelines and them not rendering the same from system to system or even correctly is the most brutal offender. If we used simplistic markdown without page-breaking in the GUI, there could’ve been no point to buy Office, but we don’t, and itso hsppens I had encountered many times where some arbitrary cosmetic request like ‘you can’t have less than X lines per page’ caused people toy with formatting or rewriting their documents… only for it showing differently on the other side >:ç Thus leading to even worse things like PDF.

            It being the most used piece of office software renders the voluntary switch close to impossible.

            • @[email protected]
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              723 hours ago

              Let’s be honest: That totally is a monopolistic tactic of Microsoft and regulators would do great to force this open. Force them to release a Linux Office. Force them to really make their file format transparent so that everybody can write working parsers

              • andrew_bidlaw
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                322 hours ago

                I agree. They need to be either pressured or abandoned.

                I feel like they would need to rewrite it completely in that case, partially because no one knows how their legacy code works and partially because it’s completely broken.

                Google with it’s billions and a promise of more free data did great with how office formats work. They set some little limits of what user can do compared to MS Word so ending up with a broken table or whatever is harder, and they aslo strong-armed their way into adoption with their obvious mechanics of real-time collaboration.

                I’m not sure about MS users coming to Linux, but their marketshare was already bled by Google. And if in some scenario Google releases their own internal XML format for these, I guess it’d work too.

        • @[email protected]
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          61 day ago

          If you can only do X and Y is marginally similar how easy do you think it is to switch to Y?
          I have customers that are unable to handle cables I described in great detail. They are afraid. Trying to push them to do anything is hard af.

          • andrew_bidlaw
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            423 hours ago

            Some of them just don’t want to take responsibility if they do something wrong under your instructions.

    • Blackout
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      61 day ago

      It’s more of a prison for me. I just had to buy a new Win11 machine cause the software I depend on is cutting Win10 operation this year. Sucks

  • @[email protected]
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    81 day ago

    That’s just what I like to see from an OS developer. “We fucked it up, but dunno how to fix it…”

    IMO, to keep Windows competitive with Linux they need a complete rewrite from absolute scratch. It’s realistically the only way that’s going to keep Microsoft on top in the long term. And they’ll never do it because of how expensive it’ll be.

    • @rtxn
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      121 day ago

      the only way that’s going to keep Microsoft on top in the long term.

      You underestimate the complacency of the masses.

      • @[email protected]
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        223 hours ago

        I rather think you do.

        There will come a point where working around Windows quirks takes up more time than it does to simply seek and learn something else. This is organically how most people seek to find alternatives to software and begin to jump ship.

        This is why PHP, as a programming language was replaced. Despite its popularity it became increasingly inconvenient to use. As such, they created other languages to replace it. They took the time to create an entirely new development language to sidestep the inconvenience of using PHP…

        The same will eventually happen to Windows. Unquestionably.

        • @rtxn
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          There’s a massive difference between the average Windows user and the average PHP developer. It’s a false equivalence.

          The regular computer user who just needs their apps to run won’t likely make the effort to enter an entirely new ecosystem as long as those apps run. Even with the most user-friendly distros, the barrier of entry is still high. And when their apps break? They’ll reinstall Windows or pay someone else to fix it.

          I love shitting on Microsoft as much as the next penguin, but they’re not idiots. Even if some of their decisions are questionable, Windows is still a major part of their business, and they won’t just let it degrade to a point where Linux converts are a significant threat to their profit.

          (I did not downvote you, by the way, that was someone else)

          • @[email protected]
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            022 hours ago

            There’s a massive difference between the average Windows user and the average PHP developer. It’s a false equivalence.

            Yeah, except I’m not equating developers to end-users. I’m equating the two situations at hand. Because they’re equivalent situations…

    • @[email protected]
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      624 hours ago

      They rewrote the taskbar and Start menu for Windows 11, and left out stuff like being able to move the taskbar or even have separate taskbar items for each instance of an application. Rewriting the whole OS would be a disaster.

      • @[email protected]
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        223 hours ago

        It’s the only possible solution. The issue with Windows version to version is they merge shit into the base without worrying about how it affects the codebase as a whole. That’s why we have 2-3 different ways to access different menus.

    • @[email protected]
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      322 hours ago

      My guess is that they’ll keep adding to WSL until Windows is just a legally ambiguous closed-source wrapper around Linux. They’ll make the GPL’d part so convoluted that they’re the only organization able to maintain it, which will force people to continue using their proprietary wrapper. Basically Android but for PCs.

      • @[email protected]
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        -123 hours ago

        I’ve been developing software for likely longer than you’ve been alive.

        That article you posted makes a supposition; that the developer is just misreading existing code to be poor when it’s actually really good–which is absolutely not the case with Windows…

        • @Blue_Morpho
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          22 hours ago

          I’m approaching 60.

          How old are you? I’m guessing you are like 40. You don’t even know who Joel is.

          It’s bad form to attack me personally instead of the argument.

          Joel addressed your argument that the code is misread throughout the entire essay. Code is easier to write than read.

          • @[email protected]
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            022 hours ago

            Stating the fact that I’ve been in development for longer than most people I converse with have been alive isn’t attacking anyone. If you feel attacked by someone because they have a difference of opinion, then you need to go outside.

            You don’t even know who Joel is.

            I know who Spolsky is. I just don’t have an overabundant need to blow smoke up his ass like his word is that of Gods.

            Joel addressed your argument that the code is misread throughout the entire essay.

            Go get your reading glasses and go back to reread my previous post. It’s not my argument that code is misread. I was literally directly quoting him. So if Joel says it, it’s the word of God to you, but you misinterpret something I’m saying (which he’s actually saying) and now all of a sudden you have an issue with it?

            That’s pretty telling that maybe your reverence for Joel is getting in the way of your brains thinky-thinky party.

            • @Blue_Morpho
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              My age isn’t important to the argument. That’s not an opinion.

              I noticed now that I posted my age you didn’t respond with yours.

              Go get your reading glasses

              You can’t get past personal attacks. First it was I’m too young. When that attack didn’t work, it’s now I’m too old.

              Unless you work at Microsoft on the code, you have absolutely no basis for your claim that the entire code base should be thrown out. I use Linux. There are frequent bugs that require me to type in a command manually to work around. It would be insane to claim that all of Linux (I’m also referring to all the gnu tools, window managers etc) should be thrown out and start fresh.

              • @[email protected]
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                019 hours ago

                My age isn’t important to the argument.

                I didn’t bring up your age to make an argument about it. I simply pointed out that I’ve likely been developing software longer than you’ve been alive and to my credit this statement is almost always true, especially given that very few in their 60s would use a federated social platform, it’s a reasonable assumption. You’re the one who made it about age–and you keep doing so in your replies.

                I noticed now that I posted my age you didn’t respond with yours.

                Why do you feel entitled to know my age?

                You can’t get past personal attacks.

                You’re the one fixating on age, and you clearly misread my initial post. You’re counter-arguing against the source you provided, misrepresenting and misunderstanding what your own source said. You’re only arguing against those points because you mistakenly thought I had made them. So, I responded in kind. In typical boomer fashion, you entered this thread dismissive of others, framed everything around your age as if it automatically makes you right, and now blame others for your misunderstandings. Truly a sight to see.

                It’s objectively true that building on a poor foundation is a bad idea and it’s also objectively true that sometimes if the foundation is bad enough it’s easier to simply rebuild the whole damn thing from scratch than to attempt to patch bad code. As I said, I’ve been a developer for decades. I’m a subject matter expert here. Just because I don’t work for Microsoft doesn’t mean my critique of their monolithic software is invalid.

                Unless you work at Microsoft on the code, you have absolutely no basis for your claim that the entire code base should be thrown out.

                It’s an opinion backed by decades of expertise with the product. I’ve not only used every single version of Windows extensively, but I also write software for Windows. That’s not experience you can casually dismiss. I don’t need to work at Microsoft to recognize that its poorly designed from the ground up and that each new version builds on a flawed foundation.

                I use Linux. There are frequent bugs that require me to type in a command manually to work around. It would be insane to claim that all of Linux (I’m also referring to all the gnu tools, window managers etc) should be thrown out and start fresh.

                Calling your operating system “Linux”–when Linux is just the kernel and not the OS–doesn’t really help your argument here.

                Moreover, the various Linux distributions have a strong foundation around the linux kernel. Windows does not. I don’t understand how anyone could seriously argue otherwise.

                • @Blue_Morpho
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                  319 hours ago

                  There was absolutely no reason to bring up that you were coding longer than I was alive other than to imply that your age is a reason why the argument is invalid.

                  Funny how you use your age as an argument but see it as entitled when I point out the reverse.

                  Calling your operating system “Linux”–when Linux is just the kernel and not the OS–doesn’t really help your argument here.

                  I specifically referenced Gnu tools, window managers, etc. What is wrong with you?

    • @[email protected]
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      1 day ago

      I think they’re more likely to just ditch consumer OS’ entirely. Its not their moneymaker anymore, that’d be cloud service subscriptions (O365 and Azure) and enterprise licensing. Hell, they’d probably have huge success with VDIs if they could market it right (until an internet outage hits the wrong person)