Windows 11 Now Officially Adware as Microsoft Embeds Ads in the Start Menu - You will view ads and you WILL like it!

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Published: Wednesday, 05:38

Microsoft over late-Tuesday started distributing the KB5036980 optional update to Windows 11 users, which effectively makes the operating system adware (software that displays ads to support its author). The update gets the Windows 11 Start Menu to display ads in the "Recommended" section that suggests apps and games for you to download from the Microsoft Store, subscribe to Copilot Pro, etc. While the update is currently optional, the changes contained in it will be made part of next month's "Patch Tuesday" update.

This wouldn't be the first time Microsoft is advertising software, the OEM versions of Windows 11 can be customized by PC manufacturers to pre-install bloatware, or suggest apps or services for users to buy within the Start or Apps menus. You usually uninstall the pre-installed bloatware, and dismiss recommendations. Today's update is different, in that even the Retail versions of Windows (without the bloatware) start receiving ads. Luckily, these ads are not inescapable, you can disable them. Head over to Settings > Personalization > Start, and uncheck the toggle that reads "Show recommendations for tips, app promotions, and more."

 

[Anti Alien Alarm]

I have never bought anything because of an advertisement even when I used to actually watch TV, I don't think anyone I know ever has either.
You see it in films though "zomg did you see the nuthang product! I just had to order one!" who the fuck buys things because you saw it on TV? who the fuck are these people?
I really do think "advertising" is just a giant scam the marketing department came up with just so they don't get absorbed by sales.

I believe that there's such a thing as advertisement fatigue. If one were to see 10,000 ads a day, each one would be less effective and less brainpower spent considering the message and service or product being shown. But somebody who invests time and effort to see as few ads as possible, will be more considering and contemplative in the rare moment that they do see an add. At least, this phenomenon occurs to me. Dunno if others share my experience.

 

[Kiwisee]

Advertisers and their corporate stooges have been ruining the internet, especially more so in the last several years as they’ve been pressuring social media platforms to censor “triggering words”.

They’re the reason why people cannot say everyday words like “murder”, or anything related to death for that matter.

Speaking of, their monetizing YouTube has destroyed a lot of genuine content. I can’t fucking listen to any historical rabbit holes anymore without being interrupted by “sponsored content”. At this point, if it’s being advertised on the internet I don’t bother purchasing it. Not just because I’m not confident in the product’s capabilities, but also out of spite.

 

[6 Years Ago]

Set sail on the high seas and join the Windows 10 LTSC Master Race, friends.

5 more years of leeway left. Hopefully Linux doesn't still suck by then.

According to this it's 10 years... that should be plenty of time for either Linux not to suck or for me to get tired of the already limited PC gaming I still do.

 

[Captain Ahab]

That’s why they’re pushing so hard for VR/metaverse to become mainstream. You’ll be bombarded with ads wherever you go.

But the true capitalist wet dream is brain implants. They’ll get you even in your sleep.

 

[Pee Cola]

According to this it's 10 years... that should be plenty of time for either Linux not to suck or for me to get tired of the already limited PC gaming I still do.
View attachment 5945552

That's for the IoT version. Support for LTSC 2019 desktop version finishes in 2029 (A). Oddly enough, LTSC 2021 desktop support finishes in early 2027 (A).

 

[Phalanges Mycologist]

You just know some marketing executive is getting a hardon at the idea and trying to figure out how to do it as we speak

I think that wouldnt fly for a whole host of reasons, but the main one is that although they are really simple plastic lenses they are still classed as medical devices and a lot of places even America has strict regulation around that.

Speaking of, their monetizing YouTube has destroyed a lot of genuine content. I can’t fucking listen to any historical rabbit holes anymore without being interrupted by “sponsored content”. At this point, if it’s being advertised on the internet I don’t bother purchasing it. Not just because I’m not confident in the product’s capabilities, but also out of spite.

I went through my subscription list on Freetube recently and it shocked me that teh channels I do subscribe too apart from a few bigger ones never have sponsors an barely run adverts then again I am mostly subscribed to Blacksmiths, Furniture Makers and related channels (lot of horological ones too) and it's not that they dont get approached because they do but you can tell when a channel does it just because it makes them money / gets them free tools those are the channels I just never subscribe too or really watch as one of my go-to's has a better video.

 

[Bonedome]

Anyone talking shit about Windows 11 forgets that they're going to continue making all the old OS's obsolete and you will be on it before too long. Unless you swap to Linux or something.

 

[Angry Alt Right Nerd]

5 more years of leeway left. Hopefully Linux doesn't still suck by then.

That or switch over to Windows 11 LTSC

 

[Axiom.]

Or you could save thousands of dollars and use linux. I guess its a trade off of time or money. But there's some user friendly linux distros that don't require you to get your A+ Linux cert to install and use it.

I already was planning to switch to Linux (I don't have an iMac or even plan to, that was a joke) because of current career aspects but this genuinely gave me the push I needed to switch to a Kernel, thank you for the advice.

 

[Day of the Cope]

Windrones stay losing. Unless you play one of the handful of games of aggressive kernel level anticheat that outright blocks Linux or Adobe Suite, there's not a lot of reasons to not at least try Linux.

I am convinced the only reason people stay with Windows is because that's what comes preinstalled on every prebuilt system.
It's the same thing with games with MTX tempt you with bundles that are like 1200% value for $1; they know the most important sale is the first one.

 

[Dick Mason]

Windows 11 LTSC

It doesn't have feature parity with Windows 10 and never will. KDE Plasma will be the eventual destination. I might as well just move into a favela now and snatch a prime spot.

 

[Day of the Cope]

KDE Plasma will be the eventual destination

Microsoft's approach to UI over the past few years is stealing what KDE has been doing and bragging about it.

I'm not even joking when I say it took them until 2021 to let you adjust your volume on Windows by scrolling over the volume icon.

 

[inception_state]

but for software I use (let's be honest, games) I don't think I have a realistic non MS alternative.

Proton has gotten pretty good. The Steam Deck runs a version of Arch Linux, so they put a lot of work into improving compatibility for games that has benefited the entire Linux ecosystem. Right now it's mostly just competitive FPS games with very invasive anticheat that cause problems, because their rootkits don't run properly on Linux.

You can check the games you play here: https://www.protondb.com/

It's at the point where I stopped bothering to dual boot a while ago, because it was more hassle to reboot and switch to Windows than to run the game in Proton.

 

[Pierre D'Olnique]

Anyone talking shit about Windows 11 forgets that they're going to continue making all the old OS's obsolete and you will be on it before too long. Unless you swap to Linux or something.

7 is still holding on and there's a squad of dedicated autists doing nerd magic to make it work normally, and Win7 is 15 years old. I can only assume similar things are going to happen with 10.
Besides, it's not like extended support ending means that suddenly everything will refuse to launch. For instance Steam officially dropped support for 7 on January 1st this year, and all that did was make some of the newer features inaccessible. Big deal.

 

[Historical Strelkov]

"Start 11" (Paid) by Stardock


Open Shell (Free) by Nerds like you (pretty sure it supports 11 now)

Spoiler: Beyond Windows

Linux mint for linux noobs, so you can get away from Windows.

 

[Lifeguard Hermit]

The started pushing ads in cars as well.

No we don't care what your fucking news blurb has to say.

Eat a dick and die.

 

[The Repeated Meme]

Set sail on the high seas and join the Windows 10 LTSC Master Race, friends.

I would use Windows 10 LTSC but I find the menus and navigation a lot easier in Windows 11, not to mention better looking. I use Ghost Spectre OS Superlite SE w/o Defender, 22H2 Build 22621.1848 Windows Feature Experience Pack 1000.22642.1000.0 with Windows Updates disabled until 2077. Also comes with StartAllBack which is fucking AMAZING.

Not defending Windows 11 by any means, and certainly not defending this practice, but this is just my personal preference. Superlite SE rips out all of the bloatware and telemetry for you. I'm probably going to continue to use this particular custom version of Windows 11 until long, long after support has dropped unless something better comes along, but honestly, I just don't see that happening.

My setup


This is what I mean about the menu navigation


If I could somehow get the better menus and navigation from windows 11 and the startallback features grafted onto windows 10 ltsc, I would switch to that in a heartbeat.

 

[Hard Toothbrush]

still not gonna use lolnux
thanks to @Slav Power for the ExplorerPatcher recommendation: https://github.com/valinet/ExplorerPatcher

 

[tehpope]

Wasn't there a thread about this already? Either way:

I think that was just for preview builds that MS Insiders can use. But this update is for the main release.

 

[Slav Power]

Wasn't there a thread about this already?

Sure there was, many of them, but you gotta keep the "Windows bad, Linux good" circlejerk going forever, one thread is never enough. Just don't ever make threads about any sorts of shortcomings of Linux or else you'll cause a nuclear copium meltdown.

(pretty sure it supports 11 now)

Supported it for a good while now. All that they had to correct was to react to the new WinUI3 taskbar.

ExplorerPatcher

Do keep in mind that hacking back the Windows 10 taskbar won't work forever, and as Microsoft updates Windows it'll break things. An alternative way to get it a bit more usable is to use Windhawk and it's modifications for the WinUI3 taskbar.

I have a Windows 11 VM to experiment on before I'll decide to switch from 10 to 11 somewhere next year, this is how it looks like:

Working updates, no TPM, local account, compact Win11 taskbar, working with less than the required amount of RAM, no ads, no bullshit, doesn't get in my way. It is doable, but instead of crying about how evil Win11 is and how you will use Win10 LTSC/Linux until the heat death of the universe, you just have to man up and put in some elbow grease. It's not as bad as people make it out to be once you tweaked it.

And before you whine about having to do things before you get a good OS, don't act like Linux is a one click hassle free solution, it's not. You'll run into a separate heap of issues of Linux, all software sucks dick nowadays. There is no one good solution that encompasses all use cases in the universe.