Showing posts with label Windows 11. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Windows 11. Show all posts

28 February, 2025

Winhance - Debloat and Enhance Windows!

 Ever thought of ways to debloat and enhance Windows 11?


I have. 


Since I tried Windows 11 and found that it runs faster and better than Windows 10. I like the functions being put into icons where I can just click the task away. That is at least 1 mouse click less, compared to the old way of right mouse way of doing things.


Right out of the box, Windows 11 already rocks. That's at least how I find this latest Windows OS. But...


There's always room for improvement.


There is the File Explorer that remains the same in its performance - slow, clumsy way of copying files. That is why I have never let go of NiceCopier since Windows 7. Yes, since Windows 7. I got fed up with a very bad file management UI, and have tried many external file manager applications, where some actually are sold at a price. From here, you can understand that there is really something lacking about Windows' own set of applications, not to mention Windows itself. It's not perfect, we know, just like other OSes, but at least make it decently super even though imperfect (yet).


Then there is the issue with slowness when doing file search, or, even when it is fast, returns limited result, and more often not finding what you wanted to find. I used Everything for this. It's a free application that I find super-efficient, and very flexible in the options that you can apply when doing file search. It can even search file content.


And so on, and so forth.


Lately, I read about debloating Windows 11 so it runs even faster -- and better.


Winhance!


And of course, as in all new things, there's a caveat emptor attached to it. But don't lose heart. Exercise caution, and you still get a better Windows 11, or at least, less bloatware to deal with.


From BetaNews, this article about Winhance gave me some info that I understand could make Windows 11 lighter and faster, better.


I have a number of laptops. Different brands. Acer. HP. Lenovo. Asus. There is the eMachines, which was an old brand under Acer. And also, Compaq.


Why am I listing down my PC brands? Because part of what Winhance do is to uninstall applications, including Bing, Microsoft Edge and some of its variants, OneDrive, etc.


And if you do choose to remove Edge, then Lenovo PCs will be impacted. I found that Lenovo Vantage is using Edge (API), so it will try to install Edge before it is able to work. And since part of Winhance's logic is to prevent the re-installation of an uninstalled program, that's good as always having to install Edge, then Vantage, every time you boot up. So when that did happen to me, I reinstalled Edge. Yes, Winhance include the option of installing some applications, which, of course, include Edge.


Then there is the 'clean up' part. This is where you really must be very careful, or all of your icons, thumbnails, Taskbar, etc. - will be gone! I'd say it like that, gone. But not really. If you include clean up of Taskbar, it will be wiped clean. Well, this is just unpinning those icons, which is similar to wiping your Taskbar clean. Yes, it happened to me. I reverted that change and put back all those icons into the Taskbar one by one.


Okay, Nuff said. I leave some room for you to try Winhance and see how it works for you. Hope you like it. Really!


Let us know, will ya?


Till then!


24 July, 2021

How To Install Windows 11 On Older PCs

How to install Windows 11 when check says unable to?

Well, I am always one who is curious whether it is Ubuntu Linux or Windows OS. And talking about Windows 11, I can't just sit down and wait while others have all the fun (and headache!).

I'll go straight to the point. While the PC Health Check app may say that this PC is unable to install Windows 11, the requirements that the check is looking for is the ideal scenario where all the features and functionalities will run properly and smoothly.

N.B.: PC Health Check was taken down after WhyNotWin11 proved better, providing more details to the user than the other guy.

And I am writing this article to say that millions of old, older and even newer computers don't meet that requirement. My latest laptop is an HP EliteBook 755 G3 which uses an AMD processor, and this machine passes the WhyNotWin11 list except for the CPU Compatibility item. The best I own so far is an 8-year-old HP Envy TS15 laptop that uses an i7-4910MQ processor after I replaced the original i7-4700MQ CPU. And this particular laptop fails CPU compatibility and TPM checks. And I have other older laptops from different manufacturers like Asus, Acer, eMachines (yeap, this is now under Acer), some more HP models, etc.

So what I'm saying is that it is possible to install Windows 11 on older PCs, even those that do not pass the check. In fact, none of my laptops pass the check. Really! And to be honest, Microsoft is also eager to know how Windows 11 will fare on older machines, at least those devices just within 5 years, and at most for those even way older than that. 

Good thing we have some enthusiasts who know what to do, and they share that knowledge with the world.

I've been following articles on Windows 11 ever since it was announced for release. When? That doesn't matter now. Some really are good in simply attracting internet traffic but giving nothing in return. But when I came upon this article in zdnet.com, How to bypass Windows 11 limits and install on almost any old PC, that's where I started getting some tangible results (as if I can hold Windows 11, eh). Nah, I mean, I was either able to do an inline upgrade from Windows 10 to Windows 11 (HP EliteBook 755 G3 laptop) or do a clean install using USB device (for all my other laptops).

First note: Windows 11 becomes like Android now in the sense that previous devices are listed as possible sources of back-up with which you can install settings and apps from.

How to download the installer file is from xda.developers.com's article, How to install Windows 11 on almost any unsupported PC, as mentioned in the zdnet.com article. And how to bypass the check during install is from bleepingcomputer.com's article, How to bypass the Windows 11 TPM 2.0 requirement. As I said, after reading and following several earlier posts and articles, this is where I was able to really install Windows 11, either through inline upgrade or a clean install.

To be honest, I got most of the help from the XDA article, telling and explaining more than I am willing to know now. But the one that helped me most is the tool OfflineInsiderEnroll, which automates Windows Insider enrolment, even bypassing the Windows 11 checks and getting you in through the backdoor. That's what I call ethical hacking!

After install, I switched to Beta Channel, and I'm all set.

Second note: Windows 11 has slightly rounded corners, so you would know right away those applications that don't follow the new Windows 11 scheme as they retain the unrounded corners, Hey, Office 365 does not, so it affects Microsoft applications, too. WhatsApp sports a rounded corner, but Visual Studio (2013, 2015, 2019, 2022 Preview) all have sharp mitred corners.

Third note: Windows 11 is faster than Windows 10, that is why after I had it installed in the supposedly 'newer' or better laptops, I had to try it on the really old laptops. I have a 2008 Compaq V3000 machine, and it is fitted with a 1TB HDD, 4GB RAM. Pretty the basic specs for an old laptop. And my Asus U36J unit, while having a 1TB SSD, is using 2x 2GB 1066 RAM sticks. And yes, Windows 11 installed successfully on these 2 machines! (Total I installed Windows 11 on 8 machines).

So how did I download the installer? I had to read the XDA article a number of times, until I saw the UUP Dump link somewhere near the bottom end. When on the page, click on Dev Channel and select the Windows 11 flavor you want to install (14 to select from as of this writing). Just make sure that the architecture you pick is matching your unit's capability. UEFI or BIOS comes later, and that is via Rufus when you finally create the USB installer. When you go this way, please be patient, and plug in your laptop as the download will take some time. An hour? Could be more or less,

Well, I end here. While I open the door, I leave the rest of the steps for you to test and know. I'm sure being able to install Windows 11 on your machine and your favorite applications after will leave you curiouser and curiouser. I almost forgot to say I wrote this article using one of the laptops running Windows 11.

Till then!