Windows 11 All-in-One For Dummies. Ciprian Adrian Rusen
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Chapter 2
Seeing What’s New in Windows 11
IN THIS CHAPTER
Windows 11 is available as a free upgrade for Windows 10. You can get it from Windows Update, when Microsoft offers it to you, if your PC meets its steep system requirements, or upgrade manually using Windows 11 Installation Assistant at www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows11. You can also buy Windows 11 from Amazon and other shops and install it yourself, or get it preinstalled on a new laptop, tablet, PC, or hybrid device.
While it does have many cool features, new apps, and useful technologies (all covered in this chapter), Windows 11 initially proved to be relatively buggy. For example, soon after its launch, it was plagued by performance issues on systems with AMD Ryzen processors. If you have made the jump from Windows 10 to Windows 11 but find that it doesn't deliver suitable performance or stability, roll back to Windows 10 for a time, before making the jump again in a few months. I start this chapter by showing the steps required to get back to Windows 10.
Then I present the short story of Windows 11 and the principles Microsoft used in designing it. I also talk about the many different kinds of apps you can use in this operating system, including Android apps. Yes, you read that right!
Lastly, I describe all the new features and changes you might notice when you switch from a previous version of Windows to Windows 11.
Rolling Back to Windows 10
Before digging into an examination of the new nooks and crannies in Windows 11, I’d like to pause for a second and let you know about an option you may have. If you upgraded from Windows 10 to Windows 11 in the past 10 days, and you don’t like Windows 11, you can roll back to your old version. This works for only 10 days because a scheduled program comes in and wipes out the backup after 10 days.
If it’s been 10 days or less since Windows 11 was installed and you want to roll back to Windows 10, the following steps show you how.
1 Click or tap the Windows logo icon and then Settings. Alternatively, you can press Windows+I on your keyboard.The Settings app opens.
2 In the left column, choose System. On the right, click or tap Recovery.You see the recovery options offered by Windows 11, as shown in Figure 2-1.
3 Click or tap the Go Back button.Microsoft asks you why you are going back, as shown in Figure 2-2.
4 Choose a reason from the list and then click or tap Next.Microsoft tells you that you should check for updates, because they might fix the problems you’ve been having. A funny but weak attempt to get you to stay with Windows 11, if you ask me.FIGURE 2-1: The recovery options built into Windows 11.FIGURE 2-2: When you roll back to Windows 10, you are asked why you want to go back.
5 Click or tap No, Thanks.Microsoft informs you that you won’t be able to use your PC until the rollback is done. Also, after going back, you might have to reinstall some apps and might lose some settings.
6 Click or tap No, Thanks.
7 Click or tap Next.Microsoft gives you one last warning that you need to know the password of the user account that you used to sign into Windows 10.
8 Make sure you remember this password and then click or tap Next.
9 Click or tap Go Back to Windows 10.Your computer reboots and then restores Windows 10. This process takes quite a while and may involve some reboots. Arm yourself to be patient. If everything goes well, at some point you'll see the Windows 10 lock screen.
Microsoft’s Design Philosophy behind Windows 11
Initially, Microsoft planned to make Windows 10X (code-named Santorini), not Windows 11. Windows 10X was going to be a simplified version of Windows 10 that would compete with Chrome OS and be released on foldable mobile devices such as Surface Neo (another product that didn’t make it to the market).
Windows 10X was expected to be released sometime in 2020, and it featured some significant changes compared to Windows 10:
A new taskbar with icons aligned to the center, rather than to the left
The removal of legacy components and legacy desktop apps from Windows 10 that were designed for PCs, not mobile devices with touchscreens
A redesigned Start menu without tiles and a friendlier user interface with an easier to use right-click menu
In May 2021, Microsoft announced that Windows 10X was cancelled but many of its features would be used in future products. In Windows 11, Microsoft didn't remove the legacy desktop apps and components from Windows 10, but it did adopt many of the user interface features that were developed for Windows 10X. The new operating system features a more pleasant-looking user interface, with lots of translucency effects, shadows, a new color palette, new icons, rounder corners for app windows, and sleek desktop backgrounds. Simply look at Figure 2-3 to see what I mean or give yourself a tour by opening the Start menu, File Explorer, Settings, and other Windows 11 apps.
FIGURE 2-3: Windows 11 is the most beautiful Windows version yet.
Visually, Windows 11 is the most beautiful Windows ever. However, as you discover while reading this book and familiarizing yourself with Windows 11, it can also be one of the most frustrating Windows versions ever.
Understanding the Types of Windows 11 Apps
Windows 11 can run several different kinds of programs. Computer programs (you can also call them applications or desktop apps if you want) work by interacting with an operating system. Since the dawn of Windows, programs have communicated with the operating system through a specific set of routines (application programming interfaces, or APIs) known colloquially and collectively as Win32. With rare exceptions, Windows desktop apps — the kind you use every day — take advantage of Win32 APIs to work with Windows.
In early June 2011, at the D: All Things Digital conference in California, Steven Sinofsky and Julie Larson-Green gave their first demo of Windows 8. As part of the demo, they showed off new Metro apps, which interacted with Windows in a different way. They used the newly minted API set known as Windows Runtime or, more commonly, the WinRT API. Microsoft started calling the WinRT based