Widgets: Widgets are simply a strip of little windows that update automatically to show the latest news, weather, or other informational tidbits. They leap onto the screen with a click on its taskbar icon, a process I cover in Chapter 3.
Unlike previous Windows versions, Windows 11 no longer feels like two operating systems crammed into one computer. It feels like a single operating system that can handle both tablets and desktop PCs.
https://aka.ms/GetPCHealthCheckApp. Chances are, you’ll need to buy a new PC with Windows 11 preinstalled.
What’s Missing from Windows 11?
Windows 11 offers many new features, described in the previous section and covered throughout this book. However, it dropped just as many features found in Windows 10. Here’s the rundown on the features left behind from Windows 11:
Compatibility: Windows 10 could run on many older PCs, making it popular with owners of old Windows 7 PCs. Windows 11, by contrast, requires newer PCs with the latest technology. Chances are, you’ll have to buy a new PC. (I had to buy a new PC just to write this book!)
Timeline: Windows 10 kept track of which programs and files you worked with for the past 30 days. A click of the Timeline button let you jump back to see them all, letting you quickly and easily jump back to, say, an unfinished file from last week. Windows 11 removes the feature, offering no replacement.
Movable taskbar: The Windows taskbar normally lives along the screen’s bottom edge. Previous Windows versions let you move that taskbar to any edge you wanted. With Windows 11, the taskbar now remains affixed to the bottom of your desktop, with no option to move it.
Synced wallpaper: In Windows 10, owners of Microsoft accounts see their wallpaper appear whenever they log onto a Windows 10 PC. To the dismay of computer decorators, Windows 11 killed that feature.
Tablet mode: Designed specifically for tablets with touchscreens, Tablet mode quickly spaced your icons farther apart to accommodate thick fingertips. The Start screen and programs always filled the entire screen. Windows 11 dumps Tablet mode because Windows 11 is automatically finger-friendly.
Live Tiles on the Start menu: In Windows 10, the Start menu sometimes resembled a moving marquee, with animated tiles that changed to show different things. Windows 11 ditches the animated tiles in favor of a simpler menu that merely shows static icons. You can no longer create folders on the Start menu for storing related items, either.
Internet Explorer: Microsoft’s elderly browser, Internet Explorer, disappeared completely from Windows 11, replaced by the new browser, Microsoft Edge.
Cortana: Microsoft fired its little robot that tried to help you work but mostly got in the way. You can still launch the Cortana app from the Start menu, should you miss it, but otherwise, Cortana won’t bother you.
Paint 3D: Paint 3D let you design three dimensional models for 3D printers to create using layers of plastic. Few people used it, and even fewer will notice that it’s missing.
Skype: Microsoft paid billions for Skype, an app for making inexpensive (or free) phone calls using the internet. But Microsoft let the app languish. Now, it’s replaced by Teams, a program for creating online meetings. Microsoft added the chat portion of Teams into Windows 11 to compete with Zoom, which zoomed in popularity during the pandemic. WHAT’S A TPM CHIP?Short for Trusted Platform Module, TPM is a computer chip that places an extra layer of security over your PC. However, most older PCs lack a TPM chip, meaning they can’t be upgraded to Windows 11.Some older PCs come with TPM chips, but the manufacturer left them turned off. To see if your PC has a compatible TPM chip and whether it can be turned on, download Microsoft’s PC Health Check app, available at https://aka.ms/GetPCHealthCheckApp.
OneNote: Windows 10 came with OneNote, an app for taking notes much like a virtual school notebook. OneNote vanished from Windows 11, but compulsive note takers like me can still install it for free from the Microsoft Store.
Why Does Windows 11 Keep Changing?
Windows 10 updated itself seemly at whim, much to the detriment of people who preferred their PCs to look and behave the same whenever they sat at the keyboard. Who wants a computer with a confusing new doodad tossed in overnight?
Microsoft aims to ease that confusion by updating Windows 11 only once a year, thank goodness.
Apps, by contrast, can still be updated whenever the app’s creator decides that it’s time for a change.
Microsoft sends many of these updates automatically to your computer through Windows Update; you don’t need to jump through hoops to find and install them.
Similarly, your apps update themselves automatically through the Microsoft Store. They constantly add features, squash bugs, and sometimes even change their names.
You may not notice these changes in the apps, as well as in Windows 11 itself. Indeed, most of them just fix hundreds of annoying bugs, making Windows 11 run and install more smoothly and safely.
So, when Windows 11 or its apps change overnight, don’t think it’s your fault. Microsoft constantly tweaks Windows 11, and Windows and its apps will keep changing for years to come.
Can My Current PC Run Windows 11?
If you want to upgrade to Windows 11, your old computer will probably complain. Unlike Windows 10, Windows 11 usually requires a PC sold within the past two or three years.
TABLE 1-1 The Windows 11 Hardware Requirements
| Architecture | x86 (64-bit) |
|---|---|
| Processor | 1 gigahertz (GHz) or faster with 2 or more cores on a compatible 64-bit processor or System on a Chip (SoC). (Unlike previous Windows versions, Window 11 no longer comes in a 32-bit version.) |
| Memory (RAM) | At least 4GB |
| Graphics Card | DirectX 12 graphics device with Windows Display Driver Model (WDDM) 2.X driver |
| HDD free space | At least 20GB |
| Firmware | Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) with secure boot enabled |
| Internet connection and Microsoft account | Windows 11 Home edition requires internet connectivity and a Microsoft account to set up and use some features. |
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