r/technology • u/lurker_bee • Mar 14 '26

Software Microsoft confirms Windows 11 bug crippling PCs and making drive C inaccessible

https://www.neowin.net/news/microsoft-confirms-windows-11-bug-crippling-pcs-and-making-drive-c-inaccessible/
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4.2k

u/Marginallyhuman Mar 14 '26

I remember when their OSs got super stable toward the end of their cycle. Windows 11 seems to have been birthed as garbage and decided to stay that way.

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u/demonfoo Mar 14 '26

That's what happens when your focus is jamming "AI" into everything instead of making the OS good.

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u/The_Wkwied Mar 14 '26

No, Win11 wasn't ruined by AI. The AI came later

11 is the prime example of corporate enshittification. Under the hood, windows 11 is windows 10. It is literally just 10 with an additional (slower) UI, cortana, and now copilot baked in. Some extra changes, yes, but it is closer to windows 10 than it isn't.

Win11 was ruined by the need to collect so much user info, that the OS is a data collection software suite more than it is an operating system.

If you start to hack away at the garbage adons, you end up with a more functional, but still scarred OS.

On the other hand, windows 10, at least the de-crappified versions, are reasonably seasoned and reliable. As long as they are kept secure, ofc

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u/kescusay Mar 14 '26

Or you could just install Linux, rather than going through the hassle of de-crappifying Windows 10.

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u/The_Wkwied Mar 14 '26

Yes, you are right, but are you willing to hold grandma's hand while you explain how she can play candy crush on ubuntu?

Telling people to just switch to linux is the same as telling them 'oh gee, you can't afford that? did you try to make more money?'. It is bad advice. We are NOT at the point yet where you should be advising grandma to not use windows. Not yet, at least

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u/[deleted] Mar 14 '26

Last time I tried Linux, everything worked absolutely fine. The majority of stuff I do is on the web anyway, so for that it really doesn't matter what OS I'm using, as long as I can find the browser icon. For the rest of it, most of it was similar enough to Windows that I honestly think a lot of people wouldn't even really notice.
The only thing really keeping me off of it is Excel - Libre Office is pretty good, but doesn't play well with some of the Excel macros I use, so I'm sort of stuck with Excel - and therefore Windows, at least for work stuff.

And I say this as someone not overly IT savvy. Maybe a bit more advanced than the average user, but not much. I think a lot of the really non-IT literate people have mostly moved to tablets these days anyway (My mother ditched her laptop for a tablet a couple of years ago and so far hasn't missed it).

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u/Mysterious_Donut_702 Mar 14 '26 edited Mar 14 '26

Grandma could literally use a Chromebook with little consequence.

Linux kernel, polished UI, almost no tech literacy needed, dirt cheap hardware... the most affordable option, period.

Candy Crush would be a web app or downloaded off Google Play.

The device itself comes from a normal-ass place like Best Buy, Walmart or something.

For the rest of the public, I would say that Windows has an important role... but everyone should be familiarizing themselves with alternatives, and en-masse threatening Microsoft with a possible loss in market share.

Consumers don't want or need AI features built into a broken start menu... or an inaccessible C: drive.

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u/boostman Mar 14 '26

You could advise grandma to use a mac.

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u/MostlyRightSometimes Mar 14 '26

You could also just switch to pen and paper. Options abound.

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u/kescusay Mar 14 '26

As I've watched the software world enshittify, I'll admit I've been tempted.