Windows 11 users herded toward 23H2 via automatic upgrade

Windows 11 users still clinging to the past are to be dragged into a bright, 23H2-shaped future by Microsoft, whether they want to or not. Microsoft has added a notification to its Release Health dashboard warning Windows 11 users that it is time for the beatings automatic upgrades to begin. "We are starting to update eligible …

[aerogems]

Assuming you've been installing the regular patch tuesday updates, this update is pretty much literally just a text string change for version numbers. All the actual new functionality was already included in a previous update. If you wanted to force the update on a system that was being blocked it was like a 600K download, and you know most of that is just the overhead of the self-extracting installer.

[biddibiddibiddibiddi]

The code may have been included previously, but it was not enabled, so it can still cause breakage.

[43300]

It's barely any different to the previous release. 23H2 seems to have dispensed with fake-Teams, but shortly after installation the 'Copilot Beta' will make an uninvited appearance and pin itself to the taskbar, and New Outlook will also muscle its way in. Nothing really notiecable apart from that.

[David 132]

I assume both of those require one to be logged in with a Microsoft account not a local one, and as the phrase “over my dead body” is applicable there, I’m not sure if the 23H2 update will have any great value one way or another.

[David 132]

Oops, missed the edit window. Meant to say “no great value to me”!

Sounds a little arrogant otherwise…

[The Oncoming Scorn]

"Sounds a little arrogant otherwise…"

You say that as though it's a bad thing.

[43300]

They seem to appear whether or not the device is logged into a Microsoft account - we have a few devices with local accounts, and the junk appeared on them too.

[Jellied Eel]

.. we have a few devices with local accounts, and the junk appeared on them too.

Anyone figured out a way to remove it yet? Luckily the update hasn't made it's presence known on my dirty PC, and I'm not exactly looking forward to it. Maybe it'll fix the problem of blue screening when it wakes from sleep though.

[43300]

As in remove Co-Pilot? You can manually turn it off in the taskbar properties and the icon disapears. Can be removed from the taskbar properties completely with Powershell but that's per-user and requires the account to have local admin accounts.

For Intune-managed machines it can be done with a custom configuration profile. I found an article on a blog with details, and that does work - can't immediately find the reference but shouldn't be too difficult to locate.

Has anyone found a practical way to remove the Copilot icon from Edge?

[ldo]

Microsoft’s Backward Compatibility Is Legendary

That’s why users have no trouble upgrading to the latest version as a matter of course, do they.

[Pascal Monett]

"Microsoft's intelligent ML model"

Is that model capable of ensuring that beta updates do not spill over to the production line ?

The arrogance of Redmond is limitless. Hey, Nadella, why don't you just mandate everybody hand over their credit card details and organize a weekly stipend for yourself ?

[ecofeco]

Re: "Microsoft's intelligent ML model"

Like every tech douche bro company on the planet isn't already trying?

And partially succeeded?

[kneedragon]

Herded?

Ummm, I don't mean to be difficult or anything, but ..

I've been a Linux user (Daily Driver) here for about 14 years, so ....

I'm not completely sure 'herding Window$ users' toward a newer kernel and build is such terrible idea. There is a bit of Karen howling about Window$ updates landing in the middle of her playing PUBG or something, which I can understand, but being pretty firm with Mum & Dad home users about updates and patches and virus definitions, that might not really be such a bad idea. I find it infuriating myself, when the damn thing starts doing something in the background, like indexing or a spontaneous malware scan for no reason except it's Thursday, but ...

Same as the howls about including a few newer instructions into Windows, that make it impossible to run older CPUs. Ok, that sounds terrible. How much older are we talking about?

Well a Sandy Bridge should run fine, but anything more than 2 ~ 3 years older than that ...

So we're talking about a cut-off in about 2008. Is that it?

Why is it unreasonable to make the latest version of your kernel incompatible with a CPU that was made over 16 years ago?

I will help stack the logs around the stake if you want to practice a little bit of drive-by arson on Micro$oft, but I'd like to have better and more reasonable causes for conflagration than that ...

For example ~ how about a Home directory and all private secure information (like Hunter Bidens' personal snaps) living on the cloud? How about Window$ as a service? That means a monthly fee... How about what good friends the US Justice & Intelligence communities are with Such-a Nutella?

If I'm going up the hill to Castle Frankenstein, with my pitchfork and my torch, I think I want a better reason than this one.

I am not a friend of Micro$ft, in any way, but this does sound fairly reasonable to me.

[Jurassic.Hermit]

Re: Herded?

I used to hate MS, but after reading your entirely sensible post, I now love them. Thank you for converting me.

[9Rune5]

Re: Herded?

So we're talking about a cut-off in about 2008. Is that it?

Not quite.

https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/products/sku/97129/intel-core-i77700k-processor-8m-cache-up-to-4-50-ghz/specifications.html

Launch date: Q1'17

End of servicing updates: March 31, 2024

The i7700k It isn't on the list of supported processors: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-hardware/design/minimum/supported/windows-11-supported-intel-processors

One of my "old" laptops (my oldest son inherited it) has this CPU IIRC. That laptop comes with 32GB memory and a 4k OLED display with touch support. It does not feel "old" (even has a better monitor than the latest offering from DELL), yet cannot upgrade to WIn11 through normal means. Its motherboard supports TPM v2. It was one of the more expensive CPUs on offer when the laptop was made.

My *guess* is that the CPUs in question are meltdowned and spectred from here to oblivion so MS simply stopped bothering with them. But AFAIK there are no official word on this. It just looks like an asshole thing to do. While googling now I came across one mention that certain systems had a significant higher propensity for BSODs (and were thus blacklisted by Win11), but I doubt that explains why this particular CPU was dropped.

With the current awareness surrounding e-waste and given just how capable many of these systems are, it is a little bit disappointing. And I say that as a Windows NT user for the past 30+ years. :)

(Oh, I did not downvote you. I agree with most of the stuff you said, and your questions were relevant, but your assumptions were perhaps a tad off)

[Jou (Mxyzptlk)]

Still at 21h2

My pet bug, inaccessible local shadowcopies, is not yet fixed. However I know a fix will come this year, probably even Q1, since someone from Microsoft saw my constant complaining mid last year and is pushing for the fix since then.

[Ashto5]

My laptop is fine as it is

Don’t have win 11

My old laptop 2012 is fine and running everything I need

[Jou (Mxyzptlk)]

Re: My laptop is fine as it is

Unless you need a very specific feature, like my case of nested virtualization for AMD CPUs, noone needs Windows 11.

[Anonymous Coward]

Win 11 21h2 patches stopped five months ago

When Microsoft EOSs a Win 11 feature set (as they promised they'd do every two

years and as they've done for Win11 21h2), all security patches stop. Anyone

still running Win11 21h2 has been running unpatched for five months. Microsoft

even offers patches for unactivated licenses, so forcing the latest feature

upgrade on EOLed feature sets is closing a big security hole.

The lack of security patch availability will still remain on the (unqualified)

machines that had forced a Win 11 upgrade to 21h2. However, using registry keys, you

can still reinstall to 23h2, and likely get two more years of patches.

[navarac]

Re: Win 11 21h2 patches stopped five months ago

That's if they can deliver security patches that don't fail before installation. Happened to W10 and W11 this year already. Bunch of Bozos.

[Jou (Mxyzptlk)]

Re: Win 11 21h2 patches stopped five months ago

That is why I have no update problems. I only get defender updates. Until they fix my pet but, the broken access to local shadowcopies (aka previous versions tab in explorer), I'll stay with 21h2. I've used them since XP SP2, broken since Jun 2022. I might end up with 24h2 or Windows 12, 'cause I know (tested) that this bug is fixed in insider 25xxx and 26xxx builds nearly a year now.