No Thank You Windows 11: How to Stay on Your Preferred Windows and avoid upgrading

Okay, so today I wanna talk about something that’s been bugging me lately – this whole Windows 11 thing. I finally decided to take the plunge and see what all the fuss was about. So, I started by checking if my old machine could even handle it. I mean, it’s not ancient, but it’s not exactly brand new either. Turns out, it met the requirements, so I thought, “Why not?”

First thing I did was head over to the settings and hit up the Windows Update section. Lo and behold, there it was, the big invitation to upgrade to Windows 11. I clicked on the “Download and install” button, and the waiting game began. It took a while, I’m not gonna lie. I probably made a couple of cups of coffee during that time. And then, after what felt like forever, it finally rebooted.

And that’s when it hit me. The new layout, the centered Start menu… it was all just so different. I felt like a stranger in my own computer. I spent the next hour or so just poking around, trying to get used to things. But you know what? I just couldn’t. It felt clunky, and some of my favorite features were either gone or buried under layers of menus.

So, I started digging around for a way to go back to good old Windows 10. I found some forum posts talking about registry edits and whatnot. I’m not exactly a tech whiz, but I can follow instructions. I learned that one way to prevent an update is to mess with the registry. Sounds scary, huh?

• Press the Windows key + R.
• Type in “regedit”.
• Then find this thing: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREPoliciesMicrosoftWindowsWindowsUpdate.
• Change the “TargetReleaseVersion” to stop Windows 11.

But then I found another way, probably an easier one. It’s all about messing with the Windows Update service itself.

• Press Windows key + R again.
• This time you type “*”.
• Find “Windows Update”, double-click it.
• Click “Stop”, then change “Startup type” to “Disabled”.

I gotta say, I was a little nervous messing with these settings. But I was desperate to get back to what I was comfortable with. I followed the steps, rebooted my computer again, and bam! Back to Windows 10. It was like a breath of fresh air.

Honestly, I don’t get the hype around Windows 11. Maybe it’s just me, but I prefer things the way they were. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, right? Anyway, that’s my little adventure with Windows 11. It was a short trip, and I’m glad to be back home.