Windows 11 is all fine | No problems encountered yet

Microsoft's next version of Windows, Windows 11, is coming on October 5. In many ways, it's already here — the free update has been available for Windows Insiders to download and test for months, and recent versions like the Release Preview will be no different. . Final Operating System.

We'll be getting a full review from Tom Warren next week, but in the meantime we thought we'd give you a look at how The Verge feels about upgrading to the new OS — asking every other major Windows user on the team they've got . Asking to install the latest version on the home computer and collect your impressions.

Here's how it's going so far.

On a home-built desktop (Core I7-7700K, RTX 3060 TI) and 2017 DELL XPS 15 laptop (Core I7-7700HQ)

Windows 11 says my desktop's 7th-gen Intel CPU isn't good enough, despite having practically every feature (and significantly more performance) than the lowest-end 8th-gen chips on the company's compatibility list. But that didn't stop me from installing a copy of Windows 11 on my copy of Windows 10 using the ISO image - all I had to do was turn on my TPM module and enable Secure Boot in my motherboard's BIOS, and received the dreaded warning. One click through was needed. Message. (Windows disqualified my 7th-gen laptop and forced me to do a clean install, however, I did a dual-boot there.)

Since then, it's been a practically painless upgrade. Almost everything was right where I left it, and almost everything works exactly as I'd expect, including PC games. (The Wallpaper Engine forgot how to load new wallpapers, and at times my system failed to wake up from sleep.) My XPS 15's fingerprint reader and nose-haired webcam are still awful, but they work with . are not worse. Were on Windows 10 - Windows 11 pulled all the drivers I needed once again.

But nothing sounds much better, so I see no reason to upgrade. HDR is still a mess, and I'm on the Windows 11 taskbar with Tom: it's a big step forward. It's annoying to launch an app before I can pin it to my taskbar, and manually toggle on each icon in my system tray. Why do I have to launch a whole new window to adjust the volume mixer? Is there a reason for my audio equipment to be in a different location?

But I couldn't find enough wrong with Windows 11 to bother uninstalling it and going back. — Sean Hollister

Laptop on 2019 Dell XPS 13 7390 (Core I7-10710U)

I had a particularly bad time upgrading my previous computer from Windows 7 to Windows 10—I wiped the system and started from scratch—so I was relieved and, to be honest, a little surprised at this upgrade . Windows 11 is gone. Everything still works, and continues to work, so there is nothing to panic in Windows 10. The only glitch I've experienced so far is that after upgrading, both Chrome and Edge browsers refused to show Facebook, but a reboot fixed it.

That being said, I'm not thrilled with the new taskbar and Start menu. While I never really liked the look of the tiles the way Tom customized the Start menu, and because I'm a crazy organizer, I really liked the way it was mirrored. Came. Grouping the tiles can work, and re-grouping them whenever I need to for my current projects. This new taskbar, coupled with a real lack of customization options, makes it seem like Microsoft no longer trusts its users to be knowledgeable enough to handle the more complex menu system.

I'm just starting to explore Windows 11, so it's possible that I'll find more things to like or dislike. But so far, it's working fine for me - I'm not sure I like it better. — Barbara Krasnoff

Homemade Desktop (Core I7-4770K, GTX 980 TI)

I jumped through several hoops to install Windows 11 on my very unsupported, pre-TPM, non-secure boot personal desktop. I built this machine in 2014, upgraded it to the 980 Ti in 2015, and since then it's been my only everyday personal computer for gaming and photography. It's been a solid performer on Windows 10 all these years, yet meeting or exceeding the minimum requirements for the games I play—of which I ask for no more than 60 fps on modest settings.

To install Windows 11, I used the Windows 10 ISO, which I modified using part of the Windows 11 ISO, essentially dodging Windows 10 to upgrade to 11. The OS thought it was running Windows 10 Update until the Windows 11 login screen. suddenly appeared. It was all a little dicey and very nerve-wracking, but it worked! It didn't even require a wipe or clean install.

So how does Windows 11 run on a seven year old unsupported machine after going through such a process? Surprisingly, a lot like Windows 10. If you've made changes to the user interface and left-aligned the Start menu, I might find it hard to tell the difference. Lightroom Classic plays almost as well with my full frame camera Raw files as it normally does, which is only up a notch or two, but is passable. Fall Guys still runs at a solid 60 fps. Diablo 2 Resurrected typically clocks in between 55-60 fps with a mix of low and medium settings. There were a few minor hiccups here and there when I first booted up some of those games, but Windows 10 was not without the strange Gremlin. Now that I've gotten through that iffy update process, I can summarize my feelings for Windows 11 with one big shrug. \_(ツ)_/¯

I don't dislike it. I don't love it, but it looks so beautiful. Sometimes a fresh coat of paint is all you need, despite the annoying Start menu and taskbar. — Antonio G. di bentetto

On a home-built desktop (Core i5-9600K, RTX 2070)

Ok, so I was guessing that installing on my DIY PC would be a process. I failed the PC health check. "But Doc! I feel good," I felt as my PC was saying. As if I had zero things to do on this particular day, I decided that I would try my best to make my PC pass the test so that it would not fight during the installation process.

The major hurdle I (and my PC) had to overcome was changing the boot drive's partition table type from MBR to GPT. Do I remember having to choose MBR when I installed Windows 10? off course not. Thankfully, Microsoft has created a handy MBR2GPT.exe tool that can execute within Command Prompt, doing god work fast for my SSD while I poke online. This can be useful for you. It did not work for me.

I kept failing disk verification. Frequently. Running out of options, I built a bootable USB drive with GParted on it, with the hope that it could do what this other device couldn't, so I could get on with my day. But at this point, I was already impatient with how long this silly process was taking. I'm the only one who uses my PC! I really don't need secure boot!

In my excitement of trying to wrap this up quickly, I, you know, have removed my entire OS. Of course there were important files on it. No, I can't remember what they are right now (and I hope I never remember so that I don't feel sorry for my impatience).

I guess the good news is that I have Windows 11 right now. That's fine, but I was content with the idea of using Windows 10 for the rest of my life. It went well, and I didn't really think about what could happen because it did everything I wanted. I think I took it very seriously when Microsoft said that Windows 10 was the last version of Windows. — Cameron Faulkner