I'm installing Windows 11!

[Brickwizard]

If your windows is on a vm and the host is Linux, then i would normally expect it to be recognised as Linux if you're using a bridge connection, but if you set the VM up with its own dedicated connection, then I would expect it to recognise it as windows, but it's not the OS windows is recognising it's the machine itself

 

[deb_user]

I created a fake Microsoft account using a fake name and a spamtrap email address, and Windows seems happy with that. I haven't bothered to activate Windows, even though I have a cheap legal license. It works without activation, although it can't be personalized. That's not a priority for me. It keeps asking for my phone number, but it still works without it.

 

[KGIII]

Yea, that's interesting.. The past few times I did it, it required that stuff with no escape... Maybe an older .iso?

Nope. Current ISO.

Have you had windows on that computer in the past?

No, it's a virtual machine.

 

[Mike-BTU]

I didn't play with it for very long. I found it confusing and needed to use the search function to find anything. As I'm a curious fella, it's pretty easy to activate without paying.

Also, I don't know what magical path I took during the installation, but it did not ask me for any real information. I didn't have to give them an email address, an MSFT account, or anything of that nature.

It annoyed me quickly. I spent too long trying to get the display resolution working. That never did work, even with the add-ons installed.

I also didn't use it long enough to get a feeling for it.

So, are you going to scrap this project? Sounds like it.

 

[Rocketing-warp9]

Now That's strange... Maybe a VM detection?

 

[KGIII]

So, are you going to scrap this project? Sounds like it.

I did not invest much time, but I'll likely play with it again before I delete the VM.

Now That's strange... Maybe a VM detection?

Unlikely, but maybe. It was likely the path I unknowingly took through the installation process. I pretty much smashed the 'no' button on all of the options.

I'll have to try it again to verify this, but it could be an artifact of VirtualBox making a user during the installation process -- but that user was just a name and a password. There was no email address of any kind. At no time was I asked to create an online account during the installation process. (I was asked after, when opening things like the browser.)

This was just the 'home' edition, so there's nothing special going on there.

It's a very different experience to use Windows 11. I could adjust quickly, but I will not be doing that.

It also didn't do many update reboots, and I could have delayed those. It did a bunch of updates during the installation process, much like Linux installers can enable. At least I think it did. It didn't require a bunch of updates after the initial boot into the installed OS, and it said that it was fully updated.

 

[MzQ1NjExN2]

I didn't play with it for very long. I found it confusing and needed to use the search function to find anything. As I'm a curious fella, it's pretty easy to activate without paying.

Also, I don't know what magical path I took during the installation, but it did not ask me for any real information. I didn't have to give them an email address, an MSFT account, or anything of that nature.

It annoyed me quickly. I spent too long trying to get the display resolution working. That never did work, even with the add-ons installed.

I also didn't use it long enough to get a feeling for it.

I have to use Windows 11 occasionally to keep my company work laptop updated (I have to keep it updated for security purposes) and not much else. One thing that annoys me with Windows is that they keep moving stuff around (keyboard shortcuts, menu options, etc...). Other than that its not a bad OS but Linux does everything I need to do and better.

 

[KGIII]

One thing that annoys me with Windows is that they keep moving stuff around (keyboard shortcuts, menu options, etc...).

I couldn't find a lot of stuff without using the search function. Keyboard shortcuts didn't work well, but that may be a VM thing.

 

[rado84]

I already have Spyware 12 but whateva...

 

[KGIII]

I already have Spyware 12 but whateva...

View attachment 30608

Rumors are that 12 is coming soon. A long time ago, folks wondered if MSFT's Windows OS would become a subscription. Maybe they're moving in that direction.

Speaking of Windows 11, I got bored...

That took one command in PowerShell, and then three presses on the keyboard.

I don't condone piracy, so I'll nuke the VM soon. It was just me wondering. I'd previously tried the 'home edition'. I wanted to see how far I could take it. I certainly did not buy a license, and this was just to see if it was possible -- and how easy it is.

If I do decide to keep the VM around, I'll pay for it.

Also, what I have is a 'local' account. That's why there was no email login required. Some of the features will not work without logging in. Normally, if you want a local account, you need to run a command during the installation process.

However, I told VirtualBox to generate my account -- which it dutifully did.

Which explains why I have said local account and why I don't have to be logged into a specific email account.

The weird thing is, MSFT must be tracking the heck out of us. If you use geolocaion sites, my IP address does usually point you to Maine. However, it points you to Portland, Maine (or similar).

Well.. They show the weather in the lower left. It listed my location as Rangeley. None of the IP-to-location sites finds this information. While it's not 100% accurate, it's so close to accurate that it might as well be considered spot-on. The geolocation sites have me all over the state and sometimes in a completely different state.

So, that was impressive. I never entered any personal information. I did no searches that would identify my location.

I'm not sure if it's spooky or if it's impressive. I suppose it could be a little of each.

Also, the computer I used for this did come with Windows 10 on it. So, I do have a license to use 10 -- and it's free to upgrade to Windows 11. I surely don't have an enterprise license, but that was just to see how far I could take it.

 

[Mike-BTU]

They show the weather in the lower left. It listed my location as Rangeley. None of the IP-to-location sites finds this information. While it's not 100% accurate, it's so close to accurate that it might as well be considered spot-on.

I've seen a similar thing myself. It simply obtains the location of our ISPs. No worries.

 

[Mike-BTU]

I've seen a similar thing myself. It simply obtains the location of our ISPs. No worries.

For example, on my non-GPS-equipped computer, Firefox lists our location on a map as about ten miles away from us, at our ISP.

 

[KGIII]

I've seen a similar thing myself. It simply obtains the location of our ISPs. No worries.

Oh, it's not terribly unusual -- for most people. In my case, it's exceptionally unusual.

If I go to a geolocation site, it is placing my IP address in Portland or Augusta (of those that are the most accurate). One has me in Kansas, while another has me in Massachusetts. Two of them have me in a small town in Kennebec County, but that town is some ~70 miles away. (At least it's not a big city.)

I use a very, very small ISP whose only activity is here in Maine. They have a limited presence even here in Maine, as they're the ones rolling out fiber at a snail's pace.

Actually, now that I think about it, that small town is slightly closer than Augusta.

As I was curious, I went and visited dozens of the sites that do geolocation. None of them were close.

That tiny town does share the same ISP, but I am not in that town. (I'm very familiar with the town, but that's a story for another day.)

Out of all of those that I've checked, none even got as close as Rangeley. I just checked a few more as I wrote this. None of them is accurate.

Whatever channel MSFT is using to get that data is pretty good. I don't think I've had anything that accurate in the 19 years I've lived here. Not once has anything identified my location properly, and all sorts of web apps have tried.

I'm not actually in Rangeley. I'm just not far from Rangeley. That they got it that close is pretty interesting.

Also, with all of the telemetry, they have to know that I don't really have an enterprise license.

As an aside...

A long time ago, when Windows was fairly new, more than a few of my friends all held the same conspiracy theory. They theorized that Windows was intentionally easy to pirate so that it'd become the dominant OS even in impoverished areas. The theory went that they'd try to make it both easy enough for anyone to do, but difficult enough so that your average person wouldn't bother doing so.

It was a pretty widely held belief in my social sphere. I'd need some actual evidence to believe it to be true, but I'm also not in a position to say that it is not true. From a business standpoint, it does make some sense. If they're going to pirate an operating system, it might as well be their operating system -- as that helps ensure vendor lock-in.

If we look at it today, it seems to still be true that it's not hard to get Windows installed and activated.