I rather suggest Win 11 LTSC. The Windows 11 IoT Enterprise 2024 LTSC supposedly:
- doesn't have the tpm requirement
- no copilot, recall, edge browser, ms store
- allows local setup
- no feature updates, only security
- built-in options to disable telemetry
Keys go for $300 in some stores, or, one can use an activation emulator, or massgrave.
Scripts can be good for one-time use, but it's swimming against the current. As soon as you stop swimming, the current wins. With the LTSC, you don't swim against the current, but rather choose a different current. In its case, it's MS themselves who provide the debloating.
Just use Rufus+MAS for Win10 IoT LTSC, no need to stoop down to win11
Win 10 is getting deprecated. I use my install still, but I personally don't recommend it as a new install.
https://tech.yahoo.com/gaming/articles/youre-still-gaming-wi...
Not with MAS. It's supported until 2032.
Take a look at the article I attached. Windows 10 itself is getting updates, that's not a problem, waning support from software vendors is.
why not windows 10 LTSC? higher performance
Win 10 is already becoming past tense, despite it being updated for security until 2032. In the present, I don't think Windows 10 is a good recommendation anymore. When installing a new system, I'd just go with the 11.
https://tech.yahoo.com/gaming/articles/youre-still-gaming-wi...
Gonna hard to justify win10 if certain apps/games whatever is only supported in win10. the obvious answer is Linux, but we already know the story there.
Where can one buy a key? I got denied when I tried buying one because I was not a company.
That's actually a very good point.
Anyone can be a company if you try hard enough!
I see them going for $150-300 on ebay, just don't ask where they came from.
These keys are also piracy. You might as well save $300 and just download the system for free.
No need if you use the IoT version and the massgrave activation script. It uses the built-in activation mechanisms in Windows to activate until 2038 or something.
I'm using the Windows 11 Enterprise IoT LTSC with activation until 2038 right now.
The https://massgrave.dev activation scripts have support for various versions and also for enabling Extended Updates (ESU), but this is a bit off-topic and HN mods might come after us ;-)
I'm not sure it is off-topic. The parent to this one was talking about, presumably, dodgy Windows keys (that shouldn't be allowed) but from my understanding, the massgrave scripts just use internal Windows mechanisms to activate.
It's not actively usurping Windows security.
In fact, I've read more than once that Microsoft tech support have been known to use massgrave scripts to help with activation-related issues with clients: Although I should caveat that with saying that it may have been Reddit I found that info so pinch of salt and all that...
So, my take on this is if the massgrave scripts allow activation without breaking any laws then sobeit. I'm talking about doing stuff that, while it appears dodgy, actually just manipulates the ultra-complicated processes under the hood that Microsoft has already built into the OS.
It's like publicising the workarounds for the now-mandatory Microsoft account when installing Windows 11. These involve things like reg hacks and commands: they're already in Windows so publicise them all you want imo.
You can get a legit windows 11 key from a reseller for an order of magnitude less - isn’t it worth a couple hours of your time to save ~$250?
I think the regular Windows versions are not worth it. Sure you can debloat the current configuration of the system, but it's a continually updated product, so it won't stay the same. Configurations will be overwritten, components reinstalled, etc.
This depends a lot on the person, and their lifestyle, I personally had enough of it. I like to set it, and (mostly) forget it.
That does sounds like a dream but alas it is not all that “good”. I for one would be first in line though if Microsoft ever made a true bare bones dev focused shell or something or other; maybe a complete rethink on compute.
Of course, it's still a piece of shit Windows. But I have basically copied the list from multiple third party sources, so, what got listed are actual features of the LTSC. And I think it's better that what's achievable with debloating scripts, especially if one isn't running them over and over again.
Fair point! I continually have to re-run those de-bloat scripts.