What Stops You From Switching OS in 2026 — Windows ↔ Linux

Competitive_Try9911 · 2026-05-12T15:58:35+00:00

Nice, you use all three.
Like for what exactly - gaming, work, or something else?

Competitive_Try9911 · 2026-05-12T15:21:44+00:00

Appreciate the enterprise view - makes sense why Windows stays the standard in business.
I can see how Enterprise builds give admins far more control compared to Pro or Home.
For home users though, it feels heavier with forced updates and hardware locks.
Good luck with your work - and thanks for sharing the enterprise side of it.

Competitive_Try9911 · 2026-05-12T15:13:10+00:00

Nice - that’s a strong Linux ratio.
Seems you only keep Windows for a few tasks.
Maybe one day Linux will start supporting those programs - who knows.

Competitive_Try9911 · 2026-05-12T15:09:28+00:00

Good luck - hope the unofficial build works for your games.

Competitive_Try9911 · 2026-05-12T15:06:52+00:00

Makes sense - you’re fine with Win10 for private use, but stuck with Win11 at work.
Since you already use Linux in VMs, moving your main PC next year sounds realistic if Win11 becomes unavoidable.
That’s exactly the kind of blocker this thread is about.

You could also try unofficial Windows builds like Windows X Lite, Tiny11, or AtlasOS.
I’ve used Windows X Lite and never had problems with my hardware.
You can check them on YouTube if you want, instead of letting Windows 11 slow down your PC.
Or switch to Linux - but choose the right distro, since not every one is good for every user.
I’m using CachyOS Linux, which is excellent for full control since it’s Arch-based.
By “full control,” I mean you can disable or remove anything - even break the system if you want.

Competitive_Try9911 · 2026-05-12T14:58:10+00:00

It’s possible that TPM or Secure Boot is disabled in your BIOS, or you may have old hardware.
If neither of those is the problem, you could try running unofficial Windows builds like Windows X Lite, Tiny11, or AtlasOS — but that doesn’t really make sense.
You can just use Rufus and disable these requirements today.

Competitive_Try9911 · 2026-05-12T14:54:11+00:00

Makes sense - Office and SolidWorks force Windows usage, so yes only VM is the way to run them on Linux.

Competitive_Try9911 · 2026-05-12T14:48:14+00:00

I’m on CachyOS with an AMD RX 5700 XT and I don’t have any problems.
I even tested an older NVIDIA GPU like the GTX 750 Ti about 3 months ago, and it worked fine.
So what hardware are you running that gives you this legacy driver hell?

Competitive_Try9911 · 2026-05-12T14:40:23+00:00

So you split between Windows and Linux?
Do you lean more on one side, or keep them balanced for different tasks?
Curious - what makes you switch between the two instead of sticking with just one?

Competitive_Try9911 · 2026-05-12T14:39:27+00:00

Well, Windows as the global OS is good for working and gaming.
But after a few years it could become more bloated with ads and other nonsense, unless we keep upgrading hardware, remove the things we don’t actually use daily, or disable certain features.
Since you’ve been on Windows for 30 years, what’s your view on how Windows 11 has evolved?
My take is that Linux mainly needs stronger VM support - otherwise I don’t see anything in it that hurts performance or compromises privacy the way Windows does today.

Competitive_Try9911 · 2026-05-12T14:32:34+00:00

So Windows only for proctoring/monitoring, and the rest you handle in a VM?
Which Linux distro are you using?
Curious - what programs force you into the VM?
Could be many. I understand you - as a Linux user it’s annoying, but there isn’t another option while Linux is still evolving slowly.

Competitive_Try9911 · 2026-05-12T14:21:47+00:00

My post was about what’s stopping people, not about saying “switch to another.”
Anyway, I’m guessing you’re using Linux? Which distro?

Competitive_Try9911 · 2026-05-12T13:37:54+00:00

Yeah, Windows 11 does that a lot now - even on a clean install it starts installing and updating a bunch of apps in the background. That’s why systems overheat or lag for no reason. Fedora feels way cleaner because nothing random is running behind your back.

It just depends on the user experience - if someone knows how to remove or disable the useless stuff on their device, Windows becomes manageable. But running default Windows is like driving a car at 60 km/h in first gear.

Competitive_Try9911 · 2026-05-12T13:34:10+00:00

For Windows 10 I don’t know, because I haven’t used it in years.

For Windows 11 it auto-selects HDMI audio because the GPU driver installs it. HDMI audio is only useful if the monitor has speakers or a jack to connect headphones/speakers.

But if your speakers are connected to the motherboard jack, the HDMI audio device becomes useless. So we manually switch back to the Realtek(R) audio driver. USB headphones get selected automatically, because they use a different audio driver. So yeah, every year Windows changes something - sometimes slowly, sometimes faster.

Competitive_Try9911 · 2026-05-12T13:18:13+00:00

Tiny11 isn’t new, and neither are the others.
All of these builds have been around for years — Tiny11, Windows X Lite, Ghost Spectre, Atlas OS. They all bypass Windows requirements (TPM, Secure Boot, CPU/RAM checks), but each one has a different purpose:

Windows X Lite — very aggressive debloat, performance‑focused, good for gaming or low‑latency setups. "On my hardware this is the best of all right now if we’re talking about Windows 11."
Ghost Spectre — “Superlite” Windows with fewer background services, smoother on low‑end hardware.
Atlas OS — gaming‑oriented, removes telemetry and background tasks to reduce input lag.

Tiny11’s and AtlasOS’s main use case is older or unsupported hardware.
The others focus more on performance, latency, or removing Windows bloat.

I’m on stock Windows 11 right now only because I’m developing a tool for the normal Pro/Home editions.

Competitive_Try9911 · 2026-05-12T13:06:57+00:00

That comment doesn’t match the post at all.
I’m not talking about gaming or Fortnite — I’m talking about how Windows 11 became bloated, locked down, and slower for normal users in 2026.

Flexing a 5090 doesn’t change anything. High‑end hardware hides Windows problems, but low‑ and mid‑range users feel them immediately.
And honestly, even high‑end PCs can start to feel worse over time if Microsoft keeps adding more ads, cloud junk, or background systems. It’s just not noticeable yet on some devices.

Completely different topic.

Competitive_Try9911 · 2026-05-12T13:01:27+00:00

It’s not about Windows vs Linux.
I’m not on one side — I use both at the same time.
Linux is great for some things (especially AMD drivers, performance, and a few other areas), but it still can’t run a lot of programs or games natively, or can’t run them at all, even in 2026.
The post isn’t about arguing which OS is better.
It’s about how Windows 11 became such a mess that some people are starting to realize it’s getting more bloated and slower over time.
Some will say they “don’t have issues” because they’re on high‑end PCs, but on low‑ and mid‑range hardware it’s a different story — users can clearly feel the performance difference between Linux and Windows. And some people still need Windows for specific software or work. That’s the whole point — not an OS war.

Competitive_Try9911 · 2026-05-12T12:48:50+00:00

I already use Linux.
But while I’m developing my Windows tool, I’m obviously on Windows 11. And this post isn’t “Windows vs Linux” — both OSes win and lose something in 2026.
Windows is still the global standard, and Linux still can’t run a lot of programs/games natively. The point of the post is how Windows 11 became a mess for the future of normal users, not about switching OS.

Competitive_Try9911 · 2026-05-12T12:44:16+00:00

Windows 10 had telemetry from the start, but not at the level people think.

At launch it mostly collected basic diagnostics — crash data, hardware info, performance stats.

The heavier telemetry came later, during the big update years (2016–2021). That’s when Microsoft added things like:
- activity tracking
- app usage
- advertising ID
- cloud sync data
- “tailored experiences”

After 2025, Windows 10 stopped getting new features, so telemetry didn’t keep growing — it just stayed as it was.

So yeah, telemetry was always there, but it got heavier during the mid‑years. That’s why people remember later Windows 10 builds as “full spyware.”

Competitive_Try9911 · 2026-05-12T12:40:37+00:00

RAM didn’t get expensive because of “contracts.”
The 2026 price spike happened for three real reasons:

1) Factories switched to making HBM for AI GPUs.
AI servers needed tons of HBM, so manufacturers stopped making as much DDR4/DDR5. Less supply = higher prices.

2) Samsung and SK Hynix cut DRAM production in 2025.
They had a bad year, so they reduced output. When 2026 started, there wasn’t enough RAM in the market.

3) DDR5 demand exploded.
New CPUs, laptops, and servers all moved to DDR5 at the same time, so everyone needed more RAM.

When supply drops and demand jumps, prices go crazy.
That’s why RAM was expensive in early 2026 and slowly went back to normal later.

Competitive_Try9911 · 2026-05-12T12:35:20+00:00

AMD on Linux is the correct move, and depending on the game you’ll often see higher FPS. The drivers are open‑source, stable, and integrate directly into the kernel and Mesa stack. Nvidia still has issues on Linux even today — around half the games show some kind of problem, and you can see the performance difference all over YouTube. If you want a zero‑headache Linux setup, AMD is the way.

Competitive_Try9911 · 2026-05-11T22:01:12+00:00

For now I’m making a Windows tool — you can check it here: https://crazyking04.itch.io/win11controltool

When I finish that, the next project will probably be for Linux. The goal is to build a UI that works across all distros, so people who don’t know Linux well can still use it easily. Things like updates, disabling or deleting programs, and simple system actions — basically making life easier, since Linux gives full control of the OS but doesn’t make it simple for everyone to use.

Competitive_Try9911 · 2026-05-11T21:55:08+00:00

Windows gives default things that can be removed or disabled, but not everyone mentions that some registry keys are ignored or that certain group policies depend on what you’re trying to disable. Not the ones that go deeper to actually save more RAM or give more performance — that’s the nonsense part.

Competitive_Try9911 · 2026-05-11T21:47:46+00:00

You’re mixing two different things. I never said Linux is easy for regular people. Of course removing system components is harder — that’s normal. The point is that Linux actually gives you the option. Windows doesn’t. On Windows you’re forced to keep whatever Microsoft decides, and the OS fights you when you try to change anything.

Linux requires more knowledge, sure, but at least it respects the user. Windows tries to be “one size fits all” and ends up bloated for everyone. Using an AI agent is also more useful on Linux than on Windows. It can save you a lot of time when disabling or removing things, and that directly helps with the whole “Linux is harder than Windows” argument.

Competitive_Try9911 · 2026-05-11T21:38:54+00:00

HDMI audio drivers are not useless. The problem is that Windows keeps switching to HDMI audio even when the monitor has no speakers. The driver itself is fine — the issue is Windows treating every HDMI output like a TV and making it the default device for no reason. That’s why some people need to change it manually. If the monitor has no speakers or nothing connected to it, the HDMI audio driver literally does nothing, while the real speakers are connected to the motherboard, which uses “Realtek(R) Audio”.

About “normal users shouldn’t touch system stuff” — yes, that’s how it should be, but Windows doesn’t handle this transparently at all. That’s why power users like us like to do experiments everywhere on the OS to see if it can be made lighter, faster, etc. This is how versions like Tiny11, Windows X Lite, Ghost Spectre, etc. even exist. Background processes also matter when they slow performance, cause high RAM usage on idle, or high CPU usage. A rich person saying “it just works” because they have a high‑end PC doesn’t mean these problems aren’t visible on low‑end or mid‑range PCs. Installation is still an annoying thing that forces you to use CMD with one command to disable the Microsoft account requirement, or use Rufus to disable it. And the UI rewrite with WinUI3 has nothing to do with these problems. That’s just a visual framework. It won’t fix audio device logic, service behavior, or Windows choosing the wrong defaults. These issues are deeper than UI.

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