Windows 11 LTSC Too Good To Be True?

[Judge]

Mind boggling. Microsoft really does intend to launch a separate Enterprise version of the dreaded Windows 11 minus so much of the bloatware and garbage they are so reviled for these days. Sometime this fall, along with the formal 242H upgrade so many Windows 11 users want to avoid, but can't.

However is this all simply too good to be true? Stranger still is that this version of Windows 11 allegedly won't even require Secure Boot, TPM 2.0 or UEFI. Meaning systems that won't run on the Windows 11 24H2 may still likely run on Windows LTSC. Quite a possible game-changer, especially for gamers if this version will run them well. And without Co-Pilot, or Recall to spoil OS performance. BitLocker was added, but the installation program did not turn it on. Though from what I read, it will still include Microsoft Defender. Conversely that it won't include the Microsoft Store either, but then I always thought Microsoft's repository was at best, pathetic. It just means you'll have to download software at the source, presumably ones that are safe and official in that order.

Though for so much less product I'm wondering if it will be available only for a much higher cost. Just imagine if this version of Windows 11 is adopted in overwhelming numbers if it really is what is claimed. But somehow I just don't trust this company to release such a consumer-friendly product. Unless this is their plan to avoid the embarrassment of next year when Windows 10 is no longer supported, short of users paying $61 to extend support.

I'm assuming this NOT the product referred to as "Tiny Windows 11", which apparently is compromised with malware and can be downloaded from non-Microsoft servers.

LOL...what's wrong with this picture? Where's the catch?

One thing that also concerns me is the Qualcomm "Snapdragon" CPU. Which may be Microsoft's plan to counter to Apple's M3 CPU. Which could further lead to Microsoft designing and marketing their own proprietary PC, to accommodate their newest AI-based technologies. In essence forcing users to buy an entirely new piece of hardware, all over again. And to try to pacify users temporarily with this version of Windows 11 that suddenly will run on minimal requirements. Though it is also my understanding that this long term support OS could last ten years.

Maybe they are just attempting to buy time until another one of their grand plans comes to fruition. Hard to say, but as good as this sounds, it doesn't make much sense under existing circumstances. Unless that behind closed doors they already wrote off Windows 11 and don't want to admit it publicly. After all, present statistics reflect that more people are going back to Windows 10, whose support ends a year from this October. And as it stands, the rollout of upgrade 242H in the fall may be a disaster for Microsoft depending on how users deal with it.

https://www.windowslatest.com/2024/...-24h2-ltsc-requirements-tpm-optional-for-iot/

 

[jsilver256]

I've worked with Snapdragon SoCs directly. SoCs are the "future" in a sense - at some point, you can't jam more transistors, but you certainly can integrate the hardware together so the physical distance to travel is smaller and thus faster. I didn't use Windows so I wouldn't know how Windows operating system interoperability is implemented. But I didn't have any issue with compiling extant software to Snapdragon, so my uneducated guess is that old Windows software will still run there, but new software written for Snapdragon SoCs won't work on older hardware.

 

[maycontainthunder]

I'm already running three unsupported PC's on W11. One is first gen i7 which runs well but gets grumpy when waking from sleep and may need switching off/rebooting to fix this. The other two are 4th gen i7. They both seem to behave themselves.

There are people out there testing out even older hardware to prove a point that MS system requirements are total bs. That said it's whether these older PC's can cope with W11 in the long run.

Regarding LTSC... is anyone else seeing a climbdown because they've realised they fluffed up with the insane hardware requirements?

 

[Judge]

Regarding LTSC... is anyone else seeing a climbdown because they've realised they fluffed up with the insane hardware requirements?

Indeed, that's the big question. Could it be that Microsoft is hedging its bets by doing this to reduce the bleed of users avoiding Windows 11? Particularly when so many problems continue to be reported about the upcoming 24H2 version.

From a marketing perspective I think it would be the right thing to do. But the idea of Microsoft doing the right thing for consumers as opposed to their shareholders strikes me as a bit perplexing. Making me still contemplate, "What's the catch here"? Unless perhaps they have finally come to realize that their perceived monopoly is truly a "house of cards" right now. -Which may not be far from the truth.

Of course this amazingly pared down version of Windows 11 may not be for everyone. That it's so spartan that it may be best for more experienced users. Hard to say as this information is so relatively fresh off the Internet. But I find it fascinating that there's a chance that they may really be intending to offer a "lean and mean" version of Windows 11, which so many in the know have been clamoring for.

An operating system that gets the job done without robbing your PC of so many hardware resources over software functions you don't want or need. A condition some of us here would refer to as simply "Linux". (Though from a security standpoint, Windows isn't likely ever to approach being as safe to run in comparison.)

For now though I still feel like I just got sideswiped by a UFO. Like this is some kind of mirage. Got up at 4:30 am today- still wondering, "What's the catch here?"

 

[maycontainthunder]

I read up a bit on this. Apparently it isn't going to be available for download so retail customers aren't going to benefit from it.

 

[Judge]

I read up a bit on this. Apparently it isn't going to be available for download so retail customers aren't going to benefit from it.

Found another source that seems to reflect this. Too bad, but then Microsoft actually doing something right for most users never seemed to jive with me.

"Windows 11 LTSC is a variant of the operating system designed for long-term stability and reliability, making it suitable for mission-critical systems and devices that require minimal updates and changes."

https://www.windowscentral.com/soft...-ltsc-and-can-you-install-it-on-your-computer
Possibly contrasting this is the following:

"At the time, the company stated that more details regarding Windows 11 LTSC would be provided later but one thing was certainly confirmed, that the LTSC editions would be made available in the second half (2H) of 2024 which meant that they would be coinciding with the general availability (GA) of Windows 11 version 24H2."

https://www.neowin.net/news/microso...-ltsc-2024-as-the-24h2-release-alongside-kms/
LOL...but it sounds more logical that it is in fact "too good to be true".

 

[Judge]

I went back and reviewed a few YouTube presentations on Windows 11 LTSC and it does appear none of them implied that this distribution of this version would be restricted. Though it also would seem that the current download is only intended for trial usage requiring purchase of a license key. So the cost of that key might be the real "catch" short of Microsoft choosing to admit the contents leaked so far.

Though I also learned another thing about this story. That it was leaked not with Microsoft's approval, and the initial leak went straight to a Chinese source.

Here's Brite09's take on this latest development. They're usually a pretty good source. I'm just thinking if it was for restricted use this source would have pointed it out. But who knows?

I guess all we can do is just keep our eyes and ears open to eventually separate fact from rumor. But I'll try to remain skeptical so this doesn't end with bitter disappointment.

 

[maycontainthunder]

Yeah, we'll have to wait and see what happens. Nevertheless, I'll be using Rufus to disable the TPM & CPU nonsense on 24H2 when it comes out.

 

[Judge]

Yeah, we'll have to wait and see what happens. Nevertheless, I'll be using Rufus to disable the TPM & CPU nonsense on 24H2 when it comes out.

Yes, it would be great to be able to run a current version of Windows that is lean and mean, and doesn't depend on TPM2 or CPU generation requirements.

Of course it would also mean that I built an entirely new computer for nothing. Then again it runs faster....so I can't complain too much. Also I did so not because of Microsoft, but because of Linux's Ubuntu mulling over to adopt newer CPU requirements of their own.

It could all be a game-changer, though depending on how it is distributed and what it costs. But I could see any number of Windows fans opting for this version. Interesting to also hear that it may contain a new version of Microsoft Outlook. Nice too if as presented the install doesn't automatically turn on BitLocker Encrytpion. Leaving it up to the user.

But for crying out loud...seeing how industry people are lauding Microsoft also forces them to ask why they didn't do this in the first place. They may handle everything as a monopoly, but why not offer some degree of choice in all of this? It's just good marketing.

 

[maycontainthunder]

True enough @Judge . The only reason for the TPM module in my opinion is MS's security-leaky operating system.

In an ideal world they'd build the whole thing from scratch and fix these leaks. They'll never do that though, it's far too much like making it properly.

 

[Judge]

True enough @Judge . The only reason for the TPM module in my opinion is MS's security-leaky operating system.

In an ideal world they'd build the whole thing from scratch and fix these leaks. They'll never do that though, it's far too much like making it properly.

I'm just glad that distros like Linux Mint 21.3 can handle Secure Boot, TPM2.0 and UEFI. And that I can turn them all off and still get the same performance. It's Windows that forces all this nonsense, as you say because of how inherently insecure their operating systems really are.

But the more I learn about Windows 11, the less enthusiastic I am about putting it on a removable SSD to run from this computer. I only wanted Windows for gaming, and it may prove too high a price. Plus I still have some options involving technologies like Bottles, Lutris and Proton to run Windows games in Linux. I can't say I've had any real luck using Wine 9.0 for older Windows games so far.

As you say, we'll just have to wait and see.

 

[Judge]

A more recent reason for considering this version of Windows 11 is the incredible mess Microsoft has made in creating "Recall" combined with "Co-Pilot" that is available for limited downloading. Recall, which records screenshots of everything you access has been proven to already have been hacked. Where it's feasible for someone to breach your system and see everything you have, let alone everything you access.

Microsoft claims that "recall" is strictly a client-side application, where Microsoft doesn't retrieve this data like so much of their infamous telemetry that does just that. But even then, while Microsoft thinks this function will help people recall websites or data they forgot about and need later, it's a grotesque violation of users privacy. And then to consider it's so vulnerable while they are allowing it to be beta-tested by unsuspecting users...even worse.

It would be quite amusing if Microsoft's Windows 11 user numbers continue to slide in the opposite direction given so many screwups over this particularly ghastly version of Windows.
Yet the irony of this pared down version without all the bloatware and spyware might just save them. provided of course their corporate egos can stand the reality that their most cursory version of their latest product may be the only safe and efficient one to use.

https://www.wired.com/story/microsoft-windows-recall-privilege-escalation/
https://www.theverge.com/2024/6/7/24173499/microsoft-windows-recall-response-security-concerns
Let's hope that Microsoft is quick to do better than simply offer an off/on switch of this terrible feature. But then they need to do the same for their forcing users into BitLocker Encryption as well. And not to default to turning on the moment you download their mandatory 24H2 update.

https://www.neowin.net/news/microso...th-bitlocker-on-windows-11-24h2-home-pcs-too/
For now, this all seems like an overall catastrophe for Microsoft, making me too hesitant to even consider installing Windows 11 Home on a separate drive of this system. Even just for gaming. It would seem that this corporate giant is just in too great a hurry to bring their AI to the marketplace, even when parts of it are clearly not ready for public usage.

Though I'll continue to monitor what happens with this one particular Windows 11 LTSC that seems to be appreciated by some of the same people condemning the bloatware/spyware hacker's delight version.

Preposterous, but then this can happen when corporate giants interpret their position in the marketplace as a near-monopoly, and constantly sell it to their shareholders.