Windows 11 - Virtual Box Install

[elytron]

I recently have install some Windows 11 in Virtual Box. Exploring new things, haven't used a Microsoft OS in a long time. Don't think I would install it on my main computer though. Little bit paranoid of Windows malware, makes me nervous. Hackers apparently target Windows first.

I did need a Microsoft account to get 11 setup. My computer is decent and runs the Windows VM pretty good.

Does Microsoft Edge web browser have an ad blocker of any kind available? I am a windows beginner LOL

 

[Wookiee]

I recently have install some Windows 11 in Virtual Box. Exploring new things, haven't used a Microsoft OS in a long time. Don't think I would install it on my main computer though. Little bit paranoid of Windows malware, makes me nervous. Hackers apparently target Windows first.

If you have generally safe browsing habits and good sense, it's very unlikely they'll get access. UAC prevents things running from elevated prompts, the firewall works, and Defender is a pretty decent AV these days.

Unless you leave everything open, you either have to do something silly like plug in an infected USB or allow someone direct access (ie through TeamViewer).

I did need a Microsoft account to get 11 setup. My computer is decent and runs the Windows VM pretty good.

If you use Pro/Enterprise you can tell it you're using it in a Work setting and it will let you create a local account. But yeah, they're forcing it for Home which is a bit painful to work with.

Does Microsoft Edge web browser have an ad blocker of any kind available? I am a windows beginner LOL

Edge will run any extensions Chrome will (they're both built on Chromium). I use uBlock.

uBlock Origin - Free, open-source ad content blocker.

uBlock Origin is not just an “ad blocker“, it's a wide-spectrum content blocker with CPU and memory efficiency as a primary feature. Developed by Raymond Hill.

ublockorigin.com

 

[elytron]

If you have generally safe browsing habits and good sense, it's very unlikely they'll get access. UAC prevents things running from elevated prompts, the firewall works, and Defender is a pretty decent AV these days.

Will learn about UAC soon I have heard of it before. Good that it has AV and Firewall included.

If you use Pro/Enterprise you can tell it you're using it in a Work setting and it will let you create a local account. But yeah, they're forcing it for Home which is a bit painful to work with.

I wasn't aware of the Pro/Enterprise versions, need to explore those as well.

Edge will run any extensions Chrome will (they're both built on Chromium). I use uBlock.

Will try it out on Edge then. Already familiar with ublock origin on Firefox. Is interesting that edge is similar to Chrome.

Does 11 have Internet explorer installed some hidden place? I hated that browser in the past

 

[Wookiee]

Will learn about UAC soon I have heard of it before. Good that it has AV and Firewall included.

Simply put, it's the Windows equivalent of sudo. It just prompts for elevation before it does anything that it needs root access for.

I wasn't aware of the Pro/Enterprise versions, need to explore those as well.

Basically they just allow you to turn on a few extra features (Group policy processing, Remote Desktop server, Bitlocker encryption, domain-joining, etc.). The non-Microsoft account is a necessity to join it to a traditional Active Directory domain.

Will try it out on Edge then. Already familiar with ublock origin on Firefox. Is interesting that edge is similar to Chrome.

Does 11 have Internet explorer installed some hidden place? I hated that browser in the past

IE has been disabled in 10 for a few months, and I don't think they included it in 11. If it is, it's a feature you have to manually enable.

 

[Daniel9v9]

Hey, I upgraded to Windows 11 just a couple of days ago. So far, I'm happy to report that nothing broke! I've been on the fence about upgrading for the last year, and when I finally gave in, it was surprisingly non-eventful.

I'm using my Google account (as opposed to creating a new Microsoft one), and I can also mention that I use a lot of different creative and technical tools for work, but everything appears to work fine, so it seems safe to upgrade. The only thing I had to re-adjust was my microphone settings, but everything else seems OK!

 

[linux.poet]

If you use Pro/Enterprise you can tell it you're using it in a Work setting and it will let you create a local account. But yeah, they're forcing it for Home which is a bit painful to work with.

Hmm, that's a no on the upgrade for me. At one point I had a computer that wouldn't allow me to log into Windows without being connected to the Internet (from my aunt who went to be with the Lord) and I refuse to let my computer be held hostage like that. I need to work in offline settings, so that's just not workable.

At one point I had a Windows HDD crash and I was able to get all of my files off of it because I had local admin. Going without it is a security risk for my data that is unacceptable.

 

[elytron]

Hey, I upgraded to Windows 11 just a couple of days ago. So far, I'm happy to report that nothing broke! I've been on the fence about upgrading for the last year, and when I finally gave in, it was surprisingly non-eventful.

Were you previously using Win 10? Was it free to upgrade? My current PC shipped with Linux and I would probably need to buy a Windows license key to actually use it legally. I am just messing around with 11 in a virtual machine at the moment. I downloaded the latest .iso from Microsoft.

I'm using my Google account (as opposed to creating a new Microsoft one), and I can also mention that I use a lot of different creative and technical tools for work, but everything appears to work fine, so it seems safe to upgrade. The only thing I had to re-adjust was my microphone settings, but everything else seems OK!

I don't need to use Windows for anything specific at the moment but might in the future. Is why I am taking it for a spin in VirtualBox. To explore and learn the OS.

What kind of creative technical work do you do?

 

[elytron]

Hello @linux.poet

 

[linux.poet]

Hello @linux.poet

Clearly there is only one operating system that is acceptable, and it is not Windows 11. Hmph.

 

[Daniel9v9]

Were you previously using Win 10? Was it free to upgrade? My current PC shipped with Linux and I would probably need to buy a Windows license key to actually use it legally. I am just messing around with 11 in a virtual machine at the moment. I downloaded the latest .iso from Microsoft.



I don't need to use Windows for anything specific at the moment but might in the future. Is why I am taking it for a spin in VirtualBox. To explore and learn the OS.

What kind of creative technical work do you do?

Ah, right! Yeah, I bought a new PC about 2 years ago, which came with Windows 10, but was eligible for Windows 11 upgrade. I was hesitant to upgrade OS in case it would mess things up or not allow me to run some of my tools.

Though I have the great joy of serving as a Bishop in the Lutheran Church now, I have a background in art and have been working in the games industry as a Senior Artist for many years. I still do some freelance work to pay the bills and fund my own projects. I use 2D, 3D, audio, video, and source control software.

If it's helpful at all, I can get into specifics and confirm that the Adobe suite works, at least I've had no issues with Photoshop, After Effects and Media Encoder, along with Blender, Gaea, Unity, an old tool called Vector Magic and Any Video Converter. For audio, Audacity, Cubase, and SteelSeries GG (Sonar) are also fine, though I had to adjust my mic settings. I'm also using two different kinds of source control, Git with Sourcetree (for a long-term freelance project) and Perforce (for personal projects), and I was concerned that they would need to be reconfigured, but they both work fine. I'm also using a program called Favro for project management and a Bible software called Logos, and haven't had any issues.

I was mainly worried about plugins, Unity and source control, but all is well, so I'm reasonably confident that it's a hassle-free upgrade for most people!

 

[JesseBassett]

Were you previously using Win 10? Was it free to upgrade? My current PC shipped with Linux and I would probably need to buy a Windows license key to actually use it legally. I am just messing around with 11 in a virtual machine at the moment. I downloaded the latest .iso from Microsoft.



I don't need to use Windows for anything specific at the moment but might in the future. Is why I am taking it for a spin in VirtualBox. To explore and learn the OS.

What kind of creative technical work do you do?

Were you previously using Win 10? Was it free to upgrade? My current PC shipped with Linux and I would probably need to buy a Windows license key to actually use it legally. I am just messing around with 11 in a virtual machine at the moment. I downloaded the latest .iso from Microsoft.



I don't need to use Windows for anything specific at the moment but might in the future. Is why I am taking it for a spin in VirtualBox. To explore and learn the OS.

What kind of creative technical work do you do?

I just want to let you know @elytron you would not need to buy a windows license key. After windows10 any device is now associated with your microsoft account and automatically registered to your account. Hence no need for license keys.

 

[Sketcher]

I recently have install some Windows 11 in Virtual Box. Exploring new things, haven't used a Microsoft OS in a long time. Don't think I would install it on my main computer though. Little bit paranoid of Windows malware, makes me nervous. Hackers apparently target Windows first.

I did need a Microsoft account to get 11 setup. My computer is decent and runs the Windows VM pretty good.

Does Microsoft Edge web browser have an ad blocker of any kind available? I am a windows beginner LOL

Not too much of a point to that now that you have a Microsoft account, unfortunately.