News Microsoft stifles third-party interface customization apps in Windows 11 Version 24H2

[Admin]

As the release date for Windows 11 24H2 nears, the RTM version of Windows has blocked customization options, citing security and stability concerns.

Microsoft stifles third-party interface customization apps in Windows 11 Version 24H2 : Read more

 

[AndrewJacksonZA]

From a guy whose Twitter bio says he's a "Windows Development MVP alum" and Rafael says that "Microsoft is blocking unreliable high crash rate software that is extremely sensitive to OS changes," it seems to take the wind out of the sails of your remark in the article of "the 'offending' app apparently doesn't create security or stability issues." I'd personally take his word over yours in this particular case.

I think it might be an effort to prevent social issues of "Windows sucks because it crashes so much!" but the person saying that might have very little experience in customising Windows. These blocks are only for those versions, after all. From the tweet: "Fixing the bugs and revving the version number is likely all that's needed here (this time)."

 

[ezst036]

Microsoft: If you want to stay on Windows then what you need to do is pipe down, shut up, and do things the Microsoft way.

I think its quite obvious that Microsoft does not care, they were even brazen enough to give instructions on how to install Linux only a few months ago. If you really want a customizable GUI, you only have one choice. Things like this are the reason why Linux went from 3% to 4% market share in less than a year.

 

[coromonadalix]

yeah right
Microsoft IS an unreliable high crash rate software that is extremely sensitive to Microsoft updates

I had this week an fresh win 11, and suddenly crashed, due to their KBxxxx quality updates, had to remove them TO BE ABLE TO WORK

Startallisback combined with explorer patcher on my personal pc is the sole reason i can work with this piece of #%@$ of windows, they destroyed what was good in W10 ............

So sick and tired of Msoft, but alas need an windows platform if React OS was developped enough i would dump microsoft, for ever

 

[waltc3]

This has not been my experience with Startallback and all the beta-channel updates through the most recent build, 22635.3430. The couple of times that Starttallback has caused a problem with a beta-channel Win11 build, the developer has responded immediately with an update that solves the problem--sometimes on the same day. StartallBack even updates through the standard Win11 update system. Startallback deals with the problem of the Win11 taskbar being nowhere near as customizable as it has been in previous versions of Windows, so when Microsoft changes the code relative to some taskbar functionality, it may cause a problem with the current version of SAB, but as I say it will be remedied immediately by the SAB developer. Current version of SAB is 3.7.8. I've got software costing far more than the $4.99 cost of SAB that isn't updated nearly as often as SAB...😉 It's made Win11 far more fun to use than that butt-ugly bottom-feeding taskbar that is immovable. Ugh.

 

[coromonadalix]

yep same here the developpers degugged pretty fast

and i was glad to pay a mere 5-6 $ CAD to have something good and working

the 2 ones who work are starallisback and start 11, but not free

openshell mmmm never really tried it back, was messy in the past

 

[Alvar "Miles" Udell]

Article title should be: "Microsoft disables third party UI tools for stability". I use ExplorerPatcher and it can have issues, just right clicking on Start and choosing an option can cause it to crash and Windows Powershell (Administrator) doesn't work, among other things, so considering the supposed major update of 24H2 it seems prudent to disable them. Bit of a dick move to just outright disable them without a warning prompt first, but it's far from "stifling" third party UI programs, since those programs still work.

 

[MacZ24]

People are hesitating to switch to Windows 11 because it is an inferior system.

Just like the Windows store, MS tries to remove options and freedom from its users to benefit ITSELF.

Like in a lot of industries, the lack of meaningful innovations has led to corporations turning on their users for growth.

Call it mission creep, feature creep or inflation : it essentially forces users to buy stuff they don't want or need (for 90% of them) because it is 'new'. And if it involves a recurring payment, it is even better.

But at the end of the day, it is, for most people, paying more for no more usefulness : it's pure inflation.

 

[hotaru251]

People are hesitating to switch to Windows 11 because it is an inferior system.

not really.

Its just theres no reason TO change. 8 was bad so 10 made sense....but 10 works fine so no reason to go 11.

90% of users wont benefit from any of the new changes...and many will hate the new layout of stuff they have grown accustom to over past 30yrs.

If 11 can't be customized beyond what MS says I will die on WIN10 until its literally impossible to use and then go linux.


also the whole "citing stability and security issues" ....its a PC...let the USERS take the risk if they choose to.

Just put up a warning that it could cause issues and then you arent responsible.

 

[35below0]

Microsoft: If you want to stay on Windows then what you need to do is pipe down, shut up, and pretend you'll do things the Microsoft way. Then do them your own way.

Fixed it for ya. 😉

 

[coromonadalix]

Msoft will nag more and more and push the users away, if they continue this stupid game

Disable smartscreen and enjoy more peace ??
Msoft may or will lock any chance of doing UI configs, and all related registry tricks may come to an end

I do hope Europe once again will sue msoft for monopolistic abuse or any big countrie with balls, now teams will get separated from Office ... about time

But here in NA we have no balls

 

[voldemarz]

Oh, another usability stab from MS. Been using Explorer Patcher to get ability to use vertical task bar with uncombined icons for productivity which allows identify each window an switch with one click.

Would be nice if they used this all restriction effort to fixing bugs. None of about various 20 issue reports in Feedback Hub has been addressed. Modern Standby especially is one buggy peace of crap.

 

[CmdrShepard]

It seems that Microsoft is determined to also remove the code which these tools are relying on to provide the customizations (i.e. reverting to old behaviors that were disabled in UI but are still present and can be re-enabled with a patch).

On one hand, I understand that any developer will want to clean up their codebase and remove code for the features that are disabled and no longer used so they can refactor the codebase and bring in something new.

On the other hand, I can't fathom how they arrived to the conclusion that those features they disabled aren't used when they clearly are in use and people are even willing to pay for 3rd party apps to get them back. It really highlights the arrogance of their developers and mangers and their unadulterated contempt for the (non-enterprise) users.

You see, enterprise users are great for Microsoft. They use Windows for work because their company mandates it and they have to swallow whatever <Mod Edit> is shoved down their throat. Customizations? Hell no, all settings are locked and you all get the same (horrible) desktop "experience" unless you are important enough developer to get admin rights to be able to change anything not already locked with GPO.

Regular end users (consumers) are nothing but a drain on Microsoft's resources and issues they report and features they ask for are in the back of the infinite length queue.

Perhaps some of the fault lies with power users disabling all telemetry so that Microsoft really deosn't know what we use, but taking telemetry as gospel, ignoring all the people including prominent journalists and reviewers saying "we want features X, Y, and Z back" and now even outright preventing installation of 3rd party apps that mitigate their stubborness on the subject is really tone-deaf and disgusting.

However, Microsoft's behavior is totally in tune with today's younger generations working in tech and software industry -- those people seem to have no respect for anything or anyone, they are arrogant, self-centered, shallow, and worse yet they are like Borg so prepare to be assimilated.

/end rant

 

[coromonadalix]

+1 yes you're right "they" decide who's right or wrong

They claim productivity, hell no, it's harder than before doing simple things on w11 the so called new Vista ...

All NIX variants have gained some momentum ... good ol Msoft will lose more and more market share, and maybe some day they will hit a wall, i hope

they had the guts to ask us : why don't you love edge more loll

 

[The_Future_Is_Here]

Quite clearly Microsoft want to ensure that end users have a bug/crash free experience when using Windows.

So instead of listening to users and reimplementing the features people used and want which is what has caused users to choose superior 3rd-Party utilities they (Microsoft) have chosen to attempt to block any user choice at all.

And some people wonder why Windows 11 gets so much hate?
It is a terrible anti-user operating system that removes user choice and freedom.

This kind of behavior of overreach by Microsoft is one of the many reasons that made me decide to ditch Windows as my Operating System of choice and instead switch to using Linux with a Windows 10 Virtual Machine for the odd time that I need to replicate a problem that a friend or family member is having.

Microsoft wants full control over your system and seems happy to take it by coercion & force if so required.
I no longer recommend that friends or family members use Windows, and it's an easy recommendation to make when this is the kind of behavior being displayed by them.

Take this as a sign of things to come, soon you won't have any control or choice of customization over your Windows install all because of "Security & Stability" even when those flaws are created by Microsoft in the first place.

 

[Viking2121]

Yeah if they stop me from using StartAllBack that I paid for on the x86 stuff, its about time I stop using their crappy OS.

Maybe if they fixed or even allowed the user to use the older style taskbar and start menu and other stuff, ya know choice, I wouldn't use 3rd part stuff to fix things that make me have to click more to do something that use to not be that way, or go threw 3 different menu's, like their networking settings menu is joke, and they keep moving things around.

Good move Microsoft!

 

[35below0]

Microsoft deserves as big a kicking as it can get for Vista. That was such an abominable OS in every way.

But that was just a screwup typical of Microsoft at the time, just on a bigger scale. Windows 8 was maybe the beginning of Microsoft shoving their UI down users throats. Few people wanted Windows to be more like a tablet but Microsoft pressed ahead with their design. And similar things repeated in later editions/updates.

Windows 10 improved the OS and got rid of some annoyances. In my opinion it is still kinda the same, butt-ugly, flat UI with new annoyances introduced. Win 11 continues on from 10 but is, again in my own personal opinion prettier to look at. Rounded corners, a little bit of color and transparency. The Start Menu is again different but i've never been a fan of it, more or less since it was introduced. Win 7 was my favorite of the bunch. Win 11 might be better but it's different.

Under the hood, Win 11 is a very good OS with some typical Microsoft idiocy. Same is true of 10.
As for cosmetics and UI, once i killed the news feed and learned how to remove web links from search results, 89% of annoyances dissapeared. If i could convince File Explorer it should remember it's window size *sigh*, that figure would go up to 90%.

The rest is network issues and unavoidable issues without which Windows wouldn't be Windows.

I do hope Europe once again will sue msoft for monopolistic abuse or any big countrie with balls, now teams will get separated from Office ... about time

User Interface is not something that can be legally challenged on anti-trust or monopoly grounds. Unlike a browser or search engine, the UI is a core part of the OS. And given most of the complaints are cosmetic or QoL, it would be an own goal to sue Microsoft over that while skipping more pressing abuses.

Yeah if they stop me from using StartAllBack that I paid for on the x86 stuff, its about time I stop using their crappy OS.

This is the core of the issue. Microsoft can change their OS based on their own needs and schedules, but they have to be careful not to screw up software developers who make products their OS would be worthless without.

If they had given 3 or 6 months warning to developers and users, they could have eaten a backlash sandwich and digested it by now. Not to mention given time to developers to warn their customers.

The flip side of the coin is that tweaks can introduce compatibility and stability issues, and Microsoft does not want to chase bugs introduced by someone else. They also need to excercise more control in the name of security.
Too many alledged quality of life utils and apps are a security risk. Remember the days of the search bar plugins plague? Articles had to be published explaining to people how to remove ask,com for example.

Maybe if they fixed or even allowed the user to use the older style taskbar and start menu and other stuff, ya know choice, I wouldn't use 3rd part stuff to fix things that make me have to click more to do something that use to not be that way, or go threw 3 different menu's, like their networking settings menu is joke, and they keep moving things around.

The damn Windows 11 installer is a joke. Hacked together POS dates back to Win 95.
That's Windows...

You can at least move the taskbar to the left. The full Start Menu is an extra click away, which is annoying but not too terrible i think (or a couple of keystrokes - WinKey - Tab - Tab - Enter - capital key...). Pinned shortcuts are more convenient most of the time. No?


Also. It can always be worse. 12 will probably be good.

13 ?
dun, dun, dun...

 

[NinoPino]

From a guy whose Twitter bio says he's a "Windows Development MVP alum" and Rafael says that "Microsoft is blocking unreliable high crash rate software that is extremely sensitive to OS changes," it seems to take the wind out of the sails of your remark in the article of "the 'offending' app apparently doesn'tcreate security or stability issues." I'd personally take his word over yours in this particular case.

I think it might be an effort to prevent social issues of "Windows sucks because it crashes so much!" but the person saying that might have very little experience in customising Windows. These blocks are only for those versions, after all. From the tweet: "Fixing the bugs and revving the version number is likely all that's needed here (this time)."

Imho is the wrong way to go because :
- these types of apps are often used by advanced users that can deal with problems
- an OS should not continuously change APIs and breaking compatibility, this is a big issue for developers and pose questions on the design direction of the OS
- a simple warning message is a better solution to the problem
- blocking the exe name is stupid and can lead to problems with other applications with the same name that do completely different things
- if Microsoft want to block unstable apps, what will happen to games ? They will block 80% of games ?😀

 

[Viking2121]

Imho is the wrong way to go because :
- these types of apps are often used by advanced users that can deal with problems
- an OS should not continuously change APIs and breaking compatibility, this is a big issue for developers and pose questions on the design direction of the OS
- a simple warning message is a better solution to the problem
- blocking the exe name is stupid and can lead to problems with other applications with the same name that do completely different things
- if Microsoft want to block unstable apps, what will happen to games ? They will block 80% of games ?😀

They'd probably end up blocking half of their own apps thats buggy and unstable lol

 

[dmitche31958]

Microsoft: If you want to stay on Windows then what you need to do is pipe down, shut up, and do things the Microsoft way.

I think its quite obvious that Microsoft does not care, they were even brazen enough to give instructions on how to install Linux only a few months ago. If you really want a customizable GUI, you only have one choice. Things like this are the reason why Linux went from 3% to 4% market share in less than a year

Microsoft: If you want to stay on Windows then what you need to do is pipe down, shut up, and do things the Microsoft way.

I think its quite obvious that Microsoft does not care, they were even brazen enough to give instructions on how to install Linux only a few months ago. If you really want a customizable GUI, you only have one choice. Things like this are the reason why Linux went from 3% to 4% market share in less than a year.

So what you want is Microsoft to allow the hacks and security issues in the OS? Microsoft cares about THEIR product and the experiences that people have with their product. Allowing every little cry of "I want a feature! I want a feature!" is not what this is about. A whooping increase to 4% by Linux is not because of bad experiences with Windows. That percentage is more likely from cost reductions and those who have both hands will axes in them to grind against the world.

 

[ezst036]

So what you want is Microsoft to allow the hacks and security issues in the OS? Microsoft cares about THEIR product and the experiences that people have with their product. Allowing every little cry of "I want a feature! I want a feature!" is not what this is about. A whooping increase to 4% by Linux is not because of bad experiences with Windows. That percentage is more likely from cost reductions and those who have both hands will axes in them to grind against the world.

Irrespective of how easy it can be to circumvent, creating these types of restrictions, especially when the 'offending' app apparently doesn't create security or stability issues, always leaves a bad aftertaste.

 

[NinoPino]

So what you want is Microsoft to allow the hacks and security issues in the OS?
Microsoft cares about THEIR product and the experiences that people have with their product. Allowing every little cry of "I want a feature! I want a feature!" is not what this is about.

Only you asked to have security issues, we want Microsoft stop to continuously change OS and particularly UI with every update. Stopping to remove features that once Windows have had and creating a unique, beautiful, efficient, user frendly, homogeneous UI. Not the piece of <Mod Edit> of UI that Windows have today. Stopping forcing users to use Microsoft accounts and so on.
For me the best Windows of all times remains Win7, from 8 till today it was a neverending frustrating experiment.

 

[The_Future_Is_Here]

So what you want is Microsoft to allow the hacks and security issues in the OS? Microsoft cares about THEIR product and the experiences that people have with their product. Allowing every little cry of "I want a feature! I want a feature!" is not what this is about. A whooping increase to 4% by Linux is not because of bad experiences with Windows. That percentage is more likely from cost reductions and those who have both hands will axes in them to grind against the world.

"A whooping increase to 4% by Linux is not because of bad experiences with Windows."

Where is your source for this not being the case?
Do you have any source for the claims made here?

"That percentage is more likely from cost reductions and those who have both hands will axes in them to grind against the world."

What 'cost reductions' are you talking about?
For example;
Would saving $15 USD by not purchasing a License Key for Windows 11 Pro be a 'cost reduction' meaningful enough in difference to the overall cost a computer for someone to completely switch what Operating System they are using?

Additionally, In some situations users may just pirate the Operating System, and that in turn completely negates ANY software cost, in which case what other costs might play a pivotal role in what users decide to use Windows OS or a Linux OS?

Please do elaborate.
I'm open to civil logical discussion of the matter.

 

[palladin9479]

I'm munching popcorn watching the evangelicals try to talk the community into not using UI mods to restore functionality.

This is why I'm not going near 11 anytime soon. Microsoft is still playing games with UI APIs causing downstream third party developers headaches.

I'm an OpenShell user myself and they've been fighting a war with Microsoft as each iteration major update breaks some UI integration that they then have to go and fix. StartAllBack and the rest are just paid programs that modify much the same thing, only they are a bit easier to setup. There is no security or stability concern, just Microsoft changing UI API's, not telling anyone then stuff breaking.

 

[ezst036]

What 'cost reductions' are you talking about?
For example;
Would saving $15 USD by not purchasing a License Key for Windows 11 Pro be a 'cost reduction' meaningful enough in difference to the overall cost a computer for someone to completely switch what Operating System they are using?

As this discussion makes clear, the Windows tax is much greater than the cost of the license itself.

People are spending tens and hundreds of hours trying to get around Microsoft shenanigans. That's the first instant. How much i$ your time worth? People want to customize their experience, only to find out that Microsoft is more Apple than they realize or MS lets on.

In the second instant, (if we want to only discuss the quantity of dollars) the Microsoft tax ends up including the dollars required to fix Microsoft's bad UI decisions. That includes the cost of first UI customization program, the cost of the second, the third, and whatever else people are paying $6 for here, $10 for there, $5 for the other.

What's the cost savings of the license itself plus these other paid workarounds? It adds up. The Windows tax keeps on taxing, it is not one-and-done.

At this time it is very realistic to say that it is easier to install Linux than it is to install Windows.

Linux doesn't throw up all of these artificial barriers to UI changes, which is why in part Windows keeps shrinking and Linux keeps growing. It is true that way more people are paper tigers who make baseless idle threats that they'll switch, but at the end of the day it is palpable and real for a small percentage. Which is why there is a likelihood that by this time next year Linux could very well be at 5% usage and not 4.

Microsoft doesn't know how to create UIs anymore. Now granted W11 hasn't been as hard of a sell as W8 was, but look at the numbers. People want the legacy feel that W10 offers which was mocked after 7 which was of course reminiscent much more of XP.

They will keep losing customers because their answer isn't "we hear you, we will comply", Microsoft's answer is "you don't hear us, YOU must comply." Windows' future looks dim when the answer is "the customer is always wrong."