How to install Windows 11

Yes, this is an article on how to install Windows 11 correctly. This process is nowadays accompanied by so many shamanic dances that, I swear to God, it's easier to install Arch. I decided to put all my knowledge on this subject from my head into an article before it gets hit by a shrapnel fragment. We'll do it properly, as if for ourselves. In the article, I assume an Nvidia graphics card is being used—there are some nuances with it.

Preparing the flash drive

So, the dances begin right from the start. You can officially download the Win11 image from the Microsoft website without any SMS or registration. But the thing is, despite having a .ISO extension, you can't just take it and burn it to a flash drive like we do with the penguins. It might not boot. You need to use a special program to write it. For writing on Windows, Rufus will do. On Linux, WoeUSB is used, but it has its quirks: first, the repositories have an abandoned version, and the modern fork, WoeUSB-NG, has to be installed from PIP. Second, it sometimes hangs for half an hour during the writing process and then snaps out of it. That's why, instead of all this, I recommend a universal option for all OSes—Ventoy. It just works. Here's a video about it.

Rufus, on the other hand, only writes one image to a flash drive. But it can, in its advanced settings, make a change that allows installing Win11 on unsupported hardware.

My advice: twist and turn however you like, but get a Pro license. The whole point of the Home version is that it doesn't see you as a person, but as a user, so it knows better what you need. Seriously, all (okay, most) cases where Windows rebooted / updated / deleted itself are about the Home edition. Full access to system policies is very helpful for configuring the system as you wish. Besides, WSL and Sandbox will come in very handy, even if you're not a developer. And if your license smells of rum, then it's just silly to install the Home Edition.

Preparing the space

I highly recommend installing Windows into unallocated space. That is, not into an existing partition, but where there is nothing. Let Windows create the partitions itself; it knows best. If the disk is not new and contains something, it's best to free up space using a bootable GParted image or any Linux that has it, like Ubuntu. Just put the image on your Ventoy flash drive and boot from it first. GParted is intuitive, but if you wipe the wrong disk, I'm not to blame! Delete the partitions, leaving unallocated space. The secret partition must also be deleted, and if there are no other OSes on the system, the boot partition too.

Starting the installation

Boot from the flash drive. To do this, you may need to enter the UEFI menu and configure the boot order, as well as disable Secure Boot, especially if you have Ventoy. A disabled Secure Boot doesn't interfere with the Windows installation. You've booted up. The first window we see is the language selection. Don't skip this! It's very important here, in the second item—region and format—to select English (Worldwide). What does this do? When this option is selected, the installer doesn't install solitaire, Instagram, VKontakte, and all the other heresy. In addition, the MS Store will be blocked. If you need the Store, launch it after installation, and there will be a full-screen instruction on how to unblock it by changing its region.

Next will be the choice of where to install. Choose the unallocated space on the disk. Then copying and several reboots. During this, you don't need to remove the flash drive. If it boots, it should transfer control to the Windows being installed on its own. In a worst-case scenario, sort out the boot order in the UEFI settings. If you remove the flash drive, the installer may give an error.

After the reboot, a white installer will open. If it's not white but blue, it means you managed to download an outdated Windows image; start all over again, but pay attention. Windows isn't a penguin; you can't afford to slack off here. Now, if Windows asks you to connect to the internet—yes, connect. Turn on WiFi or plug in the cable. Turn off every single checkbox you see; there isn't a single good one among them. You'll get to the Microsoft account entry window. If you have one and you remember the password, then please, enter it. If not, do this: enter the account name [e-mail] and the password Irockbillsmom. On the first or third try, the installer will say that your account is blocked. And it will offer to enter the parameters later. This is what we need. Agree, and create a local account. This method always works and is easier to remember than its alternative manipulations with the registry from the command line.

So, we're in Windows.

First steps

Uncle Iroh said that the secret to good advice, like good tea, is to let it steep. Well, this also applies to Windows. Check that the Internet is working (open Edge) and walk away for 10 minutes, have some tea. At this moment, the update service is hysterically downloading everything, plugging various holes here and there—don't interfere with it. At the very least, the screen resolution should change to something decent on its own when a stub of the drivers is downloaded. A pop-up might appear saying you need to install the Nvidia control panel—do not do this now under any circumstances, read on. After 10 minutes, open Windows Update, click "Check for updates," install whatever is on the list but hasn't been installed, and reboot. Repeat the operation until the list is empty.

Deleting the necessary and installing the unnecessary

I mean, the other way around.

Press Win+X. A menu will open, and the very top item in it is Installed Apps. Open it, and boldly delete all the crap you don't need. Just don't delete Edge—some programs in the future will be very surprised by its absence. I recommend giving Ms ToDo (it's quite feature-rich) and the alarm clock a chance—it has a built-in Pomodoro mode. All the junk—to the trash. There will be much less of it than usual anyway.

Now we'll install what's needed. But the first thing you need for this is the winget program. At the time of writing, winget came out of the box in Win11, but it didn't work. So you need to check it. Press Win+X, in the menu select the non-admin terminal, and enter the command winget configure, then winget search firefox. If all is well, it will download about 5 MB and give you a list of packages and their indices. If you get a "command not found" error or the program stays silent and hangs, then winget needs to be reinstalled. The easiest way to do this is to unblock and run the Ms Store. There, winget is called App Installer. But don't confuse it with similar names! The one we need is from Microsoft. If the Store doesn't work, open the WinGet page and download it from there.

It makes sense to first install Powershell 7, then Windows Terminal. In that exact order, or you'll have to configure it manually. The font is better there, and you can change the size with Ctrl+scroll wheel. winget install Microsoft.PowerShell Microsoft.WindowsTerminal.

Now let's install all possible VCRedists. Otherwise, your programs will install them on their own, but God knows what versions and from where. So we will install the latest ones, from the official source. Copy the command, paste it into the console, and go finish your tea... Ah no, screw that, you'll have to click "Next" a couple of times during the process.
winget install Microsoft.VCRedist.2015+.x64 Microsoft.VCRedist.2015+.x86 Microsoft.VCRedist.2013.x64 Microsoft.VCRedist.2013.x86 Microsoft.VCRedist.2012.x86 Microsoft.VCRedist.2012.x64 Microsoft.VCRedist.2010.x86 Microsoft.VCRedist.2010.x64 Microsoft.VCRedist.2008.x86 Microsoft.VCRedist.2008.x64 Microsoft.VCRedist.2005.x86 Microsoft.VCRedist.2005.x64 Microsoft.DotNet.DesktopRuntime.8

Osu! .... Ah, no—OOSU!

Now let's persuade Windows not to send our every sneeze to Microsoft. For this, we'll use the program O&OShutUp10++!. Quite a name. This program is famous for its carefulness and few negative consequences. The settings in it are divided into three groups—green, yellow, and red, and no one's brother ever died from the green ones, that's for sure. This is all because the program doesn't mess with system files but merely sets system policies, meaning that essentially all the hacks in it are provided and approved by Microsoft.

Install the program: winget install OO-Software.ShutUp10. For some reason, the winget version doesn't add itself to the Start menu. So, open a new console tab and type the command shutup10. A window with settings will open. Don't miss that it has two tabs. Enable the settings, thinking with your head about what you're doing. There is no "Apply" button; each setting is enabled immediately.

After applying OOSU, you will see "These settings are managed by your organisation" in various places in the system settings. Don't be alarmed; this is just the result of digging into system policies. To change these settings, you'll have to run OOSU again and find them there.

The Passion of the Nvidia

Let's deal with the Nvidia drivers separately. Right now, you have a stub of an ancient driver that allows you to run something somehow. If you go to the Nvidia website and download the latest driver installer from there, everything will work, of course, but the installer and GeForce Experience will crap all over your PC like pigeons on a statue. So let's install the driver an alternative way. You won't have the Nvidia Overlay with its Shadow Play and Ansel—but you also won't have a dozen telemetry processes with known vulnerabilities. So, install two programs:
winget install Wagnardsoft.DisplayDriverUninstaller TechPowerUp.NVCleanstall.

Now we need to temporarily disconnect the machine from the Internet. Power down the router, unplug the cable—it doesn't matter how, as long as the Internet doesn't come back up on its own immediately after a reboot. I recommend doing this physically, not through software, because you'll have to turn it back on with a poorly functioning monitor. Then you need to reboot the machine into Safe Mode. To do this, press Win+R and enter the command msconfig. A window will open; there, on the second tab, Boot, check the Safe boot box and nothing else! Click OK, reboot, a menu will appear on a blue screen; use the number keys to select just Safe Boot without any specifics. When Windows boots, run the DisplayDriverUninstaller program. It should be right on your desktop. First, the program will open a settings window for you; you can just close it. In the right part of the main window, select that you want to uninstall GPU Nvidia drivers. Click the big "Clean and Restart" button. The program will remove the drivers that were downloaded automatically and restore everything to how it was right after installation.

If you're now thinking that you could have just prevented Windows from downloading the drivers in the first place, you're thinking correctly, but, due to minor details, the shaman's drum required for that path is no smaller. People have had cases where they turned off automatic driver downloads, and it wouldn't turn back on.
So, Windows has rebooted, booted into normal mode, not Safe Mode, but the screen resolution is 800*600 and there's no Internet. Excellent. Now, don't mix up the order of actions. Open the NVCleanstall program. Only after it opens, turn the Internet back on. When the internet is restored, click Refresh in the NVCleanstall window. It will offer you the latest driver. Click Next. On the next window, in the list of components, enable PhysX (for games from around 2014; later, everyone started using their own), Optimus (for laptops), and HD Audio (if you get sound through your monitor), if you need them. Then feel free to click Next – Next – Next. When the drivers are installed and the monitor resolution changes, only then can you close the NVCleanstall window. And just in case, reboot.

In general, reboots on Windows are like flu shots—some people get them and don't make a fuss, while others, sneezing and coughing, go on about how useless and harmful they are.

In the future, to update drivers or change installed components, just open NVCleanstall again. There's no need to run DisplayDriverUninstaller just for the sake of it, but it's worth using if some glitches are happening. Here are examples of bugs that I personally fixed by reinstalling drivers via DDU to the exact same version: the screen flickers a couple of times after booting; after every Windows update, the screen forgets its portrait orientation; the game Death Stranding crashes with DLSS enabled, but works perfectly without it.

Now, for the drivers

And now you need to install the drivers for devices that Windows didn't download or downloaded the wrong ones for. Unfortunately, there are no specific steps here, and it all depends on your hardware. At a minimum, you must download the motherboard driver from the manufacturer's website. You might need a driver for your mouse and keyboard, especially if they have extra functions. A driver for the monitor, even the simplest one, won't hurt. After installing it, you also need to enable its special color profile. The differences are usually subtle, but watch one of those movies where everyone is running around in the dark—you might notice it. Windows will usually find the driver for the onboard sound card on its own—but the one from the manufacturer will often also provide ASIO.

With all this, it's important not to fall for and install some advertising crap or a bloated sack like ROG Armory. This is the way.

After installation and rebooting, you need to open the start menu, type "power plan," and select Choose power plan. In this dialog, select High performance. Even for laptops, there's no point in leaving it on Balanced—lots of lag, little savings. Some drivers add more options to the list, like AMD High Performance. This is precisely why we're looking at this only now.

If a driver has messed up your system so badly that it won't even turn on and you can't uninstall it, there's Safe Mode, where many drivers don't load. To get into it without access to the system, you need to walk around the well three times press the Reset button on the case three times as soon as Windows starts loading and the spinning dots appear.

Verification

Even if we haven't rebuilt the computer, but just reinstalled Windows, bad drivers can cause the processor to malfunction. This point is very much worth double-checking. To do this, download the OCCT program. At the time of writing, it wasn't in WinGet, so we download it the old-fashioned way, manually. Run the Stability test – Power. It was on this test that I saw errors from bad chipset drivers. If there are errors, you'll see them immediately. 20 minutes will be enough, but watch the processor temperature carefully; if it goes above 86, turn it off immediately.

They say, but don't you believe it

Here's what is often advised, but shouldn't be done:

Disabling indexing. Yes, Windows search is crooked crap, but it's not just you who uses it, but Windows itself. As a result, disabling indexing only leads to an increase in unhealthy disk activity. It's better to open the start menu, type Indexing Options, and make sure there's nothing unnecessary in the list. And the unnecessary things there will be your file dump and Program Files. By the way, the ability to type text in the Start menu is provided by the very same indexing.

Disabling defragmentation. Yes, an SSD drive doesn't need defragmentation. But Windows wasn't written by complete idiots. The defragmenter for SSD drives doesn't do defragmentation, but other maintenance operations. Without which the drive will start to get sad over time.

Installing CCleaner and other "cleaners and optimizers." You know, in a village, one old man decided to save money by not changing the oil in his tractor. At first, he really did save a noticeable amount. But when the repairs came due... It's the same with these optimizers. Right after running them, things seem faster. And the fact that everything glitches and freezes later—well, that's Microsoft's fault.

The next paragraph will cause such a stir that if this article gets any comments, they will be only about it. The issue has clearly become religious, especially on Reddit. But still, karma is my friend, but the truth is dearer. Windows Defender is garbage. At the very end of 2019, at the company where I worked, we conducted our own complex, multi-month tests of antiviruses. We bought malware samples from "the right places" and ran them ourselves. Well, the results for many contenders were significantly different from all the "antivirus testing labs," and for the worse; since then, I consider all these labs to be sellout crap. An excellent result—no damage to the system other than slowdowns—was shown only by Kaspersky, but a good result—where the virus managed to display goatse on the screen but caused no irreparable damage—was shown by many: ESET, BitDefender, and even the paid Avast. The league of those who crapped the bed included Qihoo, Norton, DrWeb. But Defender and Malwarebytes got no result because their VMs consistently died before the second half of the samples had a chance to run. However, at that time, Malwarebytes had only been a real-time antivirus for a couple of months, so there are fewer questions for it. I would very much like to conduct these tests again, but I don't have the resources. However, judging by indirect signs, the status quo hasn't changed at all. Defender is very bad against malware that exploits interpreters present in the system. Just recently, I saw a vicious ransomware, easily bypassing Defender, written in 15 lines of Quick Basic. At the same time, Defender also introduces delays when opening files and snitches on you like a turbo-woodpecker on jet fuel. True, all antiviruses do that, but if only it were for a good reason! So think carefully about what you do on your computer, and either install a third-party antivirus—both Kaspersky and BitDefender now have free versions, and ESET and Malwarebytes are free as scanners. Or just mute Defender for good and live without the slowdowns and without the illusion of protection—also a reasonable option. Anyone who wants to argue with me about this—be my guest. Just explain, what is your proof? I have presented mine.

P.S.

And finally, install the most important program. Get the EXE here, the resources are separate here (password habrhabr), unpack everything into one folder.