Yes, it's safe to proceed.
Yes, it's safe to proceed.
Hey everyone, just checking if the insider program is secure. Does it collect detailed data and metrics from your system? Also, are there any ways to disable Cortana or the tracking tools? Thanks!
Yes to both. You’re receiving the free beta for testing, which means every action provides useful information. The OS may face more problems than the retail version would. Planning to use the beta software already suggests additional challenges compared to the standard release. If Microsoft tracks your activity, the answer is clear.
If you're only interested in testing the software without giving feedback, try using a VM such as Virtualbox. Yesterday I installed Windows 11 in a virtual environment. I selected Windows 10 x64 as the operating system type in VBox, set up a fixed 50GB virtual VDI drive and assigned 4GB of RAM to the Windows 11 guest. The host system has 32GB available. I downloaded Windows 11 Pro build 22000 and when asked for an activation key, simply selected "I do not have one." Without any networking configured, you can click a small link on the account setup and choose "local account" to skip creating a Windows Live/Microsoft account. I didn’t want to risk my current system and don’t have another machine free from dedicated use. So far, I’m not fond of Windows 11. By 2024, when support for Windows 10 ends, I plan to keep a Windows 10 box for light gaming and switch fully to Linux for everything else.