TLDR: Please read, but … Which of the following is better for privacy, windows 10, or 11? Does Pro Vs home change anything? Does unactivated windows impact privacy?
So I’m looking to install windows 10/11 on my gaming PC.
This PC will be exclusively for gaming and maybe any other graphically demanding tasks (larger CAD renders or video rendering using CUDA, maybe playing with some LLM’s etc). While a good portion of my games library and other software runs well enough on Linux, some games don’t even with wine or proton. So while I’ll be mainly using Linux on this machine I can’t quite eliminate windows (from this last device anyway).
So with this I want to maximise my privacy, so anything being used specifically on Linux will be using ext4 and encrypted etc, and anything else will be in a windows partition/drive. But in terms of privacy as far as I understand 10 is better than 11 (can anyone confirm if this is correct?) and I’m assuming windows pro is more private than home, but I’m not sure? Also does running windows without activating reduce privacy at all?
I’m also contemplating trialling windows without giving it internet access and moving update files across via USB from Linux where necessary, but I don’t know what kind of impact this could have longer term, particularly with steam.
3 Likes
Maybe run a Windows VM with a GPU passthrough, so you can keep your computer safe from Microsoft’s grubby hands.
1 Like
Get the vanilla ISO from microsoft and run it through Chris Titus Tech’s tool: https://youtu.be/0PA1wgdMeeI
My only suggestion is that don’t enable windows breaking privacy optimisations (example: don’t uninstall edge even though there is an option for it)
I say that cause it looks like you want windows for purely utility bases, and unexpected breakage might annoy when you just want to get work done.
additionally you could treat the windows OS as a solely productive system, so don’t do personal tasks on it and stick to CAD and/or AI tasks.
And, do not visit massgrave (dot) dev
I don’t think the pro/home/unlicensed will change anything at all. Neither will using Windows 10 or Windows 11 because both are equally bad for privacy. (Until Windows 10 completely stops being updated, in which case upgrading to 11 is recommended for security updates). While I don’t think achieving really good privacy is possible with windows I suggest that you watch Techlore’s video from a few months ago about Windows, that’s a pretty good guide on how to get as much privacy on windows as possible.
Oh and also, windows’s pro version has the bitlocker encryption tool built in, but if you want real privacy you’ll encrypt the system with some open-source tool like veracrypt anyways.
Provided that you’re only using it for things that aren’t sensitive or worth protecting Windows Home vs Pro doesn’t matter much in my opinion.
- Windows 11 is a must. If it connects to the internet then it needs security updates.
- Installation media should be obtained as officially as possible in my opinion. You can modify it using trusted tools if you wish, but do consider that such tools and untrusted media sources are perfectly capable of adding maleware to the disk.
- If possible, install Windows without a Microsoft account and never link one.
Since it automatically logs in if connected to something like an XBox account this might not be realistic.
I’m not so sure about unlicensed installs, but Windows Pro does give you the group policy editor. Not much else other than more control over Bitlocker.
The Policy Editor is a pain to go through, but can be used to disable many of the more invasive and annoying “features” in Windows. Things like Bing Search built into the start menu. Generally speaking this makes it the best option for privacy. Windows Home can be modified to similar effect using things like regsitry edits, but Microsoft has to support the Policy Editor
1 Like
Be aware that Veracrypt breaks the trusted boot chain of Windows, thus is a security downgrade. I would recommend to use Bitlocker instead.
1 Like
For privacy, Windows 10 and 11 are pretty similar both need tweaking to reduce telemetry. Pro is better than Home because you get Group Policy to turn more tracking off. Running Windows unactivated doesn’t change privacy at all, it just removes personalization.
If you need a Pro key, I picked up a Windows 11 Pro retail key from Digitlogs. com for about £13 and it activated instantly.
1 Like