Tech Speak Archives - What IT Is

Upgrading to Windows 11 for Luddites Like Me

August 3, 2025August 3, 2025Scott S NelsonLeave a comment

tldr; If you have serious performance issues after upgrading and have tried all the usual tweaks, check the Power Mode settings.

The last Windows upgrade where I felt better for the experience was Windows 2000. Yes, there have been some marked improvements in media capabilities since then (if not, I’d still be on Windows 2000 — except for the security path problem). The only past upgrade I found difficult (excluding disappointment as a challenge) was from 3.1 to 95. That was hard because there were all of these disk changes to do because CD ROMs were still not ubiquitous. So I was bit put off when I experience a huge performance hit after the upgrade from 10 to 11. An upgrade that I only performed because they are ending free security updates in October for Windows 10 (I believe that makes it the shortest lived, in terms of support, ever) and I happened to be between deadlines at the moment. The last thing I wanted was to do the upgrade in the midst of some deliverable date because I expected it to be less than fun.

Expectations met. I spent three days after the upgrade trying to live with it. I knew going in that I needed to fix a lot of the default settings to keep big tech from becoming Big Brother, and had a list prepared before I even started so I could thwart the privacy pirates promptly. My inner Fox Mulder believes that much of the performance degradation of Windows 10 the last few years was meant to urge people like us to upgrade. After, I started to think that it was more a manner of acclimating us to problems to come.

After spending way to much time discussing the problem with Perplexity, and then trying to pretend that I could live with a machine that was 50 generations newer than the one I had in 1996 and yet somehow slower, I decided to work on a hobby project that is running on another machine. Did I mention that all of my Windows devices are laptops? When I booted up the hobby machine, I did so before plugging it in and noticed the usual effects of running on battery mode, with the monitor dimmer and the machine a bit slower. I plugged it in and it perked right up, as did my hind brain. I went back to my recently degraded machine and checked the power settings, and lo and behold, Big Brother decided that I could get by with a reduction in performance even while plugged in.

I’m convinced that it is actually a combination of all of the other changes I made in addition to setting Power Mode to Best Performance when Plugged in. I have to believe that, because the alternative of the wasted time, and Tylenol®, is too much to bear.

Speaking of too much to bear, writing up all of those steps is also a bit of a chore. However, I used a Space on Perplexity for the whole journey, so I asked it to write a blog post about it in my style. It still does not have my style right, which is partly me, for being to brief in the context and skimpy on the training files, and partly just that AI isn’t human and can’t really get me (most humans have the same problem). So as not to let all of that energy-expensive processing go to waste, I’m sharing it with you below.

And now, a word from our AI:

Why I Upgraded to Windows 11 Early—and How You Can Do It with Privacy and a Classic Windows 2000 Feel

Microsoft is ending free upgrades from Windows 10 to Windows 11 this October. I chose to upgrade now while I had no pressing deadlines so I could handle the transition calmly and set everything up for my privacy-first, vintage Windows 2000 style preference. Here’s a streamlined approach to upgrading that respects your privacy and brings a classic user experience.

Why Upgrade Now?

Waiting to upgrade means potential fees and stress when deadlines loom. Tackling Windows 11 ahead of time lets you customize and troubleshoot without pressure, making the switch smoother.

Step 1: Prepare Your System

Full Backup: Use an external drive plus a system image backup. Protect your irreplaceable data and system state.
Legacy Software & Drivers: Collect all your essential old-school apps and hardware drivers ahead of time, preferably from manufacturer websites.
Create a Recovery Plan: Have Windows 10 installation media ready just in case you want to roll back.

Step 2: Privacy-Centered Installation

Use a Local (Offline) Account: Avoid Microsoft’s enforced online sign-ins to maintain privacy.
Disable Telemetry and Data Sharing: Go to Settings > Privacy & Security and turn off every form of telemetry, diagnostics, and data collection.
Disable or Remove Cortana: Cortana’s integration hampers privacy; uninstall or disable it completely.
Block Web-Connected Search: Turn off options that send your search queries online.
Limit Microsoft Account Usage: Avoid syncing or using Microsoft accounts wherever possible.

Step 3: Recreate a Windows 2000 Look & Feel

Classic Start Menu: Install Open-Shell to bring back the familiar Windows 2000 style Start menu.
Taskbar Customizations: Use scripts or apps to move the taskbar to the left, reduce icon spacing, and disable icon grouping.
Remove Widgets and News Feeds: Disable or uninstall unnecessary widgets and news to reduce clutter.
Restore Classic System Sounds and Icons: Swap in old system sounds and icon sets to enhance the nostalgic experience.

Step 4: Upgrade Process Tips

Take Your Time: Don’t rush the prompts; decline any offered “extra” software or cloud features.
Monitor Network: Temporarily disconnect from the internet during installation to avoid surprise background downloads or telemetry.
Updates on Your Terms: Post-upgrade, disable automatic updates or set them to manual to avoid unwanted changes.

Step 5: Post-Upgrade Privacy and Performance Tuning

Verify Privacy Settings: Double-check that all telemetry and data sharing options remain off; Windows sometimes re-enables features after upgrades.
Manage Startup Programs: Use Task Manager to disable all non-essential startup apps, speeding boot times and avoiding background tracking.
Disable Unnecessary Services: Turn off services that you don’t use or that compromise privacy (e.g., Windows Tips, Feedback Hub).
Use Host File Hacks or Firewall Rules: Block known Microsoft telemetry servers for an extra layer of privacy.
Schedule Routine Privacy Checks: Set reminders to revisit privacy and UI settings after big Windows updates.

Final Thoughts

Upgrading while you have the bandwidth gives you control and peace of mind before the free upgrade deadline passes. By prioritizing privacy, minimizing modern OS distractions, and returning to a classic interface, Windows 11 can feel more comfortable and secure—closer to the straightforward experience of Windows 2000 but with current OS capabilities.

Don’t wait until October and the pressure mounts. Take charge now, protect your privacy, and make Windows 11 work your way. Your future self will be grateful.

Everybody’s a bit of a noob sometimes…

June 12, 2025Scott S NelsonLeave a comment

…and that’s a good thing

I hear that title in my head as being sung to the tune of Steve Coogan’s “Everybody’s a bit of a c@@t”, which is self-deprecation at its extreme, and a good theme for this post. I continue to make slow progress on my journey of becoming deep with Generative AI and expect that if this really does become a series (two may be a sequel, but it takes more than that to be a series, even a limited one), keeping up with the game metaphor titles is going to be tough.

Anyway, work I have to do keeps getting in the way of work I want to do. I’ve created an Ubuntu VirtualBox appliance with Ollama installed and tested on it. The goal of the VM is to be able to run it RAGged while disallowing any access to the internet for (moderately) secure work. Eventually, I will add MCP and some UI. If I get really ambitious, I’ll look into how to let some agents access the web and others keep things to themselves, but that is probably pretty far down the road.

Meanwhile, I installed Joplin on the VM and my local PC, using a shared folder to sync them so that I can maintain notes off the cloud yet still work on them when the VM is not running. I also have Brave installed for a little privacy and anonymity (before I cut the network access). Then there is VSCode, because I expect it will be able to do more and more with MCP and other agent tools, plus UI. And, yes, I realize that trying to do all this without an internet connection will be a pain. I know I’ll figure out a better way as I’m working on it. I haven’t had enough time to really think about sandboxing in depth (yet). Feel free to post suggestions in the comments.

While generative AI has grown in users and attention faster than any previous technology innovation, it hasn’t grown nearly as fast as it could. Especially given that it is literally the tool one would use to adopt a new tool quickly. I suspect this is because I’m not alone in having to spend time doing things the “old” way, because there isn’t enough time to learn how to do it better, a problem that has plagued every new technology since people were running from saber-tooth tigers didn’t have time to make spears…until enough people had been eaten that cave management gave them a day to learn flint knapping.

“I’m so busy doing what I must do that I don’t have time for what I ought to do… and I never get a chance to do what I want to do!”
– Robert A. Heinlein, Citizen of the Galaxy

If you’re curious why I’m going at this so slowly, there are a few reasons. First, I want to document it as I go so that I can share anything unique in my approach in a manner that can be repeated. Well, that’s not really first. First is because the folks that pay my bills want me spending time doing things for folks that pay their bills. They also think that my having an AWS certification is going to be more profitable for them after my current billable project wraps up, rather than my flexing mad, ninja-level skills with setting up AI infrastructure on anything. I know my crystal ball has more hallucinations than ChatGPT 3.5, so I’ll go with what the bosses say…until I think they are really wrong.

Is your CI/CD missing the third C?

April 1, 2025May 20, 2025Scott S NelsonLeave a comment

If you are reading this post you know that both C’s in CI/CD represent “Continuous” (and if you didn’t already know that, your curiosity is admirable…and, no, “curiosity” isn’t the third C).

Getting to CI/CD can be a challenge, especially if it isn’t set up as part of the first release. (Challenge is not our third C, either, though it is becoming apparent there are many words that start with C related to software systems, so we’ll ignore the false possibilities from here on out). Adding to the procedural challenge of timing, there is also the conceptual challenge of semantics. Some organizations define the continuous Cs as every time a commit is made to the repository; others say it begins with a merge after a review; some say that if it is done “correctly” (are you still counting the “C”s?) there is no need for a review; still others will say that hourly (or daily, or twice daily, etc.) counts; some say you only really need I or D continuously (and others will certainly debate that); and there are bound to be more that don’t come to mind at the moment. What those contiguous definitions of continuous have in common is that they are all correct, depending on the context.

The cruel thing about continuous is that, technically, if it ever isn’t, it never was and cannot be again. Which is not correct, because even when done perfectly, there will be the occasional hiccup and things will need to be re-calibrated to continue being continuous.

Except when they don’t.

When they don’t, there can be several symptoms that are confused with causes. At some point, commits became synonymous with the cards on the Kanban. Sometimes it’s because management thought it would be useful to automate tracking with branches, or people used build failures as a measurement of skill rather than assignment of bug fixes, or PRs are preferred over testing—despite the fact that this approach often leads to more production issues and longer MTTR.

So what prevents those problems (and others) from discontinuing (or preventing the adoption of) CI/CD? It’s the third C, and…

The third C is Culture.

CI/CD requires the adoption of a “shift left” mentality, which in turn requires a culture of fearless experimentation where testing before committing is done as a point of pride, and every time the tests pass is a reason to commit (or “another test passes”, if you are following TDD). This also requires using feature flags that are either centrally managed (which supports runtime management in production) or developer managed, which requires automated testing of the flag.

A successful CI/CD culture depends on the team’s attitude—an attitude built on one part pride, one part professionalism, one part discipline (maybe two parts), and is most easily maintained when it includes the participation of leadership (perhaps the next post will be about the missing “P’s” in technology).

So, after that long walk through what was really a short concept, the key takeaway is that if your team is struggling with starting or sustaining a true (because there are many that are in name only, and you know which ones) continuous pipeline, focus on fostering a cultural shift within your team before investing in tools.

Me, everytime I work with a new organization

February 7, 2025Scott S NelsonLeave a comment

How Great Candidates Get Missed by Hiring Managers

October 2, 2024November 25, 2024Scott S NelsonLeave a comment

YouTube shorts are my guilty pleasure for when I am feeling too lazy to focus on anything for more than two minutes. I ran across the one at the bottom of this post the other day, which I found really inspirational given that I treat a lot of information the same way. Specifically, I don’t spend time committing information to long-term memory that is easily looked up.

I have, at times, committed information temporarily to long-term memory for the purpose of receiving certifications that are helpful in credentialing myself in the eyes of others, I seldom maintain full recall for more than a couple of months past the exam (unless I am currently using it on a regular basis). There are some scripting languages that I have learned multiple times because they fall into disuse between very long term projects.

Before the Einstein quote, I had heard about Henry Ford suing for slander after being called ‘ignorant’. His court testimony was along the lines of “…tell me why I should clutter up my mind with general knowledge, for the purpose of being able to answer questions, when I have men around me who can supply any knowledge I require?” (see Ignorance Is Not Knowing Everything: Henry Ford Model for a good read about this…though I heard about it back when Internet was still capitalized and one had to hear tortured US Robotics™ scream before it could be accessed by most).

In researching the Einstein quote, I ran across a few others on a site I won’t link to because of the nature of the ads they show. Suffice to say, it is a commonly-held sentiment among those considered to be educated, intelligent, and/or innovative.

The point I wish to make, in my frequently-meandering way, is that these quotes and attitudes are all pre-www and even more relevant in light of both the internet as readily available source and the accelerated speed of change it fosters. Memorizing information pertinent to solving technology issues is detrimental to being highly productive both because it requires a narrower range of knowledge, and it often results in relying on outdated information rather than refreshing one’s understanding (which has most likely evolved for the topic since memorized).

Dennis Miller used to close his monologues (which he called rants) with “But that’s just my opinion. I could be wrong.”, and I used to quote that in my email signature (back when quotes in email signatures was a thing). In this case, I believe if I look it up now, I won’t be (wrong, that is, which I add because even I found that sentence confusing…but still like the Miller-esque structure of it).