Microsoft Keeps Wasting My Time

For years, I’ve moved away from daily driving Windows. My main operating system is no longer Microsoft’s, but for specific use cases—certain applications or games—I’ve kept a dual-boot setup on my personal laptop and Steam Deck. These are isolated scenarios where I need Windows functionality without wanting to resort to a virtual machine. However, even though I barely touch Windows, it still manages to waste my time and disrupt my setups.

Reset Settings and Reappearing Apps: The Never-Ending Battle

Every Windows user knows the frustration of having their preferences ignored. Over the years, I’ve painstakingly configured my Windows installations countless times, only to find my settings reverted or ignored after every major update.

Let me give you some examples:

• Phone Link app? I uninstalled it because I don’t need it. But Windows doesn’t care—it keeps respawning.
• Microsoft Edge? Removed it entirely. Guess what? It’s back after the next update like nothing happened.
• System settings? Randomly reset after updates, forcing me to reconfigure the same things over and over again.

This constant back-and-forth wastes my time, breaks workflows, and feels like Microsoft doesn’t respect its users’ decisions.

Messing With GRUB and Breaking SteamOS

The frustration hit a new peak recently when I updated Windows (version 24H2) on my Steam Deck. That update decided to mess with GRUB, the bootloader I rely on for dual-booting SteamOS. Suddenly, I couldn’t boot into SteamOS anymore, and I had to spend time restoring the boot partition to fix it.

This is unacceptable. Windows should not be tampering with other partitions or boot configurations. It’s my hardware, and I should be able to trust that one OS won’t interfere with another. Dual-booting is a perfectly valid use case, but Microsoft’s updates make it feel like I’m constantly on damage control.

Workplaces Waste Time Too

This isn’t just about personal devices. In every company I’ve worked for, I’ve seen countless hours of productivity go down the drain because Windows updates broke something or caused unexpected issues. A simple update would often lead to:

• Critical applications not working as expected.
• System settings or configurations being reset, leading to delays while IT teams scrambled to fix things.
• Devices becoming unusable for hours because of an unplanned reboot or installation.

The amount of time wasted on troubleshooting Windows-related problems in professional environments is staggering. It’s not just an inconvenience—it has real-world costs in lost productivity and employee frustration.

Persistent Settings Are a Basic Expectation

I’m not asking for the moon here. All I want is for Windows to:

1. Respect the settings I’ve chosen.
2. Stop reinstalling apps I’ve uninstalled.
3. Keep updates from breaking my other systems or messing with bootloaders.

It’s not just annoying—it’s disrespectful. We pay for a product that feels messy, intrusive, and riddled with unnecessary friction.

The Bottom Line

I don’t use Windows anymore as my primary OS, and experiences like these reinforce why. The only reason I still have dual-boot setups is for those rare cases when Windows is unavoidable. But every time I boot into it, I’m reminded why I left in the first place.

Microsoft, it’s time to do better. Keep our settings persistent, respect the user’s choices, and stop messing with other partitions. Otherwise, you’ll keep driving users like me further away.