Microsoft kicks Cortana out of the boot experience for Windows 11

My job requires me to set up several Windows PCs per week. That means several times per week, I have to hear the following:

“Hi there! I’m Cortana, and I’m here to help. A little sign-in here, a touch of Wi-Fi there, and we’ll have your PC ready for all you plan to do.”

I typed that from memory because it is constantly echoing in my head. I cannot escape it. It’s the bane of my existence. I do not want to use Cortana. I do not want Cortana to help me boot up several PCs a week. Please, Cortana, leave me alone. But for years, my complaints have been shouts into the void that Microsoft has not heard.

That’s why I’m a bit too excited about one of the tiny announcements that Microsoft just made. If you dig into the company’s Windows 11 Specifications page, you will see one beautiful, glorious line: “Cortana will no longer be included in the first boot experience or pinned to the Taskbar.”

Yes, Windows 11 has all kinds of other new stuff, too. You can tip creators now, Android apps are coming, snap layouts look kind of cool, etc. But if previous Windows releases are any indication, these features will take quite a while to sort out. The end of the Cortana Boot is actually coming. Day 1. I can’t wait. It is the most celebration-worthy announcement of the day.

Source: Microsoft kicks Cortana out of the boot experience for Windows 11 (via The Verge)