> revert Explorer back to the non-ribbon version

Don't you mean to the ribbon-UI version? Explorer switched from having a traditional menubar with a text-only context-sensitive toolbar (as in Vista and 7) to using the ribbon in Windows 8 and Windows 10; Windows 11 had the new dumbed-down explorer UI design since day-one (though in earlier builds of Win11 the ribbon UI could still be restored in Windows 11 using tweaks - or simply via bugs in explorer: https://www.reddit.com/r/Windows11/comments/s3nilb/you_can_g... ) - it looks like MS fully removed the old code at the same time they added Recall support?

I wasn’t really familiar with the Windows 11 changes. I’m still on Windows 10 and use Ribbon Disabler, and also hide the toolbar by patching an XML resource in shellstyle.dll (IIRC). Ideally I’d want a no-context-sensitivity “just normal menus” version.

There’s a registry key you can set to disable the new Win11 context-menus btw.

Yep, that much I already knew. :)

Yes, install Windows 10 LTSC, use it until end of support, then switch to Linux.

There are no new features in W11 that are worth enduring the absolute bloated spyware-ridden POS that it is.

Windows 10 LTSC is either too old (2016?) or only lasts until 2027. It’s not worth it. Linux is fine for CLI use, but the GUI doesn’t cut it for me, not to speak of the many Windows software and drivers that won’t work or will be awkward to use. There is no good solution, but ditching Windows entirely is still the worse (non-)solution for me.