6 problems to solve when installing a custom Windows ISO like Tiny11

Windows is the dominant operating system in the world today. But even Windows has problems. Many people feel Windows is too big, resource-heavy, and has questionable security policies. For this reason, custom Windows ISOs like Tiny11 are quite popular among users who prefer a lightweight, stripped-down version of Windows 11. But custom ISOs like AtlasOS, ReviOS, Ghost Specter and others have their own problems. Let's find out details through the following article!

6 problems behind custom Windows ISOs

Tiny11 is a modified ISO image created from a basic Windows 11 image originating from Microsoft. It aims to remove unnecessary clutter and bloatware from the standard Windows 11 image for a comfortable experience.

Some prominent applications that Tiny11 does not have are Microsoft Edge, Microsoft Teams, News, Maps and Sound Recorder. However, it still retains many more important features, such as Core Isolation, Microsoft Defender and components such as Windows Terminal, PowerShell, etc.

While custom Windows ISOs often bypass standard Windows 11 requirements, like TPM, and allow less powerful systems to run Windows 11 better, they are not without problems. Before installing and running a custom Windows ISO, there are 6 important issues you should know:

1. Malware: Whether intentionally or unintentionally, malware can easily infiltrate your system when downloading a custom Windows ISO from a suspicious source. Some custom ISOs don't even have important applications like Microsoft Defender to protect you from security threats.

2. Keylogger: If your custom ISO has a built-in keylogger, it can easily capture your sensitive information, like credit card information, emails, messages, etc. can be completely destroyed.

3. Exploit: Some custom Windows ISOs can take advantage of your system resources to exploit or perform other activities. You may never know that your system has been compromised.

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4. No updates: Since custom Windows ISOs are not officially supported by Microsoft, you will not receive any automatic updates, potentially leaving your system unprotected from threats. security threat.

5. Device Damage: You never know what important component or feature might be missing from a particular custom ISO. This could potentially completely damage your system in the worst case scenario.

6. Legality: Distributing custom Windows ISOs falls under the gray area of ​​legality. You won't even find these custom ISO sites that have the file to download. Porting features to versions of Windows that were not originally included is also not permitted by Microsoft.

Other custom Windows ISOs

The idea behind using a custom Windows ISO like Tiny11 is to take advantage of a lighter, faster operating system without sacrificing too many important Windows features. Building on this idea, many other developers have come up with other custom ISOs to benefit specific use cases like gaming.

AtlasOS claims to provide users with higher FPS, lower latency, and a faster overall operating system experience. Likewise are other custom ISOs like ReviOS, ggOS, and KernelOS, which are trusted by users who want to increase gaming performance on Windows 11, especially on older systems.

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Despite some benefits, custom Windows ISOs are not officially supported by Microsoft. Therefore, you can never be completely sure what a particular developer has removed - or worse, added - to the ISO, no matter what the website claims.

Additionally, you need to trust the source you download the custom Windows ISO from without actually knowing what changes the image went through before being uploaded to that source. In the worst case, the file you download may just be a virus masquerading as a Windows ISO.

Is a custom Windows ISO worth trying?

From removing somewhat unnecessary apps, like Xbox and Sound Recorder, to removing important security features, like Defender, custom Windows ISOs are never 100% secure. You always assume a certain level of risk when using custom ISOs.

In the worst case scenario, you're risking not only your Windows installation, but also your financial information, system resources, and privacy. Therefore, you should only use a custom Windows ISO on a system you feel comfortable risking, ideally an older device that doesn't have any sensitive information.

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As long as your device is not too old, there are minimal performance improvements that can be achieved by installing a custom Windows ISO, even when gaming. You should not put your system at risk for a small gain.

Finally, you can create your own custom Windows ISO using a standard Windows 11 image from Microsoft. However, even that involves using scripts or tools, such as NTlite or MSMG Toolkit, that you need to trust. Therefore, explore at your own risk.

David Pac

Update 06 January 2024