I've been reading that all the early adopters of Windows 11 will have to do a full re-install to update to a near term future update in Windows 11. That is worrying enough for the early adopters. But if I'm not mistaken this new update and the reason for the re-install is that there is a new software application security permission component in Windows 11 that cannot simply be installed on top of an existing Windows 11 install. My pseudo concern isn't that I will have to re-install Windows 11, as I haven't migrated yet, it is that it may create a headache for Manifold installations. Windows 10 already has enough warnings about installing software with unverified certificates. I'm worried that this new Windows 11 crackdown for security purposes to protect people's computers, though well intentioned will end up preventing Manifold from being installed or once it's installed being updated. Edge builds are great for use, but I don't think you can run a edge build without having a full installation. I am likely being too worried about this, but when I see Microsoft making heavy handed changes, I try and foresee the unintended consequences that may arise.

Do you have a link to this information? I've seen nothing in the major tech news sites about it. It sounds unlikely to me. If it required a full re-install then it can't really be called a Windows 11 update; it would be Windows 12.

https://www.pcgamer.com/windows-11s-new-security-feature-is-so-secure-youll-need-to-reinstall-the-os-to-use-it/

https://www.tomsguide.com/news/windows-11-is-getting-a-big-security-upgrade-may-require-os-reinstall

Ok, so it - Smart App Control - would be an optional feature, requiring a reset of Windows 11 only if you want to enable it. There will be no requirement to reset windows to install the Windows Update - the update would add Smart App Control disabled. And then it will be your choice what to do with it. That is my understanding.

Early reports from users are not good. Microsoft may have developed a feature that is designed to make sure everybody turns it off and leaves it off for good. From the tomsguide article:

"If you disable Smart App Control, Microsoft says you will have to reset your PC to enable it again. But if you enable Smart App Control and it decides a given app is untrustworthy and shouldn't be run, there's no way to make an exception and tell Windows to run it anyway. ...

A cursory glance at the Smart App Control section of the Windows Feedback Hub ... already shows a number of complaints from early users frustrated by SAC restricting access to things like driver updates, Kasperksy Antivirus and Steam. "

To add insult to injury, if the tomsguide article is correct, SAC will install turned off and then on its own without asking you will decide to turn itself on. Sounds like the first task after a Windows 11 upgrade will be to turn off SAC.

This is why I'm a late adopter of Microsoft operating systems. I've been on Win 10 for 2 years. The only reason I changed from Win 7 was that one of the programs I use would not update without updated security from Win 10. I guess 10 is fine.

As Dimitri says, the feature is indeed raising some eyebrows. The problem is not that it prevents running software that it deems untrusted -- which might or might not go beyond just "signed with a certificate", hard to say what it will be on the rollout and the meaning might change in the future anyway. That's fine, that's what the feature has been designed to do, it's desired, etc. Many people would be happy to have the feature disable all software except whatever it thinks is trustworthy -- on systems that they just want to run browser / email / something equally simple, like systems that are basically home appliances or systems handed out to children. The problem is that this important choice of whether to start filtering software in this way or not appears to be made automatically unless you hurry up and somehow override it, at least in insider builds.

Citing from this article:

What is Smart App Control?

We start in evaluation mode. This is a period during which Windows tries to determine if you're a good candidate for Smart App Control. If you are a good candidate for Smart App Control, then it will automatically be turned on. If not, it'll be turned off.

Sounds a little scary to leave to chance on the main system. Once the feature turns on it can supposedly be turned back off, but while it is still turned on, it might quarantine files and whatnot, so turning it back off might not be enough to get back to the state that you were in before it decided to help you stay secure.