Move To Linux (or another OS)
Now this won’t be for everyone, but it is my preferred option. With Microsoft getting ever creepier with increased telemetry, AI and locking down abilities to create local accounts, it feels almost inevitable that some will want to make the jump eventually. You may as well do it now. There are many computer savvy people that would be quite happy sticking in an Linux boot device, wiping the system drive and installing Linux. Plus there are many options to choose from, of which the likes of Ubuntu is one of the most well known. However, that strength is also a Linux weakness; the simple wealth of options, when it comes to distributions really isn’t for those that just want a PC that they can doom scroll Facebook on. And installing a new OS is not for those that just want a button that says ‘Click here to do The Thing’.
It’s also the case that there will be software many people use, daily, that just isn’t available on Linux. My main candidates being MS Flight Simulator and Ableton. Da Vinci Resolve also doesn’t seem to work as well on my Linux installation as it does on Windows, and is a bit of pain to get it to work with an AMD graphics card.
And yes, if you’re not the type to learn or understand the intricacies of an operating system, it can be difficult to troubleshoot when applications don’t work or install correctly.
However, for me, the positives far outweigh the negatives. I have an operating system that is free, highly customisable, isn’t spying on me, and isn’t sending all my data off to some undisclosed location.
If all the above doesn’t sound appealing, and you have lots of spare cash, then you can always move to Apple. But there’s no guarantee they also won’t start siphoning data from you. Big corporations like to be all corporationary.