I created a custom Windows 11 install that’s faster than Microsoft’s version

I have an old laptop I refuse to part with. Not out of nostalgia, but because the hardware is still capable, and I don’t want to surrender to the temptation to junk a machine just because Microsoft’s system requirements say so. The problem is that every time I install a fresh copy of Windows 11 on it, the OS boots sluggishly, idles with a hungry RAM appetite, and arrives pre-stuffed with apps I have never once opened. This makes quickly removing bloatware from Windows 11 a mandatory post-installation chore.