Windows 10

[eastof111]

I originally tried Win 10 to do a complete install and decided against it when it required a complete install of all my programs. Just for the record, I have Winxp 64 bit. Win Xp8 and Win 7 on various drives.

I recently received an upgrade from MS and decided to try it. First I made a backed up for WinXP 7.

During the upgrade MS said I had to delete Acronis backup or it would not continue the install. Did so and continued.
So..... did the upgrade and it deleted my Kaspersky, without permission. Plus many other progs.

Since I had made a backup prior to the upgrade, I thought I would be safe. I tried a restore..

Guess what? MS does not allow a restore. It blocks any access to any other boot disk. Any restore software is blocked by MS.

Used a cd to try a new restore and hit a brick wall.

After many attempts to boot to a clean OS, I some how have managed to boot to XP.

Tomorrow will try to boot with a cd and format the Win10 drive.

F*** MS

 

[eastof111]

Looks like I'll have to disconnect all my drives and start from scratch.

F*** MS

 

[Sublime]

I haven't booted into Windows in over a year. The last time was when I replaced the hard drive in my notebook and moved the partitions from the old drive to the new one. Just needed to test to see if it would boot--and it did. Used KDE Partition Manager from a live USB of a Linux distro to do the partition management. I went full-time Linux in 2011 and haven't looked back since. For those Windows programs I need to run, Wine works for most of them and the rest I just use a Linux alternative.

 

[eastof111]

I still haven't restored Win 7, I thought I play with Win10 a while longer and see if all their claims of how great it is. So far, boot time is basically the same as Win 7 and not the 26% speed increase that they claim. Plugged all the security holes except that now you can't reject upgrades, it does it automatically whether you like it or not. Don't really need all the garbage addons in Win10, so I disabled as much as I could.

Will probably boot to a Linux usb stick and reformat the drive and restore my Win7 afterwards. At least my Win64 xp and Win 8 still work.

 

[eastof111]

Still playing with WIN10 to see how much stuff gets through to MS. I disabled items manually and also used some free programs to check to see what was still open. I found another free program O&O ShutUp for Win10 v. 1.3.1356 that exposed open items that I had missed. Easy to use and seems to get the job done.

 

[eastof111]

Article by Matt Weinberger.

This simple app will block Microsoft from downloading Windows 10 on your PC. Microsoft wants everyone to upgrade to its new Windows 10 PC operating system. But for those who don't like change, there's a new app that promises to shelter your PC from any encounters with the latest Windows software.

Meet Never 10, a new, free app that vows to"disable Windows' insistence upon upgrading Windows 7 or 8.1 to Windows 10."
The app is a response to Microsoft's increasingly aggressive efforts to distribute Windows 10 — with some users reporting automatic downloads of the software onto their PCs, even when they haven't given permission.

Never 10, first noticed by PCWorld, quickly adjusts the settings in Windows 7 or 8.1 PCs to automatically block any attempt by the system to download Windows 10. If you decide you want Windows 10 later, go back into the app and reverse all of its changes.

Importantly, Never 10 promises that it doesn't actually download or install any extra software. The secret is just in automatically applying the right settings. The product page even says that you can delete it right after it runs, if that makes you feel better.

Never 10 developer Steve Gibson says on the product page that he primarily wrote it in response to privacy concerns around how much information Microsoft gathers from Windows 10 users. That said, you can put it to use if you're simply happy with your Windows 7 or 8.1 PC.

For the record, I think Windows 10 is actually pretty great. But not everybody wants to upgrade their Windows 7, 8, or 8.1 computers to the latest OS yet, for a wide variety of very good reasons.

And just because Microsoft has made it a major goal to get 1 billion devices onto Windows 10 in the next year or two doesn't mean you should be made to install any operating system you don't want to. So if you're really worried about it, maybe give Never 10 a shot.
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Here's Gibson's Research download site with better explanation of the program.
https://www.grc.com/never10.htm

 

[woofy]

After windows 10 deleted programs I had installed after an update I got pissed off and wiped windows off my machine and installed linux ubuntu. so far I am liking it and my machine runs much faster.
A bit of a learning curve but that’s to be expected . and now no one is snooping on me...lol

 

[eastof111]

Yup, really frustrating when MS dictates what programs one can utilize. Still using Win10 so far.... after closing so doors, haven't had an update in over a month.

But hey, they probably know what blood type I have by now. LOL.

 

[eastof111]

Microsoft's aggressive free upgrade campaign for Windows 10 hasn't led to a blowout success

Microsoft has been running a rather aggressive campaign to get people to take advantage of its Windows 10 free upgrade, constantly throwing pop-up ads at random moments. There's even a word for it: nagware.

But so far, the campaign hasn't seen the runaway success Microsoft may have been hoping for. As this chart by Statista shows, Windows 10 just surpassed the market share of Windows 8/8.1, which was poorly received, and still lags behind the user base of Windows 7 by a wide margin.

Although Windows 10 adoption hasn't blown people away, it's still shaping up to be one of the most popular products to come out of Microsoft in a long time. It's now installed on 300 million active devices and has seen faster adoption than any of its Windows predecessors.

It remains to be seen if its growth will keep up for the rest of the year. Microsoft's free Windows 10 upgrade offer ends on July 29, from which it'll cost $119 to get the new version of it.

 

[el bandido]

Appreciate the information! I have some computers that need upgrading, but in no hurry after reading this thread!

 

[eastof111]

After playing with 10 for a few months, and closing as many privacy doors as possible, there's really no reason to upgrade. Win 7 is just as good and comes with less privacy issues. Plus, support should be good till 2020.

 

[woofy]

After playing with 10 for a few months, and closing as many privacy doors as possible, there's really no reason to upgrade. Win 7 is just as good and comes with less privacy issues. Plus, support should be good till 2020.

I have to agree there, I liked 10 at first but soured on it after while. The best upgrade I did was to ditch windows altogether and move to Ubuntu. My main desktop and laptop are now ubuntu and my older backup desktop will be as soon as I get the cpu fan that needs replaced.

 

[eastof111]

Windows 10 will finally stop sharing Wi-Fi passwords after public backlash.

When Windows 10 first launched, one of its most controversial features was Wi-Fi Sense. If ticked, a couple harmless-looking boxes shared internet access to your Facebook, Skype and Outlook friends by default.

The setting (and its enabled-by-default nature) caused some people to get a little angry, although Microsoft defended Wi-Fi Sense as a useful feature. A year later, and it looks like Microsoft is changing its tune.

In the latest version the Windows 10 Insider Preview, Microsoft is removing the Wi-Fi Sense feature. According to Gabe Aul, the VP of Engineering, the change is owing to maintenance costs and low use:

We have removed the Wi-Fi Sense feature that allows you to share Wi-Fi networks with your contacts and to be automatically connected to networks shared by your contacts. The cost of updating the code to keep this feature working combined with low usage and low demand made this not worth further investment. Wi-Fi Sense, if enabled, will continue to get you connected to open Wi-Fi hotspots that it knows about through crowdsourcing.

Changes to the Insider build normally filter through to regular Windows updates in a matter of months, so if Wi-Fi Sense has bothered you in particular, there should only be a little while left to wait.

The feature was a classic case of good intentions gone wrong. People tend to hate features that do things without explicitly telling them, especially when it involves sharing access to personal wi-fi networks. With the proper messaging (and having it off by default), Wi-Fi Sense could have been a powerful tool to make everyone's lives a little easier. Instead, it will just live on as a final-round question on the geekiest trivia quiz.