Windows 10

[bdosborn]

I upgraded all our computers to win 10, mostly to get rid of the MS nagging. I still have the PC in the camper to do but I've tried all the online tips I can find to upgrade it but it keeps failing. I don't mind win 10 at all but then I've been using win 7, win 8.1 and win 10 on various computers at home and at work. It pretty much doesn't matter what system I use anymore, although win 8.1 is my least favorite. I did install Spybot anti-beacon to try and cut down on win 10 phoning home but ultimately MS will probably win in the long run and harvest all my data.

Bruce

[BigGoofyGuy]

I heard people say that about Win 98.


I upgraded from Win 8.1 to Win 10. I had to re-install the wireless printer three times since - for some reason - stopped working. It is frustrating. I really liked Win 7.

[Camp4Life]

Me and my wife have been using Windows 10 on both our laptops and our PC since it came out. No problems so far! But then again, most of the time I'm using Linux (Ubuntu Gnome) on my laptop because I can boot into both. Linux just runs faster and keep the laptop cooler. I also do all my sketchup designs on it.

[cheri832]

I just went to Linux Mint Rosa on my notebook and netbook yesterday. Netbook did beautifully...but I've lost wifi on the notebook. Guess I'll be reading for a couple weeks on that forum now until I find an answer, but omg the difference in operating filesize and speed...and stability. I can learn a new system for that.

[halfdome, Danny]

Well... it looks like Microsoft has screwed up things again.
A couple days ago my computer went through a huge involuntary update for Windows 10.
It took over a half hour to complete with several restarts all on it's own.
Now my search bar, next to start, is gone replaced with "Ask Me Anything".
I use to search for stuff in my P.C. there and now that has been eliminated.
It appears to be that dumb *%# Cortana program lurking in the background.
I disabled as much as I could but it still is there to annoy me.
Danny

[jstrubberg]

http://www.howtogeek.com/220723/how-to- ... -7-or-8.1/

It's just a couple of clicks to go back. Microsoft has extended support of Windows 7 through 2020.

[Philip]

http://www.howtogeek.com/220723/how-to-uninstall-windows-10-and-downgrade-to-windows-7-or-8.1/

It's just a couple of clicks to go back. Microsoft has extended support of Windows 7 through 2020.

M/S stated that a couple of years ago. I have a lap top with windows 8. I hate it. The only time I use that laptop is on the road. I built my desk top about a year after the wife bought the laptop. I installed windows 7 Pro in the desk top. Windows 10 doesn't have anything I am going to deal with.

[BigGoofyGuy]

http://www.howtogeek.com/220723/how-to-uninstall-windows-10-and-downgrade-to-windows-7-or-8.1/

It's just a couple of clicks to go back. Microsoft has extended support of Windows 7 through 2020.

I just bought a digital download of Win 7 with authentication code from Game Cheap. I have an older laptop that I will try it on.

I have an Acer laptop with Win 8.1. It is really slow and frustrating. It would be neat to switch to either Win 7 or ReactOS.

[daveesl77]

Once again, unless you have a very specific Windoze required product, why not switch to a Linux variant? Something like Lubuntu will make an old computer run well, Gnome Mate will run great on almost anything else. Zorin can be set up to look and act very similar to Win 7, XP or 10. Adding WINE to Linux allows it to run about 80+% of all Windows programs. Linux installs normally in about 30 minutes, pretty much has all drivers ready to go and doesn't force you to do things. It is extremely secure and you no longer have to be a 1990s era geek to run it. Virus infection, while possible, is unlikely. Things just work and it is fast.

Also, read that fine print in your Win 10 EULA, the part about your giving M$ access to everything on your computer. This isn't "tin-foil hat conspiracy", this is actually in the EULA.

This is a quote from the Windows 10 EULA, and this is only the tip of the iceberg...
"Finally, we will access, disclose and preserve personal data, including your content (such as the content of your emails, other private communications or files in private folders), when we have a good faith belief that doing so is necessary."

dave

[MtnDon]

Dave did you find that in an actual agreement form or did you read it in a blog, a forum, an anti-MS site someplace?

Here are a couple of links, one to a MS site and the other to a well known computer info site. and theMS privacy statement. i have not found those words so I wonder where they came from? Thanks for helping to clear up the confusion.

[MtnDon]

Now my search bar, next to start, is gone replaced with "Ask Me Anything".

When I type something, like a file name, folder name, in that space it searches and finds the location of it on my computer. ???

[Philip]

Dave did you find that in an actual agreement form or did you read it in a blog, a forum, an anti-MS site someplace?

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/hel ... fact-sheet

That's the page I used when I decided to go with windows 7 on my computer build.

[daveesl77]

Directly from Microsoft and remember, the devil is in the details. Follow the various links and you'll see how deep into your private data MS goes. This includes them deciding whether or not they should inform law enforcement or other government entities, if THEY decide something isn't right on your side. Not quite sure I like the idea of some corporation making decisions on whether something I do or do not do online should be reported to some govt agency or other 3rd party for that matter. It is one of those things that sounds ok at first, but this creates a slippery slope. The actual legalese is hidden scores of pages deep in the EULA.

Oh, so you don't want that intrusion into your system, too bad, MS does automatic updates and has back-drafted similar rules and actions now into 7, 8 and 8.1. You did not even know they did it, because they stuck it into an "urgent" update series, beginning back in the spring of 2016, that for most people were automatically installed by MS, without the client knowing it happened or given a chance to say "no". If you remove the "updates" and there are numerous hoops you have to jump through, you better make sure all auto updates are turned off, as they will just install again. So which ones are the bad ones and which ones aren't? Unfortunately, MS doesn't tell us that info.

https://privacy.microsoft.com/en-us/privacystatement/

So, for my system, I run Linux Mint, then Virtualbox which runs either another version of Linux in an immutable mode or a version of Win 7 (I have a couple of video editing programs that require it), but the Win 7 does not get updates and it too is in an immutable state. I even have an XP virtual machine, but it isn't even connected to the network at all, so I don't worry about any virus from that. Immutable means that when I shut down the virtual machine, any and all changes that happened during the session disappear and the virtual operating system reverts back to its original pristine condition.

dave

[Camp4Life]

Privacy concerns over Microsoft are nothing. If you've use any Google product in the last 10 years, they've been harvesting your information. If you have a GMail account, they scan through all your e-mails. Same with Google Docs, Facebook, Twitter, Yahoo, Apple etc etc. And most websites use tracking cookies to see how you're surfing. This is nothing new. Doing a quick search on the internet, or going through the Windows settings, you can find how to disable all the telemetry collection and stop them from collecting data, most other products and services don't give you this option. Besides, what MS is collecting is telemetry, not personal data.

If you want 100% privacy, the only way to do it is to install an OS on a computer, and NEVER connect it to the internet, ever.

For someone wanting to get away from Windows, I highly suggest Ubuntu Gnome, or like someone else mentioned, Mint.

Personally, I like the new anniversary update that came out recently, as well as all the new features it brought. Since I own a Windows phone, it became even better. When I'm at home and my cell phone is connected to my WiFi, my text messages also show up as notifications on my computer, so I can read and reply to text messages right from my laptop