Windows 10

Things that are too good to be true, are cheaper by the dozen

 

The whole Windows 10 is free for a year was for a reason. They just want a monopoly to control the market , what is delivered on their OS and how it is developed. Sad truth is that there are not many ways around it.

 

That's what makes the choice so easy, don't run Windows 10.

Get out of the way of the whole mess. Don't step in it, and you won't get tainted by the mess.

It's as simple as that.

Windows 10 has nothing I need over what I have on Windows 7/8.1.

So why run Windows 10? Just because MS is giving it away for free?

Even as a Kid I knew not to take Free Candy from someone I didn't trust.



I can do without that Candy, and enjoy the Candy I already have.

As I grew, and gained experience, I learned how to spot the Free Candy scams from miles away.



And I learned to resist being curious enough to avoid stepping into them before I really knew what I was getting in to by committing even a small amount of time to them.

It's much easier to avoid the swamp full of alligators than it is to back out of it once they make themselves known.

Don't get into the Microsoft Free OS Van, nothing free is worth that abuse.

 

Spoiler: OK

 

Sorry you are on the wrong end of that losing situation, and good luck finally figuring it out. Really.

What Microsoft is counting on is people not watching out for themselves, and not paying attention to what they are getting themselves into, before it is too late.

 

Yeah man, its always BLACK AND WHITE. OR 0 AND 1 OR Right AND WRONG.

Its simple for people or a firm to drop an OS and move on to... wait what? They love loosing $'s, people love loosing freelance work time, im sure you will be feeding them once they drop what they are doing and join the crusade.

Im never saying W10 is good, or what Microsoft is doing is right, but 90% of the people cant just drop an OS and move on.

Enough with the holier than thou attitude.

Wait let me give you an example in the "Game" development industry, give me one open source tool which works on Linux/Unix and lets you do production level work like Adobe Photoshop or After Effects. I can add 10 more software's to this list that are optimized for W8.1 and W10 systems, and Adobe refuses to give you support if you are on anything else.

Oh wait, then there is the whole Quadro BS, where NVIDIA wont support software devs if they are not running Quadro's. Which in turn then turns into the Software devs not supporting the studios if they are not running Quadros. See what happened there? Best option, lets just drop quadros and if we have issues in the middle of an multi million dollar project, get our asses screwed over.

Just going to add you to the ignore list, had enough of this BS.

 

"Just going to add you to the ignore list, had enough of this BS."


You don't want to face the facts of an uncomfortable reality, I understand, I've been there, it's not fun.

Cutting your losses once you realize you have made a terrible mistake is better than digging yourself deeper into the pit of despair. Don't throw good money after bad.

You're driving yourself to distraction trying to figure a way out, when the maze has been constructed to keep you in. Step out of that maze and stop playing the losing game.

I learned how to step aside and not get sucked in to the messes as they presented themselves to me.

"The only winning move is not to play." - Joshua

Sorry man, I can't buy your DX12 UWC games on PC, it's just not going to happen, at least not until Windows 10 and UWC has cleaned up and plays a straight game.

 

The problem with ignoring W10 is that almost all new systems have it. The other issue is in the end there is the desire to change things from the inside. So far this has not worked out so well though.

 

Yeah, the "Bull in the China Shop" knows how to change things quickly from the inside, but after the clean up, it's business as usual.

That's why it is working for MS, most people "can't avoid Windows 10" unless they put some unexpected effort into avoiding it.

People don't like unexpected effort

People are trained to want it breezy and easy. That makes it easy for MS to lay out the path to their enslavement, make it the path with the least effort and discomfort, while promising the most fun and benefit.

MS doesn't need to deliver on the fun and benefit, they only need to herd users into a position they can't get out of without some small effort. Then they think they are "trapped", and "have no choice" but to continue making the same bad decisions.

Looking from the outside in, it's obvious there are plenty of choices.

Such deception is a long standing very effective tool, and MS is using all the tricks of the trade, to lead people where they can be controlled and used.

Don't run Windows 10. Don't play MS's game.

I'm not ignoring Windows 10, I am limiting my involvement with it to the bare requirements of necessity until they clean it up.

 

A possible extension of what you have said is that the "business as usual" part would never come. They won't actively clean up. Instead, user perception will change. Today's minor inconvenience will become tomorrow's norm. The china fragments are just lying on the ground now.

The big question is not how they can get the herd into the pen (they will get it done one way or another, now or sometime later), but how they can benefit from the work once it's done. How will phase 2 carry out?

 

I think for now, getting people locked in while collecting a comprehensive base of "telemetry" so MS and friends can "improve the Windows Experience" is enough.

Once people are locked in, what are they gonna do?

Admit to themselves they "stepped in it" and now have a problem to solve, back out quickly and quietly from Windows 10, spend the time and $$$ to de-10nize themselves.

For every other continuing victim of Windows 10, MS and friends can dream up anything they like. They have a signed agreement to allow them to do what they want whenever they want, without telling you.

We may never know

 

Can you return the new laptop and buy a business model that comes with Win 7 (or downgrade rights), and support for Win 7? That would be the simplest solution.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

Nope, too late to return it. That's what happens when you're not in a hurry to use something. By time I set it up and found out about the driver situation, it was past my return window. I will figure something out.

 

Depending on the laptop BIOS a simple downgrade to Windows 7 may not even work. This has been a problem since Windows 8. Some of the cheap consumer garbage has no CSM support option and downgrading to Windows 7 isn't even possible without firmware mods to unlock the good stuff many of the OEMs are hiding from their customers. Most of the OEMs are butt-kissing whipped yes men that do whatever their Dark Lord, Micro$loth, commandeth them.

 

I guess microsoft will never stop to surprise us. In a classic ms way of course:
when updating newly downgraded to 10 OS I saw... that it is downloading 2 different drivers for the same GPU! WTF it downloads 2015 and 2016 drivers of one poor Nvidia GPU is a mystery. And of course they don't let us ignore some specific updates, no way, only all together. I have to wait and see what happens next.

 

Only wish that OSx wasn't such a waste of an OS for serious heavy duty production work, Microsoft would be actually inclined to improve the OS instead of going after numbers.

 

Yup, just like NVIDIA and AMD... no incentive to be awesome when your only major competitor sucks at what they do.

 

Another problem is the tight hold that they have a the average consumer in the market. People like us are capable of making out choice and move to slightly complex environments like Linux, but for the average person, it can be rather overwhelming. At times i feel that its worse than it is with NVIDIA/AMD/INTEL business. At least they are not controlling our every click.

 

The problem is they completely overreacted to the whole "death of the PC" hype that was everywhere and totally changed course. They changed their leadership, their focus, their policies and completely panicked.

They panicked so much that they took Windows so far away from what it was and what it was supposed to be that they can never get it back now. They can try to make it look a little more familiar but the deeper changes are entrenched at this point. Same thing with their philosophy or mentality towards things. They completely changed course as to what kind of company they are and how they would generate revenue.

I think in the next 10 years they will be IBM. Software, services and enterprise. They will be out of the consumer space and it's because they believed the hype and overreacted in addition to deciding to embrace the things they used to condemn. That's why the had to stop their "Don't be Evil" campaign against Google. They were now doing the same things and ruining their OS at the same time.

 

True, part of this whole W10 issue is because of the world moving towards unification of devices and basing everything on one platform/ecosystem. A La a better apple, but in reality, not so much.

 

It didn't help that MS tanked the entire mobile handset Windows market several times over the years, caught and slaughtered the world's most successful phone handset company, and now even the "Surface" isn't selling in large enough quantities to help their numbers.

@Awhispersecho 's on to something, maybe MS needs to have a "Classic Coke vs New Coke" moment, re-release Windows 7, and start desktop Windows innovation and development from that point again, ignoring all that mobile touch crap.

Wouldn't that be awesome, Windows Classic, "Back to Good, Honest, Windows"

 

Windows Mobile 6.5 Was great, I loved that OS on my HTC HD2! Too bad they had to base their new desktop OS's to be like windows phone 7

 

Yeah, that's what initially had me most worried for desktop Windows, basing the desktop OS on the GUI path of the Windows Mobile interface, it seemed "bass ackwards" at the time.

Windows Mobile was awesome, so many apps and tweaks. Slide out full keyboard, "huge screen".

Heck, MS please bring back "Classic Windows Mobile" too!!

MS couldn't possibly sell less phones with "Classic Windows Mobile" than they are now

 

Update: Posted Tim Sweeny's original plea to developers about Windows 10 Store, UWP, and DX12, here's my updated plan as a user:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/thr...ts-bad-for-gaming.794291/page-2#post-10302675

 

I think Microsoft is just trying to imitate Google. Sucking up user data for profit, even if they don't know how to make money from it yet. They look incompetent.

At least Google had a plan to show ads based on that data. I don't think Microsoft has any idea what they'll use it for, but they need to jump on the "screw the consumer privacy" bandwagon that seems to be all the rage. A la Facebook, Twitter etc.

P.S. what the hell is up with Windows 10 Settings and Control Panel being separated. It pisses me off.

 

What Microsoft is taking away from Windows 10 in the Anniversary Update
http://www.pcworld.com/article/3093...rom-windows-10-in-the-anniversary-update.html

"Microsoft is playing hardball when it comes to Cortana. In previous builds of Windows 10, if you didn’t like Cortana you could opt to use a plain vanilla search option instead. But with the Anniversary Update the option to turn off Cortana and only use search is gone.

Microsoft confirmed to PCWorld that the plain search option is gone and that Cortana is your only choice.

If you don't like that, Microsoft points out you can remove the Cortana text entry box from the taskbar. We've also got a few tips for anyone who wants to keep Cortana, but limit how much information it can assimilate about you.

Nevertheless, making Cortana mandatory is an aggressive move by Microsoft and likely won’t sit well with the more privacy-conscious users—at least those who haven’t already switched to Linux."

And, while there are other interesting changes, Cortana is one of the situations I have been warning about.

Microsoft can turn off and on anything they want. You thought you had control over Cortana, now you don't.

Can you hack it off? Unknown. But even if you can in this patch, there will be patch after patch to end your ability to disable monitoring through Cortana.

It's a bad idea to trust that MS will get better, they always get worse unless sued or challenged by the courts, and even then the effect is temporary. Here we are again.

The only thing we can do is to not run Windows 10, dump it, run Windows 7/8.1, Linux, whatever, and not contribute to MS pushing this crap on us.

 

*facepalm*
Oh how I wish T100TA had a proper Linux support, because I don't know for how long I will be able to tolerate MS' stupidity...

 

forcing of Cortana is outrageous!

 

It's a bad idea to trust that MS will get better.

 

The Aug 2 "Anniversary update will complete the lock-in of Bing/Cortana for all search, including searches on your local computer storage and 3rd party network storage.

Started from a previous MS Windows 10 Update:

Microsoft just locked people out of using Google with a key part of Windows 10
http://www.businessinsider.com/microsoft-disables-google-chrome-firefox-cortana-windows-10-2016-4

"Every copy of Windows 10 comes with Cortana, Microsoft's virtual assistant.

By default, Cortana opens links in the Microsoft Edge browser and performs searches using the Microsoft Bing search engine. It's a pretty shrewd bit of corporate synergy that's driving Bing to new heights.

But that was just the default setting. With the help of some third-party tools and a minimum of fuss, you could change Cortana's browser to Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox, and Cortana's search engine to whatever you want, usually Google.

But not anymore.

Microsoft announced on Thursday in a blog post that Cortana will now be locked into Edge and Bing, shutting out those alternative tools."


Microsoft will now force you to use its favorite Windows 10 feature, whether you like it or not
http://www.businessinsider.com/microsoft-disable-cortana-in-windows-10-2016-7?r=UK&IR=T

"Now, Microsoft is removing the option. Once the update hits, if you want to search your own computer, you're using Cortana. And unless you're using Windows 10 at work, there's no way to turn down the Anniversary Update or any other Windows update."
...
"Here's what a Microsoft spokesperson tells us:

With the Windows 10 Anniversary Update, the search box is now Cortana. Customers can expect the same great search experience powered by Bing and Microsoft Edge with the added benefit of Cortana’s personality.

We know consumers want choice and we make it easy to customize Cortana’s personalization or opt-out of Cortana’s suite of personalized services.

Cortana works best when you sign in, but if you choose not to, you can still use her to chat, search the web and your Windows device. If you like, you can also easily hide Cortana and the search box in the taskbar altogether."

 

... And at the same time they don't bother even to tell how much actual size left to download windows updates. I just have to be in the dark about how long it will download updates. Y??!

P.S. I have already forgot about how bold their moves are and now again recalled it only because updating home laptops to 10 "just in case". Looks like there will be no such case in the next 3 years.

 

You can't turn off Cortana in the Windows 10 Anniversary Update
...but you can lessen her awareness.
http://www.pcworld.com/article/3100...ana-in-the-windows-10-anniversary-update.html
...
More stuff to do to disable Windows 10 features that will likely disappear in a future update.
...
"Of course, another alternative is to dump Windows 10 altogether and switch to Linux. That’s certainly a valid alternative—as commenters on this article will no doubt mention before long. PCWorld's guide to the best Linux distros for beginners and Windows XP refugees can help get you up to speed if you decide to opt for that drastic solution."

Why aren't they giving advice to return to Windows 7/8.1??

Linux is great, but not as well supported for gaming, and many other applications.

More tweaking help...

You will use Cortana, Microsoft says
http://www.ghacks.net/2016/07/26/you-will-use-cortana-says-microsoft/

 

I may need to find a way with my Nextbook to install from a USB flash drive as there is only a USB port. I am not sure with its UEFI bios if the USB is even bootable.

 

@Mr. Fox @hmscott @Phoenix @toughasnails +++
Lovely move? This is Only the start/beginning of more Crippling!!

Windows 10 Version 1607 driver signing changes <Microsoft notes that the change is done to make Windows more secure for end-users.>
http://www.ghacks.net/2016/07/28/windows-10-version-1607-driver-signing-changes/

Microsoft removes policies from Windows 10 Pro <The changes take away functionality that was previously a part of the Windows 10 Pro edition.>
http://www.ghacks.net/2016/07/28/microsoft-removes-policies-windows-10-pro/

I realy hate the Redmond Morons!!

 

The driver signing does not concern us if we do not use Secure Boot, which we shouldn't anyway

Windows 10 just keeps getting better eh? Driver signing, deep integration of the Cortana Virus into the OS which can't be disabled (at least by normal methods) , and more to come.

Soon they will have virtual Windows 10 ads in your kitchen and living room.

 

<The driver signing does not concern us if we do not use Secure Boot, which we shouldn't anyway>
It's not about this bro. The direction these fools have chosen!! Although this does not concern us.... This Os junk will be a living hell!!

 

Wow, the orwellian crap is growing exponentially, Digital Genocide has begun !!

Absolutely, And If one needs the WinX then they must use it with caution and use a DISM tool to remove the shiz from the ISO / WIM image and then make it clean

We can remove it from the MSMG toolkit but I doubt it now (Have to check with MDL), Previously the Xbox live & the framework could be removed but post TH2 It wasn't possible.

If it comes to use X I'll just use the KMS based hack and get off with Enterprise (done by most of power users already), **** you M$ for your B$ keep it for yourselves.
Who knows with the License they might be snooping on X infected machines with the permanent activated crap linked to machine...

So much aggression WTF are they thinking !!!
With more people plundering towards the Anniversary B$ M$ will reap more info and sell it to XX corporations and bend the users with stupidity and impose limitations, I guess this won't get any better soon, Unless there's a huge backlash, What to do I don't know from this point, we can't use the older OSes for a long time because of the Ngreedia / M$ / Intel collective greed coupled with isheeple.

Damn that CEO needs to go, no improvement at all and worst release ever, huge regression !!

 

I think all that are concerned about privacy should deinstall W10 with the anniversary update. At least if it is a dual boot only use the other OS. If M$ saw a 10% market share loss in the W10 column and subsequent increases to other OS's else where it may finally worry them. Just wishful thinking here.

 

Remember I wrote about frustrating with Win10 update? Imagine this: after you launched Update and while downloading updates... your computer can go into Sleep. You may in a hurry wait when this 15XX unknown sized build update will finally download itself so that you could go shutdown OS and make an Acronis backup of it but it can calmly take a nap after 20 minutes and you won't even notice.
Also I like when Update window just shuts itself whenever it feels comfortable to do so. For "why not" the reason.

P.S. I still hate when Win10 set FastBoot ON by default. It's NOT actual Shutdown! It should be OFF or at least be one of those pre-launch options while installing Windows! I took the hard drive out and it was unmounted when connected to my main PC with eSATA cord.

 

In my professional opinion, the only civilized solution is for Micro$loth to...

Spoiler: Solution

 

Looks like you can disable Cortana in the anniversary update as well. For what it's worth..

http://m.windowscentral.com/you-can-disable-cortana-windows-10

 

I used every hack/tweak in the book to make Windows 10 bearable. That's the final straw for me! I'm done with 10. Downgrading to 8, in fact I'm downloading the ISO as I write this. Not that Windows 8 is amazing, it's just better than this filth.

Microsh*t logic:
1- WE DEFINITELY KNOW WHAT IS BEST FOR YOU. Better Than You Do.
2- Having a problem with our product? too bad, we tested it and it is perfectly perfect. The issue must be from your computer or in your head.
3- OBEY US PEASANTS!!!

 

I know its a little off topic, but this is how I customized my HD2..... http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=740832

 

Now *that*'s the way to set up Windows Mobile 6.5!!

 

MS all over the map on their choices, decisions, and reasoning as usual, with some interesting comments on why they disabled Cortana in the new Windows 10 Education SKU's, and the status of enabling/disabling many things in the Anniversary Edition Patch Aug 2nd Edition.

Lots of links and info in this article.

Microsoft to add new Windows 10 Pro Education edition to its line-up
Microsoft is adding a new Windows 10 variant to its Anniversary Update line-up and temporarily disabling Cortana in its new and existing Education SKUs. Here's why.
http://www.zdnet.com/article/microsoft-to-add-new-windows-10-pro-education-version-to-its-line-up/
...
"Back to Windows 10 Pro Education. The Technet article, entitled "Manage Windows 10 and Windows Store tips, tricks, and suggestions," lists features that are "manageable" -- meaning that can be turned on or off by users, or which are disabled completely -- in Windows 10 version 1607, the Anniversary Update.

Cortana is off by default and currently cannot be enabled in either of the Windows 10 Education SKUs. In Windows 10 Enterprise SKUs, Cortana is on by default but can be disabled. I asked Microsoft why Cortana was disabled in the Education SKUs and whether the ban was permanent.

The "why" part of my question seems to involve the desire/requirement to protect students from possible exposure to sponsored/advertising content and possibly inappropriate material on the Internet. As to the "when" piece, a spokesperson gave me the following statement:

"While we have no timing to share, we are very committed to Cortana and are exploring how to bring the feature back that makes sense in an educational setting."

The TechNet article itemizes other settings in the Anniversary Update that are user-manageable and not, including Spotlight, Start Menu app suggestions, Windows tips, and Microsoft Account notifications."

 

"Oh my God!!" I thought when I read your post about driver signing and thought that my modified GPU drivers (which are a necessity) would be blocked / stop working with my laptop! I then read the exceptions and realised that my laptop falls into more than just one exception on that list (point number 1&2):

1. PCs upgraded to Windows 10 Build 1607 from a previous version of Windows (for instance Windows 10 version 1511) are not affected by the change.
2. PCs without Secure Boot functionality, or Secure Boot off, are not affected either.
3. All drivers signed with cross-signing certificates that were issued prior to July 29, 2015 will continue to work.
4. Boot drivers won't be blocked to prevent systems from failing to boot. They will be removed by the Program Compatibility Assistant however.
5. The change affects only Windows 10 Version 1607. All previous versions of Windows are not affected.

I have a certain degree of confidence (?) that if they do tighten up those restrictions further that point number 1&2 above will still be on the exception list - he says!

 

You know, for all the bashing that goes on here...

@Mr. Fox and @Papusan, how come you guys are running Windows 10 while despising it? I mean, I see your benchmarks on the Time Spy thread, which are obviously done with Windows 10...

I saw the annoying GWX that couldn't be disabled or removed whatsoever from the task-bar, which was immediately the last straw for me. With a simple Registry key change and GPEdit tweak, as well as clearing up the Windows installer files, and deleting the KB3035583 update (I memorised that number), I rebooted and was done. The icon was gone, the notification was gone, the Windows Update change was gone. No more GWX, no more annoyance, just simple, pure Windows.

For my next computer, whether it is a notebook or a desktop, I have a spare key for Windows 8.1 Pro.

Now I realise why the Singapore Army uses Windows XP, locked down and isolated from any public internet access for its battle systems. Reliable, gets the job done and simple.

 

You can also add the fact that a lot of people complain about telemetry in Windows 10, which is a very valid point, but still continue to use Google, Facebook, etc. which are even worse...

 

Microsoft is very much intrusive and removing choices by every iteration and every feature set in almost every product, I think google is more of trasparency vs ms and they don't block us out of choices, never noticed any regression with Google products, but same cannot be said for this filthy micro$lop.

Plus the enemy is the corporate$, It's US vs Them.