Windows 10

[Howell]

Yes, when you click the link you get the previous ability to pick recommended or optional updates. Look closely for the link.

 

[Stereodude]

Yes, when you click the link you get the previous ability to pick recommended or optional updates. Look closely for the link.

Yes, I saw that. I checked the box for that update I wanted. Then when I clicked next it took me right back to the "get started" installing Win 10 screen without installing anything. Now from the file size we might guess that clicking "Get started" might only install the selected update, but it's certainly not clear...

 

[Howell]

I have assumed that "get started" installed the W10 update; I had a different button when I clicked through. Something more expected like "install selected updates".

 

[Tea]

I have forgotten the details already, but I too had trouble at that screen. I clicked "more info" and the bloody thing started the install without my say-so. Several reboots later, I still couldn't get it to stop. I had to Google for an answer. Bastards.

 

[Tea]

Without scrolling back through the whole thread, do we have a consensus yet about a simple, comprehensive Windows 10 privacy fix broadly similar to the Win7/8 script linked to by Mubs earlier?

 

[Mercutio]

Fix? Not really. There are tools that concentrate controls for the obnoxious stuff in one place though.

 

[mubs]

Crap. After this Tuesday's patches, which I updated just now, I have a "Upgrade to Windows 10" on the Windows Update screen (which the reboot automagically went to) with a "Get Started Button". So it looks like the script that disabled it was circumvented by MS.

Grrrrrrrrr. Why can't they get it into their thick skull that some people DON'T want their latest shit? There's no option there to say no either.

EDIT: I clicked on show all updates, and it showed this one under Optional Updates. I right clicked and asked it to hide it. For now it does not show up. Thank heavens.

 

[Tea]

Thanks merc.

 

[snowhiker]

We need another script/fix/patch for this Tuesday's update. I think I'll hold off updating a bit.

 

[Chewy509]

In relation to the Windows Update - Get Windows 10 item... Here is a corresponding /. article: http://tech.slashdot.org/story/15/10/15/2210224/windows-10-upgrades-are-being-forced-on-some-users

Funny reading... Also to note: Some users have found that the Windows 10 update via Windows Update whilst marked under "optional" is by default enabled/ticked and is being installed as part of the normal update process.

Also, I'm surprised it hasn't been mentioned: As of build 10565, Ads (for recommended/suggested applications) may be shown in the Start Menu depending on user preferences. (Hint: the default is to enable the behaviour).

Source: http://betanews.com/2015/10/15/microsoft-now-uses-windows-10s-start-menu-to-display-ads/

 

[mubs]

We need another script/fix/patch for this Tuesday's update. I think I'll hold off updating a bit.

No need to wait. See below.

Funny reading... Also to note: Some users have found that the Windows 10 update via Windows Update whilst marked under "optional" is by default enabled/ticked and is being installed as part of the normal update process.

This is what happened to me too. What saved me was that my Windows Update settings are set to "Check for updates, but don't download or install them". This allows me to inspect what was offered.

What happened with me was that the Windows 10 Upgrade did not show; I selected what I wanted, did the install and rebooted. Upon rebooting, the system went directly to the Windows Update screen where the Windows 10 Upgrade showed on the main screen. It wasn't in the important updates, but was in the optional updates and was checked. I unchecked it, right clicked it and hid it.

So far, all is well.

 

[Mercutio]

Some people in my office are saying they upgraded their home computers over the weekend, but not voluntarily. They basically got a message that said "When you next restart, you're going to start installing Windows 10." These are Windows 7 Pro machines and I do believe the people using them are computer savvy enough that they wouldn't initiate an install they didn't intend to, so that's REALLY surprising behavior if it's really happening.

I'm moderately terrified of the chaos that would come from some of my customers' individual workstations suddenly decided it's time to start the upgrade process. Especially if there's no real way to back out of it.

 

[snowhiker]

Win7 has a new "fun" feature: w10-Wack-O-Mole. Every patch-day you wack your computer with various scripts and .BAT files to prevent w10 from installing on your computer. Fun.

But seriously...if one runs the scripts/bat files posted above are you "safe" from the w10 virus being installed on your machine?

 

[timwhit]

It's amazing what people will put up with.

 

[Howell]

There was an optional update that was
accidentally pushed out as mandatory and then corrected. If a machine received the bad one would it queue up even if the checked one had been released before installation time?

 

[Tea]

^ So they say. And the dog ate my homework too.

 

[Mercutio]

It's amazing what people will put up with.

OSX is going through user space bullshit right now as well. They've disabled root access (without going in to single user mode to disable the package that keeps users out of it), so users with lots of shell mods and UI customizations are hosed. Many people think the ultimate goal is to move OSX to the same basic app store model as iOS.
And Desktop Linux still has the hilarious fun of underperforming proprietary driver blobs, app repositories, dependencies and inconsistent UIs. Most of the folks who work on Linux day in and day out can't be bothered to care, because a fantastic chunk of their time is spent in an xterm or using a text editor anyway.

I actually like Windows 10 well enough, but if someone put me in front of any contemporary OS other than iOS, I'd probably be fine. I do sympathize with you guys who don't want to switch from Windows 7 or 8 but at the same time I also know there's going to be non-stop whining from the peanut gallery in August of 2016 when the free upgrade program is most likely going to be ended.

 

[sedrosken]

Given some time to really use it I've come to appreciate its rock-solid stability. The photos app still takes forever to start and run, but once it runs, it's running perfectly fine now, although I continue to use IrfanView for personal preference and speed reasons. I don't like the spying that seems to have all been turned back on but then again what modern electronic doesn't spy on you at least a little bit? I can't seem to find any tool that will disable it indefinitely so I have simply given up and left it alone.

 

[snowhiker]

tl;dr
Install KB3065987 and use policy editor?
or
Let script uninstall KB3065987 and forget policy editor?

~~~~~

My HTPC runs Win 7 x86. It has now gotten to the state where it's going to automatically install Windows 10 as part of Windows Update without me doing anything, or asking for it. Time to run one of those scripts.

Edit: I used this one and had to do this too.

I finally got around to doing this. I'm a bit confused regarding your "this too" second step. The first step of your "this too" page is to install a the Windows 7 or 8.1 patch. The win7 patch is on this page which is the download page for KB3065987 but this KB update is one of the updates that is removed by the script you ran? Mubs script also removes this KB update.

:scratch::scratch::scratch:

Did you install KB3065987?

Should the scripts be amended to allow KB3065987 in order for the policy editor to offer the: "Turn off the upgrade to the latest version of Windows through Windows Update" option?



Soooooo........should I:

Install KB3065987 and edit policy editor?
or
Let script uninstall KB3065987 and forget policy editor?

 

[Howell]

Not having done any of the fixes, I would expect using policy editor to be less swimming against the current.

 

[Stereodude]

I finally got around to doing this. I'm a bit confused regarding your "this too" second step. The first step of your "this too" page is to install a the Windows 7 or 8.1 patch. The win7 patch is on this page which is the download page for KB3065987 but this KB update is one of the updates that is removed by the script you ran? Mubs script also removes this KB update.

:scratch::scratch::scratch:

Did you install KB3065987?

Should the scripts be amended to allow KB3065987 in order for the policy editor to offer the: "Turn off the upgrade to the latest version of Windows through Windows Update" option?



Soooooo........should I:

Install KB3065987 and edit policy editor?
or
Let script uninstall KB3065987 and forget policy editor?

I didn't realize that the update in the 2nd link was one of the updates the script removed. So yes, I ran the script to uninstall the bunch of updates and then installed 3065987 so I could then add the key to the registry to stop Windows 7 from updating itself.

 

[Bozo]

I used gpedit to turn off automatic updates. Now I must manually run windows update.

 

[snowhiker]

I used gpedit to turn off automatic updates. Now I must manually run windows update.

I've always done this since Win98se. Do not check for or download updates. Ever. I can manually check once-week, thank you.

Seems some of the updates that are removed by the script show, and then hidden, show up again under optional updates. Have to check against the list and uncheck/hide them every time.

 

[time]

About to order a new laptop. Windows 10 Pro or Windows 7 Pro: what's the verdict?

 

[Tea]

8.1 Pro is the pick of them. Significantly faster than 7 and it isn't 10. User interface is better than either, assuming only that you install Classic Shell and (if you wish) two or three other refinements. My choices include the excellent Free Launch Bar, Metapad, and Explorer++ but please yourself.

 

[Mercutio]

The one knock I have with Windows 8.1 (and Server 2012r2) is that it still has the Charms bar. The Charms bar blows.
Honestly, I think I'd take Windows 8.1 as a starting point, but at least complete the upgrade to 10 so you can have it in the future if you some day want it.

From a speed/UI/features standpoint, 10 isn't THAT interesting. I like it a little better than 8.1 but it really is 6 of one, half a dozen of the other in almost every meaningful way.

 

[Tea]

What is the Charms Bar?

Do you need help setting up your Classic Shell? It's only three clicks you know.

 

[Howell]

Right click on the windows button is what made all my frustration with 8 go away. I hope they kept that in 10.

 

[CougTek]

Yes, they did.

 

[Tea]

What is the "windows button"? Do you mean the start button? Or something else? And if the former, what does right-clicking on it do? (I have never used (and never intend to use) a Win 8.x system without a proper shell, except for long enough to fix that lack - i.e., 20 seconds.)

 

[Tea]

Just for clarity:

What is the Charms Bar?

^ Rhetorical question.

What is the "windows button"?

^ Genuine question.

 

[Mercutio]

One suspects the "Windows Button" is the button with the Windows symbol on it that Windows commonly links to the Windows keys on a 104 key keyboard. While right-clicking on it does helpful things, I like the very easy functionality available from Win-X instead, as all the keyboard shortcuts therein are committed to muscle memory at this point. In fact, NOT having Win-X makes using Windows 7 a drag.

The Charms bar is the stupid thing that gets in the way when your mouse pointer happens to come to rest along the right edge of a screen. I'm left handed and vision in my left eye is vastly better than my right, so I tend to array my screens from left to right. As I switch between screens, I accidentally bring up the charms bar a lot.

 

[Tea]

One suspects the "Windows Button" is the button with the Windows symbol on it that Windows commonly links to the Windows keys on a 104 key keyboard.

Are we talking about the start button? I can't imagine what else you could mean. It's been called the start button for the last 20 years. Has it suddenly got a different name now?

(Tannin asks me to mention that he hasn't used a bloody Windows key on a keyboard. Ever. He would rather wear spangled lycra and watch the shopping channel. The poxy things messed up the perfection of a 101 keyboard; made the space bar smaller, made it harder to find the control and alt keys by touch, does bad things to his blood pressure, and ruined his marriage. I suspect that he is exaggerating on that last point.)

The Charms Bar is the second thing I get rid of on any Win 8.x system. It never gets in the way if your PC is setup right. (See image below.) Takes three clicks.

 

[Howell]

Right click on the windows button is what made all my frustration with 8 go away. I hope they kept that in 10.

Cool.
The next best setting was changing the default first screen that pops up when hitting the windows key from tiles to apps.

I'll have to look into win X.

 

[Mercutio]

I was tearing my hair out over this one. After getting a batch of new Gigabyte H81N-based PCs that would install 8.1 fine but not take a Windows 10 upgrade, failing with error code C1900101-20017. I thought it might've been some combination of UEFI/Legacy boot settings or just a shipment of bad hardware. Nope. It was just the F3 firmware revision. F2 worked fine. F5 worked fine. Just not F3. It's been ages and ages since I've had a BIOS update fix a system that would actually boot and run.

 

[Mercutio]

Apparently, the first major update for Windows 10 will add support for directly installing from a Windows 7+ product key using Windows 10 media. Which is how it should have worked all along.

 

[mubs]

I read somewhere that Win 7 is getting another 2 years of support (good for me). I wonder if I should upgrade from 7 to 8.1 for two reasons: longer support, and some of you here saying it's much faster than 7.

 

[blakerwry]

I didn't care for 8. Personally, I'd skip it.

 

[Mercutio]

I read somewhere that Win 7 is getting another 2 years of support (good for me). I wonder if I should upgrade from 7 to 8.1 for two reasons: longer support, and some of you here saying it's much faster than 7.

Mainstream support for Windows 7 ended on January 13th, 2015. It's security updates only from now on.

8.x is much faster than 7 in two subjectively important ways: boot/wake-up time and in opening huge folders full of files. File copies are also (slightly) faster and the progress estimates tend to be a lot more accurate. You also get the wonderful Win-X UI and better multi-display support. Those are points in its favor.

Points against: The start screen (if you ever look at it) and the charms bar. There's a lot of hassle in remembering which things are moved and buried in PC Settings rather than Control Panel. There's also some aggravation because stuff moves around AGAIN between 8 and 8.1, but you probably don't have to deal with that. These things are minor and have easy workarounds. I think the overwhelming majority of whining about Windows 8 was from people who couldn't be bothered to take 10 minutes to learn where things moved.

I didn't care for 8

This from someone who actually seems to like iOS.

 

[Mercutio]

Oh! And just to be slightly on topic: Another new feature in the Windows 10 Update!

You can now set an external drive or camera card to be the default for new program installations by default through a system-level preference.