(Topic Deleted)

[Scutter]

.

[Oceander]

It took the devil's own time to install, which turned me off just by that.  I also don't like meaningless changes in layout and icons.

[Crazieman]

I'm still running Windows 7 x64 Ultimate Edition.  If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

Honestly, I saw the reaction to 8, and reacted similarly myself demoing it in stores.

Then 10 floated along and saw the convoluted procedure one had to do to turn off some of the information tracking.  Then the pushy upgrade notices further turned me off.  I don't see myself changing unless something I install and absolutely need requires it.

[Oceander]

I'm still running Windows 7 x64 Ultimate Edition.  If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

Honestly, I saw the reaction to 8, and reacted similarly myself demoing it in stores.

Then 10 floated along and saw the convoluted procedure one had to do to turn off some of the information tracking.  Then the pushy upgrade notices further turned me off.  I don't see myself changing unless something I install and absolutely need requires it.

Funny you should mention older systems.  My primary system - the one I'm using now - is a Vista machine.  I have in my stable the following:

2 Windows XP systems (one laptop and one desktop)
1 Windows Vista system
2 Windows 7 systems
1 Windows 8.1 system (my only windows desktop)
1 Windows 10 system
1 linux system (on an old desktop that used to run XP)

The XP systems rarely get used any more; the desktop is used occasionally as a home server.  The Vista system is, as I said, my primary system.  One of the 7 systems has a permanently dead charging system so it only runs when it's plugged in (and shuts down immediately if the plug comes out).  The other 7 system is used by the rest of the family.  The 8.1 I rarely use any more because it's inconvenient.  The 10 system is a small laptop I bought to use mainly for work while I'm on the train commuting.  The linux system is also used as a home server.

[geronl]

Don't say you were not warned when your OS suddenly locks up unless you pay a monthly fee to MS. W10 is going to become ransom-ware. :p

[Oceander]

Hi Oceander, was this the update installing over Windows 10, or an upgrade from a previous version of Windows?

I noticed on one of my machines it sat at 71% for awhile, but I think it's scanning the disks for errors during that step (this was on my desktop, which has a number of disks). Other than that, it installed very fast considering it's the entire OS that is being updated.

It was on a brand-new Win 10 system I purchased a month ago.  In terms of updating, I would prefer if it had (a) given fair warning of just how long it would take, and (b) that it would not try to do so automatically; I had to tweak it so it saw my home network as a metered connection to stop it until I could set it up to run all night.

[Crazieman]

Funny you should mention older systems.  My primary system - the one I'm using now - is a Vista machine.  I have in my stable the following:

2 Windows XP systems (one laptop and one desktop)
1 Windows Vista system
2 Windows 7 systems
1 Windows 8.1 system (my only windows desktop)
1 Windows 10 system
1 linux system (on an old desktop that used to run XP)

The XP systems rarely get used any more; the desktop is used occasionally as a home server.  The Vista system is, as I said, my primary system.  One of the 7 systems has a permanently dead charging system so it only runs when it's plugged in (and shuts down immediately if the plug comes out).  The other 7 system is used by the rest of the family.  The 8.1 I rarely use any more because it's inconvenient.  The 10 system is a small laptop I bought to use mainly for work while I'm on the train commuting.  The linux system is also used as a home server.

I don't have an accurate count of what I use, as I have half built computers strewn about, some work, some don't.  I don't even know whats on some of the hard drives anymore.  I really ought to organize it.

That and I administrate my parent's systems and consider them sort of mine as well.

[Oceander]

Don't say you were not warned when your OS suddenly locks up unless you pay a monthly fee to MS. W10 is going to become ransom-ware. :p

Actually, I'd like to run more systems on linux.  Linux has really grown up in the last decade (the last time I tried seriously to use it), and you can get GUIs that rival windows.

[geronl]

I hear W10 tracks you even if you turn tracking off.

[Crazieman]

I don't have an accurate count of what I use, as I have half built computers strewn about, some work, some don't.  I don't even know whats on some of the hard drives anymore.  I really ought to organize it.

That and I administrate my parent's systems and consider them sort of mine as well.

Don't let me administrate! 

[Neverdul]

I purchased a new laptop back in December. While my 8+ year old Toshiba Satellite still works and was running Win7 (but had a duel boot partition with Ubuntu that my niece’s husband set up which I hardly ever used), it was getting rather cranky. I think the hard drive was starting to fail.


My new HP Pavilion came with Windows 10 and I have to say I like it and have had no problems. It runs lighting fast and despite all the bad things I heard about it, I had no problems adjusting to Win10. At the same time, I also purchased the lastest version of MS Office and have no complaints about that either.


One of these days I will get around to reformatting the hard drive on the old laptop and try upgrading to Win 10.

[Wingnut]

 

I have Vista also.    Just retired my  XP Professional  that was loaded on my 1998 Dell 4300. 56K dail up modem.    Took a sledge hammer to it.  It was rather cathartic.

Just kidding on the 56K dial up.  it was a U.S. Robotics Sportster 33.6K

[Oceander]

That's quite a number of horses in that stable. Are you doing anything special that requires you to have all those different versions? I'm surprised Vista is your primary system, as that's the Windows version that seems to have gotten the most negative comments.

Since I moved out here to Washington, my home is much smaller, and so I make an effort to get rid of the old hardware. I did at one point have a multi-OS boot environment set-up so that I could test a driver I wrote in all versions of Windows. But I finished the driver and ended up blowing away all those partitions later. I do still have a Windows 7 partition in case I run into some hardware I need to interact with that isn't supported on W10 (rare).

Right now I've got a QNAP NAS that runs some version of Linux, a small Zotac mini desktop on which I run Ubuntu, a Microsoft SurfaceBook (laptop) running Windows 10, an Intel NUC running Windows 10 and being used as a media center PC, and a desktop running Windows 10. My kids and wife also have computers, and I have several work computers as well. Also have a few Raspberry Pi laying around, one of which is running OpenELEC.

Nothing special, it's just what I've accumulated over the course of 13 years.  The oldest system is an XP Sony laptop I bought in 2003; I haven't turned that one on in years, but I still officially count it in the stable.  The XP desktop I originally set up as a home server in 2006 for digital photographs once my wife and I each acquired digital cameras.  One of the 7 systems is my wife's old laptop; I had to wipe the drive and reinstall from the backup image when it got hit with a really nasty virus - I got everything off the drive first by pulling it out, putting it into an external housing, and using it as a passive drive.  It now sits in the closet and hasn't been used in several months.  The second 7 system is a laptop that I originally bought when I opened my own practice several years ago; my wife now uses that one as her own.  The 8.1 desktop was also for my own practice.  Using it is a pain in the a because I had to replace the motherboard two years ago, and now the Windows OS thinks it's been installed on an unlicensed system and periodically refuses to run.  I tried a number of times to reason with both HP and Microsoft, to no avail.  I really didn't feel like paying another $190 for a new license, so there it sits.  The 10 system I just bought to use on the train for work.

The Vista system is still my primary system because it's the most powerful system I have.  It's a 17" HP laptop - what they used to call a desktop replacement - with a separate graphics card, two internal hard drives (still not standard on many systems), and an Intel Core2 Duo P8600 running at 2.4GHz.  Start up is slower than it used to be - the OS has become encrusted with detritus from this that and the other thing, but once it's up and going it still kicks a.  It's the only system I would trust to run GIMP and CorelDRAW 6.

[Oceander]

FUD. The data sharing that is in there is stuff that is fed (anonymously) into the machine learned algorithms that drive Cortana. It's so that the Cortana suggestions and answers to questions can be more relevant to you. I know some of you won't be moved from your conspiracy theory, but it's not some sort of plot.  Totally not in Microsoft's interest to do that.

But if that's really a concern for you anyway, you shouldn't be running any OS other than an open source one like Linux, and you shouldn't install any close source applications for which you don't personally know the app developer. You're a lot more likely to have  your privacy violated by some 3rd-party, fly-by-night app developer than some big company that is terrified of being sued.

I always laugh at the privacy conspiracy guys, most of which have the most insecure platform in the world in their pocket (an Android phone).

Let me just say this:  I HATE, ABSOLUTELY HATE, Cortana.  And even though I've turned off everything I can find, if I misclick on something, up pops this stupid menu offering to search for help for this or that.  I am at the point where if it happens any more often I am going to try out some of the registry hacks I've found online.  It is absolutely the worst new feature added to the OS.  If MS had gotten rid of that pernicious abomination in this anniversary update, I would have been happy as a clam.

[Wingnut]

I've never sledge-hammered one, but I did take a shotgun to my Apple Macbook Pro. That computer had been through a lot, and I'd repaired or had it repaired multiple times. When the screen developed lines and replacing the internal video cable didn't fix it, I decided it was time to put it down. So my sons and I took it out to the woods and gave it a loud send-off. 

 

 

[Crazieman]

Let me just say this:  I HATE, ABSOLUTELY HATE, Cortana.  And even though I've turned off everything I can find, if I misclick on something, up pops this stupid menu offering to search for help for this or that.  I am at the point where if it happens any more often I am going to try out some of the registry hacks I've found online.  It is absolutely the worst new feature added to the OS.

Fun fact: Cortana would have been an Apple idea had Bungie not been sold to Microsoft.  Go go video games.

[Oceander]

Yes, I don't know what it is about Windows, but that cruft build up does seem to be an issue. Never had that problem with Linux or OS-X. I usually reformat / re-image mine once a year or so, although this desktop has not had that done since I moved out here 9 years ago.

I don't know if it's completely the fault of the OS itself.  Certainly the OS contributes to it, but there are so many little bits and pieces that applications add, including bits that are supposed to be removed, but aren't, when an application updates itself, that it probably starts to bog things down.

[Neverdul]

Don't say you were not warned when your OS suddenly locks up unless you pay a monthly fee to MS. W10 is going to become ransom-ware. :p

That's just not true.

If I understand correctly (and correct me if I am wrong) but that only applies to the Enterprise version of Windows 10.

But for what it’s worth, the SAS (Software as Service) paradigm is well on its way and certainly in my experience has been the case for most HRIS and Payroll and ERP systems for quite some time.

When I purchased my new laptop and purchased the newest version of MS Office, I had a choice to go the annual service fee route or purchase it outright. I opted to purchase outright. But I see the day coming soon when all software will be web-based SAS.

From a software company’s perspective especially when it comes to support, that makes some sense. Everyone is running the same version with the very same upgrades. Upgrades and patches run on the software provider’s system and in the background, and it is not physically installed on individual machines or servers.  The worst thing I’ve experienced, especially with ADP’s HRIS and Payroll SAS is browser incompatibilities and missing plug ins.

[Oceander]

If I understand correctly (and correct me if I am wrong) but that only applies to the Enterprise version of Windows 10.

But for what it’s worth, the SAS (Software as Service) paradigm is well on its way and certainly in my experience has been the case for most HRIS and Payroll and ERP systems for quite some time.

When I purchased my new laptop and purchased the newest version of MS Office, I had a choice to go the annual service fee route or purchase it outright. I opted to purchase outright. But I see the day coming soon when all software will be web-based SAS.

From a software company’s perspective especially when it comes to support, that makes some sense. Everyone is running the same version with the very same upgrades. Upgrades and patches run on the software provider’s system and in the background, and it is not physically installed on individual machines or servers.  The worst thing I’ve experienced, especially with ADP’s HRIS and Payroll SAS is browser incompatibilities and missing plug ins.

I bought the one-year subscription to Office because it was cheaper and I needed to keep my up-front expense as low as possible on the Windows 10 system.

[Crazieman]

If I understand correctly (and correct me if I am wrong) but that only applies to the Enterprise version of Windows 10.

But for what it’s worth, the SAS (Software as Service) paradigm is well on its way and certainly in my experience has been the case for most HRIS and Payroll and ERP systems for quite some time.

When I purchased my new laptop and purchased the newest version of MS Office, I had a choice to go the annual service fee route or purchase it outright. I opted to purchase outright. But I see the day coming soon when all software will be web-based SAS.

From a software company’s perspective especially when it comes to support, that makes some sense. Everyone is running the same version with the very same upgrades. Upgrades and patches run on the software provider’s system and in the background, and it is not physically installed on individual machines or servers.  The worst thing I’ve experienced, especially with ADP’s HRIS and Payroll SAS is browser incompatibilities and missing plug ins.

I run Adobe's Creative Cloud for creative needs.  Not too bad.

[Oceander]

I have to admit, that totally baffles me. It's one of if not the most popular feature of the OS. I use it all the time, especially on my phone. For launching apps, I almost always just click start menu and start typing characters of the app name - a lot easier than navigating the start menu. And I like that it reminds me when I need to leave for an appointment or meeting. I use it to make calls when I'm in the car, or to start the navigation app (you can just ask it to give you directions to some address and it will). Also, it's sometimes useful to get an answer to an ad-hoc question, like "what is the weather forecast" or "when is sundown today". LOL, I just asked her "How do I disable Cortana", and I got an answer :)

On the Windows 10 laptop it's not only useless, it gets in the way and I HATE it.  I'm serious about considering the registry hack.  I've done registry tinkering before on the XP systems, so I'm not a noobie at it.

I use my smartphone for things like being reminded of appointments and the like.  If I want help on a laptop, I know how to start the help application; I do not need it popping up automatically whenever the OS'es algorithms think I need help.

[Crazieman]

On the Windows 10 laptop it's not only useless, it gets in the way and I HATE it.  I'm serious about considering the registry hack.  I've done registry tinkering before on the XP systems, so I'm not a noobie at it.

Registry tinkering is fun!

[Oceander]

Microsoft has always sold this way to Enterprise customers. Most medium and large size businesses pay a fee that allows them to get maintenance and support across the enterprise. It just means no matter what comes out, you're business is free to upgrade, and if you need help, you've got a number to call to get priority support. This is just the way that market works, and you'll see it with all kinds of software used by these businesses. Unfortunately, there are some paranoid and/or misinformed people that misinterpreted the announcement of "Windows as a Service" (which IMHO is nothing more than marketing hype) as some sort of move to a subscription based licensing model. To my knowledge, Microsoft has no intent to charge end users a yearly fee to use Windows.

Running thin clients and SaaS makes perfect sense for enterprise applications.  Not so much for home and personal systems.

[Oceander]

BTW, here's a good article on disabling it in the Anniversary Update. If you have the Pro version, I would use the Group Policy approach rather than the Registry hack, as it's a lot likely to survive OS updates.

http://www.2020techblog.com/2016/08/how-i-turned-off-cortana-in-windows-10s.html

I don't have the pro version; I bought it at Bestbuy and have what it came with.

[jedidah]

Have you installed it, and if so how has your experience with it been?

I updated to Windows 10 shortly after it was first offered, and it was an AWFUL decision.  I HATE it.  My relatively new and problem-free computer has had problems ever since.  It quits connecting to the internet, and all the Windows or HP diagnostics fail to help.

I've searched the 'net for solutions and found that I'm not alone.  For months, I've had to periodically run resets as Admin, a temporary fix that has worked for others.

Wish I had not updated.  It has been nothing but a headache.