You cannot stop Win 10 spying, unless you have the Enterprise version.

Nice business model.

"inadvertently":har:

Neal, I think STEED seems on first glance to have a good idea in separating the Windows 7, 8 and 8.1 preservation material from the Wndows 10 material. But on further thought that is the wrong thing to do. I personally think that the thing you need to know about Windows 10 IS to keep Windows 7 or move to Linux, but maybe I'm wrong an STEED is right.

My position is that Windows 10 is not a fixable thing. Fixing Windows 10 is trying to turn a puppy into a kitten. I think Microsoft has shown enough bad faith to disqualify them as the vendor of a new operating system.

So, moving the Windows 7 preservation posts to a new thread removes "What you need to know about Windows 10" from the thread of that name. Moving the posts about moving to Linux is the same thing.

Every strategy we can come up with to defang Win 10 will be answered. Suppose we use our routers to shut down Microsoft's telemetry servers. They can't use Windows to defeat that, can they? Of course they can, by moving telemetry to the update server so that if you shut it down you lose essential security upgrades.

If a company is intent on doing evil, and Microsoft is, your only wise choice is to avoid their products. Staying with Windows 7 is essentially avoiding their products and shutting down their income stream. Our only power to restrain them is the power of the purse. Loudly retain your cash and jingle it loudly. Want that money? Do what we want. Microsoft's job is to serve us, not to prey upon us. One gets them life. The other gets them death. Hope they choose wisely.

We are the Customers. Our name is spelled with a Captial C. We demand respect for our privacy. We demand that your product serve us. We refuse to purchase products which prey upon us. Every penny you make is because of the service that you provide the Customer. When that service is not rendered you die. Others will gladly take your position and we will not miss you.

Actually, that is not true. It is possible to have a comprehensive fix that keeps Microsoft from ALL spying. My goto guy here is Barnacles Nerdgasm on You Tube. A former 15 year Microsoft employee in the Windows test division (his ENTIRE division was axed--tells you something, doesn't it?), he is a systems programmer who definitely knows more than I do.

This video is 35 minutes long but there is at least 90 minutes worth of good solid information here. Replay value is immense. My scariest takeaway is that he showed how to use your hosts file to block the Bing search engine completely. But Edge actually ignores your privacy settings and bypasses the hosts file to access Bing directly. "Customer preference be damned!"

A close second place scary revelation was that updates routinely change your privacy settings. You don't know when the update happens and Microsoft has no respect for your choices.

The good news is that by following this video, you can shut off ALL the Microsoft Windows 10 privacy invasions and return your desktop operating system to the job of helping you. I would take the process just one step further.

After you're done, use Notepad to load up the Hosts file. Look in the section of changes made by Anti-Beacon and copy all the sites turned off in the hosts file. Now take it for granted that Microsoft's next move will be to screw you, you have no right to make choices.

Simply deny access to those sites through your router blacklist. That takes access out of the ability of Microsoft to restore. It's the only change I'd make to Barnacles' recommendations.

https://youtu.be/u1kGMCfb2xw

Actually, that is not true. It is possible to have a comprehensive fix that keeps Microsoft from ALL spying. My goto guy here is Barnacles Nerdgasm on You Tube. A former 15 year Microsoft employee in the Windows OS test division (his ENTIRE department was axed--tells you something, doesn't it?), he is a systems programmer who definitely knows more than I do.

This video is 35 minutes long but there is at least 90 minutes worth of good solid information here. Replay value is immense. My scariest takeaway is that he showed how to use your hosts file to block the Bing search engine completely. But Edge actually ignores your privacy settings and bypasses the hosts file to access Bing directly. "Customer preference be damned!"

A close second place scary revelation was that updates routinely change your privacy settings. You don't know when the update happens and Microsoft has no respect for your choices.

The good news is that by following this video, you can shut off ALL the Microsoft Windows 10 privacy invasions and return your desktop operating system to the job of helping you. I would take the process just one step further.

After you're done, use Notepad to load up the Hosts file. Look in the section of changes made by Anti-Beacon and copy all the sites turned off in the hosts file. Now take it for granted that Microsoft's next move will be to screw you, you have no right to make choices.

Simply deny access to those sites through your router blacklist. That takes access out of the ability of Microsoft to restore. It's the only change I'd make to Barnacles' recommendations.

https://youtu.be/u1kGMCfb2xw

Microsoft knows its OS, and has far more resources to learn about it if that would be needed, than any whistleblower, so Microsoft always will claim lead again, and us needing to react. They can, want and will penetrate any defences by users, catching some of them with every new round played.

Its like what I reported earlier on those W7 updates that kept on coming in while Windows Updates service already had been SHUT DOWN by me - not before I also shut down all known background services that frequently connect to the web but have nothing to do with windows updating, these updates stopped from coming in after short while again. Obviously these services ports were used in any way to smuggle in these updates OUTSIDE the official windows updates. Clock, error messaging, online synchronisation, and what else there is running in the background - switch it all off under W7 to your best abilities. - GWX told me two days ago that it found nothing, that no file and folder and installer was detected. I must have done some things right with my manual update file scanning. :yep: But its a PITA.

Keep the updates on things coming, Robbins, and thank you for it. I am absolutely aware that you know much more about these things than I do. The site you recommended and linked to some days ago already is a great help, I currently scan it frequently.

I would recommend to make sure NOW that you can run W7 for years to come even if you need to reinstall and need to activate Windows.

In a clear case of self defence I could imagine that people might accept to use illegal hacks to activate their legally owned and paid-for copy of W7. That is the first thing needed.

The second is to find a download with the SP1 from a sources not related to MS, SP1 for W7 essentially is nothing more than a collection of 200+ updates from earlier times that stem from a time before W8 was on the horizon. Download that now and keep it. I have no doubt that SP1 downloads via Microsoft in the future, or already now?, will be infested by Microsoft with W10-related poison. When reinstalling your system, use this download from DVD to technically update W7 to a stabvle standard that all games accept - and then PULL THE PLUG, so that MS cannot drive contemporary or future download-dents into it in an effort to corrupt it and make people migrate to W10. Do not do any further updates beyond SP1.

This advise is meant for people like myself, who just need Windows 7 as a starting platform for their games. Also those using specific software for their profession where they do not need online connectivity. Musical software and MIDI, for example. Needless to say that you better do not surf with such an outdaqted version of Windows. Surf with a dual boot's second OS, Linux or whatever. W7 boot is just kept by you to launch your games from it. THAT IS ALL YOU DO WITH IT.

For all non-gaming things - go dual boot, and with another OS. Leave Windows behind. Avoid software that depends on Windows. For the non-professional computer user, there is no argument to stay loyal to Windows, the normal private online needs and tasks can be as well served by Linux and software for it.

I would stay away from all games depending on W10 in the future, or W8. The key is to stick to W7 - and seal your rig off. And that goes beyond just switching of Windows Updates.

Online players may hate it, but do not complainh to me - complain to Microsoft.

Oh joy. Without warning, many of my Windows 10 settings have been disabled. I have a red line of text in many settings windows saying Some settings are managed by your organization. WTF, MS, I am the organization. :/\\!!

Windows Home edition, no group policy editor.

Anyone else seeing this? It was not there before today, and now I am seeing a lot of privacy and Update options are no longer available to me, such as Defer Upgrades.

Those privacy options where dummy switches anyway, so don't cry. :D

BTW, its not that you are the organization as you said. You are THEIR organization, and your computer is theirs. ;)

Sorted. :03:

No charge. :DL

Neal, it's time to spend about $70.00 and buy a copy of Windows 7 Pro 64 while you still can.

In the meantime person number two has appeared on Subsim who is successfully playing SH4 in Ubuntu Linux. I'm going to investigate, do it myself and post instructions your cat could follow.

Neal if you are using Spybot Antibeacon those messages about management are the result of Antibeacon blocking privacy leaks. If that be the case please watch the video I linked above.

Thanks, Steve. Good info, and I am going to get a copy of 7 Pro for christmas. Insurance, just in case :up:

Well said. http://www.computerworld.com/article...vaporates.html

I see I downloaded it at some point but it does not appear to be installed, cannot find it in add/remove programs. I am using ShutUp, and when I reset it to factory settings and rebooted, the Some settings..." message went away. Still do not understand what happened to the Defer Upgrades option, did I imagine it? :timeout:

In Windows 10 Home you should not have had a "defer upgrades" option at all, even before the "upgrade."

And there are a few tweaks you must make to your computer before you insttall Windows 7, the biggest being you have to undo UEFI and restore your computer to using BIOS bootup. The exact procedure varies from computer to computer but I haven't seen it really difficult to do on any I've operated on.

I know this is a dumb question, but to install Win 7, and remove Win 10, I have to....reformat the c drive first? If not, will installing Win 7 affect my hard drive contents and programs?:dead:

There are those for and those against.

I pondered for a few months before switching and don't appear to be having any problems but no doubt there will be those who say otherwise.

Your choice.

Apart from the fact MS has a cabinet full of your info. :03:

Dear MS how much are you charging for jim's info, more to the point where is his stash of chilly beef pot noodle? :hmm2:

Early next year, Microsoft will tap the Windows 10 upgrade so it automatically downloads to consumer PCs and even begin the installation process.

Windows 10 adoption rate has now dropped below that adoption rate for Windows 7 the same number of days after introduction. In addition, see the above. In spite of completely predatory push to get everyone to use a free product, they can't equal the sales of a $100 item. Pretty sad.

Like I said, Microsoft has probably jumped the shark on this one.

My neighbor went from Win7 to Win10 and after two weeks now wants to go back to Win7 nothing to do with the Win10 snooping he just hates the look of it.