Windows 10: What You Need to Know

[Rockin Robbins]

Windows 10 continues its slow march to desktop domination


With undisguised admiration for Microsoft's thuggish campaign to dominate you, this author extrapolates current "adoption" rates to predict Windows 10 majority in two years' time. He has failed to consider a couple of factors:

• The low-hanging fruit, the low information basic users, have already been picked. What is left is us power users who insist on control of our own systems. We paid our money to build what we want and will not compromise.
• If Microsoft means what it says (itself very doubtful) the "free" "upgrade" to Windows 10 will end in July(? Who actually cares?). After that, forced upgrades are not a voluntary contract and under the Interstate Commerce Act (in the USA), as an unsolicited delivery, users have no obligation to pay for it and can keep it or dispose of it for free, no questions asked.

My money is on 2020 before Windows 10 nears the market share of Windows 7. Microsoft could hasten that by sabotaging Windows 7 through the upgrade process to make it an unusable operating system. Never rule that out as a possibility. Remember Windows XP, which I continue to use on a laptop with no problems whatever and it remains untouched by malware after being online continuously for three months.

Unless Microsoft buys a vowel I'll be a Linux user when the options run out and Microsoft is very busy "dominating" the market. They make Darth Vader look like a hero.

[STEED]

I would not be taken back if MS said they would extend the free offer. They are making a mess of the updates for Win7/8 willfully only time will tell but for the moment lets call it being sloppy.

[Rockin Robbins]

Here's the dilemma. If Microsoft starts charging for Windows 10, which is overpriced as is , then forced upgrades will no longer be possible. Only forcing an unwanted free "product" can be tolerated. Forcing someone to buy a product is against the Interstate Commercial Code unless your name is Obama. Then you can be forced to buy overpriced insurance that you don't need so the people who do need it but can't afford it can have it provided for "less."

But for Microsoft, that would put them in conflict with the law and people would push the issue.

So look for Microsoft to trot out their "Popular demand has been so great that we are continuing to provide Windows 10 for free for the next six months. Or a year. It doesn't matter. As soon as they charge even $10 for the piece of trash growing market share is over.

[Skybird]

Originally Posted by Rockin Robbins

Windows 10 continues its slow march to desktop domination


With undisguised admiration for Microsoft's thuggish campaign to dominate you, this author extrapolates current "adoption" rates to predict Windows 10 majority in two years' time. He has failed to consider a couple of factors:

• The low-hanging fruit, the low information basic users, have already been picked. What is left is us power users who insist on control of our own systems. We paid our money to build what we want and will not compromise.
• If Microsoft means what it says (itself very doubtful) the "free" "upgrade" to Windows 10 will end in July(? Who actually cares?). After that, forced upgrades are not a voluntary contract and under the Interstate Commerce Act (in the USA), as an unsolicited delivery, users have no obligation to pay for it and can keep it or dispose of it for free, no questions asked.

My money is on 2020 before Windows 10 nears the market share of Windows 7. Microsoft could hasten that by sabotaging Windows 7 through the upgrade process to make it an unusable operating system. Never rule that out as a possibility. Remember Windows XP, which I continue to use on a laptop with no problems whatever and it remains untouched by malware after being online continuously for three months.

Unless Microsoft buys a vowel I'll be a Linux user when the options run out and Microsoft is very busy "dominating" the market. They make Darth Vader look like a hero.

But lets not forgfet that new, hiogh performing computer hardware as used by power gamers will not tolerate W7 anymore, at least will block updating W7 or will interfere with it: an according alliance between manufacturers and MS has been sealed by MS some time ago. Possible that a guy likme me, if his current rig brakes, will need to embrace W10 then.

Which for me means to then run to separat systems. I currently do not even add funds to Steam wallet under Windows anymore but only under Linux.

A gaming rig will then only be used for gaming - AND NOTHING ELSE. EVERYTHING ELSE then will be done not just under a different HD and OS on the same machine, but a separate laptop with Linux.

When that time comes, and no perosnal data can be fished off by MS from my game rig, my major concern then will be the obviously disastrous quality of the OS itself, its mess-creating updates, it's many failures with KB updates often even increasing the mess.

Some mon ths ago it was announced that a huge law suite was beeing formed against MS over these things. I wonder what has happened to that. And I doubt it has big chances anyway.

[Rockin Robbins]

Somebody have me committed before I hurt somebody! I just built a Windows 10 computer.

And the client PAID for Windows 10 OEM. $65 or so, about $30 less than Windows 7 OEM used to be.

To atone for my crime, I convinced my brother to do a dual install of Ubuntu 16.04 and Windows 7. He's actually having a good time with it and told me he can see the day when he won't want Windows on his machine at all. If he can get NASCAR 2003 to run in WINE, he'll happy.

[STEED]

Don't want Windows 10? Good news -- the nagging will end soon

http://betanews.com/2016/05/05/dont-...will-end-soon/

On one hand I say good but on the other hand I have no trust in MicroSoft who no doubt have got a nasty rabbit in the hat to pop out after July.

[Rockin Robbins]

Confirmed:
Microsoft Says It Will Stop Pestering Users to "Get Windows 10" in July

Why? Well, because when you sell it, you can't force someone to use it. The price for Windows 10 Home will be about $110, which is silly because I just bought Windows 10 OEM for $65. Actually my client did. I handled it with gloves and sanitized my hands after burning the gloves.

Having tricked all the people they could into "upgrading" Microsoft will disable and eventually remove the GWX (Get Windows 10) software from millions of victims over the next year, they say.

I've been checking out Ubuntu 16.04. It's brilliant. Plays Silent Hunter 4, Borderlands 2, Counterstrike: Global Offensive and hundreds of other top games. Its Microsoft Office freeware alternatives truly are ready for prime time. Heck, if you use Spotify, all your music is being served to you by Ubuntu powered computers at Spotify. The server market is completely dominated by Linux computers.

All that's left is for Microsoft to complete its very public and humiliating suicide so that commercial enterprises will start supporting Linux to a greater degree. As for you, the public, all you'll notice is that things get much better. Windows will not be missed, any more than CPM, GEM, Deskmate, Amiga Intuition, or OS/2. Microsoft has jumped the shark.

[Skybird]

Unfortunately, Robbins, what we hope and what really wqill be, are two different things. Linux OS shares on globally operated platforms have dropped from around 1.8 to 1.5 percent, some statistics said that i read two or three days ago. Habits are difficult to kill, main business is conservative, and the young people simply do not care due to lacking own experience to know it better. That Linux will blossom and grow, is being predicted since at least 15 years now. While there are more games for it available now, number of users have not fundamentally changed over that time. They remain low, and I do not expect them seriously to grow significantly.

So I recommend to leave Windows alone and to try Linux - but I have no illusions about the chance of success in such appeals.

But let nobody later complain that he could not have known it better.

[Skybird]

A good analysis of the promise that GWX10 nagware attacks will end end of June. The autzhor doubts it, for more insightful arguments than I do - but me doubts it as well.

https://www.petri.com/will-microsoft...-upgrade-offer

My theory is that the end of the promotion is a ceremonial gesture aimed at its PC maker partners. These firms were stung by the free upgrade because it gave users a reason to skip a new PC purchase during a time in which the PC industry was already hurting. And consumers responded in droves, sort of, by not buying new PCs. We’re now in what we hope is the tail end of the worst downturn in PC history.
The thing is, forcing customers to pay for the Windows 10 upgrade doesn’t really change anything. One must think that the vast majority of people out there who were going to upgrade a working Windows 7/8.1 PC to the uncertainty of Windows 10 have already done so. Which is what makes this whole thing so strange. If Microsoft cared about customers, it would have ended the notifications by now. And if it cared about PC makers, it would never have taken this unprecedented step to harm their sales in the first place.
Ultimately, we need to view the software giant’s strategy through the lens of its Windows 10 pledge. If Microsoft can hit 1 billion active Windows 10 devices within 2-3 years, it will have succeeded. So the Windows 10 Upgrade Offer will stick around as long as it is helping Microsoft achieve that goal, and not a day longer.
That day, currently, is scheduled for July 29. And yet I still wonder if that holds.

Anyhoiw, I could not care less for all this - if there would not be the problem of that Microsoft has successfully formed alliance with hardware producers that certain CPUs that are of "modern performance" and thus are especially attractive for gamers, will be blocked via arhcitecture and software measurements from either unning lower versions of Windows, or not allowing older versions of W7 to access Windows Updates. If things are going very badly - and with Microsoft's anti-customer agenda you should never say never - it could happen that you buy yourself a new system with good gamer components, want to install W7 on it to use the latest hardware for your games - and findmout that you cannot and must use W10 instead. The point is - this is not about incompatability between OS and hardare, but it is an additonally added, intentional blockade.



If I were not already pissed completely, when i read the above I would have gotten pissed at the latest.

Possible I end up buying intentionally older generaitons of hardware as a new system, capable to launch games and sims via W7. If that makes sense! It is fascinating what idiotic scenarios their queer policies make me to consider as realistic alternatives.

[Buddahaid]

Originally Posted by Skybird

...Anyhoiw, I could not care less for all this...

Word count would tend to contradict that sentiment.

I'm still getting along fine with the new order. We train each other. No really I'm fine. I feel much better now......

[Rockin Robbins]

What he means is that although it is a very interesting topic, since Microsoft's antics have no consequences for him, he's not concerned about their actions. He is simply an interested observer with exit strategies fully implemented.

Frankly, by the time exit strategies become necessities, the exit from Microsoft will be very easy and not a concern, even to those not interested right now.

We're speculating and discussing for the fun of it, not because we sense disaster. Microsoft is too trivial to cause disaster. If Spotify doesn't think Microsoft is necessary, then we're safe.

[Rockin Robbins]

Originally Posted by Skybird

A good analysis of the promise that GWX10 nagware attacks will end end of June. The autzhor doubts it, for more insightful arguments than I do - but me doubts it as well.

https://www.petri.com/will-microsoft...-upgrade-offer

This guy needs to buy a brain. PC sales tanked on the publication of Windows 8 ("Your computer is now downgraded to a cell phone! Let's party!"). The release of Windows 10 for "free" was an attempt to revive Windows as something cool, worthy of a party such as was legitimately thrown with Windows 95. It failed miserably, needing coercion to get anyone at all to adopt it.

What's needed is not to downgrade a PC to the status of a cell phone, but to UPGRADE cell phones to the status of PCs. We need much better hardware than cell phones presently have for about $200 less. Then we need a family of devices, like docks which you plug your cell phone into and it hooks up to your home monitor, mouse, keyboard, speakers and disk drives (not limited to only that) to become a killer desktop computer using a killer desktop interface (not Windows 10). The $450 cell phone needs to be equivalent to the $450 desktop computer.

Microsoft's modern apps (or whatever they're calling them today) need to die screaming, never to be seen again. That means Edge needs to die as it is a cell phone app.

What needs to happen is the desktop computer becomes a niche market for folks like me, power users, system builders and gamers, in favor of a beefed up and fully capable cell phone which senses whether it's being used alone or docked to desktop components, automatically changing to the gui of your choice.

[aanker]

May be of interest...

It took two days and nights of watching and checking the green Updates bar, but I was finally able to get Microsoft Update to scan my relatively new Win 7 Pro laptop (mentioned earlier in this topic). I recently installed a basic OEM version of Office 2003 on it that includes, Outlook 2003, Word 2003, & Excel 2003 (because I like them). I wanted to see if Microsoft would offer SP3 for Office 2003 (that is not supported anymore).

This trip to Microsoft was partly because a few days ago I stumbled on a Topic on a site that lists all the Win 7 & Win 8.1 Updates to avoid if you don't want Win 10 or the Microsoft 'snooping' Updates installed. They have made a script to run but I didn't use it because I didn't want to uninstall IE even though I don't use it. They do have 'the list' of KB number's though.

After two days, Microsoft Update finally finished playing their waiting game and offered 144 Updates. Among them were several for Office 2003 to bring it up to SP3 and more. (I was shocked! )

I sorted out the KB's I didn't want using their list and successfully Updated. ( I did have the 'GWX Control Panel' on and in 'monitor mode'). After Updating I scanned again a couple more times and finished updating the few new KB's that always show up after a big update but didn't need to wait which was nice... and a little strange too - lol.

The site with all of the KB's in a huge spreadsheet is helpful however this site sorts the KB list down to the 'bad ones' which makes it easier to sort through, in case you want to keep IE etc.

Here's the link and the Big KB numbers list in case you can't access their site:
'Script for Win 7/8 to block all telemetry updates and Windows 10 upgrade components'.

https://voat.co/v/technology/comments/853510

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Script details:
"Block 197 bad hosts, change windows update to check/notify (do not download/install), disable automatic delivery of internet explorer via windows update, disable ceip/gwx/skydrive (aka onedrive)/spynet/telemetry/wifisense, disable remote registry, disable 31 scheduled tasks, disable windows 10 download directory, remove diagtrack, sync time to ntp.org, hide/uninstall 50 kb updates"

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Here's their KB list updated to May, in case you can't access their site:

KB update - description:
KB971033 - -update for windows activation technologies
KB2882822 - update for adding itracerelogger interface support
KB2902907 - description not available, update was pulled by microsoft
KB2922324 - description not available, update was pulled by microsoft
KB2952664 - update for upgrading windows 7
KB2976978 - update for windows 8.1 and windows 8
KB2977759 - update for windows 7 rtm
KB2990214 - update that enables you to upgrade from windows 7 to a later version of windows
KB3012973 - upgrade to windows 10
KB3014460 - update for windows insider preview / upgrade to windows 10
KB3015249 - update that adds telemetry points to consent.exe in Windows 8.1 and Windows 7
KB3021917 - update for windows 7 sp1 for performance improvements
KB3022345 - update for customer experience and diagnostic telemetry
KB3035583 - update installs get windows 10 app in windows 8.1 and windows 7 sp1
KB3042058 - update for cipher suite priority order (contains winlogon spying elements)
KB3044374 - update that enables you to upgrade from windows 8.1 to windows 10
KB3046480 - update for migrating .net when upgrading to later version of windows
KB3058168 - activate windows 10 from windows 8 or windows 8.1, and windows server 2012 or windows server 2012 r2 kms hosts
KB3064683 - update for windows 8.1 oobe modifications to reserve windows 10
KB3065987 - update for windows update client for windows 7 and windows server 2008 r2 july 2015
KB3065988 - update for windows update client for windows 8.1 and windows server 2012 r2 july 2015
KB3068708 - update for customer experience and diagnostic telemetry
KB3072318 - update for windows 8.1 oobe modifications to reserve windows 10
KB3074677 - compatibility update for upgrading to windows 10
KB3075249 - update that adds telemetry points to consent.exe in windows 8.1 and windows 7
KB3075851 - update for windows update client for windows 7 and windows server 2008 r2 august 2015
KB3075853 - update for windows update client for windows 8.1 and windows server 2012 r2 august 2015
KB3080149 - update for customer experience and diagnostic telemetry
KB3081437 - august 18, 2015, compatibility update for upgrading to windows 10
KB3081454 - september 8, 2015, compatibility update for upgrading to windows 10
KB3081954 - update for work folders improvements in windows 7 sp1 (contains telemetry elements)
KB3083324 - update for windows update client for windows 7 and windows server 2008 r2 september 2015
KB3083325 - update for windows update client for windows 8.1 and windows server 2012 r2 september 2015
KB3083710 - update for windows update client for windows 7 and windows server 2008 r2 october 2015
KB3083711 - update for windows update client for windows 8.1 and windows server 2012 r2 october 2015
KB3086255 - september 8, 2015, security update for the graphics component in windows (breaks safedisc)
KB3088195 - october 13, 2015, security update for windows kernel (reported to contain a keylogger)
KB3090045 - windows update for reserved devices in windows 8.1 or windows 7 sp1 (windows 10 upgrade elements)
KB3093983 - security update for internet explorer: october 13, 2015 (ie spying elements)
KB3102810 - windows 10 upgrade elements
KB3102812 - windows 10 upgrade elements
KB3112343 - update for windows update client for windows 7 and windows server 2008 r2 december 2015
KB3112336 - update for windows update client for windows 8.1 and windows server 2012 r2 december 2015
KB3123862 - updated capabilities to upgrade windows 8.1 and windows 7
KB3135445 - windows update client for windows 7 and windows server 2008 r2: february 2016
KB3135449 - windows update client for windows 8.1 and windows server 2012 r2: february 2016
KB3138612 - windows update client for windows 7 and windows server 2008 r2: march 2016
KB3138615 - windows update client for windows 8.1 and windows server 2012 r2: march 2016
KB3139929 - security update for internet explorer: march 8, 2016
KB3146449 - updated internet explorer 11 capabilities to upgrade windows 8.1 and windows 7
KB3150513 - may 2016 compatibility update for windows
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Hope this post helps someone.

[Fubar2Niner]

Originally Posted by aanker

May be of interest...


Hope this post helps someone.

Many thanks aanker, indeed it does

Best regards.

Fubar2Niner

[Skybird]

Views that I share, regarding why not wanting to get in-locked in Microsoft's business model anymore:

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2016/05...new_microsoft/

Users may know the phrase "once a system got corrupted, it must be considered corrupted even after just repairing it instead of reinstalling it: because you can never know for sure that you really got all bugs squashed indeed".

Its the same with trust. Trust once (or many times!) abused is trust gone forever. Its better not needing to trust Microsoft, so why wanting to get oneself into a position where one must - and is at their mercy? Their service record in their "as-a-service" model of business and the world, is terrible, imo.