Windows 10?

[9876543210]

Ernesto75,

Originally Posted by Ernesto75

THIS IS SABOTAGE!!!

Did you have a chance to read that Forbes article? Thats basically what they're saying. MS will now be doing everything they can to make the use of Win 7 and 8 as difficult as possible. It appears they will now stop at nothing to move everyone to Win 10.

Beginning to wonder if its even worth doing any updating.

[9876543210]

Ernesto75,

Originally Posted by Ernesto75

I think I went too fast doing my reinstall and I would like the opinion of somebody who did the same on a HP machine.

On my machine it seems there are two possibilities:
- reinstalling by using the Windows panel;
- reinstalling by using the HP menu just before loading of the system.

So I made a reinstall by using the setup panel which called for a download
instead of using the HP menu which would have made a true clean reinstall.

It seems I made a mistake.

I'm not sure I understand your two possibilities.

Whenever I do a reinstall I make sure its a clean reinstall. Basically meaning I make sure everything is backed up first, then, using the original CD's or DVD's, I wipe out the partition, create a new one and then reinstall from there. Takes some time but I've never had a problem that way.

Then, once you have everything installed, now make a disk image. Will really save you a LOT of time.

Good luck!

[Ernesto75]

Originally Posted by 9876543210

Ernesto75,
Whenever I do a reinstall I make sure its a clean reinstall. Basically meaning I make sure everything is backed up first, then, using the original CD's or DVD's, I wipe out the partition, create a new one and then reinstall from there. Takes some time but I've never had a problem that way.

Then, once you have everything installed, now make a disk image. Will really save you a LOT of time.

Good luck!

You are right.

I thought I had made a clean install.
I went much too fast and did only a reinstall through Windows.

By chance the original data are still on a special partition.

I think I only have to backup my softwares before I remake my jump.

HP did not release a CD.
They put the original system on a special partition.
It occupies 9,62 Go.

I bought three licenses for Acronis. I will make separate backups before beginning.

Frankly I am surprised I did not think of it before.

I must be too much involved in my actual work.

And thank you for your best wishes.

[zenkarma]

Windows 10 telemetry network traffic analysis
https://voat.co/v/technology/comments/835741
Found this via SlashDot. Interesting read and this is the Enterprise Edition.

@RowanMooreFan Suse is one distro I've never tried. Were they doing the switch from KDE4 to KF5/KDE5?

[pigulici]

Yesterday I haved to install a Win7 Home prem on hp laptop, was a pain, they just push to the point that it is easy to pirate their software, I lost a lot of time to find a iso for that windows(and after I got to a page with some trick ) I was able to get it, so to not go to a pirate website(see this one: https://techjourney.net/windows-7-8-...ft-tech-bench/ ), after I put the serial and finish the instalation, I get a error when tried to activate the windows, so the only option was to call at M$ at the non "toll free"number...I did it, but I lost 4-5 hours for a 1 hour job, just to be legit(not counting the money spend it on license)...

[RowanMooreFan]

Originally Posted by zenkarma

Windows 10 telemetry network traffic analysis
https://voat.co/v/technology/comments/835741
Found this via SlashDot. Interesting read and this is the Enterprise Edition.

@RowanMooreFan Suse is one distro I've never tried. Were they doing the switch from KDE4 to KF5/KDE5?

Yes, exactly. I then tried Ubuntu, because that distro had become very popular already (SuSE had already become OpenSuSE at that time). I met plenty of installation problems with Ubuntu and where normally I wouldn't have given up so soon, this time it was all too much for me and I completely abandoned Linux, which I must admit, I had liked so much during all the previous years. Maybe I'll get back to it some day.

Now I have dual boot machines that also run VM (VirtualBox). I steer away from Windows 10.

It's nothing else but commercial. Each time they try to bestow a "new" OS upon us, while the previous one isn't up to standards yet.

It's so sad that Anders Hejlsberg fell for criminal Bill Gates' money. With his genius he could have turned Borland into one of the greatest companies ever.

[Ernesto75]

Susan Bradley just posted an update on the petition.

Microsoft is finally releasing change notes

Feb 09, 2016 — As first announced at http://www.neowin.net/news/windows-1...istory039-site Microsoft has now started a page where it lists what each cumulative update includes. Check it out and let me know if provides enough information for you.

[Rick Danger]

ZDNet.com

Perfectly legal ways you can still get Windows 7 cheap (or even free)
Windows 7 is more than six years old. Most of the cheap upgrade offers that were available when it was fresh and new are long gone. But if you prefer the familiar Windows 7 interface (or need it for testing and evaluation) you can still find great deals. Here are all the details you need.

By Ed Bott for The Ed Bott Report
January 7, 2016 -- 15:49 GMT (07:49 PST)

Updated November 25, 2015: One of the most popular posts I have ever published at ZDNet was this one, originally titled Seven perfectly legal ways to get Windows 7 cheap (or even free). I wrote it in late 2009, and posted a follow-up one year later. If you had followed my advice, you could have saved hundreds of dollars on upgrades and special deals for students and IT pros.

Six years later, Windows 7 is in the rear-view mirror. Most of the deals listed in those original posts are no longer available. But it is indeed still possible to find great deals on PCs running Windows 7, if you know where to look. It's also possible to tweak and tune newer Windows versions so that they are functionally equivalent to Windows 7.

In that spirit, I've completely reworked this post with information that reflects the current PC market. [Last updated November 25, 2015]

Windows 7 is officially middle-aged. It was publicly released more than six years ago, on October 22, 2009. With each passing day it is getting further and further from the midpoint of Microsoft's 10-year support lifecycle for Windows releases.

In January 2015, Microsoft ended mainstream support for Windows 7, and the five-year extended support phase began. In January 2020, the Windows 7 support lifecycle will officially end.

But four years is a long, long time, and if you prefer the familiar environment of Windows 7 over its successors, you still have lots of options available.

If you navigate your way through the confusing maze of Windows licensing rules, you'll find that the best deals go to PC manufacturers, which means you'll find the best new and refurbished PCs with Windows 7 preinstalled and ready to run.

If you just need the software, you can still buy Windows 7 software in shrink-wrapped retail and OEM packages, sometimes at prices that are literally too good to be true. If you're an IT pro or developer who needs Windows 7 for testing, you also have subscription options, although they're less of a deal than they were six years ago. For students, the best options come with newer versions of Windows.

Most of the details I include in this post apply to Windows customers in the United States, but you should be able to find similar offers in other countries.

My goal in this post is to point you to deals that customers legitimately qualify for. I am not trying to encourage attempts by anyone to get away with something you're not entitled to. If there are restrictions for a specific offer, I've noted them here.

Ready to get started? Pick a category and go...

Old software on new PCs
By far the best way to buy Windows 7 today, six years into its lifecycle, is to purchase it preinstalled on a new PC. You get a warranty and, more importantly, you get the OEM's assurance that the hardware and software were designed to work together. This option also spares you from the pain of Windows setup, especially the hassles of hunting down essential drivers and system-specific updates when you upgrade (or downgrade) a PC.

New brand-name PCs with Windows 7 preinstalled
Yes, big-name PC makers can still install Windows 7 on new PCs. There's a catch, though: As of October 31, 2014 , any new PCs they offer must include the more expensive Windows 7 Professional. Machines that were manufactured before that date with Windows 7 Home Premium can still be sold.

Normally, the sales lifecycle for PCs with Windows 7 preinstalled would have ended long ago, but Microsoft extended that deadline in February 2014. PC manufacturers will no longer be able to sell new PCs with Windows 7 Pro as of October 31, 2016, (For details, see "What the Windows 7 Pro sales lifecycle changes mean to consumers and business buyers.")

The trick in shopping for these machines is to skip the front door and go straight for the business section. Among online merchants, for example, Dell offers filters to show all available desktops and all-in-ones and laptops running Windows 7. HP has separate pages for business desktops and laptops, but you have to look at each model to find the models with Windows 7 available.

Big online retailers that serve business markets should have similar selections covering a wide range of brands and the full spectrum of prices.

Used and refurbished PCs with Windows 7 preinstalled
There are plenty of sites where you can find "factory reconditioned" PCs for sale at legitimately low prices. Amazon-owned Woot, for example, always has lots of choices in its Computers section, although you'll have to dig into the specs to confirm that the operating system you're looking for is included.

Other online sellers with similarly extensive selections include the following:

Tiger Direct offers "off lease" Windows 7 PCs for as little as $100.

Newegg has an enormous selection of refurbished PCs as well. Many are too old to recommend except for diehard bargain hunters, but if you know what you're looking for you can find perfectly good hardware that costs less than you'd pay for a retail copy of the Windows 7 version it includes.

Staples has a similar selection in its online store.

I don't recommend taking a chance with random sellers on eBay or Craigslist--not when there are so many well-established merchants that offer proper warranties and return policies, as well as an assurance that the underlying Windows license is legitimate.

OEM Windows software for new or refurbished PCs
Under Microsoft's arcane licensing rules, you can legitimately purchase OEM copies of Windows 7 (any edition). However, the license agreement with those copies explicitly prohibits you from using that software on a PC you build or refurbish for your own personal use. Crazy, huh?

You can find OEM System Builder software from dozens of online merchants. The current price for OEM Windows 7 Professional at Newegg, for example, is $140. When I checked a few minutes ago, Amazon was offering OEM Windows 7 Professional packages from multiple sellers at prices ranging from $101 to $150. When I checked just now, a package specifically intended for refurbished PCs cost only $50 for a 64-bit copy.

There are no technical limitations to prevent you from using OEM software on your own PC, although this software will work only for a clean installation and not for an upgrade. In the past, Microsoft has been remarkably inconsistent in its advice to customers about whether this practice is allowed. (See "Is it OK to use OEM Windows on your own PC? Don't ask Microsoft.")

To make the subject even more confusing, Microsoft briefly changed its licensing rules with Windows 8, adding a Personal Use Rights clause that allowed individuals to buy OEM Windows and install it on personal PCs. That change lasted exactly one year: with the launch of Windows 8.1, Microsoft restored the old licensing terms.

The bottom line? Yes, you can install an OEM copy of Windows 7 on a PC for your own personal use; I recommend that you avoid doing so for your business, however, especially if you have a licensing agreement with Microsoft.

Upgrade (and downgrade) options
Most of the readily available options for new PCs include the latest version of Windows--that's Windows 10 today (with many Windows 8.1 PCs still on retail and online shelves).

If you love a particular piece of hardware and your preferred version of Windows 7 isn't available on the build-to-order options list, don't despair. You have four choices available.

Exercise your downgrade rights (free)
If you purchase a new PC with a business version of Windows 8, Windows 8.1, or Windows 10 already installed by the manufacturer, the license agreement gives you the right to downgrade to Windows 7 Professional. So if your PC originally came with Windows 8/8.1/10 Pro, you can replace the installed operating system with Windows 7 Professional at no cost.

Note that downgrade rights are not included on systems that ship with the core version of Windows 8, 8.1, or 10. Likewise, OEM System Builder copies of Windows 8.x and later do not include downgrade rights.

To exercise downgrade rights, you can use media for Windows 7 Professional that you acquire from any source. During installation, don't enter a product key. After completing installation, you'll need to activate your newly installed copy of Windows 7 by using the telephone activation option and explaining that you are using downgrade rights.

Transfer a license (no cost)
Did you purchase a retail copy of Windows 7 any time in the past six years? Any full or upgrade license purchased through the retail channel or directly from Microsoft can legally be transferred to another PC. That includes any of the deeply discounted upgrade offers that Microsoft made available when Windows 7 was new, including the three-license Family Packs of Windows 7 Home Premium.

If you have the original Windows 7 installation media and product key and have removed the operating system from the PC on which it was originally installed, you can reuse that key on any PC. You might be required to activate over the phone; when asked, be sure to specify (truthfully) that your copy of Windows 7 is installed on only one PC.

Note that OEM copies of Windows 7 that were installed on PCs by the manufacturer are locked to that device and cannot be transferred.

Buy an upgrade license
If the PC on which you want to install Windows 7 originally included a license for any version of Windows, you can buy a Windows 7 upgrade license from any vendor that has the software in stock and install that upgrade on your PC. You don't need to reinstall the old operating system; if you want to perform a clean install using upgrade media, you can use the workaround I describe in this post: Boot from the upgrade media and do an installation without entering a product key. Then use the same media to "upgrade" your brand-new installation.

Note that if you have a PC with Windows 7 Home Premium installed, you can use the Anytime Upgrade option to upgrade it to Windows 7 Professional for $90. Follow the instructions in this post.

Buy a full retail license
The most expensive option is to purchase a full retail license for Windows 7. It's guaranteed to work with any PC, with no installation or licensing complications. The problem is finding this software, which Microsoft stopped selling years ago. Most online merchants today offer only OEM copies of Windows 7.

Subscriptions for Windows and more
All the options I described earlier apply to PCs you plan to use in the home or office. But if you're a developer, an IT pro, or a student, you might have a completely different set of needs, including a desire to have one or more PCs running Windows 7 for testing purposes.

Sadly, Microsoft ended the TechNet subscription service in 2013. But there are still useful options available to anyone who needs Windows 7 in a lab or virtual machine. Windows 7 evaluation versions are also no longer available.

Microsoft Developer Network (MSDN)
MSDN subscriptions are specifically intended for professional software developers. An annual subscription gives you access to a wide range of professional developer tools and pre-release products.

Every MSDN subscription includes access to the latest version of Windows with multiple activations. You can choose from different levels of MSDN subscriptions. The cheapest is the MSDN Operating Systems subscription, which costs $699 for the first year and $499 for renewals. It offers full access to every client and server version of Windows (going as far back as Windows 3.1).

Prices go up for other editions, with different MSDN subscription levels including access to other Microsoft software, toolkits, and SDKs as well as credit for Microsoft Azure. For a full list of available packages, see this chart.

The MSDN license agreement is detailed and worth reading in full. There's an excellent summary of your rights as a subscriber here. This paragraph is especially noteworthy:

Many MSDN subscribers use a computer for mixed use--both design, development, testing, and demonstration of your programs (the use allowed under the MSDN Subscription license) and some other use. Using the software in any other way, such as for doing email, playing games, or editing a document is another use and is not covered by the MSDN Subscription license. When this happens, the underlying operating system must also be licensed normally by purchasing a regular copy of Windows such as the one that came with a new OEM PC.

If you're a professional developer or designer who uses Microsoft products, MSDN subscriptions can be a bargain. If you just want cheap access to Windows 7, you have better options.

Microsoft DreamSpark (free)
If you are enrolled in a science, technology, engineering, or math department at an educational institution that subscribes to Microsoft DreamSpark Premium, you can get free software for use in your studies.

(The DreamSpark Standard program is available to individuals for $99 a year or $199 for three years. It includes server software and development tools but does not include Windows client software.)

To check your eligibility through these programs, register here using a school-issued email address or a code supplied by an academic institution. https://www.dreamspark.com/Student/Default.aspx

[Rick Danger]

I said it before: How can Microsoft claim that Windows 10 is "The Most Secure Windows Ever" when they included Internet Explorer?

Certainly some features will improve Windows security. But as this article from ZDnet demonstrates, we are not there yet.................

Oh, note that one of the vulnerabilities impacts Windows 8.1 and 10, but NOT Windows 7!

ZDNet.com

Every version of Windows hit by 'critical' security vulnerability
The flaw could allow an attacker to run arbitrary code as the logged-in user.

By Zack Whittaker for Zero Day
February 9, 2016 -- 20:18 GMT (12:18 PST)
Topic: Security

It was a relatively light month for critical security patches, but one major vulnerability affects every supported version of Windows.

Microsoft said in its latest monthly security bulletin -- its so-called Patch Tuesday -- that users of Windows Vista and later, including Windows 10, should patch immediately to prevent a serious flaw in how the operating system handles certain files.

The serious vulnerability (MS16-013) could allow an attacker to run arbitrary code as the logged-in user. Administrator accounts are at the greatest risk. An attacker would have to trick a user into opening a specially-crafted Journal file, which would let the attacker run programs, delete data, and create new accounts with full user rights.

Windows Server 2016 Tech Preview 4 is also affected by the vulnerability, and requires patching. The good news is that Microsoft said it wasn't aware of an attacker exploiting the flaw.

The software giant also released three other critical flaws affecting Windows and Office.

MS16-012 addresses a vulnerabilities which could allow an attacker to run code on an affected system by tricking a user into opening a specially-crafted PDF file. Users on Windows 8.1 and Windows 10 are mostly affected. The flaw was privately reported to Microsoft, and is not thought to have been exploited by attackers.

MS16-015 fixes a number of memory corruption flaws in Microsoft Office, which could let an attacker to remotely execute code if a user opens a specially-crafted Office file. An attacker would have the same access to the system as the logged-in user. The flaws were privately reported, except a separate SharePoint cross-site scripting flaw, which was publicly disclosed.

MS16-022 patches more than two-dozen separate vulnerabilities with Adobe Flash Player on all Windows 8.1 and higher.

In line with every monthly set of bulletins, the company also rolled out a cumulative patch to Internet Explorer (MS16-009) and its newer browser, Microsoft Edge for Windows 10 (MS16-011).

[Rick Danger]

Even Windows 10 fans note that Edge is not yet up to the mark given it's lack of plug-in support and other features. But of course it's being touted as a security improvement over Internet Explorer.

YES, if you count it as a 75% improvement.....................

As I said before, make your Windows 10 decision based on your needs, coupled with cold logic and investigative insight - not marketing hype, promised "features" that have not yet materialized, or well paid experts.

ZDNet.com

With Edge inheriting one-quarter of Internet Explorer's flaws, is it any more secure?
The software giant is pushing users away from old versions of Internet Explorer. But how secure, based on vulnerabilities, is Windows 10's new browser?

By Zack Whittaker for Zero Day
December 16, 2015 -- 13:25 GMT (05:25 PST)
Topic: Security

Microsoft Edge, the company's new browser, has more in common with Internet Explorer than you might think -- especially when it comes to security flaws.

An analysis of the last five-months' worth of monthly software updates shows that Edge had 25 vulnerabilities shared with versions of Internet Explorer, which had a total of 100 vulnerabilities.

Earlier this month on its scheduled Patch Tuesday update offering, Microsoft released MS15-124, a cumulative update for Internet Explorer, and MS15-125, a near-identical patch for Edge. Of the 15 flaws patched in Internet Explorer, 11 of those were also patched in Edge.

Four additional bugs in December's monthly update list were unique to Edge, and did not affect Internet Explorer.

December saw the highest number of patched vulnerabilities since Edge was released in Windows 10 earlier this year.

With a quarter of all IE bugs affecting Edge, at least one commentator questioned if Edge was built on a "rotten old foundation." Given that the number of vulnerabilities found in Edge is far below Internet Explorer, it's reasonable to say Edge looks like a more secure browser. But is Edge really more secure than Internet Explorer?

According to a Microsoft blog post earlier this year, the software giant's newest browser, an exclusive for Windows 10, is said to have been designed to "defend users from increasingly sophisticated and prevalent attacks."

In doing that, Edge scrapped older, insecure, or flawed plugins or frameworks, like ActiveX or Browser Helper Objects. That already helped to cut a number of possible drive-by attacks traditionally used by attackers. EdgeHTML, which powers Edge's rendering engine, is a fork of Trident, which still powers Internet Explorer.

However, it's not clear how much of Edge's code is still based off old Internet Explorer code.

When asked, Microsoft did not give much away. In a statement that we snipped for clarity, a spokesperson said:

"Edge shares a universal code base across all form factors without the legacy add-on architecture of Internet Explorer. Designed from scratch, Microsoft does selectively share some code between Edge and Internet Explorer, where it makes sense to do so."

Tyler Reguly, manager of security research and development at security firm Tripwire, explained in an email that overlapping libraries are where you get vulnerabilities that aren't specific to either browser.

"When you're working on a project as large as a major web browser, it's highly unlikely that you would throw out all the project specific code and the underlying APIs that support it, there's bound to be overlap in these situations," he said.

"There are a lot of APIs that the web browser will use that will still be common between the browsers. If you load Microsoft Edge and Internet Explorer on a system, you will notice that both of them load a number of overlapping DLLs," he said.

Dan Caselden, manager of research science at FireEye, said if the same bug is patched between the two browsers, it's typically because of shared code.

"A few here and there could be because of the same error introduced into two different implementations -- such as a design level flaw," said Caselden, "but I'd wager that occurs infrequently."

The big question is how much of that Internet Explorer code remains in Edge, and crucially, if any of that code has any connection to the overlap of flaws found in both browsers that poses a risk to Edge users.

The bottom line is that it's hard, if not impossible to say if browsers are more or less secure than another.

A "critical" patch, which fixes the most severe of vulnerabilities, is a moving scale, has to consider the details of the flaw, as well as if it's being exploited by attackers. With an unpredictable number of flaws found each month coupled with their severity ratings, a browser's security worth can vary month by month.

Older versions of Internet Explorer will be retired by mid-January, giving millions of users about a month to upgrade to Internet Explorer 11, or to Edge on Windows 10.