Windows 10?

[DTravel]

Jeez, the more I read here the happier I am that I've stuck with XP!!

[Misrule]

In Control Panel, Windows Update, Installed Updates it is possible to search for the updates by number. Just make sure to start with KB - it doesn't find them if you just insert the number.
BTW, they have been sneaking these telemetry updates in since the start of the year!

Update: After you uninstall any of these updates, re-start Windows Update and hide them. MS will attempt to sneak them in again.

[Oh hi Mark!]

I've been having problems with the audio since upgrading. This is on a newly built PC too, I got that done a month ago. Yet on the super old computer, on XP, this never happened. Cracks in the audio. They happen very briefly, a second of stuttering voice whether on offline playback, or streaming. I've tried everything. Disable CPU throttling, disabled HPET, uninstalled Realtek HD, run Latencymon to pinpoint what drivers are causing it, even refreshed Windows 10. The last bit helped, the problems lowered a lot, but it just happened a few minutes ago.

[Rick Danger]

DarkReading.com
Commentary

Microsoft's Remarkable Pivot: Windows 10 Abandons Privacy
You can read all you want about Windows 10 powerful new privacy features, but that doesn't mean you have them.

Commentary by Mark Weinstein
9/2/2015 @10:30 AM

The Windows 10 reviews are pouring in and the general consensus seems to be that it rocks (especially over Windows 8). It’s feature-rich, fun, and best of all, free. So why then is Slate.com calling it a privacy nightmare in dire need of reform? Because most of the powerful privacy settings are turned off by default. Yikes. Forget Clippy ever happened. There’s a new Microsoft sheriff annoying users in town.

The issue comes down to your personal information. Microsoft is acting as if it wants to collect lots of yours, more than it ever has before. And it’s not telling us why. In an Edward Snowden world, that scares people, as well it should. Sure, in certain instances it makes logical sense. Take Cortana for example, your friendly neighborhood personal digital assistant. Just like Apple’s Siri, in order to give you good ideas, Cortana needs to get to know you, your interests, and where you like to hang out. You can play with her settings if you choose, but the onus rests entirely on you. And therein lies the fundamental flaw of Windows 10: everything is on you.

You can read all you want about Windows 10 privacy features, but that doesn’t mean you have them. It’s kind of odd. A company builds powerful privacy into its application but then leaves it up to you to become Sherlock Holmes to find them. Even worse, Microsoft doesn’t highlight this fact. There’s no FYI; no “just in case you’re wondering.” Most people will never know what’s missing or in fact what they’ve got.

To those who know about the privacy issue and want to resolve it, there’s another mountain to climb: changing the settings. This is not a one-click procedure. If you have the time and patience and want to go all techno-geek, then you can probably get there. If not, you’re kind of screwed. The end result is that everyday people won’t bother. They’ll opt for leaving well enough alone over being mired in some techno-hell. Isn’t that why most of us stick too long with technology, even when we know change would be for the better?

So what was Microsoft thinking? On the one hand, there’s the whole issue of keeping up with the Jones’s. Apple, Facebook, Google, all of Microsoft’s main competitors, collect information about you. Microsoft does too for that matter. But Apple and its CEO Tim Cook, as shown in recent speeches and blogs, suggest they want to change their tune. Microsoft looks like it potentially does too, but it sounds like the wrong song.

Secondly, as Forrester Research’s Tyler Shields points out, it’s simple addition. Microsoft makes money off of its value-added services. If you offer those services as an opt-in, something that requires action and thought, most people tend to opt-out. If you reverse the equation, then most people are already opted-in and either uninformed about or uninterested in taking the time to reverse the settings.

Here’s what I recommend. Take care of business yourself. First off, start with an easy action item. Turn off Wi-Fi Sense, which is on by default. Wi-Fi Sense connects you to trusted Wi-Fi networks around you that your friends use. Hey, I get it. Not all of us have data plans. Sometimes we exceed our limits. And it’s kind of cool to chill in a room with friends and share the same network. But Wi-Fi Sense automatically shares access with everyone in your Outlook address book as well as your frenemies on Facebook whom you want to make feel small with exaggerations of your high life.

Next, stick with your own local account. Microsoft wants you to create a Microsoft account (formerly known as a Live ID). It’s all part of the wave that companies such as Facebook and Google ride where your whole life sits in a single account. They tell you it’s so easy and convenient, that you can access your stuff on any device. It also means they can lump your data together, making it easier to collect. I don’t trust that idea myself, not without clear protection of data and a transparent privacy policy, which is what I set up at my own social media company, MeWe.

Finally, I would fire Cortana. Take her off everything, except maybe your phone. If she’s on your phone, then minimize what you want her to know. Keep her as a work friend, one who only needs to know one aspect of your life instead of the entire you.

Microsoft is not the first to follow such user-unfriendly practices, nor will they be the last. That’s why we need to continue to demand that companies clearly inform users about the information they collect, how they use it, and where it goes. Only use companies and applications that follow such practices. In these modern times, actions really can speak much louder than words. In this case, yours can impact how Microsoft responds in this instance and others in the future.

Mark Weinstein is one of the USA's leading social media and privacy experts and CEO of MeWe.com. Mark is a founder of social networking, a leading privacy advocate, and author of the award-winning Habitually Great book series.

[EsotericKnave]

Originally Posted by a435843

As was previously reported, but now "mainstream" tech blogs are picking up on, is the fact that the Windows updates that were ostensibly to grease a user's Windows 7 or 8 PC's "upgrade" to Windows 10, also included the same "telemetry" code that Windows 10 already had.

I removed 3068708 a couple days ago, and tonight I was notified of an "important" update, and there it was again! Thanks for the tip!

[masturbater]

I have to admit, that although I've found the posts to this thread very insightful, there are some that are just way over my head.

Due to the privacy issues, I don't use Cortana or Edge and followed the suggestions posted here concerning privacy.

I play the Solitare games as a guest and do not allow Windows to sign me in on Xbox online. One of the games called Candy Crush eventually held me hostage. It would not allow me to play any longer unless I bought more "lives" online. I uninstalled the game.

Shortly after the installation, I ran a scan with MalwareBytes. It found 6 potential PUP's; all with the name "outbrowser"...hmm...could this have anything to do with tracking? Sure sounds like it. I immediately deleted them. Rick Danger mentioned this in a previous post...Thanks Rick!

Next, AOL (yes, some of us still use it) continued bugging me with pop ups telling me to upgrade to AOL 9.8. The pop ups said that I must have 9.8 to work with Windows 10. I could not simply close the pop ups; they remained at the bottom of my screen even when I logged off. Eventually the pop ups became so annoying that I finally clicked "yes".

AOL 9.8 still allowed me to send and receive emails, however the Welcome screen with news, etc. was blank. If I clicked on any other menu items, I also got a blank screen.

Luckily, I managed to uninstall AOL 9.8 and am back to 9.7. Now everything works as before. So much for AOL and Win 10 working together.

In the end, the only benefit of installing Win 10 over 8.1 is that I no longer have to look at a screen filled with huge tiles when I want to look for an app. It is also easier to access settings, etc. However, the Big Brother aspect of Win 10 (clearly pointed out in this thread) makes it a "no go" item.

[Blue126]

Big Brother...don't get me on that subject They have just become (An informer)

They lost me on not recognizing certain files ?

(I will stick with 8.1, freedom is limited, but better than 10..free upgrade my arse)

[befuddled]

Maybe it's time to switch to Linux?

[Rick Danger]

Went over to visit my ex-daughter-in-law (I still love her), my granddaughter and her cute, if overly active little brother.

Finally someone who took the "free" Windows 10 upgrade. I was anxious to question her.

Her overall impression is: NOTHING has changed.

What about Windows 10 overhyped new features ? She's a devoted Chrome user, so Edge holds no interest for her. She hasn't tried Cortana. She has been a devoted iPhone user for years, so Windows Phone integration is also a non-starter. She and her husband don't own an Xbox, so Xbox integration is not an item of interest either.

Lord, I haven't heard so much yawning since the last time I tried to talk to the wife about college football !

One new 'feature' did get a rise out of her. She is not happy about the forced updates. Here's a woman who works full time, is studying for her MBA, runs the local Girl Scout troop and totals about eighty hours a week with the Scouts and other volunteer work. She really doesn't appreciate Windows Update cutting into her homework time.............................

Why did she bother ? "Because it was free".

Her new husband is a Marine who served two combat tours in Iraq and has a Purple Heart to show for it. But most importantly, he's a good man and is great with my granddaughter. Semper Fidelis.

[Rick Danger]

Update on my comments about Xbox/Groove Music: http://vintage-erotica-forum.com/sho...&postcount=288

I opened a problem report with Microsoft concerning the INABILITY of Xbox Music to import playlists from Windows Media Player (WMP). It's been over two weeks, and after the usual "for dummies" questions (What format are your music files ? Are all of your music files in the same directory ? .....blah....blah....blah) I haven't heard a thing.

As I said, Microsoft brags about being able to import iTunes playlists, but it somehow couldn't figure out how to import playlists between its' own products. And I still don't understand why Redmond thinks that people will leave applications that they've chosen to install and use, like Chrome, Firefox, Siri, and iTunes to use their "free" apps likes Edge, Cortana, and Groove Music. Maybe I'm just too old or too stupid to understand the depths of their strategic vision.................NOT !

And don't forget that unlike WMP with Windows 10 you now need two separate apps to play your music and videos, and the Windows 10 video player will not play DVDs without modification.

It used to be that "new" meant improved, more features, better performance. But you'd have a hard time convincing me that Xbox/Groove Music is an improvement on the ancient Windows Media Player.

INCREDIBLE !!!!!!!
UNBELIEVABLE !!!!!!!
UNACCEPTABLE !!!!!!!