'Free'* Windows 10 upgrade

[Phil]

Like many people, I have been holding back till just before the deadline to upgrade to Win10 for free.

Last week, as a test, I upgraded my old Samsung Netbook which was running Win7. The Netbook had been running so slow it was virtually unusable and I hadn't used it for a few months for that reason. I really wasn't expecting Win10 to perform on the low spec netbook, but after a bit of tweaking I am amazed that Win10 performed much quicker than Win7 did.

I have since upgraded my Ultrabook and that is working OK. Surprisingly, a beta version of some software that a friend developed for Windows 3.1 is working fine on 64 bit Win10.

So far so good. But I am using "Classic Shell", so I might not be viewing the interface that MS intended!

Has anyone else bit the bullet?

Phil


 

[U4ea]

Hi Phil,

I've upgrade 3 over the past week. It was not without problems but they are all working fine now.

Neighbours Windows 8.1 Desktop went very smoothly.

Wife's Windows 7 laptop would go all through the installation phase as far as 99% and then revert back. After a lot of checking found it was a hard drive issue. Got a replacement drive and cloned the old one to it and it upgraded very quickly after that.

My own Windows 7 Desktop loaded everything ok but I found that any programmes I opened couldn't be reduced in size on the screen, they were always fully maximised. This was very frustrating as I'm used to have 2 sometimes 3 open. After a bit of digging I found that it was in Tablet mode. Changed this in Settings and all was fine. later I found that my wife's Laptop had the same issue.

One thing that worried me was the amount of Information about my and what I do that the System wants to send back to Micro$oft. I knew I'd seen something about this and that there were 2 levels of options. I eventuaally found a link from an old email and was able to change the settings.

http://www.slate.com/articles/technology/bitwise/2015/08/windows_10_privacy_problems_here_s_how_bad_they_are_and_how_to_plug_them.html

I don't know where I got the Link originally, it might even have been from Maik on here.
 

[Phil]

Hi U4ea
On one of the final screens during installation there are options to change the default settings. However, the link to do so is not (deliberately?) obvious. It is at the lower left end of the screen.
When the installation on Monica's laptop gets to that stage I will confirm the details. But don't hold your breath as it is taking forever to update her machine .......

Phil

[U4ea]

Hi again Phil
Hope you're all sorted now.
You may have noticed that in the Link the writer says to avoid Edge because Micro$oft hadn't published any Security details or options. The article came out in April 2015. The details for Edge were given in January 2016, accessed through SEttings on the Edge hope page. They can be set to make the use of Edge a lot more private. On that basis, I'm using it, abut along with other browsers rather than instead of them.

Cortana takes a lot on an user's personal information in it's default configuration. It is possible to reduce this by clicking on the Privacy Statement. That will show not only how much data about you that Cortana wants to take but also a whole hopst of the other Micro$oft products. I'm not bothering with Cortana at least for while.

[Maik]

Microsoft's first major update to its flagship operating system is breaking customers' webcams.

Affected webcams are those that use the MJPEG or H264 video format, such as the Logitech C920. Those that use YUY2 - a separate format - are unaffected.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/2016/08/22/windows-10-update-is-breaking-millions-of-webcams---how-to-fix-i/

[Maik]

Windows 10 users report crashing computers when they plug in their Kindles
 
Those running the Anniversary Update and using a Paperwhite or Voyage e-reader appear susceptible to the issue. More Anniversary Update woe reported by frustrated users

http://home.bt.com/tech-gadgets/tech-news/windows-10-kindle-crash-error-anniversary-update-11364083013397

[BeeTee]

KB3184143 Update to remove Get Windows 10 offer out

Microsoft released the update KB3184143 "Remove software related to the Windows 10 free upgrade offer" yesterday which uninstalls several related and no longer needed updates on machines running Windows 7 or Windows 8.1.

Get Windows 10 helped push the company's Windows 10 operating system for a year thanks to a free offer and malware-like behavior at times.

Windows users who did not want to upgrade to Windows 10 had to endure update after update of Get Windows 10, and pay close attention to other updates sneaking in that would prepare the operating system for the upgrade to Windows 10.

While the prompt had a "no thanks" button at times, later upgrade prompts lacked it and added to the confusion.

The update will remove the following Windows Updates from devices running previous versions of Microsoft's Windows operating system:

KB 3035583 -- Update installs Get Windows 10 app in Windows 8.1 and Windows 7 SP1
KB 3064683 -- Windows 8.1 OOBE modifications to reserve Windows 10
KB 3072318 -- Update for Windows 8.1 OOBE to upgrade to Windows 10
KB 3090045 -- Windows Update for reserved devices in Windows 8.1 or Windows 7 SP1
KB 3123862 -- Updated capabilities to upgrade Windows 8.1 and Windows 7
KB 3173040 -- Windows 8.1 and Windows 7 SP1 end of free upgrade offer notification
KB 3146449 -- Updated Internet Explorer 11 capabilities to upgrade Windows 8.1 and Windows 7
A restart of the computer may be necessary to complete the installation of the update.

It makes sense to remove those updates from devices running Windows 7 or 8 as they serve no purpose anymore. It is unclear whether the update will also clean up any files left behind by the Get Windows 10 application on the system. If I had to guess, I'd say it is unlikely that it will touch those files.

So, if you have not removed or blocked those updates yet on your machine, the update will at least remove these Windows Updates from it.

In related news: it seems still possible to upgrade to Windows 10 for free using a working product key of Windows 7 or 8. Windows 10 will install and activate just fine in that case. 

http://www.ghacks.net/2016/09/21/kb3184143-update-remove-get-windows-10/

[Maik]

KB3199209 yet another Windows 10 patch without information

While it installs just fine, and there is no restart either, it lacks any information whatsoever other than its Knowledgebase ID and title.

While that is not a problem for users who install any update the company puts out, it is highly problematic for users and administrators who want to know what an update is all about.

Some users noticed that Windows Defender's real-time protection has been enabled after running the update, even with third-party antivirus software running on the system.

http://www.ghacks.net/2016/10/18/kb3199209-yet-another-windows-10-patch-without-information/

[Maik]

Twas the week before Xmas ... not a creature was stirring – except Microsoft admitting its Windows 10 upgrade pop-up went 'too far'

Microsoft's marketing boss Chris Capossela has confessed the infamous your-Windows-10-upgrade-is-ready pop-up that tricked so many people into installing the thing was a step "too far."

The pop-up asked users to schedule an upgrade but if they clicked on the red X on the top right of the box it didn't just close the window – it scheduled the update anyway.

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2016/12/23/microsoft_windows_10_upgrade/

[Maik]

New Windows 10 privacy controls: Just a little snooping – or the max
Microsoft offers two settings – on and almost off – and a dashboard of collected data

Microsoft has built an online dashboard of privacy controls in an attempt to soothe lingering anger over Windows 10 and its ability to phone home people's private information.

The new web portal lists some of the personal data that is collected from PCs and devices and sent back to Redmond, and allows people to somewhat limit the snooping. Meanwhile, Microsoft will also tweak Windows 10's built-in privacy controls, giving Home and Pro users a choice between some system surveillance or full-blown system surveillance.

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2017/01/11/microsofts_new_windows_telemetry_manager/

[Maik]

Windows 10 to offer update 'snoozes'

Microsoft will enable Windows 10 users to choose when security updates are installed once they arrive rather than enforcing them straightaway.

Users have complained that the reboots required for some updates, which cannot currently be deferred, are disruptive.

People using Windows 10 devices will now be able to schedule an update within three days of receiving notification, the firm said in a blog.

However, delaying security updates can be risky, experts say.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-39152770

[Maik]

Windows 10 Creators Update general rollout begins with a privacy dialogue
Review your privacy settings, or no update for you

Microsoft's rollout of Windows 10 Creators Update has begun, complete with a privacy dialogue box shown by default to all users.

When will you get the update? Microsoft says “the first phase will target newer devices … we will then expand the Creators Update release to additional devices based on the feedback.”

The process will take “several months”, but if you are impatient, you can upgrade immediately using the Update Assistant.

“Microsoft collects and uses information including your location and location history, contacts, voice input, speech and handwriting patterns, typing history, searching history, calendar details, content and communication history for messages and apps, and other information on your device. In Microsoft Edge, Cortana uses your browsing history.”

https://www.theregister.co.uk/2017/04/11/windows_10_creators_update_general_rollout_begins_complete_with_privacy_dialog/

[Maik]

Microsoft is planning to kill off Paint after 32 years
Long-standing basic graphics editing program, used throughout childhoods since the 1980s, has been marked for death

Microsoft’s next Windows 10 update, called the Autumn (or Fall in the US) Creators Update, will bring a variety of new features. But one long-standing stalwart of the Windows experience has been put on the chopping block: Microsoft Paint.

First released with the very first version of Windows 1.0 in 1985, Paint in its various guises would be one of the first graphics editors used by many and became a core part of Windows.

Paint was never one of the most capable apps... The most recent version of Paint for Windows 7 and later was much improved, but still considered feature poor compared to other free alternatives such as the third-party Paint.NET.

When Microsoft Paint will officially be removed from Windows has yet to be confirmed.

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/jul/24/microsoft-paint-kill-off-after-32-years-graphics-editing-program


Paint.NET available from getpaint.net

[Maik]

Microsoft Paint avoids brush with death

Microsoft has confirmed that it will continue to offer its graphics program Paint.

Microsoft suggested it would not remain on Windows 10 by default but did say it would be available for free on the Windows Store.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-40714395


"Microsoft Paint avoids brush with death"... 

[Maik]

Beware: Update KB4046355 removes Windows Media Player

The Windows 10 update KB4046355 for the Fall Creators Update -- listed as FeatureOnDemandMediaPlayer - Windows 10 for x64-based Systems (KB4046355) removes Windows Media Player from the operating system.

It is unclear at this point in time whether that is done by accident, and whether this may impact devices running stable versions of Windows 10 as well.

This change may not be an issue for Windows users who run third-party media players like VLC Media Player, but it may be shocking to those invested in Windows Media Player.

The update removes Windows Media Player from the device (files and context menu entries), but it does not prevent users from installing it again.

https://www.ghacks.net/2017/10/09/beware-update-kb4046355-removes-windows-media-player/

VLC Media Player plays most things

[Maik]

Windows 10 version 1607 reaches end of life next month

With Microsoft pushing out two feature updates per year, and each feature update supported by 18 months only, it is a regular occurrence that Windows users upgrade their Windows 10 PCs to a new version.

For those of you who still run Windows 10 version 1607, generally known as the Anniversary Update, it is time to fire up the update engine and update to a newer version of Windows 10 as support for Windows 10 version 1607 will run out next month.

https://www.ghacks.net/2018/03/24/windows-10-version-1607-reaches-end-of-life-next-month/

[Maik]

Windows 10 April 2018 update: everything you need to know
Microsoft has released the latest version of Windows 10, adding improvements to task management, Cortana, Edge and sharing

Will it be forced on Windows 10 users?

In a word, yes. While there are ways to stop Windows 10 from downloading it, Microsoft only supports older versions of Windows 10 for two years or less from release.

That means that the Windows 10 Anniversary Update, which was released in August 2016 is no longer supported and will not receive further bug fixes and security updates. The Creators Update, released in April 2017 will no longer be supported from 9 October this year, so the only way to keep using a supported version of Windows 10 is to keep upgrading.

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2018/apr/30/windows-10-april-2018-update-microsoft-task-management-cortana-edge-sharing

[Maik]

Windows 10 update bug locks machines running Chrome, Cortana and others
Microsoft working on fix for machines and suggests temporary solutions to bug caused by installation of April 2018 update

The Guardian can confirm that the bug affects some but not all Windows 10 machines updated to the April 2018 update, and appears to impact newer computers with Intel’s integrated graphics chips.

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2018/may/04/windows-10-april-2018-update-bug-locks-machines-running-chrome-cortana