Is there any over riding reason to even install this?

Mostly if your drivers are good, and your computer is stable.
This will help correct that

quote Originally posted by Jake_Dragon: Mostly if your drivers are good, and your computer is stable. This will help correct that

quote Originally posted by Jake_Dragon: Mostly if your drivers are good, and your computer is stable. This will help correct that

That's what i fear...
One of their recent updates 'corrected' my printer protocols almost to obscurity and I had to uninstall it.

Im sure TheOgre will pop in here with a lengthy and well-constructed answer, but you kinda HAVE to update Windows 10.

You can get around it a few different ways, but non of them are really satisfying.

There's a "Windows 9" which I think is a good option for those who use their machine as a toaster - (Like you have a machine for audio or video editing and just want it to WORK, and have it still work a year from now.

I feel your pain regarding your printer. Like I SERIOUSLY feel it. Your printer is set up and working,a ndthen WIndows 10 "All new and sparly version" comes and messes with it. or, it's that random Patch Tuesday and a few days later, you realize you can no longer print... and then there was the point where you'd look at your printers and see "Launch the app" under the now non-working printer and its' either a e-print (now you can print to your printer from the internet! -whoooooo-hooo, only now you can no longer print locally. whoopsie)


I prefer windows 7 for some situations. especially if it in a "offline" machine.

Windows XP Embedded was a great thing, imo - it just WORKED. It would live in devices such as a TV set, and it would boot super fast and was pretty resistant to viruses and such because it was burned onto chips (yeah, there ARE viruses that can "brick" it, but it just worked.

Most of the new "features" in Windows 10 made me hate the OS more and more - the way it changed how images would print, the death of the control panel. (and even worse, the quasi-state that some setting would still be there in control panel, others in the "Settings".

then there was the version that made it difficult to have an offline account on the machine.

I am NOT a fan of Windows 10 and don't really love supporting it.

It's like imagine you REALLY dislike cows, but there you are, cleaning up after them every day. and when you bend down to clean up their poop, they kick you repeatedly in the head. And then they say you need to upgrade to Bulls, and they kill your existing cows and then demand that you duct tape their carcass to the Bulls, and they cover you in red paint (I know that's not actually a thing) and then ask you to dance for three hours while you duct tape them to the Bulls while they ram you repeatedly in the nuts.

Yeah, Not a huge fan of Windows 10... ha

You CAN disable the Windows Update service, or use gpedit to do it.... [from the web: Search for gpedit. msc and click the top result to launch the Local Group Policy Editor. Double-click the Configure Automatic Updates policy on the right side. Check the Disabled option to turn off the policy and disable automatic updates permanently...." (Maybe)

[This message has been edited by TheDigitalAlchemist (edited 04-08-2021).]

quote Originally posted by maryjane: That's what i fear... One of their recent updates 'corrected' my printer protocols almost to obscurity and I had to uninstall it.

Mostly I have had issues with older network drivers, USB drivers and some intel monitoring applications.
My home PC has been updated and there were issues with the updates and disk drives.
But knock on wood its been pretty stable for the last couple of months.

Above "error" is likely because EoL of a Feature Version. https://docs.microsoft.com/...dows-10-home-and-pro

Sound like has already DL a newer/newest version, maybe partly installed now and will completely install next reboot.
At this point you have little to no choice to get the upgrade.
You may be able to rewind the upgrade but don't count on it. Worse, That can "brick" a machine too.

So Backup your Data Before you reboot for any reason. MS Updates and Upgrades has Decades of History "breaking" machines and can't boot.
Not just Desktops etc used by normal users but crashing Servers, breaking Exchange, MS SQL, and others often Costing Thousands to Millions of $ Per Minute of Down Time.
(External HDD on USB3 runs almost as fast as internal HDD and bigger and cheap. I use several 1TB External HDD for just this reason.)

As to Blocking updates and upgrade in the future...
Win10 Home have very limited ways to avoid updates/upgrades. Also GPedit does not apply here. Can try RegEdit but doesn't always help or make more problems.
Win10 Pro w/o AD for SOHO use have a little more ways to avoid but will try to force an update/upgrade too.
Win10 Pro w/ AD and Win10 Enterprise has many more ways but MS force upgrades there too in the end.
(Active Directory connection in a Enterprise setting. I believe MS change names but still is AD to most Net Admins.)

I have Win10 and Win7 as dual boot on main machine and still use Win7 for 99+% of time.
I have tried Win10 on "old" machines (For MS "Old" is anything > 3 to 5 years.) but MS has block more and more drivers to run it. Even most drivers to run on x64 Win7 and 8.x won't run or install on many Recent x64 Win10 versions.
Example: One laptop I have can't use BT when Win10 is used because no new Win10 drivers for builtin BT "card." Did run on older Win10 but not now.

For future use...
From MS itself, Is or Was a way to DL newer version to DVD/flash then install but more complicated. Plus often have to DL days to months before now from MS to get more recent version but still avoid the newest.
In short...
You dig thru MS Win10 site to find a tool to DL offline image to DVD/flash then install. Should be @ https://www.microsoft.com/e...e-download/windows10 but haven't tried recently.
Install may have extra steps to avoid having MS Accounts because now trying to force everyone to have them during OS setup/install not just access to MS App store. (I think just install w/o Net connection to the machine.)
If you take this option... DL x86 and x64 so one DVD/Flash "disk" carries all versions. DL at night because will eat ~ 8GB and often DL faster from MS. If your on a Capped Data plan then try to find a friend w/o a cap.

------------------
Dr. Ian Malcolm: Yeah, but your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn't stop to think if they should.
(Jurassic Park)

The Ogre's Fiero Cave

quote Originally posted by theogre: *swoops in to save the day*

Yayyyy, it's theogre!

quote Originally posted by maryjane: Is there any over riding reason to even install this?

Windows 10 is not like previous versions of Windows where you could simply maintain the operating system "as-is" for as long as you like. Windows 10 has implemented a mandatory upgrade cycle which requires you to update to the latest versions as they are released. All conspiracy aside, it's a good thing because it does ensure that security patches are properly installed in a timely manner. They've also changed how patching occurs as well to some extent (if configured).

On the negative side... Windows will cease to work if it cannot update to the next anniversary version... so it will literally stop working at some point, but there are things you can do to fix it.

On the conspiratorial side... the number of forensics / evidence that's logged in each successive version of Windows 10 increases considerably. Everything you do is not just tracked, but it's actually tracked consistently multiple times. One of the things that Forensic analysts build is what's called a "Forensic Timeline." Windows now automatically does this for you. In all reality, it's helpful if you want to see something that you had done days before, or saved a file and can't remember where and want to find it. But to say it's intrusive is really not even scratching the surface.

It would be akin to having someone stand over your shoulder every moment of your life... and literally taking notes on a notepad every time you do something.


Of course, if you're not doing anything bad... who cares, but I'm a strong believer that liberty cannot be taken for granted. Do I use Windows 10? Yes... but I've pretty much got everything disabled... I've set up firewall rules, I don't create a Microsoft account, I use a VPN, a proxy, and an encrypted bridge to my webmail.

This should help ID Windows Versions... In this case, Win10 Home or Pro, x86(32 bit) or x64(64 bit) and 4 digit Version to look up in the list above.
https://support.microsoft.c...13-5296-9dd081cdd808

[This message has been edited by theogre (edited 04-09-2021).]