[SOLVED] Windows 10 questions, still scary...

VIKINGSS

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Mar 1, 2013
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Hello World,

As time goes by and more and more games that I might actually care about start to appear just for win 10(imitating Cartman I hate you devs) I've begun to ponder my options and have quite a few questions I'd really appreciate everyone's help with.

Starting with the more likely scenario where I would just dualboot I have the following question:

0. If I just dualboot 10 and take out the internet cable from my pc every time before booting into it and keep it unplugged every second I am on it, do I still have to worry about anything?
In other words is there anything that an OS that you have on your hdd/ssd might still be able to do while the internet cable is plugged in even while you are not booted into it?


Moving on to the least likely to ever happen scenario where I would install 10 as my main OS, I have the following questions:

1. Has anyone with the proper skills actually checked to make sure that if you disable telemetry with the option available only in enterprise(setting it to 0 I think it was) that telemetry actually becomes disabled and the os stops sending anything?

2. By disabling updates following what is written here does this part really become true "While automatic updates remains disabled, you can still download and install patches manually from Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update, and clicking the Check for updates button."
And will it then make it work just like win 7 where I decide when and which updates get installed, or am I missing something?

3. Is there a way to completely remove cortana or alexa(or whatever piece of trash 10 uses) from the OS, if not if there is a way to fully disable it, and if there is only a way to disable it, again, like question 1, has anyone checked to make sure that it is trully disabled and won't listen in on me whenever I talk into the mic?

4. Is there any way to protect myself from win 10 installing games and apps that I don't want without(or even with) my knowledge?

5. Do I still have to go and redo all the settings and such from the previous four questions after each update?

6. Is there a place that has sort of a roadmap of the features and differences between the builds so I know what I am getting myself into if I were to install the latest one(assuming the nomvember 2019 build is even the best one for me, I'm mainly a gamer)?

7. Assuming I get nr. 2 to work properly and just in case I miss a Techquickie episode, is there a place that tests each new windows build/update where I can go and check before I update so that I can avoid another Octomber update?

8. All that I've said so far should give you a pretty clear idea of what I think of ** 10, is there anything else that I might have missed that you think someone that comes from my point of view should know/worry about?

Thank you.
 
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Solution
0. Unsure, because you've not outlined what you might be worried about. Any game that needs to talk to its home server obviously won't work.

1. Unknown.

2. Yes. But you WILL need to install them eventually. And probably not exactly like Win 7.

3. Cortana.
This requires a REgistry change. Obviously, have a backup of your Registry and know how to recover it.
Or, if you're using WIn 10, Group Policy.

4. I've not seen any creep in during the semi-annual feature updates. That not to say that they won't...just that I've not seen any, on any of my systems. Been running Win 10 since Day 1.

5. Some setting do get changed/removed/added during the semi-annual...

USAFRet

Titan
Moderator
Assuming your premise is that you're on Win 7, and are worried about the telemetry and Updates in WIn10...that same telemetry has been backported into Win 7 & 8 long ago.
They all do pretty much the same.

Updates? The vast majority of systems over the years that have been compromised are those which were NOT patched. Either on purpose of by accident.
MS does actually fix and prevent things sometimes.
I've found Win 10 to be no more troublesome that previous Windows versions.
 

VIKINGSS

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Yes I am on win 7 @USAFRet , I am worried about every single question that I posted(otherwise I wouldn't have posted it) not just the telemetry and updates, and I don't know what micro** has backported into win 7 for the poor souls that leave their systems with auto updates enabled, but I assure you none of it made it on my system.

Please, pretty please, could you people just answer my questions without trying to convince that "everythings the same" and "just move on already" and this and that...

LE: Well for question 0 basically I am trying to protect from all the other questions. Is there a chance that 10 could do any of that if my internet cable is plugged in but I am not booted into it?
P.S. I know it might sound like a dumb question(questions?), but I am really would like to reach a decision after all these years.
 

USAFRet

Titan
Moderator
0. Unsure, because you've not outlined what you might be worried about. Any game that needs to talk to its home server obviously won't work.

1. Unknown.

2. Yes. But you WILL need to install them eventually. And probably not exactly like Win 7.

3. Cortana.
This requires a REgistry change. Obviously, have a backup of your Registry and know how to recover it.
Or, if you're using WIn 10, Group Policy.

4. I've not seen any creep in during the semi-annual feature updates. That not to say that they won't...just that I've not seen any, on any of my systems. Been running Win 10 since Day 1.

5. Some setting do get changed/removed/added during the semi-annual Updates.
For instance, a setting for something that is no longer there would be removed. And other things DO get changed.

6. Probably, but I don't know of it. There is little if any visual or performance difference between the versions. v1909 looks the same as v1607 did. Some things got added, some things got removed.
And you can only delay that feature update for so long before it starts to nag. v1909 is the current. If you were still using v1803, it would be nagging you.

7. Probably, but again, I've not looked.

8. No, it isn't really clear. Yes, we know that you're concerned about the scary stuff you read in the press regarding Win 10. But we don't know your real point of view.

9. Windows 7 falls off all support in 24 days. Plan for that in your 'dualboot' scenario.

----------------------------------------------

Win 10 has been out for 5 years. The initial cries of gloom and doom, and no control over your system have simply not come to pass.
Personally, I find it better and more stable than Win 7.
 
Solution
Assuming Windows 10 Enterprise.

0. If I just dualboot 10 and take out the internet cable from my pc every time before booting into it and keep it unplugged every second I am on it, do I still have to worry about anything?
In other words is there anything that an OS that you have on your hdd/ssd might still be able to do while the internet cable is plugged in even while you are not booted into it?
No

1. Has anyone with the proper skills actually checked to make sure that if you disable telemetry with the option available only in enterprise(setting it to 0 I think it was) that telemetry actually becomes disabled and the os stops sending anything?
Yes. Checks have showed that some communication with Microsoft still happens. Even with everything turned off as much as possible. What is actually being communicated is still being debated.

2. By disabling updates following what is written here does this part really become true "While automatic updates remains disabled, you can still download and install patches manually from Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update, and clicking the Check for updates button."
And will it then make it work just like win 7 where I decide when and which updates get installed, or am I missing something?
Depending on the settings, you can disable automatic updates but still manually update. Windows 10 will eventually start to nag you about critical and feature updates though. (which means that communication about updates IS still occurring)

3. Is there a way to completely remove cortana or alexa(or whatever piece of trash 10 uses) from the OS, if not if there is a way to fully disable it, and if there is only a way to disable it, again, like question 1, has anyone checked to make sure that it is trully disabled and won't listen in on me whenever I talk into the mic?
Yes.

4. Is there any way to protect myself from win 10 installing games and apps that I don't want without(or even with) my knowledge?
Yes.

5. Do I still have to go and redo all the settings and such from the previous four questions after each update?
Yes. Some telemetry/privacy settings may reset to default.

6. Is there a place that has sort of a roadmap of the features and differences between the builds so I know what I am getting myself into if I were to install the latest one(assuming the nomvember 2019 build is even the best one for me, I'm mainly a gamer)?
Best to just check the myriad of reviews that come out with each feature update. In addition to what is baked in, 'forced feature upgrades' cause the most issues. I wouldn't worry about the regular critical/security updates that happen every month.

7. Assuming I get nr. 2 to work properly and just in case I miss a Techquickie episode, is there a place that tests each new windows build/update where I can go and check before I update so that I can avoid another Octomber update?
See my answer to number 6.

8. All that I've said so far should give you a pretty clear idea of what I think of ** 10, is there anything else that I might have missed that you think someone that comes from my point of view should know/worry about?
Look into Windows 10 Enterprise LTSC 2019.


Personally, I HATE the revenue-generating machine that Microsoft is now bundling into Windows 10. But I still agree that it's more secure than Windows 7 (from a virus/malware standpoint). I would not continue to run Windows 7 after January.
I run Windows 10 LTSC on both my primary desktop and laptop. It doesn't have the Windows Store, Cortana, and a few other things I consider nuisances and it doesn't force ANY feature upgrades, EVER, all while still getting up-to-date critical and security updates for 10 years. Also, check out O&O ShutUp10. It's a great little tool for disabling a lot of the Windows 10 crap.
 
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VIKINGSS

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Cool, thank you guys. The combo of LTSC+o&o looks very interesting @alceryes , and like it might cover a lot of what I need. I'll check the net and try to buff up on it see if it's good enough to maybe give try it when I buy my new ssd in January.

One more thing that I'm worried about now, that I'm gonna google anyway, but since I have you...
I remember in the early days of win10 there was one of these "disable win10..." programs/apps popping up almost every week, each of them being the best and brightest for a while.
But a windows update or two down the road, not only would they not work properly anymore, but the devs wouldn't update most of em so they became totally useless and you would have to go searching for the next "best and brightest", and so on, and so on, and so on....

Has o&o been around(updated and working) for a while now, or will I still have to be doing that?

LE: Actually might as well also contact o&o themselves and see what plans they have concerning the app for the future....