Your Experience with Windows 10

[mikeebb]

That's pure paranoia, I have and use Microsoft/hotmail account for years and there's no negative experience, no adds, just many perks that come with it.

OK, I keep my tinfoil hat over there on the bedpost. But the telemetry issue with Win10 is real. And I have gotten some (so far polite) ads showing up on the lock screen when resuming from sleep even though I thought I had killed that in settings (need to re-look).

Logging in TO THE COMPUTER with an MS Account triggers the full load of data collection. Logging in to an MS Account via a browser doesn't do that, and the connection is broken when you're finished and log out again..

If you really like Cortana then you have to sign in with your MS Account whether you like it or not, and Cortana will need access to everything you do with the computer (full telemetry) to work the way she's intended to. That's phone-level management and data collection, which we expect on our phones. Just do it with eyes open. I for one do not demand that in my home computer, where I expect some smidgen of privacy. And my internet connection and data cap are much happier with the MS traffic under control. YMMV

Activation works fine without the MS Account. If the AU (which has yet to make an appearance around my house) makes hardware changes easier to activate with MS Account login active in the computer, great, but that's a niche most of us won't peek into much; so far, I've had no problem activating any of the 4 computers W10 has gone into though admittedly I haven't changed a motherboard since about Win7 SP1 rollout ...

-M

 

[jimmysmitty]

That's pure paranoia, I have and use Microsoft/hotmail account for years and there's no negative experience, no adds, just many perks that come with it.

OK, I keep my tinfoil hat over there on the bedpost. But the telemetry issue with Win10 is real. And I have gotten some (so far polite) ads showing up on the lock screen when resuming from sleep even though I thought I had killed that in settings (need to re-look).

Logging in TO THE COMPUTER with an MS Account triggers the full load of data collection. Logging in to an MS Account via a browser doesn't do that, and the connection is broken when you're finished and log out again..

If you really like Cortana then you have to sign in with your MS Account whether you like it or not, and Cortana will need access to everything you do with the computer (full telemetry) to work the way she's intended to. That's phone-level management and data collection, which we expect on our phones. Just do it with eyes open. I for one do not demand that in my home computer, where I expect some smidgen of privacy. And my internet connection and data cap are much happier with the MS traffic under control. YMMV

Activation works fine without the MS Account. If the AU (which has yet to make an appearance around my house) makes hardware changes easier to activate with MS Account login active in the computer, great, but that's a niche most of us won't peek into much; so far, I've had no problem activating any of the 4 computers W10 has gone into though admittedly I haven't changed a motherboard since about Win7 SP1 rollout ...

-M

I have been using my live account for 10 since launch and have not had one ad on my lock screen. At most I get a different picture which is an option to turn off.

What is funny is that a lot of the ideas Microsoft has are things most people would like. Much like AiO PCs. We are the "niche" market you speak of, not the majority. The majority likes things like Intels NUC and a system hat makes finding and using stuff easier for them.

 

[USAFRet]

Ads on your lock screen? Something is not configured properly.
I've had Win 10 on various systems since day one of the Tech Preview.
All my current systems are WIN 10, with the current 1607 release.

Never seen an ad.

 

[nukemaster]

Do not use Windows spotlight(Settings -> Personalization -> Lock screen ) for a lock screen image and turn off get fun facts , tips, tricks, and more on your lock screen.

This should keep anything unwanted off the lock screen.

I have NEVER had an ad like that.

Suggested store apps on start? Those I have seen and they can be switched off.

I do not think that an MS account changes anything with the telemetry. While many claim what is taken, I have yet to see actual proof of anything more than statistics.

 

[Colif]

One way to avoid linking DE to MSA, don't buy any hardware or a new motherboard, only buy win 10 when you get a new PC. It could be done if you buy a new PC every two years or so and never have parts die. I am yet to be that lucky, last PC lasted me 10 years and about half point of its install Vista decided I had updated enough parts to start requiring a new licence and I just bought Win 7 instead.

For everyone else, this is a good change, being able to swap motherboards without needing to call MS, just by going to settings/update & security/activation and running a troubleshooter.

I haven't linked mine yet as I don't plan on changing anything for a while.

 

[CountMike]

It's all a matter of give and take, MS and Windows are not an exemption.
Open bank account and you have to give a ot of personal information.
Get a credit card or take a loan or mortgage and they own you.
Mobile phone and your position and your connections are instantly known anywhere you are. Even phone turned off can send battery data in some cases.
Point is, that all that telemetry from windows can have much smaller consequences to your privacy than most of ordinary, everyday stuff one may not even think about.

 

[orlbuckeye]

Well its a good idea to create MS account to login as MS is starting to integrate the Store & Cortana more into Windows 10. Plus with the new Anniversary Update your Digital entitlement data is linked to you MS account which will make it easier to do a clean install if you change hardware. Meaning it will activate without having to call Microsoft.

If you value even a shred of your privacy, you will not follow this advice!!! Go ahead and create a MS Account; there are several worthwhile things you can do with it via a browser (and not even, necessarily, one of Microsoft's). But *do not* log in to your PC with a Microsoft Account - that triggers all of the most intrusive "telemetry". Of course, if you can't live without Cortana talking at you and pitching various things for you to buy, go ahead, but do it with your eyes open. Sorry, I might accept that level of "management" in a phone, but in my computer I prefer to choose when and how I interact with MS rather than letting them do it whenever and however they feel like.

As far as the "digital entitlement" goes, that has no connection with the Microsoft Account. The entitlement works fine whether or not you log in with MS Account. Yes, with the account login active, you can sync other settings, but I change my mind about settings from time to time anyway so that doesn't really matter for me. Also, many of the settings I've done are in group policy or the registry, firewall rules, and the like which the "settings sync" doesn't save. So again, no need to log in with a Microsoft Account to save your system.

Besides, when syncing various things online you 1) use network bandwidth, which isn't free or (for many of us) fast, and in the U.S. at least usually has some monthly cap designed to make extra income for the ISP; and 2) use Onedrive which has a low cap for "free" storage (around 5GB now, I think) - good mainly for small stuff and temporary, closely managed material. If you want to back up your system, do it the right way to an external hard disk or similar appliance.

-M

Wrong part of the Anniversary up date was MS added was a link to your MS account and Digital entitlement.

http://www.zdnet.com/article/microsoft-tweaks-activation-rules-for-the-windows-10-anniversary-update/

I have a file and folder that are more than 5 gb themselves on Onedrive.

My work had a public records request from MS asking how many Surface Pro 4's we have and how we use them. That would not be needed if they were if they were capturing our data. Yes you are paranoid.

 

[logainofhades]

Is there any benefit to linking your Win 10 license, to your account? Technically mine should have already been, as they were upgraded Win 7 ultimate, technet keys.

 

[USAFRet]

Is there any benefit to linking your Win 10 license, to your account? Technically mine should have already been, as they were upgraded Win 7 ultimate, technet keys.

For a hardware change.
Reactivating Windows 10 after a hardware change
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/20530/windows-10-reactivating-after-hardware-change

The Win 10 license is now tied to you (your MS account), instead of to your hardware.

 

[jimmysmitty]

Is there any benefit to linking your Win 10 license, to your account? Technically mine should have already been, as they were upgraded Win 7 ultimate, technet keys.

What USAFRet said plus you don't have to remember where you put the damn thing. I had to reinstall 10 a couple of days ago, something did not like the update but liked a clean install, and all I did was logged in and it was activated.

 

[logainofhades]

My product keys are all in a word document. I can also still access them, through the old technet.

 

[orlbuckeye]

Is there any benefit to linking your Win 10 license, to your account? Technically mine should have already been, as they were upgraded Win 7 ultimate, technet keys.

Well the reason MS did was to make activation automatic when doing a clean install. MS says that it will activate without having to call MS when ypu replace a damaged motherboard (not upgrade MB) or if you activated Windows 10 with home version and upgrade to Pro before u did the clean install. MS says that the Digital entitlement is just an ID and if you changed something that ID om MS servers would never reflect that and force you to call MS to activate. So the MS account tracks the changes and will activate without having to call MS.

 

[orlbuckeye]

Is there any benefit to linking your Win 10 license, to your account? Technically mine should have already been, as they were upgraded Win 7 ultimate, technet keys.

The only benefit is if you change a HD or memory or upgrade from Windows 10 Home to Pro. It was added to make activation easier on a clean install.

 

[USAFRet]

Is there any benefit to linking your Win 10 license, to your account? Technically mine should have already been, as they were upgraded Win 7 ultimate, technet keys.

The only benefit is if you change a HD or memory or upgrade from Windows 10 Home to Pro. It was added to make activation easier on a clean install.

Much more than that:

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/20530/windows-10-reactivating-after-hardware-change
"In Windows 10 (Version 1607 or later), you can link your Microsoft account to the Windows 10 digital license on your device. This can help you reactivate Windows using the Activation troubleshooter if you make a significant hardware change later, such as replacing the motherboard."

 

[Colif]

I wonder how long before they change the ISO so on the screen where you now enter your licence key, it instead asks about your Microsoft account. Once the "unofficial" upgrade period is well and truly over there will be very little use for the licence key in that field, everyone will get a DE.

Also suspect the DE for retail might be different to OEM, I suspect Retail DE will be less restrictive in the long run to OEM ones.

 

[jimmysmitty]

I wonder how long before they change the ISO so on the screen where you now enter your licence key, it instead asks about your Microsoft account. Once the "unofficial" upgrade period is well and truly over there will be very little use for the licence key in that field, everyone will get a DE.

Also suspect the DE for retail might be different to OEM, I suspect Retail DE will be less restrictive in the long run to OEM ones.

Retail has always been less restrictive than OEM, mainly because it also costs more. Normally 2x more than OEM. I did get the retail 10 key so I could have swapped motherboards or anything without issue because retail allows it. OEM could do it before the new DE but you normally had to call Microsofts automated system to get it swapped.

 

[orlbuckeye]

Is there any benefit to linking your Win 10 license, to your account? Technically mine should have already been, as they were upgraded Win 7 ultimate, technet keys.

The only benefit is if you change a HD or memory or upgrade from Windows 10 Home to Pro. It was added to make activation easier on a clean install.

Much more than that:

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/20530/windows-10-reactivating-after-hardware-change
"In Windows 10 (Version 1607 or later), you can link your Microsoft account to the Windows 10 digital license on your device. This can help you reactivate Windows using the Activation troubleshooter if you make a significant hardware change later, such as replacing the motherboard."

That's what I said a hardware change or moving from Windows 10 home to Pro. Your digital Entitlement ID isn't changed when you get new hardware. So linking the ID to MS account tracks your changes which in turn should activate when you do a clean install without having to call MS.

 

[TechyInAZ]

FYI:

After I upgraded to the windows 10 anniversary update, the windows.old folder took up 16-20GB of space on my tiny 128GB Samsung 840 Pro. So if windows 10 is stable on your system, make sure to delete the old folders if your drive is lacking space.

To do that, type "disk cleanup" in the search bar. Once in the disk cleanup utility, click the "cleanup system files" button. After disk cleanup refreshes itself, either check mark ALL the files in there or delete anything that is above 1GB.

 

[zlpw0ker]

So I installed the anniversary update yesterday and suddenly when I get back into win10 everything is laggy and sluggish. I have no idea why but when rightclicking on desktop and I went to new folder and I typed it just lagged like crazy,for example.
I had to download it via tool thing since I didnt get it at win update like I should.

Like how is it that the anniversary update is so crap?
has anyone else encountered this?
I had to reverty back to earlier build and now nothing lags or is sluggish.
The only thing I miss in anniversary update is the dark theme, I really love the simplicity in black color scheme,I have my Custom ROM on note3 on a black theme and its so easy on the eyes and awesome.
but seriously though

 

[Colif]

the win 10 anniversary update is still rolling out, i know as one PC in my house still hasn't got it yet. I assume you used the download assistant tool. I tried to update the PC using the update assistant and it didn't work so it could be the tool.

Look at your drivers, its possible you need an update for one as that can be only reason an update is sluggish but the old version works. Its not your hardware.

Some people who have posted here see the opposite, the update sped up their computers

 

[CountMike]

Much of speed depends on how clean underlying windows are. If you start with poorly maintained W7/8 or partially incompatible HW/SW/drivers it can only get worse. There may be a reason why somebody's system didn't get updated automatically.
P.S.
Insider's build 14901 with traces of Rs2 have just been released for fast.

 

[Colif]

The other PC wouldn't see a great benefit from win 10 upgrade, its 7 years old and a Dell so it already had old hardware in it before we got it - I was not amused at time. Windows update freezes up when i load PC, Edge fails to launch half the time, and just before start menu, task manager and Ctrl Alt Del stop working. I couldn't get off the desktop... without holding power down. This PC needs a bullet and if it weren't for fact my brother is going overseas on Monday for 1 month, it would get replaced right now. It can wait until he comes back. It just needs to survive a few more months.

It isn't his PC but mum trusts him more to pick a good one than me, I did look but my expectations of what I would want in system are much higher than she needs, probably best I don't know what she gets as I would expect an SSD and very few OEM have them in PC yet.

 

[srewobwj]

Outside of a few minor issues, I've been very impressed with Windows 10. It boots faster, runs smoother and cooler and is stable. The issues/observations I've had include:

1. Laptop battery no longer charges; <--- HUGE issue
2. Lack of control over Microsoft Update;
3. Having 2 places to tweak settings (Control Panel and Settings);
4. Built-in Apps too dominant/can't be removed;
5. Edge is too dumbed down; not better than IE.
6. Updating is buggy; clean installs the only way to go.
7. I don't see Win 10 replacing Android on my mobile devices (nor do I want it to).

 

[mikeebb]

Despite my tinfoil hattish comments earlier, I'm reasonably satisfied with Win10. Yes, there are a few issues, but with one exception they are manageable though not without a bit of frustration at times. Once set up, though, I spend a little less time with general system management than I did with Win7. The exception is very high DPC/ISR/page fault latency causing problems with sound in my desktop (an older) computer - not all the time, but when they occur I have to just turn off sound and give up. Otherwise, regarding srewobwj's points:

1. Battery charging - I have W10 on 3 laptops in the house and battery works fine in all of them; might be a driver/hardware issue with the specific machine (mine are all ASUS).

PS: in general, power management works MUCH better in 10 than in 7, on all of my computers. That's one of the success stories of 10 IMO. Hibernation and sleep work like they're supposed to instead of failing to start up again or crashing after restart as often occurred in 7.
PPS: the fact that hibernate/sleep works right is also behind the apparent fast startup of 10 compared to 7. Starting in 8, MS arranged it so when you "shut down" the user is logged out (so all personal data files and settings are closed) then hibernates the operating system. IIRC there were some glitches with that in 8, but in 10 it Just Works. With a SSD, startup can be almost instant.

2. MS Update control - yes, that's an issue especially if (as with me) I want to know what's in the updates and control which/when they occur. But that's something we have to live with, and it *is* possible to control when things actually happen; update settings allow you to be notified and choose (within some limits) when updates will actually take place so you don't get nailed in the middle of a presentation.

3. Control Panel + Settings - yes, Windows isn't all apps or all Win32 any more. That will probably change more in the direction of apps gradually. The more important stuff is in the Settings area, but at times you may want to go Control Panel (look at the bottom of the list in Settings for access to specific items).

4. Built-in apps - yes, they're dominant, but that can be changed in the Settings>System>Default Apps area. The start screen can be customized quite easily (tap and hold, or right click on a tile, and choose what to do; all can be removed from Start, some can be uninstalled). Most apps can be uninstalled from the all-apps menu, and if not from there from the Settings>System>Apps & Features panel. Yes, some will come back with future updates, but dealing with that will have to be part of system maintenance from now on.

5. Edge - yes, it's dumb; so use something else. IE11 is still there; you just have to find it and generate shortcuts (can be "pinned to Start" if you want). Or better yet, get Firefox or Chrome or even Opera - all work in W10 and can even be made (with some effort; the AU and occasionally other updates can reset defaults) the default browser.

6. Update (upgrade?) from earlier Windows is buggy - that's the case with every Windows UPGRADE (it's an upgrade not an update) from an older version. If anything, the W10 upgrade went more smoothly for me than from XP to W7, though not without hiccups. With W10, you originally had to do the upgrade first to generate your "digital entitlement" before doing a clean install; now you can do a clean install up front, and activate later with a valid Win7 or 8 product key.

7. Win10 not replacing Android on mobile - of course not. Android is the 500# gorilla; even Apple hasn't been able to replace it. I have issues with MS in terms of mobile support too, even though I have a Windows (8; can't upgrade to 10) phone. OTOH, if you want a really high-end tablet, many reviewers have sung praises of the MS Surface Pro line with Win10, so I won't write MS off; they're just way behind in terms of apps for real people and they make even Apple look good in terms of support for hardware that's already out there.

* Illegitimi non carborundum! *

 

[jimmysmitty]

Outside of a few minor issues, I've been very impressed with Windows 10. It boots faster, runs smoother and cooler and is stable. The issues/observations I've had include:

1. Laptop battery no longer charges; <--- HUGE issue
2. Lack of control over Microsoft Update;
3. Having 2 places to tweak settings (Control Panel and Settings);
4. Built-in Apps too dominant/can't be removed;
5. Edge is too dumbed down; not better than IE.
6. Updating is buggy; clean installs the only way to go.
7. I don't see Win 10 replacing Android on my mobile devices (nor do I want it to).

1. I do not think that is an OS issue. Battery charging is handled by ICs on the board. If it stopped then you might want to get that checked.

2. I agree to a point. I can see where this could help for the mass people who know little about updating, I can't tell you how many people were still not on 7 SP1 when 8.1 was out.

3. Not much on this. I think it will change over time as things change.

4. Most built in apps can't be removed from most OSes. Even before 8/10.

5. Edge is not dumbed down rather it doesn't have the ActiveX side of IE. Edge is pretty much IE as a pure HTML5 browser which I like better because ActiveX is a huge security hole as is Java and Flash. The new version in the Anniversary update has plugin support and with Adblock is pretty nice. It works with most everything I need at work that IE does but faster except Exchange which is special.

6. I agree with this.

7. I hope it does. I find it funny that every person I have ever met who use WPM love the phone and OS but hate the lack of apps. My wife is one. She had a HTC One WP8 and she hated the lack of apps. However after she drowned the phone I had to set her up on a "backup" Galaxy S5. She misses her HTC One.

Good points. Everyone is pretty much going to see things differently. I personally do want WP10 to kill Android. I only use it because Verizon doesn't have anything decent with WP on it and I will not use an Apple product. Android itself is too fragmented and after a new version comes out older OSes get brushed to the way side and most phones see maybe one or two updates OS wise and are forgotten. It is also a very buggy OS or has been for me.

Still go get your laptop checked out. It should charge just fine.