"Cortana, you're fired!"

[Alaric]

While I love to rage against the M$/Google attitude of "All your data are belong to us", I do like for folks to bear in mind safe computing doesn't mean stretching a prophylactic over your head before diving into the interwebs...

 

[petteyg359]

Annoyingly, Microsoft has apparently made it impossible to get rid of Cortana as of version 1803 (maybe earlier, but that's the current installer version). It's somehow integrated into the start menu now, so that if you delete Cortana's files, the start menu won't open any more.

 

[wagex]

Annoyingly, Microsoft has apparently made it impossible to get rid of Cortana as of version 1803 (maybe earlier, but that's the current installer version). It's somehow integrated into the start menu now, so that if you delete Cortana's files, the start menu won't open any more.

classicshell? ive actually started running it over windows 10's start menu lol.

 

[petteyg359]

classicshell? ive actually started running it over windows 10's start menu lol.

Does Classic Shell still work on the latest version? I couldn't get it working on my desktop after the latest update, and the author has sadly decided to stop updating it.

 

[Alaric]

Does Classic Shell still work on the latest version? I couldn't get it working on my desktop after the latest update

That would be the groundwork for integrating it in to the Start Menu. Just when I though M$ was finally starting to be responsive, they start from a new angle.

 

[Alaric]

Has anyone else noticed the loss of usefulness of the Event Viewer in OS' besides W10 lately? If you click on the Event Viewer Online Help link you just get a M$ page saying Page Not Found (M$ for "We don't care")

 

[Kenrou]

Sorry, gave up on it with the last big update and went back to good “old” Win8.1 [emoji23]

 

[Alaric]

Sorry, gave up on it with the last big update and went back to good “old” Win8.1 [emoji23]

That's one I'm noticing it in. 8.1 and 7 both are doing that every time now. Absolutely zero help from the M$ site.

 

[Alaric]

Transfer your W10 key to another rig? This is downright interesting. http://www.majorgeeks.com/content/p...r_windows_10_license_to_another_computer.html

 

[Alaric]

New tips linked on first post, regarding pending updates and drivers.

Edit: Can't get them to post as links for some reason. Copy/paste will work, though, and I'll post them here, too.

http://www.majorgeeks.com/content/page/how_to_delete_pending_windows_updates.html

http://www.majorgeeks.com/content/p...from_downloading_drive rs_on_windows_10.html

Update: And a How To video

 

[Alaric]

And W10 Ultimate Performance Plan

 

[Alaric]

And one more thrust with no reach around http://www.hardocp.com/news/2018/06..._windows_7_support_for_older_intel_computers/

 

[Alaric]

If you still don't want Windows 10, after all these fine testimonials and fixes we have on offer, but don't want to give up your new hardware? Here ya' go. This will keep your W7/W8/W8.1 updates and reinstalls coming on Ryzen, KL, etc.. http://www.majorgeeks.com/content/p...orted_hardware_message_in_windows_update.html

 

[knoober]

I know this has been mentioned before in on of Win10 threads but I couldnt find it with a search so I thought I would repost it real quickly.

Windows 9.5 https://linustechtips.com/main/topic/748494-windows-95-install-guide/ <-- registry tweaks to block telemetry

Further Reading from following one of the links in the LTT link: https://winaero.com/blog/how-to-disable-telemetry-and-data-collection-in-windows-10/ <-- even more registry tweaks and a pile of hosts to block. I havent compared the hosts lists the the one in the OP, but I will assume its all been covered there. The interesting part here is that down in the comments there was a user who rolled it all into a batch script. The script doesnt work, of course, unless you can monkey wrench your way around it and fix a couple errors. My scripting skills are not at that level so I will just point you at the page and let you decide if it is worth the reading. As the OP said, thanks for this thread guys

 

[Alaric]

Some people don't want to use an "obsolete" OS, some people got new stuff and and they got W10 that way, and some people got snookered by all the dirty tricks from M$ and found themselves with W10 like it or not. This thread is more about the Barbarians at the Gate than embracing the "10", but it has produced a lot of good stuff.

 

[knoober]

This thread is more about the Barbarians at the Gate than embracing the "10", but it has produced a lot of good stuff.

From the script I was talking about:

Echo.
Echo [b]Renaming the services to what they should be named[/b].
Echo “[b]Windows Spy Service 1 and 2[/b]”
REG ADD HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\DiagTrack /f /v DisplayName /t REG_SZ /d “[b]Windows Spy Service 1[/b]”
REG ADD HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\dmwappushservice /f /v DisplayName /t REG_SZ /d “[b]Windows Spy Service 2[/b]”
CMD /C EXIT 0

Some of the comments are pretty priceless. The guy who wrote the script is stong with the humorous side of the Force apparently

 

[Kenrou]

From the script I was talking about:

Echo.
Echo [B]Renaming the services to what they should be named[/B].
Echo “[B]Windows Spy Service 1 and 2[/B]”
REG ADD HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\DiagTrack /f /v DisplayName /t REG_SZ /d “[B]Windows Spy Service 1[/B]”
REG ADD HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\dmwappushservice /f /v DisplayName /t REG_SZ /d “[B]Windows Spy Service 2[/B]”
CMD /C EXIT 0

Some of the comments are pretty priceless. The guy who wrote the script is stong with the humorous side of the Force apparently

 

[Alaric]

Three years since this was written, and it's still 100% accurate.
https://www.techspot.com/community/topics/the-insidious-nature-of-windows-10.219713/

 

[Alaric]

How to get more control of your Windows 10 update schedule. I'll add this to the OP.
https://www.majorgeeks.com/content/page/how_to_block_the_windows_10_version_1809_october_update.html

 

[UltraTaco]

I just switched to windows10 home with all bells, balls, and whistles! Straight from Windows website.

...and I think I like it it booted in like 2 seconds before I started installing my very OLDE software. Now it's down to like 5 seconds. I think taco likes.

Funny fact, I performed clean install and no key at the moment(test driving), yet she never bugged me even once to activate. It's not activated, I know for sure, because it has a link to go and activate in (my computer menu). all menus work, all settings in control panel work, it all works.

Taco don't understand....

I had to get specific driver for Windows 10 for video and sound card because Vista drivers that I had wouldn't work, and now she looks very good! I disabled all tracking and stuff gadgets in menus, but it don't matter, it's an offline machine.

Uh....

Hmm...