Windows 10 upgrade to be 'free' for one year

[Foxhateram]

I cleaned up my PC after the windows 10 upgrade, it is now the fastest it has ever been. The back to basics approach of ten seems to allow my PC to work at a higher and quicker pace. Love it. Loads up mega quickly now too, and when I take it out of sleep mode'its immediately ready to use.

Really impressed so far. The mail app is also now,working and the style is really nice. Simple and easy to use. Like the notifications panel too, that's useful. Yet to use cortana p, but can see it being useful in the future. So far not a bad word to say.

[Guest]

What's this about seacrching for pirate software and disabling it that I've read?

 

any truth to it?

[SecretPro]

Windows is sh*t. Actively spys on you, logs every keystroke, all your personals including bank/credit card details, maps your activities, stores your search history...this list could go on all day. It's a shit operating system with closed coding, it's extremely heavy, full of spyware/malware, extremely prone to viruses/worms/backdoors, the organisation does not support OpenSource or free software and they charge a fortune for it. Unfortunately it's pre-loaded onto 98% of all shop purchased computers/laptops and 'windows' is so engrained into the psyche of western civilisation than 99.9% of people are to lazy to look for an alternative and simply believe that this is how an operating system 'should work'. Linux is 1million times better in pretty much every department, it's nigh on impossible to pick up spyware/malware and slow down and break if properly maintained. It does everything Windows does and in most cases much better, oh and everything is completely free. The software is opensource for all programmes, so it's written by the public, modified by the public, the source code is entirely viewable and changeable and it is not packaged up for you by the tech geeks at microsoft, locked in a box of dirty tricks that is not viewable in code form by ANYBODY outside of microsoft and does therefore not contain any nasties.  Microsoft is a disgusting organisation and has the ethics of a rapist.

 

 

Just my opinion though.

 

 

PS. I suggest those of you using windows 10 modify it with the following http://www.techtimes.com/articles/73725/20150802/windows-10-spies-on-you-by-default-heres-how-to-opt-out.htm

 

Oh, and if anyone is interested in linux, take a look at Mint 17.2. It's designed with ex windows users in mind and is extremely easy to install and run and work on etc. Linux is not just for tech geeks, it's not 1992 anymore and if anybody doubts linux/unix, Android amongst many other things is linux. So is Mac - but that's a whole different story.

[SecretPro]

Oh, and this is from windows own policy documentation:

"We will access, disclose and preserve personal data, including your content (such as the content of your emails, other private communications or files in private folders), when we have a good faith belief that doing so is necessary," says Microsoft in its Windows 10 privacy statement.

The company goes on to include the instances where it accesses private, personal data, and this include complying with law enforcement and legal orders, protecting consumers from spam or physical harm, preventing cyberattacks against users, and protecting Microsoft's rights and properties. The data collected by Windows 10 will also be used to improve Cortana's performance and serve users personalized ads, some of which are found in Solitaire, where users have to pay $1.49 a month to get rid of the ads if they want to.

[RobHawk]

What's this about seacrching for pirate software and disabling it that I've read?

 

any truth to it?

Im struggling to get a stream to work for todays game since i updated to 10. Anyone else had issues?

[SecretPro]

Im struggling to get a stream to work for todays game since i updated to 10. Anyone else had issues?

 

A lot of buffering on streams is caused by Windows in general. So many useless, heavy processes running in the background that everything grinds to a halt. If you have ever had a laptop that has burnt out, it most likely wasn't the fault of the laptop, it was the over usage of the CPU and fan caused by needless windows processes running permanently in the background.

[RobHawk]

A lot of buffering on streams is caused by Windows in general. So many useless, heavy processes running in the background that everything grinds to a halt. If you have ever had a laptop that has burnt out, it most likely wasn't the fault of the laptop, it was the over usage of the CPU and fan caused by needless windows processes running permanently in the background.

Re installed windows 8.1 and it worked like a dream - on 10 i couldn't get even get anything to play - let alone buffer.

 

after being excited by 10 - i'm now thinking ill stick with 8.1 as i've always quite liked it and always use it for streams

[JPM1983]

Re installed windows 8.1 and it worked like a dream - on 10 i couldn't get even get anything to play - let alone buffer.

after being excited by 10 - i'm now thinking ill stick with 8.1 as i've always quite liked it and always use it for streams

I'm on 8.1, I'll wait until they've sorted out any W10 issues,rolled out some updates etc. I'm never an early adopter, done me OK so far!

[Foxhateram]

A lot of buffering on streams is caused by Windows in general. So many useless, heavy processes running in the background that everything grinds to a halt. If you have ever had a laptop that has burnt out, it most likely wasn't the fault of the laptop, it was the over usage of the CPU and fan caused by needless windows processes running permanently in the background.

you are such a bullshitter of the highest order! All operating systems store your data, all companies use it to personalise advertising etc, foxestalk does it. It's the same as an old store manager would remember your weekly shopping "can I interest you in... As I remember you buying... Last week" as for your comment about processors burning out, Jesus what is your issue. Windows is a heavy OS, that's because it runs things in the background to make things simpler to use and more user friendly, Linux operating systems don't do a lot of that stuff, mainly because they require you to do those processes yourself, I.e. When installing something you need to manually prompt things to make it happen. If a process makes my life easier I would hardly call it needless.

Not sure why some of you are having issues with streaming, I don't appear to have such an issue, even though it works on 8.1 and not 10 doesn't necessarily mean it was the OS causing the issue. It could be a setting somewhere you have changed or even as simple as windows ten looking to use a different port and or channel on your network. Could be many other situations also.

This would of helped

http://www.tenforums.com/general-discussion/12468-video-problems-after-windows-10-upgrade.html

[SecretPro]

you are such a bullshitter of the highest order! All operating systems store your data, all companies use it to personalise advertising etc, foxestalk does it. It's the same as an old store manager would remember your weekly shopping "can I interest you in... As I remember you buying... Last week" as for your comment about processors burning out, Jesus what is your issue. Windows is a heavy OS, that's because it runs things in the background to make things simpler to use and more user friendly, Linux operating systems don't do a lot of that stuff, mainly because they require you to do those processes yourself, I.e. When installing something you need to manually prompt things to make it happen. If a process makes my life easier I would hardly call it needless.

Not sure why some of you are having issues with streaming, I don't appear to have such an issue, even though it works on 8.1 and not 10 doesn't necessarily mean it was the OS causing the issue. It could be a setting somewhere you have changed or even as simple as windows ten looking to use a different port and or channel on your network. Could be many other situations also.

This would of helped

http://www.tenforums.com/general-discussion/12468-video-problems-after-windows-10-upgrade.html

 

So wrong it's unbelievable. Also you clearly know nothing about Linux. As I said previously, this is not 1992. Many Linux distros are now designed to be just as useable for newcomers as Windows.

 

Some operating systems may store particular data. Not all operating systems read your emails and sell your details on demand, like windows 10. 

 

PS. I was a penetration tester for an IT security company for years. I also have a degree in System Administration. Basically for years a was a paid 'hacker' so please do not tell me what I know and what I don't know.

 

If you like Windows fair enough, but anybody working in IT, or anybody who has an active interest in how computers/networks/operating systems work would never choose Windows over Linux. In IT transparency and changeability are the key factors. Windows is a closed operating system, it cannot be worked how coders/programmers/software testers/writers etc need an operating system to work to get the best out of it.

 

Now just because you got upset by my comments in a football thread after the Bournemouth game, please do not come and question my living.

[Foxhateram]

So wrong it's unbelievable. Also you clearly know nothing about Linux. As I said previously, this is not 1992. Many Linux distros are now designed to be just as useable for newcomers as Windows.

Some operating systems may store particular data. Not all operating systems read your emails and sell your details on demand, like windows 10.

PS. I was a penetration tester for an IT security company for years. I also have a degree in System Administration. Basically for years a was a paid 'hacker' so please do not tell me what I know and what I don't know.

If you like Windows fair enough, but anybody working in IT, or anybody who has an active interest in how computers/networks/operating systems work would never choose Windows over Linux. In IT transparency and changeability are the key factors. Windows is a closed operating system, it cannot be worked how coders/programmers/software testers/writers etc need an operating system to work to get the best out of it.

Now just because you got upset by my comments in a football thread after the Bournemouth game, please do not come and question my living.

Haha now look who's pulling out the I'm a hacker line. I have a masters in computer science and have worked in IT building servers and setting up networks for users that need an operating system that is compatable with the market leading software. Wave goodbye to Linux on that part.

I have also set up raspberry pi's, chromecasts, linux servers in schools and have been working with Linux distros since 2005 (yes I was 15) Linux is great but still has obvious floors. Many being through compatability issues and still obvious needs fr manual input that tour average user would not understand.

All os's have floors it they all collect your data. Just use it for different preferences. Read the small print. How about you get off your high horse and stop telling me how to do my job!

I have more than the necessary qualifications to argue with you over football (coaching level 3 ) and computting. TA very much.

[SecretPro]

Haha now look who's pulling out the I'm a hacker line. I have a masters in computer science and have worked in IT building servers and setting up networks for users that need an operating system that is compatable with the market leading software. Wave goodbye to Linux on that part.

I have also set up raspberry pi's, chromecasts, linux servers in schools and have been working with Linux distros since 2005 (yes I was 15) Linux is great but still has obvious floors. Many being through compatability issues and still obvious needs fr manual input that tour average user would not understand.

All os's have floors it they all collect your data. Just use it for different preferences. Read the small print. How about you get off your high horse and stop telling me how to do my job!

I have more than the necessary qualifications to argue with you over football (coaching level 3 ) and computting. TA very much.

 

 

Being able to buy everyone doesn't make the operating system any better. Of course leading software will be designed to be compatible for Microsoft because they have effectively bought the market. It certainly doesn't make financial sense to create software and dish it out for free on Linux as open source which I find sad. The best contributors and the people that care do it for free. Look what happens when Microsoft doesn't buy the market with their PR bullshit - Mobile phones and tablets, they are left with nothing but a few shoddy handsets and they are now paying the price, heavily.

 

Somebody with your knowledge should then be able to understand the obvious flaws in Windows, both technically and ethically. As an operating system that has been able to market itself so extensively to the average Joe end user and corporate market with the sole intention of making mega bucks to such a degree that 80% of computer users only recognise Windows and Mac as the only available computing options out there they have done well. Microsoft know exactly what they are doing and where the money lies, they market extremely well and provide an intrusive and in my opinion poorly coded operating system with gaping holes that effectively compromise end users on a daily basis leaving them open to malware/spyware and viruses which has created a whole sector of anti-malware/spyware software companies that otherwise simply wouldn't exist. You certainly cannot argue that Windows is the future, sales figures, corporate exodus, a drop in market share and public opinion state otherwise. That's fact. Windows is on a downward spiral because they cannot keep up with the high level of talent contributing to OpenSource and Free for all projects and though they still market strongly, technically they are falling behind, the closed coding just isn't up to scratch and as it's not OpenSource there are very few people able to debug and contribute.

 

You are clearly an intelligent and talented man, but if you believe Microsoft offers us a great deal, cares about end users and is even close to being ethically sound then something went wrong somewhere. Most, if not all of the people I have worked with/learnt with/coded with and share the same background as you and I would say the same about Microsoft and Windows even though many of us have to work with it daily.

 

It's a shame because somebody of your obvious talents should be championing open-source, free software and digital rights. You are wasted otherwise.

 

It's sad we have had to learn about each other this way because in a parallel universe we would probably get on and have some decent creative ideas. So before we descend into petty squabble, I will say nice to meet you. Always nice to meet a fellow techy it's just a shame we appear to be on complete opposite sides of the fence.

[ozleicester]

What's this about seacrching for pirate software and disabling it that I've read?

 

any truth to it?

 

Not that id ever have anything pirated on my computer!

 

But when i upgraded to 10, all of my programs continued to work

[Foxhateram]

Being able to buy everyone doesn't make the operating system any better. Of course leading software will be designed to be compatible for Microsoft because they have effectively bought the market. It certainly doesn't make financial sense to create software and dish it out for free on Linux as open source which I find sad. The best contributors and the people that care do it for free. Look what happens when Microsoft doesn't buy the market with their PR bullshit - Mobile phones and tablets, they are left with nothing but a few shoddy handsets and they are now paying the price, heavily.

Somebody with your knowledge should then be able to understand the obvious flaws in Windows, both technically and ethically. As an operating system that has been able to market itself so extensively to the average Joe end user and corporate market with the sole intention of making mega bucks to such a degree that 80% of computer users only recognise Windows and Mac as the only available computing options out there they have done well. Microsoft know exactly what they are doing and where the money lies, they market extremely well and provide an intrusive and in my opinion poorly coded operating system with gaping holes that effectively compromise end users on a daily basis leaving them open to malware/spyware and viruses which has created a whole sector of anti-malware/spyware software companies that otherwise simply wouldn't exist. You certainly cannot argue that Windows is the future, sales figures, corporate exodus, a drop in market share and public opinion state otherwise. That's fact. Windows is on a downward spiral because they cannot keep up with the high level of talent contributing to OpenSource and Free for all projects and though they still market strongly, technically they are falling behind, the closed coding just isn't up to scratch and as it's not OpenSource there are very few people able to debug and contribute.

You are clearly an intelligent and talented man, but if you believe Microsoft offers us a great deal, cares about end users and is even close to being ethically sound then something went wrong somewhere. Most, if not all of the people I have worked with/learnt with/coded with and share the same background as you and I would say the same about Microsoft and Windows even though many of us have to work with it daily.

It's a shame because somebody of your obvious talents should be championing open-source, free software and digital rights. You are wasted otherwise.

It's sad we have had to learn about each other this way because in a parallel universe we would probably get on and have some decent creative ideas. So before we descend into petty squabble, I will say nice to meet you. Always nice to meet a fellow techy it's just a shame we appear to be on complete opposite sides of the fence.

Your points are completely valid and I understand where you are coming from. As stated already all os have their flaws. You are right that Microsoft have brought the market, but the os although is processor heavy, is pretty damp stable nowadays. Your point about viruses etc, as a hacker yourself you must see that open source coding has just as many flaws, while the premise of Mac never getting viruses is lazy journalism, they have just as much hackable coding.

There may well be privacy issues (you can switch it off) there may well be unnecessary processes in the background (you can prevent them with a bit of googling), but for your average Joe that has always used windows, it is impossible to convert them to something like linux which you have to admit takes a little tech know how to use, admittedly less than it used to.

Microsoft has its flaws and they do take advantage of their market leading position, but that's just the way the world is. Big brother is watching you, it's very real. Smart tvs record data about what you watch and recommend programs based on it (some even trawl your email for buzz words), consoles use your movement (kinect) to sense your emotions towards a game, even vista, 8.1 and 7 all watched and tracked your habits and skimmed your emails (which is all the bots at Microsoft can do). Apple is even worse for data collection on macs and ipads.

In a perfect world we would convince everyone to ignore the market and go open source, but as of yet no body has created anything close enough to truly rival mac and windows while offering the full suite of compatable software. It will never happen, because that would require big bucks.

So it leaves a choice of Mac or windows. Both have advantages and disadvantages but I just prefer windows for user friendly Ness and recognisable features. Humans are creatures of habit, something new is not innovative to us so we therefore stick to what we know. Hense why windows 8 was hated by many, it was different and took time to learn.

Anyway apologies for any insults given. Your post I originally replied to just seemed a little extreme and scare mongering to be honest. Just wanted to point out nearly everything collects our data nowadays. It's a strange time in tech.

[SecretPro]

Your points are completely valid and I understand where you are coming from. As stated already all os have their flaws. You are right that Microsoft have brought the market, but the os although is processor heavy, is pretty damp stable nowadays. Your point about viruses etc, as a hacker yourself you must see that open source coding has just as many flaws, while the premise of Mac never getting viruses is lazy journalism, they have just as much hackable coding.

There may well be privacy issues (you can switch it off) there may well be unnecessary processes in the background (you can prevent them with a bit of googling), but for your average Joe that has always used windows, it is impossible to convert them to something like linux which you have to admit takes a little tech know how to use, admittedly less than it used to.

Microsoft has its flaws and they do take advantage of their market leading position, but that's just the way the world is. Big brother is watching you, it's very real. Smart tvs record data about what you watch and recommend programs based on it (some even trawl your email for buzz words), consoles use your movement (kinect) to sense your emotions towards a game, even vista, 8.1 and 7 all watched and tracked your habits and skimmed your emails (which is all the bots at Microsoft can do). Apple is even worse for data collection on macs and ipads.

In a perfect world we would convince everyone to ignore the market and go open source, but as of yet no body has created anything close enough to truly rival mac and windows while offering the full suite of compatable software. It will never happen, because that would require big bucks.

So it leaves a choice of Mac or windows. Both have advantages and disadvantages but I just prefer windows for user friendly Ness and recognisable features. Humans are creatures of habit, something new is not innovative to us so we therefore stick to what we know. Hense why windows 8 was hated by many, it was different and took time to learn.

Anyway apologies for any insults given. Your post I originally replied to just seemed a little extreme and scare mongering to be honest. Just wanted to point out nearly everything collects our data nowadays. It's a strange time in tech.

 

All fair points. Certainly can't argue that Windows doesn't win the convenience factor for a lot of average computer uses and yes Linux could certainly be more user friendly though a lot of current distros are trying hard to achieve that! Some of the alternative software for Linux now is pretty damn good, no doubt it has been found lacking over the years but inroads are being made. I guess the whole virus thing - a lot of virus programmes are windows specific because that's where the target market lies, of course Linux/Mac is hackable but the win there is that being opensource you can open up the code and see what's going on. I use CLI on Linux a lot which is also great for delving inside and seeing exactly what your computer is doing, when it's doing it and exactly what's running or invading, which I like. The Linux terminal is a powerful thing whilst windows command line often can't provide you the detail required though I know that using CLI is way off beat for most computer users anyway, it's really not as scary as it looks!

 

Anyway, bygones be bygones and all that. Respectful opinions on both sides and don't get me wrong I do know the benefits of Windows and there are some, especially for the majority of computer uses. I guess I'm just very disenfranchised with the whole Microsoft thing and find it frustrating that the rise in Windows has been detrimental to other projects like unix/linux. You are right, tech is a strange place at the minute and yeah maybe my original post seemed a bit scare mongering but I'm passionate about digital rights and open-source and just like everyone to be aware of the issues with a closed OS and privacy etc because I feel like if all the info was out there maybe not so many people would be willing to turn blindly to windows and be more willing to learn some of the other OS's out there!

[Saxondale]

So, in conclusion, are we better off sticking with 8 or upgrading to 10?

[ozleicester]

So, in conclusion, are we better off sticking with 8 or upgrading to 10?

 

i prefer 10 ahead of 8 by a lonnnggggg way.

 

i am still running 7 on my other comp, no reason not to upgrade.... but just waiting in case

[MooseBreath]

My 8.1 seemed to slow down quite a bit just as the upgrade was becoming available. After upgrading it felt a lot quicker but it was probably only back to the same speed it was before the slow down. I'd bet my left pocket contents that they intentionally slowed 8 down to try and make 10 seem better.

[Carl the Llama]

My 8.1 seemed to slow down quite a bit just as the upgrade was becoming available. After upgrading it felt a lot quicker but it was probably only back to the same speed it was before the slow down. I'd bet my left pocket contents that they intentionally slowed 8 down to try and make 10 seem better.

My 8.1 still runs as fine as the day I got it (well actually as fine as the day I finally smoothed out all the niggles caused by an incompetent PC building company but yeah).  If they did slow 8.1 down then apparently my PC's specs are too high to have been affected, which seems unlikely

[HoustonFox]

Is it worth upgrading from 7 to 10? My laptop is about 5 years old now but has 8Gb RAM and a SSD in it. Windows 7 seems to crawl somewhat but it might be creating a clean install will do the trick.

I also have some old games like Civ IV and so forth I'd like to play. Never got them working on 7, despite compatibility mode.

[Foxhateram]

10 is so much more stable than 8. Not sure I would upgrade from 7 to 10 though. They are pretty alike. In fact 10 feels a lot like 7 did. There are some improvements on 7. I.e. A few more mini apps that make things a little smoother. Like the scanner tool, picture editing tools and music/video playing is better than media player by a million miles.

Not tried to port many games. But I did get theme hospital working by doing a bit of googling. So I guess you can get those other games to port successfully. Maybe it is worth you upgrading? Things do feel a lot quicker.

Only issue I have had is when you don't shut down the laptop I. E. Make it sleep. Sometimes when you re open it and load something it gives you a black screen and you need to close the program and restart it.

[Fox92]

10 is better than 8, for me anyway. Use it at home and we use it at work too. I was never a fan of Windows 8, it seemed more complicated than anything Microsoft usually create.

[ozleicester]

Resetting Win 10

 

 

i tried to reset and completely clean my laptop (all that porn be gone). but after a couple of hours it said it cant do it.

 

Can anyone suggest how to reset/format or whatever?

 

Thanks

[separator]

i tried to reset and completely clean my laptop (all that porn be gone). but after a couple of hours it said it cant do it.

 

Can anyone suggest how to reset/format or whatever?

 

Thanks

You can only upgrade to Win 10 on an existing windows installation, meaning you can't do a clean install (ie. format the drive), I re-installed Win 7 on my laptop, formatted it and didn't install any updates after it finished, then upgraded the newly installed Win 7 to Win 10. Took a while but its the cleanest the HD has been in ages. If you don't want to faff around with re-installed operating systems then ccleaner does a reasonable job in cleaning a drive. I think you have to buy a licence to do a new install of Win 10 on a hard drive without an existing copy on Windows on it.

[foxes_rule1978]

You can only upgrade to Win 10 on an existing windows installation, meaning you can't do a clean install (ie. format the drive), I re-installed Win 7 on my laptop, formatted it and didn't install any updates after it finished, then upgraded the newly installed Win 7 to Win 10. Took a while but its the cleanest the HD has been in ages. If you don't want to faff around with re-installed operating systems then ccleaner does a reasonable job in cleaning a drive. I think you have to buy a licence to do a new install of Win 10 on a hard drive without an existing copy on Windows on it.

You are right you have to buy a licence which is rubbish, my windows 8 key doesn't work and have to go through this process... no wonder people use other means