Windows 10

Witness · Post by **Witness** » Thu Oct 10, 2019 10:55 pm

↑ Agreed. But you can find it also on Major Geeks & The Windows Club, which I deem a positive sign. And the dev has a Facebook (blargh!) page you can consult: https://www.facebook.com/pg/getblackbir ... e_internal.

A German IT security site discusses it (https://forum.kuketz-blog.de/viewtopic.php?t=2091), they have nothing bad to say save that some think it shouldn't block Defender from accessing its cloud, and others think it should. (Quibble, quibble…)

For now I use ShutUp10, but I think I'll give Blackbird a shot later.

Pyrrho · Post by **Pyrrho** » Wed Dec 04, 2019 12:17 am

Witness · Post by **Witness** » Sat Dec 14, 2019 11:51 pm

Wanted to download a Windows 10 ISO.

On the μ$oft site you get a "download tool" for that. OK, well, whatever, first run:

https://i.imgur.com/OGdPvsv.png

"Something happened", thank you very much. :roll:

Go through the steps again:

https://i.imgur.com/Bxvwc5o.png

Undoubtedly much better. Try again:

https://i.imgur.com/YIxQa1i.png

Mind you, the only option available is the checked one. Yep, kill all my files, that's what I necessarily want from the "download" tool in μ$oft's unfathomable wisdom. :x

Google to the rescue, there is a solution: you have to spoof another OS so μ$oft thinks you're not on Windows and gives you the ISO instead of the "tool". And which browser allows that? You guessed it: μ$oft's Edge (hit F12). :bang_head:

Witness · Post by **Witness** » Mon May 11, 2020 11:56 pm

Windows taking longer and longer to autoconnect to the Wi-Fi.

Some googling gave me the cure (in case somebody runs into the same problem):

Forget the wireless SSID of your home network and reboot. Upon boot, reconnect to your SSID and make sure auto-connect is checked. Then open up the Command Prompt (make sure to open it with admin rights) and type in ipconfig /release. Then type in ipconfig /renew. Then type in ipconfig /flushdns. Repeat the ipconfig /flushdns like 10 times (just habit). Reboot the system and voila! I rebooted like 5 times just to make sure, and my problem is fixed.

https://www.tenforums.com/network-shari ... -boot.html

(That last part is a bit excessive.)

Now the Wi-Fi is again up and running when the desktop appears.

And it also cured weird intermittent glitches I had with my browser. :)

Rob Lister · Post by **Rob Lister** » Tue May 12, 2020 12:00 am

No such issue my end. Was this due to a recent update?

Witness · Post by **Witness** » Tue May 12, 2020 12:04 am

Rob Lister wrote: ↑Tue May 12, 2020 12:00 am Was this due to a recent update?

I don't think so. Rather a matter of maintenance. I'll add it to all the stuff I do once a month (like cleaning my keyboard :mrgreen: ).

Witness · Post by **Witness** » Tue May 12, 2020 10:54 pm

↑ When I launch XP (in a VM) I'm immediately notified that updates are available. :coolspecs:

Witness · Post by **Witness** » Tue May 12, 2020 11:42 pm

Abdul Alhazred wrote: ↑Tue May 12, 2020 11:02 pm What happens when you tell it (in your VM) to download and/or install the updates?
Too scared to try? :P

I use the VM to virtualize software (making it portable) so I keep it pristine, but I'll try next time on a copy.

I heard there are still XP updates for the OS not running on PCs (teller machines and the like), just a registry hack to get them.

gnome · Post by **gnome** » Wed May 13, 2020 12:05 am

Witness wrote: ↑Mon May 11, 2020 11:56 pm Windows taking longer and longer to autoconnect to the Wi-Fi.

Some googling gave me the cure (in case somebody runs into the same problem):
Forget the wireless SSID of your home network and reboot. Upon boot, reconnect to your SSID and make sure auto-connect is checked. Then open up the Command Prompt (make sure to open it with admin rights) and type in ipconfig /release. Then type in ipconfig /renew. Then type in ipconfig /flushdns. Repeat the ipconfig /flushdns like 10 times (just habit). Reboot the system and voila! I rebooted like 5 times just to make sure, and my problem is fixed.
https://www.tenforums.com/network-shari ... -boot.html

(That last part is a bit excessive.)

Now the Wi-Fi is again up and running when the desktop appears.

And it also cured weird intermittent glitches I had with my browser. :)

IIRC the /flushdns is a delayed response. When I used to use that to fix network connections the advice was to give it ten minutes afterwards. That may account for why it seemed to work after running it several times. It was just that time had passed.

gnome · Post by **gnome** » Wed May 13, 2020 12:07 am

My old shotgun approach when I couldn't find a wrong setting:

ipconfig /flushdns
ipconfig /registerdns
ipconfig /release
ipconfig /renew
netsh int ip reset

Reboot.

At one point I had all those commands in a batch file, but I stopped needing it routinely when I got Windows 7.

Rob Lister · Post by **Rob Lister** » Wed May 13, 2020 4:57 am

ipconfig /displaydns is much more funner.

Witness · Post by **Witness** » Sat May 30, 2020 3:27 am

For those interested:

Power Toys for W10: https://github.com/microsoft/PowerToys
Windows Package Manager Preview

Rob Lister · Post by **Rob Lister** » Sat May 30, 2020 4:31 am

What a great tool for setting up a new computer. I just don't wanna be first.

Witness · Post by **Witness** » Mon Jun 22, 2020 12:15 am

Be aware there is a bug in the latest W10. (Incredible! :mrgreen: )

I was ditching some obsolete backups and got these folder sizes (via "Properties"):

Code: Select all

containing folder   25 GB
    folder 1         8 GB
    folder 2       200 MB

Article, if interested: https://appuals.com/how-to-fix-folder-s ... indows-10/

They recommend TreeSize, which works nicely. (Portable version on Portableapps.com.)

Rob Lister · Post by **Rob Lister** » Thu Jul 02, 2020 9:09 pm

Microsoft just sank to a new low by shoving Edge down our throats

It undermines Microsoft’s own argument that automatic updates are critical

If I told you that my entire computer screen just got taken over by a new app that I’d never installed or asked for — it just magically appeared on my desktop, my taskbar, and preempted my next website launch — you’d probably tell me to run a virus scanner and stay away from shady websites, no?

But the insanely intrusive app I’m talking about isn’t a piece of ransomware. It’s Microsoft’s new Chromium Edge browser, which the company is now force-feeding users via an automatic update to Windows.

Seriously, when I restarted my Windows 10 desktop this week, an app I’d never asked for:

-- Immediately launched itself

-- Tried to convince me to migrate away from Chrome, giving me no discernible way to click away or say no

-- Pinned itself to my desktop and taskbar

-- Ignored my previous browser preference by asking me — the next time I launched a website — whether I was sure I wanted to use Chrome instead of Microsoft’s oh-so-humble recommendation.

https://www.theverge.com/21310611/micro ... -editorial

I got that update two days ago. I don't think this is a new low for Microsoft, just the typical low. The subtitle is right, however.

Unlike the reporter, I was at least smart enough to kill the process at the task manager. It's hard to believe Microsoft was so incompetent as to not disallow that. 8)

Witness · Post by **Witness** » Thu Jul 02, 2020 10:14 pm

I installed (voluntarily! :o ) the new Edge-on-chrome a long time ago and… nothing special happened.

Reminds me that the EU once forced Microsoft to distribute Windows without Internet Explorer, or something like that. :notsure:

Rob Lister · Post by **Rob Lister** » Thu Jul 02, 2020 10:26 pm

For me it was the principle of the matter.

Of course, my principles end at the jagged edge of my convenience, which is why I run windows 10 in the first place.

I'm not sure why it even asked made its install obvious. Maybe it didn't. Maybe the process I killed was just the introduction to it.

robinson · Post by **robinson** » Fri Jul 03, 2020 12:52 am

Fucking windows how do they work?

sparks · Post by **sparks** » Tue Jul 14, 2020 4:11 pm

Quick question for you confuser gurus, largely because I'm busy right now and too lazy to investigate myself: If I buy a new laptop, it will obviously come with Win10. Will Win7 Ultimate x64 run on this new fangled hardware that 10 runs on? Unlike Listy, I don't tolerate Win10 and if/when I buy a new laptop, I'm gonna try to simply move the new SSD drive from the old box to the new box, let it recognize the new hardware, etc. Or I may buy the new laptop with an SSD and wipe 10 and install 7. (I think I have one more install left on my 7 disk) That'll allow me to retire the old laptop to home service through the flatscreen/stereo for music and vids.

Cheers,
sparks

Rob Lister · Post by **Rob Lister** » Tue Jul 14, 2020 5:04 pm

sparks wrote: ↑Tue Jul 14, 2020 4:11 pm Quick question for you confuser gurus, largely because I'm busy right now and too lazy to investigate myself: If I buy a new laptop, it will obviously come with Win10. Will Win7 Ultimate x64 run on this new fangled hardware that 10 runs on?Unlike Listy, I don't tolerate Win10 and if/when I buy a new laptop, I'm gonna try to simply move the new SSD drive from the old box to the new box,let it recognize the new hardware, etc. Or I may buy the new laptop with an SSD and wipe 10 and install 7. (I think I have one more install left on my 7 disk) That'll allow me to retire the old laptop to home service through the flatscreen/stereo for music and vids.

Cheers,
sparks

Well, maybe. I'm not x-pert enough but I'll guess thatwin7 will install finebut some of your brand new on-board accessories (wifi, sound, bluetooth, graphics, etc)may not have win7 drivers. Even then you can probably kludge together a solution.

You filling your brand new hot rod with buggy whip oil. And that's okay.

Witness · Post by **Witness** » Tue Jul 14, 2020 9:46 pm

https://i.imgur.com/RGQZqpr.jpg

:mrgreen:

sparks · Post by **sparks** » Wed Jul 15, 2020 1:20 am

"may not have Win7 drivers."

Damned good point. Even more so now that Microsoft no longer supports 7. Thanks!

Next question would be: Has anyone figured out how to blow out and shut the hell off all the fucking bloatware in 10 such that it won't come back on the next update? 10 would be acceptable if only it didn't have all that counter productive shit hanging on it.

Witness · Post by **Witness** » Wed Jul 15, 2020 1:41 am

Meseems you already asked that. :notsure:

That's all the "apps" I have on my laptop (could get rid of some, but they don't bother me enough):

https://i.imgur.com/X0Js0DO.png

And there are simple Powershell scripts (basically Get_all_appnames / Uninstall_all_that) you could run if an update installs something. But this hasn't happened for quite some time now.
The only things I had to cleanup after an update were:

re-disable trackpad;
re-enable safe mode as a boot option (but only on my laptop, it doesn't get killed on my desktop :? ).

But then all of Windows is a big bloatware… :mrgreen:

Pyrrho · Post by **Pyrrho** » Mon Jul 27, 2020 11:40 pm

https://i.imgur.com/KMYOyqM.png

Witness · Post by **Witness** » Tue Jul 28, 2020 12:22 am

Had updates, everything went well.

For unknown reasons telemetry was re-enabled on my desktop but not on my laptop. :?

robinson · Post by **robinson** » Thu Jul 30, 2020 4:38 pm

Windows 10 is the only OS from Microsoft that has never crashed on any of my window computers

robinson · Post by **robinson** » Thu Jul 30, 2020 4:39 pm

Not even once

No blue screen of death!

Witness · Post by **Witness** » Fri Jul 31, 2020 12:39 am

Abdul Alhazred wrote: ↑Thu Jul 30, 2020 12:54 pm It seems like only yesterday ... :oldman:

I'm impressed how W10 is able to run old programs, at least up to XP, and presumably even older. Only 16 bit stuff has been left by the curbside, which is understandable.

Witness · Post by **Witness** » Thu Sep 03, 2020 2:59 am

A strange problem.

I use a very old version of Evernote (in XP compatibility) on my laptop to jot down various snippets and it works like a charm. The need arose to have it also on my desktop, so I installed it and… was graced with a fiery red alert window, "an administrator has disabled this app" &c., and the thingy wouldn't execute.

Dude, I'm the admin here. :x

What I tried and didn't work:

right click on the executable, run as admin;
launch from a shortcut with admin privilege;
ditto with my program launcher + admin option;
tweaking permissions for file and program folder;
disabling UAC;
reinstalling while running the installer as admin.

But these worked:

use from built-in admin account;
launch from third-party file browser, started as admin;
start from admin command prompt/console;
start with .bat file run as admin.

So for now I use my prog launcher + admin option to call Evernote through a batch file. Sigh! And I get the UAC alert and have to confirm each time that I really want to do that… :|

What I find weird is that it seems to need an intermediate step to comply.

Witness · Post by **Witness** » Thu Sep 03, 2020 5:58 pm

Abdul Alhazred wrote: ↑Thu Sep 03, 2020 12:08 pm UAC alert?

I unconditionally turned those off on day one.

You're so brave! :)

But you didn't read all of it. Even with UAC disabled, I get this:

https://i.imgur.com/pphmoXt.jpg

Never seen that before.

Witness · Post by **Witness** » Thu Sep 03, 2020 6:23 pm

Witness · Post by **Witness** » Thu Sep 03, 2020 6:37 pm

Of course I have. :roll:

robinson · Post by **robinson** » Thu Sep 03, 2020 9:03 pm

I can hardly wait for Windows 2020

robinson · Post by **robinson** » Thu Sep 03, 2020 9:04 pm

Once you install it a virus causes almost everything to shut down, and all levels kinds of worthless programs start burning everything else to the ground

Post by **Captain** » Thu Sep 03, 2020 11:01 pm

Witness wrote: ↑Thu Sep 03, 2020 5:58 pm
Abdul Alhazred wrote: ↑Thu Sep 03, 2020 12:08 pm UAC alert?

I unconditionally turned those off on day one.
You're so brave! :)

But you didn't read all of it. Even with UAC disabled, I get this:

https://i.imgur.com/pphmoXt.jpg

Never seen that before.

It's for your own good...

Witness · Post by **Witness** » Thu Sep 03, 2020 11:05 pm

Thanks, guys, for trolling me. :|

Pyrrho · Post by **Pyrrho** » Thu Sep 03, 2020 11:12 pm

Even if your personal account has admin privileges, there's still a separate "administrator" account in Windows that you may or may not need to enable. If you log on using that administrator account, you may be able to fix the issue by adjusting your personal user account admin settings--there may be some restrictions even if you have "admin" permissions--thanks Bill Gates--never a problem on a Mac--but I don't know offhand how that works.

Witness · Post by **Witness** » Thu Sep 03, 2020 11:18 pm

Thanks, I'll try that.

Pyrrho · Post by **Pyrrho** » Thu Sep 03, 2020 11:25 pm

Sorry, I did see but it didn't register in my brain that you mentioned the built-in admin account.

Witness · Post by **Witness** » Thu Sep 03, 2020 11:32 pm

That's OK. It works in the admin account, but I didn't think of tweaking my everyday one from there, or the exe. I'll see what can be done (if anything).