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Windows 10 "updates" ......

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Old 16th Feb 2018, 09:35
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Windows 10 "updates" ......

Part 1:

Microsoft is trying to hijack / screw up my laptop.
It is a Lenovo Yoga 310 and maybe 6 months old only.

Before I kept getting hassled to "update" and I finally gave in and let it do it a month ago.
The "update" nearly turned the machine into a brick. The laptop became so slow the cursor didn't respond. I couldn't open anything, it made the laptop unusable.

I had to resort to resetting the machine. After that I spent a day deleting a s@#t load of new crapware. Games, Xbox crap, gaming crap etc etc.. All microsoft related junk.
Some of the stuff I had to do DOS like commands to remove the sh%t. Even then some junk I couldn't delete completely.

I just want my laptop for surfing and emailing etc.

Part 2:

About 1 month later, now, as in today I'm getting notifications "they" need to do another update. Again, only a month later, WTF?
What do I do? I don't want another "update". I'm happy with the way it is. The laptop is fine as it is. Security updates, no problem, I can accept that. But That's not what the "updates" appear to be doing.. I'm scared about what they are going to do to my machine this time..

As I write this, I just received another prompt to update.
What on earth should I do?? Advice would be much appreciated...

(please no "go to Linux" type advice)

Thanks

Michael
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Old 16th Feb 2018, 10:18
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Originally Posted by Octane
Part 1:

Microsoft is trying to hijack / screw up my laptop.
It is a Lenovo Yoga 310 and maybe 6 months old only.

Before I kept getting hassled to "update" and I finally gave in and let it do it a month ago.
The "update" nearly turned the machine into a brick. The laptop became so slow the cursor didn't respond. I couldn't open anything, it made the laptop unusable.

I had to resort to resetting the machine. After that I spent a day deleting a s@#t load of new crapware. Games, Xbox crap, gaming crap etc etc.. All microsoft related junk.
Some of the stuff I had to do DOS like commands to remove the sh%t. Even then some junk I couldn't delete completely.

I just want my laptop for surfing and emailing etc.

Part 2:

About 1 month later, now, as in today I'm getting notifications "they" need to do another update. Again, only a month later, WTF?
What do I do? I don't want another "update". I'm happy with the way it is. The laptop is fine as it is. Security updates, no problem, I can accept that. But That's not what the "updates" appear to be doing.. I'm scared about what they are going to do to my machine this time..

As I write this, I just received another prompt to update.
What on earth should I do?? Advice would be much appreciated...

(please no "go to Linux" type advice)

Thanks

Michael
I too have found that the latest W10 update, which took hours to install has significantly slowed the start up of my laptop (also a Lenovo but older than yours). Once it starts it is not too bad but to be honest I now tend to use my phone as it is so much quicker.
Not an IT person so I can not give you any advice.
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Old 16th Feb 2018, 11:05
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So what on earth is going on? We need the internet but as long as we are connected, it seems we are at the mercy of Microsoft? Is it that bad?
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Old 16th Feb 2018, 22:07
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Originally Posted by Octane
So what on earth is going on? We need the internet but as long as we are connected, it seems we are at the mercy of Microsoft? Is it that bad?
As I understand it, Microsoft removed the ability to not install updates from consumer versions of Windows 10. So you're stuffed.

My girlfriend was complaining the other day because she plugged our Windows 10 PC into the Internet and it suddenly rebooted to install updates while she was in the middle of using it. Because installing updates is far more important than anything people might be using the computer for, apparently.

(That's a cheap box we bought just for scanning and iTunes, so it's not connected to the Internet if we don't need it to be)

(please no "go to Linux" type advice)
Come on. You know you want to...
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Old 16th Feb 2018, 23:53
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Thanks for the replies. So it's confirmed I'm powerless to stop Microsoft meddling with my computer? It's not the update concept that annoys me so much as the loads of unwanted crap they insist on installing (I'm 55, I don't want gaming related ****e on my machine, nor do I suspect do millions of other users. They should offer the choice of what WE want on our machines, not what THEY want..). Add to that the chance of their updates going "wrong" and wrecking my laptop as occurred last time..
As for Linux, I have no problem with it. Many people say it's great stuff. It's just that until now I've been quite satisfied with Windows and what it does (I did prefer XP over Windows 10 however). It's just that I don't have the inclination of going through learning curve of learning a completely new operating system and all it entails...
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Old 17th Feb 2018, 00:27
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Are you sure you are allowing real Microsoft upgrades and not "real" looking upgrades?

I have MS Windows 8.1 and my upgrades contain none of the crap you describe come with your upgrades. Upgrades happen about once every month or so and nothing changes on my desktop.
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Old 17th Feb 2018, 02:34
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it seems we are at the mercy of Microsoft?
Which is why I recently purchased a HP ProBook G4, 17"screen, i7 processor @ 2.4Ghz, 8 Gig RAM, lovely machine. And it was the ONLY laptop in the store with the choice of Windows 8.1 or Windows 7 Pro which I chose to install and licence. When W7 support finishes in Jan 2018 I can then install 8.1. Really happy with my choice, the few times I've had to use a W10 machine were frustrating. Read (I didn't know how to make it work)
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Old 17th Feb 2018, 03:33
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I bought an HP Probook last year because it was the only laptop I could find that officially supported Linux. The only downside is that it doesn't have an illuminated keyboard like my old Toshiba, so it's hard to see the keys with the crappy lighting in our living room.
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Old 17th Feb 2018, 06:24
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i still use windows 8 and now refuse to allow it update any windows updates -

i tried 8.1 it was a nightmare and had to restore my laptop back to factory settings a few years ago

asus touch screen - works OK
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Old 17th Feb 2018, 06:38
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I have MS Windows 8.1 and my upgrades contain none of the crap you describe come with your upgrades. Upgrades happen about once every month or so and nothing changes on my desktop.
Yes. I've kept Windows H'eight point one, too, but it is OK for now, will resist W.10 as long as possible.
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Old 17th Feb 2018, 08:48
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Jack,
I think Windows 8 is a completely different animal compared to Win 10..
(I was very happy with XP but the screen died on that laptop some months ago, Win 10 is the only option for a new Windows machine now as far as I know)
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Old 17th Feb 2018, 09:06
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I'm typing this on a ~6 year old bog standard HP pavilion g6 (i5, 6Gb) which originally came with W7 and was updated to W10 a month after it came out. It just works. I accept all the updates and it still just works. I did bypass W8 because it was such a pile of wombat ****e, but W10 works fine.

Trying to avoid the updates is a "bad idea"[tm] because most of them are there to address security vulnerabilities which are either newly emergent or newly identified. Your call.

PDR
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Old 17th Feb 2018, 10:32
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Originally Posted by Two Dogs
When W7 support finishes in Jan 2018
Don't scare me! Win 7 support ends in 2020.
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Old 17th Feb 2018, 11:47
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MS automated updates because, like the OP , a lot of people never did it and they were opening themselves to all sorts of evil folk

perhaps the auto update is a bit nannyish but it does work

THE problem is that it waits until you are closing down and just about to run for the train/plane to launch........ I therefore update manually once a week - which reduces the inevitable auto update to a few seconds

As for the MS crap - that comes with the territory with any computer service thse days I'm afraid
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Old 18th Feb 2018, 01:33
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Heathrow Harry,

I hear you, and quite understand the need for regular security updates. No problem with that. Even the crapware I can tolerate albeit having to take the time and effort to delete the junk. (I only have a 64 Gb ssd drive, so not much space..).
What I don't get is why I'm being pushed for another update only a month after the last disastrous update that nearly ruined my laptop. To be honest, I'm fearful the same thing might happen again, there's no guarantee it won't. Maybe it's a Lenovo thing, I don't know...
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Old 18th Feb 2018, 03:33
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Updates are issued frequently to address newly discovered security issues and to accomodate new hardware and software coming onto the market. Windows 10 is supposed to be a one size fits all operating system so everybody has to update whether it is necessary for their particular machine or not.

If you never connect a computer to the internet or update any of the components, it could quite happily run with the initially supplied installed software forever, never needing an update.

Even Linux software needs to be updated, although the user has rather more control over what gets updated and when. That assumes the user has the necessary knowledge to recognise security risks and how to avoid them. Otherwise Linux can present even greater security risks to your data. The most common mistake being users using a root access password for normal day to day tasks, because it gives instant access to all the features of the computer and operating system.

For all their proprietory systems and expense, Apple seem to have got the concept of turn key computing with a decent level of security down to a fine art.

If all you want to do is browse the Internet and send emails, a tablet computer such as the iPad is all most people need. They too get regular updates, but because the hardware and software is controlled by a single company, there are far fewer problems than with any other type of computer as far as my personal experience is concerned.
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Old 18th Feb 2018, 16:51
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Windows update

An option is to enable automatic updates, but do a manual Windows Update upon each connection to the internet. Then let that finish before doing anything else. Usually it just produces a definitions update. Sometimes that is considerably larger. Then you see the big monthly update. That goes faster if nothing else is being done. And it might be a good time to do a full browsing history delete.
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Old 18th Feb 2018, 17:59
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MAC

I’ve been using Windows machines for a long long time. But when W10 came along I experienced no end of problems including very slow start ups. Then kept on getting ‘cannot connect to the internet’ for no apparent reason which would clear with a restart. Ahhhhhhh another ten minutes wasted. In my frustration I decided to buy a Mac. My god what a difference. Took me a while to get used to it but a year on I could not go back to a Windows machine. So rapid and able to be used within 30 seconds of hitting the start button. I know they are more expensive but you get what you pay for. Everyone I know has now moved over - the revolution has started 😀😀
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Old 21st Feb 2018, 09:12
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I have 2 Win10 machines. One a bit elderly (rather slow, but stable) and the other spiffy new with a Ryzen5 1600.

I've told both when I'm working and to update when I'm asleep.

I have NO love for Microsoft (I'm a Linux and BSD man really), but neither machine has given me any problems with updates (unlike Win7).

Sorry 'bout that…

Mac

[I don't even notice the updates on my REAL Mac, a souped-up MacMini, the Linux box (Mint) periodically asks me if I want to update and since I don't keep it on the bleeding edge, has never given me problems. Neither has the FreeBSD box, though I update it manually]

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Old 2nd Mar 2018, 20:42
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I've had an Acer Aspire 5720 with Vista for over 10 years. No problems.
When I got warnings about it not being supported, I bought an Acer Aspire E17 with W10. It's slower, it tells me there's no internet connection after visiting several sites, although my Nexus still connects.
I seldom use it, using the old Vista, but mainly my Nexus7.
PS I've used W95, W98SE, W2000, WME, WXP, as well as Vista, on several desktops and laptops. This is the worst combination
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