Now that W10 is out, are you a W7 / W8 refusenik?

[Ahhzz]

Maybe try Outpost Firewall, that can lock down what a can do and fully control were it connects to by port, address and others and is now windows 10 compatible since version 9.2, and if your license runs out the program is not disabled it just does not get any more updates.

You can all so control java cookies referrers and such too.

But be warned you can control a hell load with this firewall, so trail and error and learn it and take your time to learn what your doing with it as it's pretty dam powerful.

http://www.agnitum.com/outpost-security-suite.php

I'll dig in and see, thanks. Not worried about the "too much control stuff. I absolutely loved ZA. It told me that one of my apps was actually trying to use port 25 to connect. Did some pack sniffing, and it was just noise, looked to be a bug (or I was attacked by NSA), but still, I really enjoyed having that kind of fine control over the pc.

 

[Ahhzz]

Settings took over alot of the former control panel functions, but the original control panel (stripped down) is still there.

Sorry, I may have been misleading. the "Settings" I refer to is actually the old control panel (or what is left), not the new Windows 10 "settings".

 

[rtwjunkie]

I'll dig in and see, thanks. Not worried about the "too much control stuff. I absolutely loved ZA. It told me that one of my apps was actually trying to use port 25 to connect. Did some pack sniffing, and it was just noise, looked to be a bug (or I was attacked by NSA), but still, I really enjoyed having that kind of fine control over the pc.

I always swore by ZA, used it for about 10 years. Then it started to conflict with Diskeeper. This is an issue on their own forums where they should be aware of it and refuse to fix it. So now I use the built in firewalls in Bitdefender Internet Security and Avast! Internet Security depending on which rig they are installed on, and feel I have just as good a firewall.

 

[AsRock]

On the SO's laptop, I just use Win-X, where I select "Settings", and that's the original Control Panel.

I just (right) click the start button, either way it's not hard to get to, just that some things are a little annoying more so if your looking for the Win7 ways.

EDIT:Typo

 

[Ahhzz]

Can't argue that at all

 

[Vayra86]

I am still actively wondering what Windows 10 is going to really bring for me at this time. I'm still happily on Win 7 right now, and as a desktop user I really don't see what I'm going to gain.

Faster boot? from 7 to 6 seconds maybe...
One Windows? I only have my PC with Windows, so screw the integration
DX12? I still see daily issues popping up related to new drivers and games, and zero to a max of 5-7% performance gains across the board is not worth running into issues for

What's left? Oh yeah. MS Telemetry BS, Cortana carrots to seduce me into keeping a keylogger active on my system, Windows Update System takeovers, stripped advanced user features and totally breaking SecuRom-related and tons of other older DX-based games, denying the use of legacy features and software...

Windows 7 it is. As shitty as Windows 10 is looking now, I may even keep Windows 7 beyond the support it has and get some 8.1 upgrade someplace if I really need to. And after that.... I am praying Valve has brought Linux/Steam gaming to a point where I can say this piece of junk goodbye forever. Gabe was right. Windows is a steaming pile.

 

[Octopuss]

If it wasn't for Directx12, I wouldn't even think about upgrading. I will, but not anytime soon. I'd say at least several more months.
Also, as far as I know, Windows 7 only supports older version of Dx11 (I don't really know how that works though), so there might be some performance improvement just from upgrading to Win10 for current games.

 

[Vayra86]

If it wasn't for Directx12, I wouldn't even think about upgrading. I will, but not anytime soon. I'd say at least several more months.
Also, as far as I know, Windows 7 only supports older version of Dx11 (I don't really know how that works though), so there might be some performance improvement just from upgrading to Win10 for current games.

This older and newer DX11 is probably related to feature level additions to DX11 feature levels. I can imagine that there is a DX11 compatibility mode where newer feature levels are represented for machines that cannot run DX12 for whatever reason. It would make sense that Win 7 also doesn't get that update if MS wants to be an a-hole about it. And they want that.

But the bottom line is this: as long as you don't see the true DX12 features in games yet, and the only game currently in development that offers that is Ashes of the Singularity, don't even sweat it. DX11 will work fine.

 

[Deleted member 74752]

Way to go Microsoft...let's hasten the demise of the pc. That is the business goal, right? Morons.

 

[AsRock]

I'll dig in and see, thanks. Not worried about the "too much control stuff. I absolutely loved ZA. It told me that one of my apps was actually trying to use port 25 to connect. Did some pack sniffing, and it was just noise, looked to be a bug (or I was attacked by NSA), but still, I really enjoyed having that kind of fine control over the pc.

Thats the best thing about it, it's all pretty much automated until you change from the defaults, it pretty much allows you to install and forget until you either have time or get curious .

 

[64K]

It's interesting to see member's experience with Win 10 upgrade. I have updates turned off on my gaming rig but I don't go on the internet with it except when it checks with Steam to play a game. On both of my laptops I have it set to download and install updates automatically and recommended updates as well. I have the "Get Windows 10" icon in my taskbar and once in a while it throws up a popup to install Win 10 but I'm not an early aderpter with software. I will wait until the last minute to upgrade for free. My gaming rig will stay on Windows 7 unless DX12 becomes a thing.

 

[Atomic77]

I don't know if I mentioned this but I am no longer a refusenik as I made the jump to windows 10.

 

[rtwjunkie]

I don't know if I mentioned this but I am no longer a refusenik as I made the jump to windows 10.

You did, on November 6th, page 13.

 

[Mr.Scott]

I don't know if I mentioned this but I am no longer a refusenik as I made the jump to windows 10.

My condolences.

 

[dorsetknob]

Sneaky Microsoft renamed its data slurper before sticking it back in Windows 10
This year Microsoft introduced background tracking services called DiagTrack, or the Diagnostics Tracking Service. It was added to Windows 8.1 installations as well as betas of Windows 10. It arrived without much fanfare in May 14, in the shape of a patch, KB3022345.

It was just one of several slurping enhancements added via the back door.
Users thought it had disappeared in recent Windows 10 builds – but it hadn’t. Microsoft had simply renamed it.

The sinister-sounding tracking app was now the beatific and caring “Connected User Experiences and Telemetry Service”. Once again, it needs to be disabled manually (this time through the Services control panel).

more info

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2015/11/26/microsoft_renamed_data_slurper_reinserted_windows_10/

 

[jsalpha2]

Been a Win Ten beta tester from the beginning. It is ok if I use ClassicShell, but I still use Win 7 on my main machine. Just don't see any advantage to Win 10. I turn off or hide all the new "features".

 

[qubit]

@dorsetknob You know, every time I think I'm gonna finally make the jump to W10, some new surprise pops up. First up, it's all that spying that W10 does, then that seems to die down a bit and become a bit more acceptable once it's understood better and some parts of it can be turned off (I think). Then the forced updates, especially the driver ones and there's eventually a partial solution for that. Then it's the lack of full support for old DX versions breaking some old games I like to play a lot that has no solution and now this latest BS. I saw that article the other day and couldn't effing believe it. The OS is effectively spyware malware.

If Microsoft are pushing their flagship product onto everyone almost for free, there's gotta be a catch, right? Well, this appears to be it.

 

[rtwjunkie]

@qubit running W10 on one of my machines as extended testing platform. I'm unaware what non-support of old direct X there is with W10. I've run games all the way back through DX10, 9, and 8. No problems at all. Obviously you have to download the DirectX package from MS, June 2010 I think.

 

[qubit]

@qubit running W10 on one of my machines as extended testing platform. I'm unaware what non-support of old direct X there is with W10. I've run games all the way back through DX10, 9, and 8. No oroblems at all. Obviously you have to download the DirectX package feom MS, June 2010 I think.

Ok, that's great you've been able to use your old games. However, UT2004 doesn't run properly on it, even though it installs DX at first run. I'll try that DX2010 update which I've got somewhere. It's just that when I googled for it at the time there didn't seem to be a definitive solution for this problem, although I have to admit I hadn't gotten round to exploring all avenues yet.

It doesn't fix the spyware part though.

 

[rtwjunkie]

It doesn't fix the spyware part though

True enough!

 

[dorsetknob]

my daily drive is still xp pro ( because i use hardware and its software that don't work under ""Piss-ta"" or later ) i duel boot to win 7 ( with relevant XP only hardware disabled )
All updates FOR Win 7 are Disabled and thats the way its Staying
Perhaps when the Free Upgrade Period is OVER they might stop pushing these SLY AND UNDERHAND BANDWIDTH THIEVING UPDATES then might be the time to resume updating BUT STILL NOT TO SPYING TEN+

 

[64K]

my daily drive is still xp pro ( because i use hardware and its software that don't work under ""Piss-ta"" or later ) i duel boot to win 7 ( with relevant XP only hardware disabled )
All updates FOR Win 7 are Disabled and thats the way its Staying
Perhaps when the Free Upgrade Period is OVER they might stop pushing these SLY AND UNDERHAND BANDWIDTH THIEVING UPDATES then might be the time to resume updating BUT STILL NOT TO SPYING TEN+

Windows Piss-ta

I bought Vista when it first came out and it was quite a change from XP and hardware manufacturers didn't help any with poor driver support and especially selling 512 MB PCs which wasn't enough for Vista. People with issues couldn't get much help on tech sites and customer support advice for hardware was hit or miss. With MS getting it right every other version Win 10 should be good. I finally retired my XP rig last year. It's amazing how long XP was supported.

 

[Delta6326]

Hey guys now that my new PC parts have arrived I was wondering if anyone had any info on: Is the authorisation tied to hardware IDs or your Microsoft account? Is still the best method of updating to new hardware by installing old HD to new computer then take 8.1 Pro update to W10 Pro and wipe it and to clean install on new SSD's?

http://hexus.net/tech/features/software/85085-how-clean-install-windows-10-usb-drive/

 

[AsRock]

Seems to be both, i don't use a MS account for win 10 activates without issue. I tried it back when it was released to public and stopped about 28 days in and went back to win7 but about a week ago i put win 10 back on and it was automatically activated although that was though the upgrade from win7.

 

[Atomic77]

Vista was actually a good OS. I had it for 4 years on a Gateway PC that was made to handle it before I got my HP envy in 2014 for Christmas.