Upgrade to Windows 10 or stick with 7 ?

[Logwyn]

So giving up all of your information for advertisements in the start menu and bloatware isn't a big deal ?
You're giving them for free the most important thing you have as a consumer and they are giving you literally nothing in return, and you are somehow happy about it ?

Are you using something like Tor browser now? Have you never bought anything online? If not you've been doing this for years already and I bet didn't even know it yourself.

[grexly75]

Lol at you autists arguing about big bad Microsoft spying on you. Like anyone has any interest in your views about flying in WoW or if you are into softcore elf porn.

You probably give up more information when you do a mortgage/insurance/credit card comparision or if you book a flight to the USA.

The funny thing is that the government knows more about you and me than a lot of people think..

[Deleted]

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/lifecycle



I'll stick with my Windows 7, thank you very much. It will be supported and updated for another four years, and perhaps MS has gotten their act straight with Windows 10 by 2020, or, perhaps they're coming up with a new one by then. I won't be suckered into updating because it's "free". If in a couple years it turns out to actually be decent and work well, after this "free update beta testing phase" has come and gone, I'm fine with paying for it.

As I mentioned in another thread, we know from Vista and ME (or XP Home edition for that matter) that new hyped up Windozes can end up being complete and utter shit in the end, so we know MS is quite capable and willing to push complete and utter shit on us. They're not perfect, and their Windozes haven't been, either.

[Skayaq]

Windows 10 is much better on resources than Windows 7 is and I find it much lighter to use. I have no problem gaming on it whatsoever. In fact I would argue it runs better than Windows 7. Here is what you do.

1) Backup all your data.
2) Get the free upgrade to Windows 10.
3) After installation use the free Windows Media Creation Tool to make a bootable image of windows 10.
4) Reinstall a fresh image of Windows 10 on your laptop (Delete the partitions, make a new one, install to that one) (Windows 10 key should auto activate)
5) Grab CCleaner from piriform.com and use the Tools -> Uninstall feature to uninstall ALL windows 10 apps (I kept the calculator).
6) Run thru all the Settings (especially privacy) and configure it how you like. (I basically turned everything off)
7) Install any drivers from your laptops manufacturer for Windows 10.
8) Use Ninite.com to install all your favourite programs (auto ignores any extra programs or toolbars)
9) Use Chrome (No Edge).
10) Configure your start menu using small icons and place all your favourite programs for easy access (or if you are missing Windows 7, install the classic start menu from ninite.com)
11) Do not use Cortana for anything.
12) Revel in the fact that you have moved into new decade.

If privacy is your concern why on earth would you use chrome?

[ComputerNerd]

Windows 10 is much better on resources than Windows 7 is and I find it much lighter to use. I have no problem gaming on it whatsoever. In fact I would argue it runs better than Windows 7. Here is what you do.

1) Backup all your data.
2) Get the free upgrade to Windows 10.
3) After installation use the free Windows Media Creation Tool to make a bootable image of windows 10.
4) Reinstall a fresh image of Windows 10 on your laptop (Delete the partitions, make a new one, install to that one) (Windows 10 key should auto activate)
5) Grab CCleaner from piriform.com and use the Tools -> Uninstall feature to uninstall ALL windows 10 apps (I kept the calculator).
6) Run thru all the Settings (especially privacy) and configure it how you like. (I basically turned everything off)
7) Install any drivers from your laptops manufacturer for Windows 10.
8) Use Ninite.com to install all your favourite programs (auto ignores any extra programs or toolbars)
9) Use Chrome (No Edge).
10) Configure your start menu using small icons and place all your favourite programs for easy access (or if you are missing Windows 7, install the classic start menu from ninite.com)
11) Do not use Cortana for anything.
12) Revel in the fact that you have moved into new decade.

I would argue against uninstalling the Store application, since that is the easiest way of reinstalling any of them.
Other than that I pretty much agree with that.
To clarify the installation steps, the eligibility for the free upgrade is met through an upgrade install.
A clean install will be better for performance, and so should be done later.

I don't use Cortana because I see nothing I wanted from it.
I don't use a microphone, and nor do I have a working mobile at present, let alone having had one where voice commands were "a thing", so I never really bought into that.
If it does something useful for me in the future, maybe I would use it.

And as far as 3rd party applications go, I would recommend EarTrumpet.
For better per-application muting.

[Lathais]

I'm not working with suggestions here, I'm assuming all they do is follow their EULA, which is dangerous enough.

It is literally nothing. 95% of the code is the same as Windows 8, the rest is the bloatware. All of the performance improvements you're happy about, such as the hybrid boot, are from Windows 8.

DX12, 'nuff said.

[Perryn]

As I mentioned in another thread, we know from Vista and ME (or XP Home edition for that matter) that new hyped up Windozes can end up being complete and utter shit in the end, so we know MS is quite capable and willing to push complete and utter shit on us. They're not perfect, and their Windozes haven't been, either.

Except Windows ME & Vista were bad off the get-go, 10 isn't. Your point is invalid.

[Lathais]

Personally I prefer Windows 7 (SP1), Windows 10 is pretty much letting Microsoft into your computer without much trouble. Thing is though, you will need W10 at one point as a gamer since most upcoming PC games will be built on W10. Get a Mac or even better a computer with Linux for keeping data private and W10 exclusive for gaming or media (movies, Kindle, etc).

If you don’t care about privacy, go W10 for everything.

and if you update W7/8/8.1 they do all the same things W10 does!! So unless you turn off all updates and leave yourself vulnerable to even worse stuff, you are in the same boat on privacy stuff as those with W10.

[Ringthane]

That’s a personal preference. I like to keep my privacy, and many will agree with me.

Once again, I must point out - do you know how much of your privacy is actually given up every time you walk outside, or go into a business, or make a phone call, or go to work? Your company owns your files, your email, and the computer/tablet/phone you use. You are recorded in stores. You are recorded when you are in certain places outside. And let's not even get into the phone calls you make. You really think no one can eavesdrop? Plus, you leave tracks everywhere you go online - more than you think you do.

So please, show me how Windows 10's privacy policies are so much worse than what you face every day.

[Notorious]

Not sure what the fuss is about, Windows 10 is fine. Hell i'd even say it's great.

[Vash The Stampede]

Upgrade to 10 cause you're not benefiting from not upgrading. If you really hate Windows 10, then I suggest you become an active Linux user and get software and game developers to port their games to Linux. Cause there's no Windows 11, 12, or Windows Forever. It's just going to be Windows 10 from this point on. Until developers see the light from Linux, upgrade to 10.

[the boar]

i'd do a clean install rather than the upgrade.. but that is just me.

i like windows 10.

[Alantor]

Upgrade to 8.1

[Artorius]

Chrome is much more secure than Edge. Privacy isn't really my concern because at this point, anything you do on the internet is tracked or logged or put in a database somewhere.

They're literally the same thing. One of them tells what you do to Google, the other one to MS. Not really a difference.

And about general security, both are sandboxed so yeah they're the same here too.

[Deleted]

They're literally the same thing. One of them tells what you do to Google, the other one to MS. Not really a difference.

Chrome is merely a program on a Microsoft OS and as such you can restrict its access and be relatively certain that it cannot bypass those restrictions.

Edge OTOH is part of the Microsoft "experience" so it gets extra privileges that the user cannot control and which can change with every OS update. For instance Edge will automatically log you in on every MS web sites you visit (if you use an MS account) regardless of the "let apps access my account info" setting.

In theory MS could give other browsers the same privileges of course but I somehow doubt they will.
So there's definitely a point for using a browser without OS "integration".

Also Edge does not support Ad/Tracker blocking as of now, which exposes you to every privacy intrusion out there - that alone is reason enough to stay away from Edge. MS is however working on this, how configurable their solution will be remains to be seen though.

[Artorius]

Current version of Edge actually has extension support and has 2 crap Ad-blockers: Ad-Block and ABP.

It'll probably land at the consumer version at their next big update, they'll most likely call it RS1 or TH3.

[Deleted]

Current version of Edge actually has extension support and has 2 crap Ad-blockers: Ad-Block and ABP.

It'll probably land at the consumer version at their next big update, they'll most likely call it RS1 or TH3.

You are talking about an insider *preview* feature, which may be released at some point in the future with these (crappy) options or never.
Which is why I said the *current* version does not support this and MS is working on it.

Also to be clear: Chrome is certainly not the pinnacle of privacy in browser-land, but it can be configured to beat Edge by miles.

[Artorius]

If someone is really concerned about browsing privacy it doesn't make sense to use Chrome. And sincerely speaking I fail to understand this neurosis, why would anyone even be concerned to this extent?

If said person is truly concerned about it, even if it doesn't make much sense, then said person would be running some privacy oriented Linux Distribution and a hipster company-unrelated browser like Otter or something even fancier.

Being honest here, hating MS and everything that they do seems to be a trend but Google and Apple and literally the same thing, there's no privacy-related difference between using Edge, Chrome or Safari.

One could perhaps use Chromium which theoretically speaking doesn't have Google's telemetry thing but in the end it doesn't make any difference. The websites themselves are going to report everything anyway.

[Aleksej89]

NEVER upgrade your OS - it has a high chance of being buggy, slow, unstable and overall unsatisfactory.
If you want to move to Windows 10 then make a CLEAN format of HDD then install windows 10.
You can find windows 10 ISO (image file) from microsoft or other sources.

Personally i am sticking to windows 7.
I like the "classic" style practical UI - i hate "aero", i hate "metro" and i hate whatever UI thing they made in windows 10 - it is all about tablet appearance, while the function is horrible.
I heavily oppose the dictator implementation of forced windows 10 updates, as well as various telemetry and spyware garbage they put in windows 10.
I absolutely detest how they are forcing and deceiving windows 7 users into installing windows 10, or installing various spyware and other bloatware on windows 7.

If MSoft was honest and simply asked "hey can we have ur data please" i would freely give them, i don't really care.
But the incredibly deceitful and dishonest method that MSoft uses makes me revile ever using their products.

Microsoft is going down a really dark road where a lot of customers that were their "fans" are now absolutely hating their existence.
Personally if Linux was even remotely comparable to windows in terms of gaming i would never even look at windows.

[unfilteredJW]

I've really hated the fact that my computer has been running better and some of the issues I had with quite a few games were fixed after upgrading.

It's just awful.