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Turn off Cortana.

Remove Groove.

Ads? Is that Windows thing, or is that from your browser?

Like this one?

As far as I am concerned this "new" language is just a repacking of |Liquid>, which Microsoft tried to make look Open Source by moving it to github, and some journos and analysts promptly fell for it, despite the License being right there in the repo.

Microsoft invests heavily to own the future of quantum computing. While now paying lip service to Open Source software, they also aggressively seek software patents in this space.

I have no doubt, that they plan to do the same thing to quantum computing that they did to Linux based Android. They don't have to fear Open Source products if they can collect patent fees.

My start-up tries to build an Open Source quantum computing tool chain, while also trying to secure as many fundamental patents that we can think of, that we then plan to extend to all other Open Source QC projects. (As long as the current laws are on the books, a defensive patent portfolio is the only option to keep companies like MS in check).

We also developed a free AWS image, Bayesforge, where we try to curate all important Open Source tools in this space. (With a docker image to follow soon).

We are just a three guys start-up, but having recently been accepted into the Quantum Machine Learning stream of Creative Destruction Lab in Toronto, we hope to finally attract some more VC money. But no matter the level of financing, start-ups won't be able to secure the quantum computing future from the likes of MS if we can't achieve the same community commitment that powered projects like GNU and Linux.

Bingo.

I'm very glad the Windows has a good way to run Linux programs. Why? Well, I don't want to waste an afternoon figuring out which three lines I need to write to handle something that any reasonable desktop OS would handle with no hassle.

By which time you've probably spent several weeks insecurely downloading Chromium to have a proper web browser, going through YouTube videos learning how to restore your desktop functionality, making sure to turn off the windows store so your kids don't auto-install some malware searching sites to try to find instructions to turn off the spyware features, probably managing to get some other drive by malware in the process. Installing antivirus software, then removing it when you find out that it had malware included.

But, cutting and pasting a three line script. That's really the time killer. Isn't it.

Then you have Safari and Opera trailing around too.

And here's a list of more browsers: http://www.thewindowsclub.com/...

Anyway - Microsoft browsers are only useful as a last resort if you can't get anything else to work. Mostly on company intranets.

You can do that with every version of windows 10: http://www.thewindowsclub.com/turn-off-windows-update-in-windows-10

I'll use Edge just as much as I'll use Windows 10 C. (It is C for C..p, isn't it? Oh, so it's S for S..t? OK.)

Then again I'm not in the target market since I destroy Metro (*, **, ***) on every box I own. I guess I keep the store around just because. If I wanted Metro on my server I'd ... well, I don't. Ever.

* one
** two
*** Anniversary Update EXCEPTIONS

And you can switch those off in the privacy settings. Or go through and do it more fine-grained: http://www.thewindowsclub.com/windows-10-telemetry

And see where it gets us. BTW, it's VERY hard to disable the automatic updates (which are sometimes disruptive or take far longer than many anticipate) but it is possible: In Home edition you have to set the connection to "metered" mode:

https://www.cnet.com/au/how-to...
http://www.thewindowsclub.com/...

Note; the new "surface" edition keeps you from stopping it this way.
It appears that MS doesn't want a potential lawsuit for running up Internet overages so they have this safeguard against litigation.

In Win 10 professional they give the standard "turn off automatic updates" they had in ALL previous versions of Windows. (funny how you are getting less in Windows 10).

This trying to force automatic updates in home edition is in my opinion quite dangerous and this isn't the first update to have serious issue pushed on on suspecting people.

Best thing to do in my opinion is to give MS the "finger" by switching to Linux: Linux Mint, ElementaryOS, or Debian are my top choices.

How to show File Extensions in Windows 10 / 8 / 7

http://www.thewindowsclub.com/show-file-extensions-in-windows

Once you remove all the stupid widgets/tiles/whatever from the startmenu and shrink it back to a normal size (resize it at the top left) and turn off all the animations that just slow the whole desktop down, it's not bad. I actually prefer it to Windows 7 in general because it feels faster, even thought I don't know that it is and I like the virtual desktops and darker/flat UI.

The problem I've had is about 2-3 times a week I'll get the dreaded DPC_WATCHDOG_VIOLATION blue screen of death and have to reboot.

"You don't have a cold-metal-restore backup?"

Doesn't work when install media will not detect hard drives.

http://www.thewindowsclub.com/...

That's why I had to install another hard drive - because even their option of replacing iastor.sys WON'T WORK WHEN WINDOWS SETUP CANNOT DETECT HARD DRIVES.

By the way, yes, that includes RESTORING FROM OFFICIAL EXTERNAL MEDIA. Did not work. Windows 10 and 7 setup BOTH could not see any hard drives installed in the system, PERIOD. Removing all of them and putting a new one in solved this issue.

Windows 10 couldn't even write to itself to repair itself.

I had a similar problem with Windows 7.

ON ALL SIX HARD DRIVES AT ONCE? Bear in mind, an OFFICIAL Windows install media wouldn't even detect the hard drives when I plugged it in and tried reinstalling "You are missing a required CD/DVD driver for installation"

No, this is a known DPC_WATCHDOG_VIOLATION fuckup for Windows 10 - http://www.thewindowsclub.com/...

As for .Net adoption, I wouldn't trust a company that extorts royalties from Android devices on patents it refuses to disclose publicly.

Patent revenues from Android devices are a big deal to MS... http://www.thewindowsclub.com/...

This theme about MS being "Open Source Happy" is dubious at best (no surprise it comes via timothy).

Huh? Just because they shove it in your face does not mean it's forced. You can easily just click NO.

FALSE, there is not a "No" option!

Microsoft has entirely removed the "No Thanks" button from the Get Windows 10 prompts on Windows 7, 8, and 8.1; your only choices are "Upgrade Now" or "Download Now, Upgrade Later." If you already have Windows 10 and it prompts you for updates, you can choose "Not Now," which does not mean "No," and in fact Windows 10 will be around shortly to bother you again.

In both cases - Win 7/8 users who don't want 10, or Win 10 users who don't want updates - many users have reported declining whatever was offered, and coming back to their PC later only to find that it was installed on its own anyway, without having asked again. There are tons of people who went to sleep with their computer running Windows 7, and woke up the next day with their computer in a non-usable state having tried and failed to upgrade itself to Windows 10, which the user did not want to do.

my bookmarks are updated automatically

Are they stored on Google servers in an encrypted form that Google can't read or are you being data mined by Google? You can sync your settings, tabs and bookmarks in IE 11 so if Edge doesn't do it already it will soon. Personally, I consider Firefox Sync more trustworthy than the other two.

>Secondly, you assert that MapQuest is dying off because of Google integrating maps into Google Search, but you offer no evidence

http://www.thewindowsclub.com/fairsearch-coalition-prepares-report-googles-alleged-anticompetitive-conduct

>My experiences with MapQuest and it's user interface were far inferior to my Google Maps experience.

Netscape was pretty inferior to IE4 as well.

>Finally, no one is being forced to use any particular service of Google's and no one is forcing one to use Google's other services if one uses Google Search.

Microsoft never prevented anyone from installing or using Netscape either.

Ya, there's stuff like...

http://www.thewindowsclub.com/right-click-context-menu-extender-for-windows-7-released

but it's pretty :( compared to fluxbox.

If you get a laptop then get a docking station too so if she does not like the small screen of the laptop or the keyboard, she can dock the laptop and plug in a big monitor and a regular keyboard. She can always undock the laptop to go anywhere with it. Buy a quality pc. Lots of junk out there. I put together a desktop pc using a Gigabyte X58 motherboard and a Intel I7 quad core cpu with 6gb of ram. It was overkill. Look at an expensive model then take note of the specs then look at a cheap pc and do the same. Compare costs and features. Google the brand or parts and see other comments about them. Windows 7 vs Mac OS? I always thought Mac looked better but since I do not use them I cannot say which is better. The market shows 10% for Apple and nearly 90% for Windows so that says something. Windows 7 is half baked. Boy is it disorganized. It is XP and Vista thrown up in the air then picked up and rebranded. Microsoft needs to hire people who have a design flair plus those that actually read the complaints about previous versions of Windows and will work to fix the problems. Something as simple as changing the highlight color of a menu is not possible in Windows 7 with using a program like Resource Hacker and good luck finding the image. Example: right click on your desktop. Cannot change that nearly invisible highlight to what you want using the aero interface. Here are some programs I have found to make it easier to use Windows 7: Use Xyplorer http://www.xyplorer.com/ This is a file manager. Windows 7 folders are a mess. Xyplorer can be customized. See website. Try for 30 days. Costs $42 afterward. Worth it. You can easily increase the size of the text and the spacing by using your mouse scroll wheel or ctrl + shift. See the screenshots at the site. Makes reading the text so much easier. For search use "Everything" http://voidtools.com/ or "Locate32" http://www.locate32.net/ Instantly find anything you are looking for. Windows 7 search just won't. They are FREE. Change the Start menu use "ClassicShell" - FREE http://classicshell.sourceforge.net/index.html Use "Ultimate Windows Tweaker" to fix some of the problems. FREE. http://www.thewindowsclub.com/ultimate-windows-tweaker-v2-a-tweak-ui-for-windows-7-vista Use "Iconoid" - FREE http://www.sillysot.com/ to remember your icon positions. There are 32bit and 64bit versions. In Windows 7 if you hold down the Ctrl button then use your mouse scroll wheel you can increase the size of the icons and text. That is a nice feature but.....When you resize them the icons go all over the place and will not return to their original positions when you revert back to a smaller size. With Iconoid installed you just right click on the desktop and click on Manage Desktop Icons and restore the positions. Windows Vista-7 Taskbar Color Changer - FREE. http://grantman.net/info/win7tbcc 7 Taskbar Tweaker - FREE. http://rammichael.com/7-taskbar-tweaker AveHTMLPreview - Windows Explorer no longer shows thumbnails of HTML files. This functionality has simply been removed. This addon for Explorer will show thumbnails for HTML, MHTL and URL files. FREE. http://www.aveapps.com/htmlpreviews.html ShellMenuNew: Remove Items From ‘New’ Menu Of Windows Explorer. FREE. http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/shell_menu_new.html Use MiniTool Partition Home Edition http://www.partitionwizard.com/partition-wizard-bootable-cd.html to partition your large hard drive without losing any files

Um, Secunia lumps all versions of Mac OS X as one thing: from its release in 2001 to the present. An unpatched vulnerability in OS X is not an unpatched vulnerability in the current version.

Another interesting thing about Secunia: for Apple, they report any vulnerabilities they can find. For Microsoft, they only report Microsoft-acknowledged vulnerabilities. If Microsoft doesn't admit to a vulnerability, then it doesn't exist, right?

Let's see what people outside of Redmond have to say recently about Windows 7, shall we?
Pwn2Own 2011: IE8 on Windows 7 hijacked with 3 vulnerabilities
RSAC 2011: Windows 7 vulnerabilities show need for kernel control
Patch Tuesday: Gaping security hole in Windows Media Player
Windows security hole gives anyone access to computer without logging into User Account
Windows still unpatched security hole
partial list of current exploits for Windows 7

Uhhh...you DO know you can go back to Win95 look and appearance if that is your cup o' tea Yes? Here is a handy list that gives you step by step on turning anything off you want and putting classic back if you really want Win98. Why you would want to go back I'll never know, but the nice thing about Windows is it can always be done!

But if you use the above list with Ultimate Windows Tweaker you can customize Win 7 to YOUR way of doing things in just a couple of clicks. like some things but not others? Keep what you like, toss what you don't. This isn't like Apple you know, where you don't get a choice. Hell turn everything off and go back to the Win98 GUI if that makes you happy!

Just to start?

How about a kernel that is designed and optimized for multicore systems. Sounds boring, because it is, but it's important. The new kernel changes involved removing several locks that usually hold up XP. They also massively improved the dispatcher, the memory manager and the cache manager, which means you actually use a modern architecture to it's fullest. Overall, that results in a speed boost on very complex applications up to 15x. Think Excel, Access, and SQL Server (YES, SQL IS DESKTOP TOO).

The power management system is also improved significantly, with changes including Idle Resource Utilization, Trigger Start Services, Enhanced Processor Power Management, Timer Coalescing, Adaptive Display Brightness, Low-Power Audio, Bluetooth and Networking Power Improvements. Now when you leave for the day, your workstation can go to low power and still be running, so if you need to access your desktop from home, you can. Your laptop can see a large battery improvement as well.

Security is improved from XP, where the default is now the non-privileged user, and web browsers can run in a locked down protected mode environment. \
ActionCenter shows when changes have been made to the desktop.
AppLocker lets the network admin easily lock down the local workstation.
Remote access is improved using DirectAccess, where the enduser doesn't have to jump through hoops to configure a vpn.
Branch cache offers improved caching from the office to the home office.
Improved remote desktop services with network level authentication.

I'm going to stop here because I have work to do. But if that above doesn't justify spending about 10 cents per user per day over a modest 5 year life-cycle (and you know it will be more like 8 years), then you should seriously re-think network administration.

Sources:
http://www.osnews.com/story/22501/Microsoft_Kernel_Engineers_Talk_About_Windows_7_s_Kernel
http://www.thewindowsclub.com/power-management-improvements-in-windows-7#ixzz11UUVBuSj
http://download.microsoft.com/download/8/5/4/854F66B6-8C09-4F8A-986E-38E9EBAC1677/Windows7_Power_Management_Whitepaper.pdf
Some others that I forgot, use Google.

Uhhh...you DO know it is trivial to make shortcuts in Windows 7, yes? Just go to Network Sharing Center -> Change Adapter Settings, right click on the network device and make shortcut. if you would prefer to have Network right there on the Start menu it is trivial to add with Ultimate Windows Tweaker which works quite well. simply go to Personalization -> Start Menu Items -> Network. This way you can simply click start -> Network and there you go.

Remember with windows there is ALWAYS more than one way to skin a cat, and if the default doesn't cut it there is nearly always a free tool that will let you tweak it to your liking. Enjoy!

That is why I always install AV LAST. I know it sounds backwards, but since XP if you have the Windows firewall running and are only doing updates you really have no worries as Windows Firewall by default doesn't respond to incoming pings and port scans. Then Once Windows is fully updated I install AV, head by Ninite and get the usual programs like FF, Flash, Java, etc, if it is a customer's box add OO.o on Ninite (I have Office 2K which works great in Win7) and finally wrap it up with K-Lite Mega Codec Pack (which covers just about any A/V format I'm liable to run into) and all is golden. Working PC repair you have run into most "gotchas" at least once so you know what to avoid. Fool me once, ehh?

Now that you have your PC stable I would recommend Comodo over AVG. With my customers I had quite a few that managed to infect themselves while running AVG and so far ZERO with Comodo! And if you have family or friends you have to do the occasional "tech support" for (what geek doesn't, huh?) I would recommend bookmarking Ninite. They have all the most common programs, along with excellent tools like ImgBurn, just have them pick what they want and run the combined installer. Oh, and NO TOOLBARS! That's right, ninite strips out the toolbars on apps like CCleaner and Java so you don't have to tell them "uncheck the third box on the second page" or whatever.

And if you like Dependency Walker you should search around the net and try to find a copy of "Computer Repair Utility Toolkit V2". Unfortuantely some FOSSies had a fit and maid them take down the main links, but nothing disappears on the net, right? It has dozens of tools to troubleshoot and repair a PC, fits on a 1Gb flash easily, and it is trivial to add your own tools. Working on house calls it has saved my ass more than once, and is a worthy tool of having in your toolbox. Just add WinFix and Ultimate Windows Tweaker from this page (bar on lower right has the download links) and with the Computer Repair Toolkit you can fix a good 85-90% of the Windows problems you run into. I hope this helps!