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Ask Slashdot: Can You Disable Windows 10's Privacy-Invading Features?
An anonymous reader writes: I really want to upgrade to Windows 10, but have begun seeing stories come out about the new Terms and how they affect your privacy. It looks like the default Windows 10 system puts copies of your data out on the "cloud", gives your passwords out, and targets advertising to you. The main reason I am looking to upgrade is that Bitlocker is not available on Windows 7 Pro, but is on Windows 10 Pro, and Microsoft no longer offers Anytime Upgrades to Windows 7 Ultimate. However, I don't want to give away my privacy for security. The other option is to wait until October to see what the Windows 10 Enterprise version offers, but it may not be available through retail. Are the privacy minded Slashdot readers not going with Windows 10?
For reference, I am referring to these articles. (Not to mention claims that it steals your bandwidth.) Have a question for Slashdot's readers? Take a look at other recent questions first to see if someone else has had a similar question. And if not, ask away! The more details and context you include, the more likely your question will be selected.
For reference, I am referring to these articles. (Not to mention claims that it steals your bandwidth.) Have a question for Slashdot's readers? Take a look at other recent questions first to see if someone else has had a similar question. And if not, ask away! The more details and context you include, the more likely your question will be selected.
Did you even read the articles that you've linked to? They talk about privacy issues with default settings (that is, "Express" install). If you're a regular member of the Slashdot audience, you will certainly pick "Customize" during installation anyway, and you'll get individual switches for all these things combined on the very first screen that you'll see after that, from advertising ID to Cortana. Just disable it all, and you're good to go. For bonus points, use a local user account rather than Microsoft ID.
1. You don't set up a live account. That shuts down most of it.
2. Change the host file to redirect most of the bad domains to localhost.
3. There are going to be endless registry hacks to turn things off or change the way they work.
4. programs are going to be released that change things or replace features with something else that does the same thing but is open source etc.
Basically yes.
I've decided to stop wasting my time responding to AC trolls/sockpuppets... so if you want a response from me... login.
You can disable all this stuff easily.
1. When installing you are asked if you want the default settings. Select custom settings and turn everything off. Things like Cortana that rely on having data about you won't work, of course.
2. Open the Windows Update settings and go into the options. Disable downloading updates from other machines on the internet. You might want to leave the option to get updates from other machines on your LAN enabled though, to save bandwidth.
If anyone is any doubt that you can disable all the "spying" stuff, consider that enterprise users would demand it or simply refuse to use Windows 10.
const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
In order to use Siri on the iPhone, or Google Home on Android, you have to give up the same information that Microsoft is now requesting with Windows 10.
You can turn off most if not all of the settings, but you loose some of the functionality. It's up to each user to find the "right spot" in this balance.
-1: When even gpedit.msc (group policy editor)'s documented behavior for turning off the submission of potentially information-leaking reports to Microsoft is "0 (send no data): Equivalent to '1' (basic) on non-Enterprise systems", you cannot disable everything you want to.
-2: When users suggest removing the files associated with Diagnostic/Tracking/Telemetry servies, note that...
-3: ...on non-Enterprise systems, you cannot disable the forced updates. You can delay them on Pro, but not forever. So eventually, those files are going to find their way back on your system eventually...
-4: ...if they don't get put back immediately because Windows Defender (which also cannot be disabled except temporarily, and then it automatically turns itself back on) could trivially be programmed to categorize user attempts to delete the offending services as "malware" and restore them by itself.
If you consider error reporting noninvasive and automatic upgrade checks non-leaky and of acceptable risk to system stability, you can turn off the offensive stuff in Win10 Pro.
If your requirement is to eliminate error reporting and an at-all-times active antivirus product, then no, it is not possible to turn off the privacy-invading features of Windows 10.
FWIW I will not be upgrading. Even the most basic error reporting like "POWERPOINT.EXE crashed while editing GOOGLE-HOSTILE-TAKEOVER-MICROSOFT.PPT" is unacceptable in financial circles, and the HIPAA laws are even more draconian. Windows 10 is no longer a general purpose computing platform.
That makes *zero* difference. The base OS itself is useless for most professional work. Basically, almost everything we use for CAD, Adobe apps (design, photography, prepress, etc), good ol' MS Office, financial software, medical software, supply chain management software, various piece of lab equipment or machinery and hundreds more fields and usages is Windows-only. Even for games there is no real alternative. Linux won't EVER be a mainstream desktop OS because it doesn't run most of the software people need. It's as simple as that.
Excessive fragmentation is one of the unfortunate issues with Linux.
The odd thing is if they collapsed some of the projects and spent that dev time on a handful of distro's they could really improve things. Instead you have a bunch of very talented people spinning yet another 'fork'.
Flip side, I am a big LINUX fan (but not a zealot, Windows has its place).
I converted all three of my kids over from windows several years ago due to having to fix their issues too often (browser hijacks, etc).
They were given a choice between Mint and Ubuntu (two went with Ubuntu, the third Mint). At first they were hesitant but after all the time spent dealing with windows issues (including the almost-daily updates needing a restart) they gave in.
One time our youngest had formatting issues with a powerpoint in libreoffice so the option came up to move back to windows and she refused.
The only windows PC left in the house is my wife's and she refuses to move over she's not into technology and needs the chinese IME which she knows how to work under windows.
It is far easier to drop in a Linux DVD and restart after like 15 mins with a working system (including office package) then installing windows, the drivers, the apps (probably spending the better part of an afternoon on the install).
YMMV (Your mileage may vary) but i have had pretty good luck with the 5 Linux machines (two ubuntu, 3 mint) in my house.