Windows 10 tweaks

Computer Help and Discussions Software
1

Although I still use Win 7, I came across a bunch of interesting & useful info regarding the Win 10 OS.

- "Bleeping Computer" had one very interesting thread. It seems that Windows 10 is doing A LOT OF "Spying" on the user of that OS. But it turns out that some people have figured out on how to stop all that "snooping".

http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/forums/t/605420/my-computer-is-using-way-too-much-internet

The program can be used for Windows 7 & 8 as well.

- Delay Windows 10 updates:

http://lifehacker.com/enable-metered-connection-to-delay-windows-10-updates-1723316525

- Disable mandatory Windows 10 Updates:

http://www.guidingtech.com/48828/delay-disable-mandatory-updates-windows-10/

- Windows 10 uses one's computer to distribute updates to other computer users. But that feature also can be disabled.

http://lifehacker.com/windows-10-uses-your-bandwidth-to-distribute-updates-d-1721091469

2

Hi Willy,

Nothing new there.

Do you wear a tinfoil hat?.

3

- LOL. No, I don't. I actually ran out of tin foil. I am using Kevlar right now.

4

if new uptakers of Win10 spent 20 minutes and went through all the options on Settings, all the 'spying' options are easily turned off.

the always-on, auto updates is probably the biggest annoyance of Win10, but no biggie really, and easily disabled if you have a wifi connected (turn on metered broadband), or if you have Win 10 Pro (use group policy), or for all others, simply disable the update service.

5

@MTA: Thanks. I did't know that.

6

Thanks, Willy2 and all. Good summary. :)

7

Glad you took my joke the right way Willy2.

It seems to be a feature of any new OS, Browser, or Software release/upgrade these days.

A day or two after the release the web is full of the 'tinfoil hats' telling everyone how much this new thing is spying on them.

I remember the same hoo-ha with XP, Vista, 7, & 8, Chrome, Firefox, AVG, and Avast. The list just goes on and on.

Usually, as with Win10, most of this 'spying' is settings that can be turned off in a few minutes.

One of the first things I do after installing anything new is to go through the settings, especially the advanced settings, decide what is not necessary for it to be doing and turn it off.

As mta points out, if you tell your PC that you are on a metered broadband connection it will stop Windows 'phoning home' and doing things automatically.

The Windows 10 Automatic Updates don't realy bother me, but there again I always shut down after use.

This means that although Windows will download updates while I am up and running it doesn't install them if they need a restart.

Instead it schedues an install/restart for an 'idle' time (which you can define) and of course because I am shut down, or occasionaly active, at that time it can't do it and reschedules again.

(I believe I have read, but don't quote me, that it will do 5 reschedules and then install on the next boot).

So its only when I go and click on the 'install now' that it actually installs the update.

This give me time to check out the KB and see if there are any problems being reported.

8

The problem with the metered broadband option to get out of the auto updates is it's only available for wi-fi connected PC's.

Too bad if you are connected using Ethernet, like me.

And again, the group policy option to turn off the updates and go back to 'notify me to download and to install' is only available for Pro versions of Win 10. (this is the option I've taken - not because of tin-hat phobia's but for some reason when someone in this household is doing a Win10 download the whole network simply grinds to a halt)

So that only leaves the disabling of the service, and I'm not sure if that 'sticks' forever. I've set it to disable on another PC and it still shows as Disabled after a couple of weeks - but who knows what little spying MS gremlin activity may turn the service back on. :ph34r: