I've been a Mac user since they first came out. I had to use Windows machines at work, and found them shaky and glitch-ridden. I don't put anything on any cloud, and I use the Apple Time Machine backup system to a local disk. I also use a VPN system, and on occasion, I use the Tor browser. I worked with the intelligence agencies too long to trust any public communication.

I've used it and most of the time it works okay. Had one time it really bolloxed things up so I always make sure to take a registry backup first now.

Thanks

Thanks

Thanks.

Try CCCLean, it is absolutely great at keeping things under control, has a free and a "Pro" version, with a lot of tools you can use to keep the registery fairly neat.

I'm aware of WINE, but it doesn't play games worth a darn because of the calls to the graphics subsystem which are OS-specific. STEAM games however (Torchlight, etc.)...

You can use a dedicated MS system that is ONLY for games and use Linux for everything else. Or you can try running your games via WINE.

Workhorse PC came with 7, had to install a program that allowed all updates except Win10. Work laptop promptly went to IT guy to remove vista and install 7 pro - then the do not install program to keep it that way. Little travel laptop had 10 and was engineered so 7 would not install, found a old (2006)military grade Toughbook, had 7 pro installed and had the IT guy max out the insides so it`s up to date and sold the little laptop for what the Toughbook cost. I have a old PC in the back office that runs XP, that ought to hold me for a while. Microsoft can pack sand.

Until the registry gets so bloated that you have to re-install the whole thing... ;)

I usually end up doing that every other year or so :( Amazing the performance I get back afterwards, though.

Me too.I'm glad I'm not alone. I have W7 and I was bothered with upgrade requests at no charge for W10 which I never did. It was FREE and listed all the wonderful new features. I'd like to say that my motivation was the came as blarman's but in truth, I just am lazy and didn't want to learn a new operating system. Now, of course, I can claim a really good motivation for remaining with W7.

Dino, you will be able to run it forever, unless some major change occurs to web mechanics or formats. You just will not get "security updates" past 2020. Since I already turned off ALL updates from the MicroSocialist empire, I am as it will be, and have no issues. MS stuff is so vulnerable it is a ProfChuck says "you might as well sell your parrot to the town gossip". I rely on Kaspersky Internet Security, and it seems to be pretty good. Although PCMatic on Fox network says they have 100% protection. But a good security software package is all you need, the OS will always work.

If you use WINE (a Windows emulator) most of it will work. Office won't because it wants some native services and such and most games won't (excepting some that run using the STEAM engine) so don't be too hopeful about those. The nice thing is that for your productivity apps there is a Linux alternative for just about everything and the current installers are very friendly.

That's certainly your prerogative. I've been an admin since Windows 95 days and the constant interface changes and now this tile-based interface is a major turn-off to me. Windows 7 will probably be the last Windows OS I use.

It will probably be some version of Linux that has been tweaked to run most MS software. There are some versions out there that essentially mimic W7 in looks and behavior.

Good stuff! Tnx

I love windows 10.

What is more galling, is there are some people who still have metered data, or even have connections using their cellphones, that MS is stealing to get the information they have no right to. The other thing is their idea that W10 is the last OS that will be produced, and that it will just be upgraded, revised, rebuilt, as needed, and they are going to drift into the "software as service(SAS) model where you pay a monthly fee to have it (and still steal your info).For an OS that is going on 3 years old, to just have them cough up the controls to limit their theft, as well as their shoving the updates down to W8 and W7 that do the same thing (and not telling anyone they were doing it) shows just how much they shifted under their new leader to a company that is just looking for a racket to milk. Just as Google made their mark on selling all your aggregate info, MS is looking to duplicate it. It iwll lead to some genius producing a non MS OS that will be easy enough to use the unwashed masses can convert. There are several existing options out there, if you want to learn a new way to do it.

If all my favorite games played on Linux, I'd be right there with you.

My Linux systems don't do any of that sort of data collection unless I'm using a browser that does. I do not use any MS operating systems at all.

Agreed. There is a reason embedded Linux is used in most home devices and why Android (Google's version of Linux) is the dominant mobile OS (Apple iOS is second with Windows a very distant third).

Here's a complete script that uninstalls the questionable ones:

@echo off
echo Uninstalling KB3075249 (telemetry for Win7/8.1)
start /w wusa.exe /uninstall /kb:3075249 /quiet /norestart
echo Uninstalling KB3080149 (telemetry for Win7/8.1)
start /w wusa.exe /uninstall /kb:3080149 /quiet /norestart
echo Uninstalling KB3021917 (telemetry for Win7)
start /w wusa.exe /uninstall /kb:3021917 /quiet /norestart
echo Uninstalling KB3022345 (telemetry)
start /w wusa.exe /uninstall /kb:3022345 /quiet /norestart
echo Uninstalling KB3068708 (telemetry)
start /w wusa.exe /uninstall /kb:3068708 /quiet /norestart
echo Uninstalling KB3044374 (Get Windows 10 for Win8.1)
start /w wusa.exe /uninstall /kb:3044374 /quiet /norestart
echo Uninstalling KB3035583 (Get Windows 10 for Win7sp1/8.1)
start /w wusa.exe /uninstall /kb:3035583 /quiet /norestart
echo Uninstalling KB2990214 (Get Windows 10 for Win7)
start /w wusa.exe /uninstall /kb:2990214 /quiet /norestart
echo Uninstalling KB2952664 (Get Windows 10 assistant)
start /w wusa.exe /uninstall /kb:2952664 /quiet /norestart
echo Uninstalling KB3075853 (update for "Windows Update" on Win8.1/Server 2012R2)
start /w wusa.exe /uninstall /kb:3075853 /quiet /norestart
echo Uninstalling KB3065987 (update for "Windows Update" on Win7/Server 2008R2)
start /w wusa.exe /uninstall /kb:3065987 /quiet /norestart
echo Uninstalling KB3050265 (update for "Windows Update" on Win7)
start /w wusa.exe /uninstall /kb:3050265 /quiet /norestart
echo Uninstalling KB971033 (license validation)
start /w wusa.exe /uninstall /kb:971033 /quiet /norestart
echo Uninstalling KB2902907 (description not available)
start /w wusa.exe /uninstall /kb:2902907 /quiet /norestart
echo Uninstalling KB2976987 (description not available)
start /w wusa.exe /uninstall /kb:2976987 /quiet /norestart
echo Uninstalling KB2976978 (compactibility update for Windows 8.1)
start /w wusa.exe /uninstall /kb:2976978 /quiet /norestart
echo Uninstalling KB3102810 (update for "Windows Update")
start /w wusa.exe /uninstall /kb:3102810 /quiet /norestart
echo Uninstalling KB3112343 (Windows Update Client for Windows 7)
start /w wusa.exe /uninstall /kb:3112343 /quiet /norestart
echo Uninstalling KB3135445 (Windows Update Client for Windows 7)
start /w wusa.exe /uninstall /kb:3135445 /quiet /norestart
echo Uninstalling KB3123862 (Windows Update Client for Windows 7)
start /w wusa.exe /uninstall /kb:3123862 /quiet /norestart
echo Uninstalling KB3081954 (Telemetry Update for Windows 7)
start /w wusa.exe /uninstall /kb:3081954 /quiet /norestart
echo Uninstalling KB3139929 (Get Windows 10 update for MSIE)
start /w wusa.exe /uninstall /kb:3139929 /quiet /norestart
echo Uninstalling KB3138612 (Windows Update Client for Windows 7)
start /w wusa.exe /uninstall /kb:3138612 /quiet /norestart
echo Uninstalling KB3138615 (Windows Update Client for Windows 8.1)
start /w wusa.exe /uninstall /kb:3138615 /quiet /norestart
echo Uninstalling KB3150513 (Compactibility Update (another GWX) for Windows 7/8.1)
start /w wusa.exe /uninstall /kb:3150513 /quiet /norestart
echo Uninstalling KB3133977 (buggy update)
start /w wusa.exe /uninstall /kb:3133977 /quiet /norestart
echo Uninstalling KB3139923 (Another GWX for Windows 7/8.1)
start /w wusa.exe /uninstall /kb:3139923 /quiet /norestart
echo Uninstalling KB3173040 (Another GWX for Windows 7/8.1)
start /w wusa.exe /uninstall /kb:3173040 /quiet /norestart

I was working for a company which still had XP at the time Visa came out. I got a new system with Vista, and of course had issue with the dastardly built in virus system, which reguarlly went to war with Norton, never knowing which would survive each round. Once I chained up the Microsoft anti-virus all was well, except for those endless messages saying it would not do something. I found the best route was to ignore them and it would do what you wanted, including the printers. After a few months most of tht stuff cleared up, although Defender emains in chains. It is still the best as far as far as media player related libraty. It has been dependabel, forgiving, and a great back up system. I took very quickly to my other system, using Win 7 with Office 10, althought the media player is a bit more controlling at times, but it is there and works to create great photo or music libraries. I did not see any need for Win. 10, esp. after so many hated the picture icon, touchy feely, crazy Win 8. Apparently, most epoe are holding on to Win 7, as my mother's cousin Charlton Heston said of guns, "until they pry it form my cold dead hands." Or until someone comes up with a system as good or better, which, based on 10, is not likely to be Microsoft!

I know, I did that to the W10 update. I've just been too lazy to look up which one to disable.

It all depends on what you want your computer to do. Windows is and always has been a general purpose operating system. As such it tries to be all things to all people. If your primary use of a computer is web browsing, email, and games windows is fine. However, if you need to do some serious data processing that requires maximum utilization of computer power Windows just gets in the way. This is because there are many, sometimes hundreds, of background processes that are competing for CPU time. Just run the resource monitor and you will see what I mean. As a result any serious data processing task gets thrown into the mix and is time shared along with a bunch of stuff that you probably don't care about. I have 8 computers that I use for scientific data analysis. They are networked multiprocessor systems, 4 core or better, and work with databases that are gigabytes in size. To try to do that kind of work with a "universal" operating system simply is impractical. I keep one system running Windows 7 Professional and I use it for, as I said, web browsing, email and such. For serious computing I use LINUX. It's far more efficient when it comes to utilizing processor power and allows the operator to select which support routines are running. Windows us useful in its own way but for real scientific work it's just a toy. I wouldn't put any sensitive information on a Windows machine, that would be like selling your parrot to the town gossip.