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Windows 10 for free, there has to be a snag??


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Found this on line - looks promising but no guarantees.

 

Microsoft doesn't plan to stop fixing security problems in Windows 7 until extended support ends. That's January 14, 2020--five years and a day from the end of mainstream support. If that doesn't put you at ease, consider this: XP's mainstream support ended in April, 2009. It caused no problems whatsoever.

 
John

 

 

Thanks, that's reassuring to know. Seven is supposed to be a lucky number, so I'll probably be sticking with it for as long as I can. My current computer will be an archaeological artifact by 2020. I might be one as well.

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I just had a weird Windows 10 event. I always close any "Get Windows 10" pop-ups that appear up on my screen. However, when I sat down at my computer yesterday morning, a large window on the screen informed me that a Windows 10 "update" was uploading. I immediately cancelled the upload since I want to stick with Windows 7. Now I'm wondering if I might not get an upgrade forced on me at some point. 

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I had a similar thing early this morning John.

 

I had a large window appear inviting me to download Windows 10. Being half-asleep, I ticked the "do it later" option rather than just close the window. To my surprise (and annoyance), it started the download/install process.

 

It had been my intention to upgrade to Windows 10 (from 7) just before the end of the trial period in July 2016. So, I elected to let it continue in the belief that there has been a recent large update to fix bugs. I was also wary of stopping the download in case it caused problems.

 

Hence, I'm now a Windows 10 user. So far, it has been an anti-climax. My programs all seem to work (Adobe Elements needed DirectPlay to work) - even my mid-1990s PsiWin program works which backs up my trusty Psion 5mx organiser.

 

I have reverted back to Internet Explorer as the new Edge browser seems to lack the facility of having Favorites listed on the LH side of the screen. I have also kept the Cortana 'PA' off so far. No doubt, there are numerous wonderful features I'm ignoring right now but, at the moment, it has a very Windows 7 feel to it.

 

Nevertheless, I'm still peeved at the way I joined the Windows 10 'club'.

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I had a similar thing early this morning John.

 

I had a large window appear inviting me to download Windows 10. Being half-asleep, I ticked the "do it later" option rather than just close the window. To my surprise (and annoyance), it started the download/install process.

 

It had been my intention to upgrade to Windows 10 (from 7) just before the end of the trial period in July 2016. So, I elected to let it continue in the belief that there has been a recent large update to fix bugs. I was also wary of stopping the download in case it caused problems.

 

Hence, I'm now a Windows 10 user. So far, it has been an anti-climax. My programs all seem to work (Adobe Elements needed DirectPlay to work) - even my mid-1990s PsiWin program works which backs up my trusty Psion 5mx organiser.

 

I have reverted back to Internet Explorer as the new Edge browser seems to lack the facility of having Favorites listed on the LH side of the screen. I have also kept the Cortana 'PA' off so far. No doubt, there are numerous wonderful features I'm ignoring right now but, at the moment, it has a very Windows 7 feel to it.

 

Nevertheless, I'm still peeved at the way I joined the Windows 10 'club'.

 

Believe that I might have done the same thing at some point, thinking that "do it later" meant that I could choose when later. Silly me. Fortunately, I'm not a member of the club -- yet. When/if Windows 10 bugs are fixed, I might reconsider. Can see no rush, though. In the meantime, guess I'll just have to keep hitting the "stop upload" button.

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Updaate from me.

 

Have Win on two PCs and Laptop right from the 'off'.  Not one problems on any of the devices so far and all with latest updates.

 

Like John I prefer Explorer or more recently Chrome - only because I also don't like the 'favourites' system on Edge.  Edge does seem to be 'slicker' in operation though.

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On Windows 10 since the beginning so far no problems.

 

Marvin, did you upgrade from Windows 7 or Windows 8?

 

Windows 7 is the best operating system I've ever used. I now like it better than XP. And all my beloved vintage software actually works with 7. Hence the reluctance to "upgrade" to 10.

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On Windows 10 since the beginning so far no problems.

 

Marvin, did you upgrade from Windows 7 or Windows 8?

 

Windows 7 is the best operating system I've ever used. I now like it better than XP. And all my beloved vintage software actually works with 7. Hence the reluctance to "upgrade" to 10.

 

Dare to turn off Windows Update!

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On Windows 10 since the beginning so far no problems.

 

Marvin, did you upgrade from Windows 7 or Windows 8?

 

Windows 7 is the best operating system I've ever used. I now like it better than XP. And all my beloved vintage software actually works with 7. Hence the reluctance to "upgrade" to 10.

 

Dare to turn off Windows Update!

 

That's what I'm trying. I've installed Windows 7 in a virtual machine which will have no direct internet access (I'll use the Apple OS-X host for that), and Windows update will be turned off. I've also put Office 2010 on the virtual machine which is also has updates turned off. My only problem at the moment is that for some reason my (non-updated) Office 2010 won't run some of the VBA in my spreadsheets. So I may have to temporarily allow Office to update.  

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On Windows 10 since the beginning so far no problems.

 

Marvin, did you upgrade from Windows 7 or Windows 8?

 

Windows 7 is the best operating system I've ever used. I now like it better than XP. And all my beloved vintage software actually works with 7. Hence the reluctance to "upgrade" to 10.

 

Dare to turn off Windows Update!

 

 

Nope, I just cancelled the upload. I wouldn't be brave enough to turn Windows update off. I'm a virtual idiot when it comes to such things.

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Makes depressing reading, and clear advice to hang on to Win 7 if you can!

 

The only positive I have enjoyed from the switch is a slightly faster start up - but that was possibly due to my ditching a surplus anti virus program.

 

I am still frustrated with the lack of a proper replacement for Windows Photo Viewer and the bugs that have rendered that software less useful. The tendency of my keyboard to lock up after waking is also a pain. At least the crashes and lock ups with Chrome appear to have been cured, but the onset of Microsoft endorsed advertising mentioned above is something that I abhor. I did pay for my copy of advert free Win 7 and didn't ask for this "upgrade".

 

I have managed to set up Win 10 so that it looks almost exactly the same as Win 7, getting rid of gimmicks for which I have no current use.

 

In summary I can see no personal advantage in the change from Win 7, and a some real disadvantages.  Bah, humbug etc  :wacko:

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Like others who've posted here, my experience of installing Windows 10 was tantamount to an ambush.  At the end of a long day when I was about to turn off my PC.  I ticked an option which was immediately ignored. I have a major problem with Windows 10.  I've been working on 2 very large folders of photographs in Photoshop Elements 6, for the first few days the only difference was that the RAW copies instead of being just a logo were changed into miniatures identical to those of the JPEGs, but as the JPEG was always to the right of the RAW, this was manageable.  But then each of these folders, after I'd been in and out of them many times, and made several uploads to Alamy, suddenly, but not simultaneously, stopped showing  the JPEGs altogether, so that I can't work on them any more.  Until this happened the entire set-up had worked normally.  I'm not a computer expert, and so have no idea what DirectPlay is and whether I can access it and whether it will help, but I obviously will look into this.

 

Furthermore I can't make any use of Cortona because I live in France and although I speak the language well enough to conduct normal business face to face, I'm not going to talk to a machine in French.  has no-one told Microsoft that quite a lot of people live in countries other than the one they were born in?

 

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Like others who've posted here, my experience of installing Windows 10 was tantamount to an ambush.  At the end of a long day when I was about to turn off my PC.  I ticked an option which was immediately ignored. I have a major problem with Windows 10.  I've been working on 2 very large folders of photographs in Photoshop Elements 6, for the first few days the only difference was that the RAW copies instead of being just a logo were changed into miniatures identical to those of the JPEGs, but as the JPEG was always to the right of the RAW, this was manageable.  But then each of these folders, after I'd been in and out of them many times, and made several uploads to Alamy, suddenly, but not simultaneously, stopped showing  the JPEGs altogether, so that I can't work on them any more.  Until this happened the entire set-up had worked normally.  I'm not a computer expert, and so have no idea what DirectPlay is and whether I can access it and whether it will help, but I obviously will look into this.

 

Furthermore I can't make any use of Cortona because I live in France and although I speak the language well enough to conduct normal business face to face, I'm not going to talk to a machine in French.  has no-one told Microsoft that quite a lot of people live in countries other than the one they were born in?

 

 

 Does Windows 10 have an "XP Mode" (i.e. XP emulator) like Windows 7? If so, using it might help.

 

I too have some XP era (and earlier) software that runs fine on Windows 7, which is why I won't be joining the Windows 10 club any time soon.

 

Bon courage!

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Like others who've posted here, my experience of installing Windows 10 was tantamount to an ambush.  At the end of a long day when I was about to turn off my PC.  I ticked an option which was immediately ignored. I have a major problem with Windows 10.  I've been working on 2 very large folders of photographs in Photoshop Elements 6, for the first few days the only difference was that the RAW copies instead of being just a logo were changed into miniatures identical to those of the JPEGs, but as the JPEG was always to the right of the RAW, this was manageable.  But then each of these folders, after I'd been in and out of them many times, and made several uploads to Alamy, suddenly, but not simultaneously, stopped showing  the JPEGs altogether, so that I can't work on them any more.  Until this happened the entire set-up had worked normally.  I'm not a computer expert, and so have no idea what DirectPlay is and whether I can access it and whether it will help, but I obviously will look into this.

 

Furthermore I can't make any use of Cortona because I live in France and although I speak the language well enough to conduct normal business face to face, I'm not going to talk to a machine in French.  has no-one told Microsoft that quite a lot of people live in countries other than the one they were born in?

 

Here is a method of changing Cortana's voice and language in windows 10.   Not sure about your problem in Photoshop Elements.  If you are using Window Explorer (the file browser) there are settings that can be changed at the top of the page.  If you click on the word View in the menu bar at the top of the page you get options for how files and folders can be displayed.  I'm not familiar with Elements so don't know if this will help.

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I've been working on 2 very large folders of photographs in Photoshop Elements 6, for the first few days the only difference was that the RAW copies instead of being just a logo were changed into miniatures identical to those of the JPEGs, but as the JPEG was always to the right of the RAW, this was manageable.  But then each of these folders, after I'd been in and out of them many times, and made several uploads to Alamy, suddenly, but not simultaneously, stopped showing  the JPEGs altogether, so that I can't work on them any more.  Until this happened the entire set-up had worked normally.  I'm not a computer expert, and so have no idea what DirectPlay is and whether I can access it and whether it will help, but I obviously will look into this.

 

The reason the RAW files changed to having miniature thumbnails is that Windows 10 supports (understands) more RAW image file formats and so has replaced the simple raw logo with an image thumbnail extracted from the file

 

Could the reason your jpegs have gone missing be the new Windows 10 photo app? This app contains an import function that can import images into the Pictures library from wherever it finds them. I've never used it, but is it possible that this is what's happened? The import process could be quite slow, so this might explain why images have slowly "disappeared"? The photo app has simply moved them to another folder?

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More snags.... The first of my 2 PCs that I upgraded to Windows 10 has now been hit with the compulsory "November Version 1511 update " - (pretty much a complete reinstall).

 

After a huge download that took 3 hrs (I think it was around 3GB), the PC rebooted and spent 10 mins "updating" itself. Once it had finished I checked if the update was successful, and no it wasn't. Windows still showed the previous version and the update had failed. 

 

Rechecking for updates shows the same update is pending, and it's just started downloading it all over again, and there's no way to stop it (short of disconnecting from the Internet)

 

1 week later and the whole process has just repeated again.  :(

 
Another huge download that took 3 hrs (I think it was around 3GB), the PC rebooted and spent 10 mins "updating" itself. Once it had finished I checked if the update was successful, and no it wasn't. Windows still showed the previous version and the update had failed. No doubt it will try again soon.
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The more I use Windows 10, the more concerned I become. I keep finding problems with file Explorer, a crucial "bedrock" application. It just does weird things. When I copy files or folders from one place to another, it just doesn't update properly. Sometimes I have to click F5 to refresh the view, other times I have to close and reopen. Sometimes it does this.... 

 

Needless to say I only have one (not five) "Documents" folders. All of the Document folders in the navigation view point to the same place. It's rapidly approaching the point where I just don't trust it.

 

Hopefully the "November update" will fix some of this stuff (when it finally installs). If not, I think I'll be reverting back to Windows 7.

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The more I use Windows 10, the more concerned I become. I keep finding problems with file Explorer, a crucial "bedrock" application. It just does weird things. When I copy files or folders from one place to another, it just doesn't update properly. Sometimes I have to click F5 to refresh the view, other times I have to close and reopen. Sometimes it does this.... 

 

Needless to say I only have one (not five) "Documents" folders. All of the Document folders in the navigation view point to the same place. It's rapidly approaching the point where I just don't trust it.

 

Hopefully the "November update" will fix some of this stuff (when it finally installs). If not, I think I'll be reverting back to Windows 7.

 

If you google for duplicate or multiple folders, you'll find some explanations.

You could try to use an independent file manager.

My favorite: Total Commander

There's a shareware/demo version available for download.

 

wim

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Thanks Wim,

 

You're right there seems to be quite a lot of folks reporting this, with some suggested fixes, many of which don't work.

 

File Explorer in Windows 7 was fine. Very occasionally I had to refresh the folder tree view after inserting a USB stick or SD card so that it appeared. But I never had the problems I'm seeing now. Why did MS have to mess with such a key part of the OS that worked fine before?

 

Total Commander looks very capable, with loads more features. But it's crazy to have to replace something as fundamental as the File Explorer because the inbuilt one no longer works properly.
 
I just did a clean install of Windows 7 SP1 on a Virtual Machine (using Parallels) on my Mac and disabled Windows updates. It runs beautifully. I've installed the Mac Versions of LR and PS and disabled Internet access on the Virtual machine to reduce chance of getting a virus etc., and will use the Mac for browsing and email.
 
Interestingly I tried setting up a second Virtual Machine with just Windows 7 SP1 and Office 2010 SP2 installed and then let Microsft update do it's worst. Almost 2 days and numerous reboots later the Virtual Machine installation had grown from around 8GB to 24GB. About 8GB was restore points, but the rest is largely "debris" created by Microsoft's update process. It's just nuts!
 
I'd much rather have paid a small fee for Windows 7 SP2 and Office 2010 SP3 than have this "free" Windows 10 upgrade.
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