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> Why is Windows a nightmare? I use Windows 10 on a PC I built and it's fine. I paid $200 for a Windows 10 pro license because I needed to run a Windows applic

by nip180 6y ago

> Why is Windows a nightmare? I use Windows 10 on a PC I built and it's fine. I paid $200 for a Windows 10 pro license because I needed to run a Windows application in a virtual machine. I was very unsatisfied with my purchase. I would describe Windows as “a nightmare”. Here are my top three complaints about Windows. * There are advertisements built into the operating system. * The operating system often restarts itself, without the users permission. It will restart itself even if a user launched application is running. * There is still no central repository for useful applications. Managing and keeping all software updated takes a lot of manual work.

nvrspyx 6y ago
1. Can't argue there, although once I "uninstall" the advertised apps, I've never had them return 2. There's an option to disable automatic restart for updates 3. There's the winget package manager, but it's still in preview. There's also chocolatey and scoop, which are community run, but that's similar to homebrew on macOS.
- AlexandrB 6y ago
  > 2. There's an option to disable automatic restart for updates Where? I've been able to defer reboot, but not disable it completely. ShutUp10 seems to (mostly) work, but automatic updates/reboots somehow get re-enabled sometimes.
  - rewgs 6y ago
    Group Policy.
    - muststopmyths 6y ago
      Group policy does not stop it from eventually rebooting. Though it will stop the "rebooting right after applying an update" horror show. With Group Policy: if you are logged in, Windows will pop a modal dialog in your face and you can preempt it there, but just leaving an application running and being AFK will not prevent reboot if Windows has decided it has waited long enough. The amount of time I can ignore the "restart" request in Windows Updates varies from days to weeks for me. I hate the behavior with a passion, but I can see why Microsoft wants to force reboots eventually. Having un-updated Windows is not good for 90% of the people out there. Honestly speaking, Windows 10 is as far from the spirit of the "I'm a PC" and "Windows 7 was my idea" ad campaigns as you can get. Now it's just "You will bend over and take what we give you, for the greater good" If you want full control of your OS, you need to switch to a BSD or Linux, with appropriate expectations about the applications you will or won't find there. Edit: fix grammar/punctuation a bit
      - pierrebai 6y ago
        That is not true. There is a group policy to disable updates. I know, because I have to run updates by hand on my work computer, otherwise I stay months behind on security patches. Stop spreading lies. It does work. (I also have hot had ads in Windows on all Windows machines I own. But this is a Microsoft product, which always raises these long list of myths.)
        muststopmyths 6y ago
        First, I said rebooting, not disabling updates. Instead of name-calling, maybe post the group policy here that allows you to never reboot after updating.
        pierrebai 6y ago
        Updates requiring reboot are not applied unless you reboot... so don't apply updates requiring reboot? It's useless to install them if you refuse to reboot. You can't have it both ways. So the solution, as I said, is to not install these updates. (Or reboot, but you say you don't want reboots.)
nix23 6y ago
>I paid $200 for a Windows 10 pro license because I needed to run a Windows application in a virtual machine https://developer.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/downloads/virtual-machines/ https://developer.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/downloads/virt...
- MaxBarraclough 6y ago
  That's an 'evaluation virtual machine'.
  - nix23 6y ago
    Yes and? Do you need to change your taskbar in your virtual dev machine? You still get Sec-Updates
    - MaxBarraclough 6y ago
      If I understand correctly, the evaluation licence is very restrictive. You essentially aren't allowed to use it for any purpose other than, well, evaluation.
      - nix23 6y ago
        Look that's the title of this site: >Get a Windows 10 development environment >Start building Windows applications quickly by using a virtual machine >with the latest versions of Windows, the developer tools, SDKs, and >samples ready to go So i say thank you very much Microsoft.
        MaxBarraclough 6y ago
        You aren't allowed to use the evaluation licence for production work. The licence document is clear on this: > You may use the software in the virtual hard disk image only to demonstrate and internally evaluate it. You may not use the software for commercial purposes. You may not use the software in a live operating environment. I think the heading Get a Windows 10 development environment is referring to downloading the image, rather than to licensing. I agree it's not very clear.
ehvatum 6y ago
> It will restart itself even if a user launched application is running. This was a huge problem, for me. Some multiaxis CNC toolpaths require days to generate. I missed a critical deadline as a result of Windows 10 deciding to update itself, which finally prompted me to install ShutUp10 from O&O. I use the maximum shit-disabling mode in ShutUp10. It works. Once or twice a year, I run Windows Update and get updates, then I run ShutUp10 again and disable all the trash Microsoft re-enables. https://www.oo-software.com/en/shutup10 https://www.oo-software.com/en/shutup10
- vvwvvwvvw 6y ago
  why is your cnc machine internet connected?
- kmonsen 6y ago
  Just say your network connection is metered, and that windows should not auto-install updates from metered connections.
  - pavel_lishin 6y ago
    Yes, there exist workarounds - but the point is that you should not have to "trick" your OS into not shooting you in the foot.
    - artifact_44 6y ago
      This is antivax logic.
      - ylyn 6y ago
        What in the world? No it is not. We have to trick our immune systems because we didn't design them. An OS is, obviously, designed by humans. So we shouldn't have to trick it.
    - kmonsen 6y ago
      Not entirely sure, if feel for most people the best setting is to do the autoupdates. To be honest perhaps even myself sometimes.
major505 6y ago
While I just turned to ubuntu again, because this days I fell more productive in linux, all this complains can be easily mended. You can turn off advertisement during installation, and set up privacy measures like don't give up hardware id for advertising. I had no problem with windows restarting itself during work hours. After you install all drivers, it would only restart during night time while I was sleeping. About central repository, is true. You have windows stores, but is very incomplete. The best tool I found to help me was chocolatey, and it saved me a few hours. https://chocolatey.org/ https://chocolatey.org/
- rzz3 6y ago
  > You can turn off advertisment during instalation On something you paid $200 for? WHAT? What is this world coming to?
  - jtvjan 6y ago
    Of course. You should've paid [contact us for a quote] dollars to get the LTSC version.
    - Spivak 6y ago
      It is unnecessarily annoying to get the LTSC or other Enterprise versions of Windows but it's not out of reach for an individual. Use https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/solution-providers/ https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/solution-providers/ and pick one of the companies in your area. It largely doesn't matter. Shoot them an email explaining what you want and they'll have you meet the 5 license minimum for volume licensing by buying a Windows Pro License a Windows Enterprise Upgrade license, and 3 user cals which are cheap. They'll put your name down as the business and then you're done.
      - GekkePrutser 6y ago
        You can also get it with MSDN if you have that!
    - 6y ago
ashtonkem 6y ago
> There is still no central repository for useful applications. Managing and keeping all software updated takes a lot of manual work. And this is why I tend to ignore most commentary on Operating Systems. You know the moment that Windows releases a centralized repository, there will be a thousand cries of "walled garden!" and "embrace, extend, and extinguish". It's literally impossible to satisfy everyone, given how many mutually exclusive needs exist out there.
- smichel17 6y ago
  Not if it were a repository a la Linux, distributions, where: - You can still install applications manually, and there are no special permissions lost for doing so. - You can access it using your choice of application, instead of only the MS-approved tool - You can add 3rd party repositories If that's what the "Windows store" was, I'd absolutely use it (if I still used Windows). If it comes along with a bunch of other crap, then yeah, there will be pitchforks.
  - R0b0t1 6y ago
    There is a Windows store. It kind of failed, mostly because using it requires using gimped APIs. If they got rid of that more people would use it. What does seem to work is the certificate and code reputation. It does actually prevent users from running things but is easy enough to click through if you really know better.
    - smichel17 6y ago
      > mostly because using it requires using gimped APIs Yes, that's the "other crap" I was referring to [edit: specifically "special permissions lost for doing so". I was a little vague because I knew there were some additional restrictions for using the Windows store but wasn't sure what they were.]
    - pjmlp 6y ago
      You can deploy Win32 application on the store as well, and Project Reunion is about merging both worlds.
Zelphyr 6y ago
I've been having to use Windows a lot more lately (after barely touching it for 15 years) and the word "nightmare" is an apt description. I think, though, I've come to realize why: backwards compatibility. I've seen videos where people have installed Windows 3.1 and then upgraded the OS from there and pretty much everything continues to work. I think in one video I saw, Quake or Doom stopped working after one upgrade (probably Vista) and then started working again after a patch release or something. I have to hand it to Microsoft that they honor backwards compatibility as well as they do. However, at some point, you have to just make a clean break. You have to acknowledge that what you have is bad and broken and should no longer exist in this world. Microsoft finally did just that with Internet Explorer and then (to a lesser degree) with replacing Edge's rendering engine. For Apple, backwards compatibility isn't a sacred cow. They're more than willing to throw something out that is old and/or doesn't work as well as it should. They handle breaking that fairly well, all things considered. They give plenty of notice (sometimes not as much as they probably should have -- https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2018/01/apple-prepares-macos-users-for-discontinuation-of-32-bit-app-support/ https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2018/01/apple-prepares-macos...) so average and power users alike have the time to transition. Sure, it's never as smooth as we would like but what transition ever is? Still, Apple users don't have to deal with things like Windows users do. Microsoft needs to start making a clean cut with Windows, probably starting with the Explorer shell. It's old. It's obnoxious. It actively gets in the way and makes me less productive. They can do this if they just put their shoulders into it a little. (Christ almighty why does the scroll bar have to jump back to where it was if my mouse veers away from while scrolling? "Because that's how we've always done it!" is easily the worst answer to any question ever asked) Also, for the love of all that is holy they need to reverse the decision to have ads built into the OS. How can they not see how bad an ad-centric model is becoming for Google and Facebook? Having a whole OS where the user is the product? That's a privacy nightmare that makes Google and Facebook look like little league.
- arvinsim 6y ago
  If they are going for a clean slate Windows, might as well build it on top of linux like MacOS
Grazester 6y ago
Advertising? Part of my job is managing about 60 Windows pro Desktops/Laptops. I have yet see any advertising on them. -On Windows Home however, it comes with Candy Rush and a bunch of nonsense that show up in the Start menu tiles. I just uninstalled them and call it a day. -Yeah this is my biggest issue. -Indeed but I have not even thought about it.
- dhruvmittal 6y ago
  My experience with this (circa 1 year ago when I last had a PC running Windows Home) is that they periodically come back as the OS updates.
alisonatwork 6y ago
On your last point, I have been using Chocolatey[0] for several years now and it does a pretty good job for stuff that isn't on the Windows Store or Steam. [0] https://chocolatey.org/ https://chocolatey.org/
whereistimbo 6y ago
In my experience Windows will warn you when it plans to schedule restart for update. This is where I always reschedule update so it would be far away before it finally updates. Windows also warns you one hour before scheduled restart and you could reschedule again at that time.
- jjuhl 6y ago
  A one hour warning is pointless in the middle of the night when you have your computer running a job that will take a few days to complete.
jolux 6y ago
I use chocolatey[1] and winget[2] will be officially support when it’s finished. Microsoft is a step ahead of Apple here, who still refuse to officially support a package manager, much as I love macOS. [1] https://chocolatey.org https://chocolatey.org [2] https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/package-manager/winget/ https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/package-manager/win...
throwaway3699 6y ago
There are advertisements built in because no consumer buys Windows. Rather the OEM does through their bulk license or it gets pirated. Enterprises can pay to remove ads.
branon 6y ago
I've taken to installing Windows Server on personal desktop machines just because Pro is so bad. Server does require initial tweaks to run smoothly on a desktop machine. Some security and telemetry policies need relaxed, audio service doesn't run by default, Internet Explorer Enhanced Security Configuration needs disabled so you can grab an installer for your preferred browser, and other minor things like disabling Ctrl+Alt+Del on the login screen. The result, though, is that you get an OS that acts like regular old Windows 10, with _zero_ ads and (I think?) less telemetry. I have not seen anything Pro can do that Server cannot, even gaming (Steam, AMD graphics drivers) works fine. As a bonus, you're not subject to any of the restrictions that Pro has for advanced workloads like virtualization. Server Manager along with all the extra utilities not found on Pro are also nice to have. Updates are still downloaded/installed automatically, but servers can't reboot whenever they feel like it, so I'm not ever interrupted by unwanted reboots like on Pro.
deleted 6y ago
[deleted]
vips7L 6y ago
> There is still no central repository for useful applications. Managing and keeping all software updated takes a lot of manual work. https://github.com/microsoft/winget-cli https://github.com/microsoft/winget-cli https://scoop.sh https://scoop.sh https://chocolatey.org/ https://chocolatey.org/
greyhair 6y ago
How did I find it so easy to set up Windows 10 Home edition to only "tell" me about updates, and no forced reboots. I didn't use any add-ons. Just set 'active hours', turn off everything under 'Advanced', and if you really want to not do any updates for a while, you can select a date a date 35 days in the future to restart updates. Three very simple things built into the update tool. If you are on a corporate machine, they may limit what you can block based on their internal rules, but that is an IT problem, not Microsoft. Windows 10 never updates or reboots during my active hours. I always defer updates to a long time out, then manually update at a point where I want to. Problem solved.
- nip180 6y ago
  I have an expectation that i shouldn’t have to interact with my computer every 35 days to prevent it from restarting.
mekster 6y ago
Windows is only good as a gaming machine.
ecf 6y ago
Then you’re doing something wrong with Windows because in the years I’ve been using it I have never been interrupted by an update I couldn’t postpone.
- nip180 6y ago
  How long was the postponement message up? I have left windows machines doing background processes for weeks to find them interrupted by a restart. Sometimes those interruptions have resulted in data loss. I’ve also had forced restarts while a directX application was in full screen and I didn’t see the windows pop up.
alexeiz 6y ago
Yes, beside paying $200 for a Windows license, you have to spend many hours removing all the annoyances you mentioned. I boot into Windows sometimes for certain apps and I'm still struggling with these annoyances after several years of using Windows. This effectively increases the cost of Windows far beyond the license cost.

by nip180 6y ago

nvrspyx 6y ago

1. Can't argue there, although once I "uninstall" the advertised apps, I've never had them return 2. There's an option to disable automatic restart for updates 3. There's the winget package manager, but it's still in preview. There's also chocolatey and scoop, which are community run, but that's similar to homebrew on macOS.

AlexandrB 6y ago
> 2. There's an option to disable automatic restart for updates Where? I've been able to defer reboot, but not disable it completely. ShutUp10 seems to (mostly) work, but automatic updates/reboots somehow get re-enabled sometimes.
- rewgs 6y ago
  Group Policy.
  - muststopmyths 6y ago
    Group policy does not stop it from eventually rebooting. Though it will stop the "rebooting right after applying an update" horror show. With Group Policy: if you are logged in, Windows will pop a modal dialog in your face and you can preempt it there, but just leaving an application running and being AFK will not prevent reboot if Windows has decided it has waited long enough. The amount of time I can ignore the "restart" request in Windows Updates varies from days to weeks for me. I hate the behavior with a passion, but I can see why Microsoft wants to force reboots eventually. Having un-updated Windows is not good for 90% of the people out there. Honestly speaking, Windows 10 is as far from the spirit of the "I'm a PC" and "Windows 7 was my idea" ad campaigns as you can get. Now it's just "You will bend over and take what we give you, for the greater good" If you want full control of your OS, you need to switch to a BSD or Linux, with appropriate expectations about the applications you will or won't find there. Edit: fix grammar/punctuation a bit
    - pierrebai 6y ago
      That is not true. There is a group policy to disable updates. I know, because I have to run updates by hand on my work computer, otherwise I stay months behind on security patches. Stop spreading lies. It does work. (I also have hot had ads in Windows on all Windows machines I own. But this is a Microsoft product, which always raises these long list of myths.)
      - muststopmyths 6y ago
        First, I said rebooting, not disabling updates. Instead of name-calling, maybe post the group policy here that allows you to never reboot after updating.
        pierrebai 6y ago
        Updates requiring reboot are not applied unless you reboot... so don't apply updates requiring reboot? It's useless to install them if you refuse to reboot. You can't have it both ways. So the solution, as I said, is to not install these updates. (Or reboot, but you say you don't want reboots.)

nix23 6y ago

>I paid $200 for a Windows 10 pro license because I needed to run a Windows application in a virtual machine https://developer.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/downloads/virtual-machines/ https://developer.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/downloads/virt...

MaxBarraclough 6y ago
That's an 'evaluation virtual machine'.
- nix23 6y ago
  Yes and? Do you need to change your taskbar in your virtual dev machine? You still get Sec-Updates
  - MaxBarraclough 6y ago
    If I understand correctly, the evaluation licence is very restrictive. You essentially aren't allowed to use it for any purpose other than, well, evaluation.
    - nix23 6y ago
      Look that's the title of this site: >Get a Windows 10 development environment >Start building Windows applications quickly by using a virtual machine >with the latest versions of Windows, the developer tools, SDKs, and >samples ready to go So i say thank you very much Microsoft.
      - MaxBarraclough 6y ago
        You aren't allowed to use the evaluation licence for production work. The licence document is clear on this: > You may use the software in the virtual hard disk image only to demonstrate and internally evaluate it. You may not use the software for commercial purposes. You may not use the software in a live operating environment. I think the heading Get a Windows 10 development environment is referring to downloading the image, rather than to licensing. I agree it's not very clear.

ehvatum 6y ago

> It will restart itself even if a user launched application is running. This was a huge problem, for me. Some multiaxis CNC toolpaths require days to generate. I missed a critical deadline as a result of Windows 10 deciding to update itself, which finally prompted me to install ShutUp10 from O&O. I use the maximum shit-disabling mode in ShutUp10. It works. Once or twice a year, I run Windows Update and get updates, then I run ShutUp10 again and disable all the trash Microsoft re-enables. https://www.oo-software.com/en/shutup10 https://www.oo-software.com/en/shutup10

vvwvvwvvw 6y ago
why is your cnc machine internet connected?
kmonsen 6y ago
Just say your network connection is metered, and that windows should not auto-install updates from metered connections.
- pavel_lishin 6y ago
  Yes, there exist workarounds - but the point is that you should not have to "trick" your OS into not shooting you in the foot.
  - artifact_44 6y ago
    This is antivax logic.
    - ylyn 6y ago
      What in the world? No it is not. We have to trick our immune systems because we didn't design them. An OS is, obviously, designed by humans. So we shouldn't have to trick it.
  - kmonsen 6y ago
    Not entirely sure, if feel for most people the best setting is to do the autoupdates. To be honest perhaps even myself sometimes.

major505 6y ago

While I just turned to ubuntu again, because this days I fell more productive in linux, all this complains can be easily mended. You can turn off advertisement during installation, and set up privacy measures like don't give up hardware id for advertising. I had no problem with windows restarting itself during work hours. After you install all drivers, it would only restart during night time while I was sleeping. About central repository, is true. You have windows stores, but is very incomplete. The best tool I found to help me was chocolatey, and it saved me a few hours. https://chocolatey.org/ https://chocolatey.org/

rzz3 6y ago
> You can turn off advertisment during instalation On something you paid $200 for? WHAT? What is this world coming to?
- jtvjan 6y ago
  Of course. You should've paid [contact us for a quote] dollars to get the LTSC version.
  - Spivak 6y ago
    It is unnecessarily annoying to get the LTSC or other Enterprise versions of Windows but it's not out of reach for an individual. Use https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/solution-providers/ https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/solution-providers/ and pick one of the companies in your area. It largely doesn't matter. Shoot them an email explaining what you want and they'll have you meet the 5 license minimum for volume licensing by buying a Windows Pro License a Windows Enterprise Upgrade license, and 3 user cals which are cheap. They'll put your name down as the business and then you're done.
    - GekkePrutser 6y ago
      You can also get it with MSDN if you have that!
  - 6y ago

ashtonkem 6y ago

> There is still no central repository for useful applications. Managing and keeping all software updated takes a lot of manual work. And this is why I tend to ignore most commentary on Operating Systems. You know the moment that Windows releases a centralized repository, there will be a thousand cries of "walled garden!" and "embrace, extend, and extinguish". It's literally impossible to satisfy everyone, given how many mutually exclusive needs exist out there.

smichel17 6y ago
Not if it were a repository a la Linux, distributions, where: - You can still install applications manually, and there are no special permissions lost for doing so. - You can access it using your choice of application, instead of only the MS-approved tool - You can add 3rd party repositories If that's what the "Windows store" was, I'd absolutely use it (if I still used Windows). If it comes along with a bunch of other crap, then yeah, there will be pitchforks.
- R0b0t1 6y ago
  There is a Windows store. It kind of failed, mostly because using it requires using gimped APIs. If they got rid of that more people would use it. What does seem to work is the certificate and code reputation. It does actually prevent users from running things but is easy enough to click through if you really know better.
  - smichel17 6y ago
    > mostly because using it requires using gimped APIs Yes, that's the "other crap" I was referring to [edit: specifically "special permissions lost for doing so". I was a little vague because I knew there were some additional restrictions for using the Windows store but wasn't sure what they were.]
  - pjmlp 6y ago
    You can deploy Win32 application on the store as well, and Project Reunion is about merging both worlds.

Zelphyr 6y ago

I've been having to use Windows a lot more lately (after barely touching it for 15 years) and the word "nightmare" is an apt description. I think, though, I've come to realize why: backwards compatibility. I've seen videos where people have installed Windows 3.1 and then upgraded the OS from there and pretty much everything continues to work. I think in one video I saw, Quake or Doom stopped working after one upgrade (probably Vista) and then started working again after a patch release or something. I have to hand it to Microsoft that they honor backwards compatibility as well as they do. However, at some point, you have to just make a clean break. You have to acknowledge that what you have is bad and broken and should no longer exist in this world. Microsoft finally did just that with Internet Explorer and then (to a lesser degree) with replacing Edge's rendering engine. For Apple, backwards compatibility isn't a sacred cow. They're more than willing to throw something out that is old and/or doesn't work as well as it should. They handle breaking that fairly well, all things considered. They give plenty of notice (sometimes not as much as they probably should have -- https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2018/01/apple-prepares-macos-users-for-discontinuation-of-32-bit-app-support/ https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2018/01/apple-prepares-macos...) so average and power users alike have the time to transition. Sure, it's never as smooth as we would like but what transition ever is? Still, Apple users don't have to deal with things like Windows users do. Microsoft needs to start making a clean cut with Windows, probably starting with the Explorer shell. It's old. It's obnoxious. It actively gets in the way and makes me less productive. They can do this if they just put their shoulders into it a little. (Christ almighty why does the scroll bar have to jump back to where it was if my mouse veers away from while scrolling? "Because that's how we've always done it!" is easily the worst answer to any question ever asked) Also, for the love of all that is holy they need to reverse the decision to have ads built into the OS. How can they not see how bad an ad-centric model is becoming for Google and Facebook? Having a whole OS where the user is the product? That's a privacy nightmare that makes Google and Facebook look like little league.

arvinsim 6y ago
If they are going for a clean slate Windows, might as well build it on top of linux like MacOS

Grazester 6y ago

Advertising? Part of my job is managing about 60 Windows pro Desktops/Laptops. I have yet see any advertising on them. -On Windows Home however, it comes with Candy Rush and a bunch of nonsense that show up in the Start menu tiles. I just uninstalled them and call it a day. -Yeah this is my biggest issue. -Indeed but I have not even thought about it.

dhruvmittal 6y ago
My experience with this (circa 1 year ago when I last had a PC running Windows Home) is that they periodically come back as the OS updates.

alisonatwork 6y ago

On your last point, I have been using Chocolatey[0] for several years now and it does a pretty good job for stuff that isn't on the Windows Store or Steam. [0] https://chocolatey.org/ https://chocolatey.org/

whereistimbo 6y ago

In my experience Windows will warn you when it plans to schedule restart for update. This is where I always reschedule update so it would be far away before it finally updates. Windows also warns you one hour before scheduled restart and you could reschedule again at that time.

jjuhl 6y ago
A one hour warning is pointless in the middle of the night when you have your computer running a job that will take a few days to complete.

jolux 6y ago

I use chocolatey[1] and winget[2] will be officially support when it’s finished. Microsoft is a step ahead of Apple here, who still refuse to officially support a package manager, much as I love macOS. [1] https://chocolatey.org https://chocolatey.org [2] https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/package-manager/winget/ https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/package-manager/win...

throwaway3699 6y ago

There are advertisements built in because no consumer buys Windows. Rather the OEM does through their bulk license or it gets pirated. Enterprises can pay to remove ads.

branon 6y ago

I've taken to installing Windows Server on personal desktop machines just because Pro is so bad. Server does require initial tweaks to run smoothly on a desktop machine. Some security and telemetry policies need relaxed, audio service doesn't run by default, Internet Explorer Enhanced Security Configuration needs disabled so you can grab an installer for your preferred browser, and other minor things like disabling Ctrl+Alt+Del on the login screen. The result, though, is that you get an OS that acts like regular old Windows 10, with _zero_ ads and (I think?) less telemetry. I have not seen anything Pro can do that Server cannot, even gaming (Steam, AMD graphics drivers) works fine. As a bonus, you're not subject to any of the restrictions that Pro has for advanced workloads like virtualization. Server Manager along with all the extra utilities not found on Pro are also nice to have. Updates are still downloaded/installed automatically, but servers can't reboot whenever they feel like it, so I'm not ever interrupted by unwanted reboots like on Pro.

deleted 6y ago

[deleted]

vips7L 6y ago

> There is still no central repository for useful applications. Managing and keeping all software updated takes a lot of manual work. https://github.com/microsoft/winget-cli https://github.com/microsoft/winget-cli https://scoop.sh https://scoop.sh https://chocolatey.org/ https://chocolatey.org/

greyhair 6y ago

How did I find it so easy to set up Windows 10 Home edition to only "tell" me about updates, and no forced reboots. I didn't use any add-ons. Just set 'active hours', turn off everything under 'Advanced', and if you really want to not do any updates for a while, you can select a date a date 35 days in the future to restart updates. Three very simple things built into the update tool. If you are on a corporate machine, they may limit what you can block based on their internal rules, but that is an IT problem, not Microsoft. Windows 10 never updates or reboots during my active hours. I always defer updates to a long time out, then manually update at a point where I want to. Problem solved.

nip180 6y ago
I have an expectation that i shouldn’t have to interact with my computer every 35 days to prevent it from restarting.

mekster 6y ago

Windows is only good as a gaming machine.

ecf 6y ago

Then you’re doing something wrong with Windows because in the years I’ve been using it I have never been interrupted by an update I couldn’t postpone.

nip180 6y ago
How long was the postponement message up? I have left windows machines doing background processes for weeks to find them interrupted by a restart. Sometimes those interruptions have resulted in data loss. I’ve also had forced restarts while a directX application was in full screen and I didn’t see the windows pop up.

alexeiz 6y ago

Yes, beside paying $200 for a Windows license, you have to spend many hours removing all the annoyances you mentioned. I boot into Windows sometimes for certain apps and I'm still struggling with these annoyances after several years of using Windows. This effectively increases the cost of Windows far beyond the license cost.