8 ms·

Glad I switched to ReviOS and don’t have to deal with these shenanigans. https://revi.cc/ https://revi.cc/

by dc3k 3y ago

brirec 3y ago
Huh, I thought people around these parts knew better than to trust some hacked up Windows “distribution.” At that point you might as well just use an illegitimately-activated copy of LTSC — at least you can be sure it wasn’t tampered with. Especially since installing Windows using customized install media is explicitly prohibited by the EULA of almost all Windows editions. You have to have the same sort of enterprise support contract with Microsoft that would get you access to LTSC to legally use this thing anyway.
- heywoodlh 3y ago
  Interestingly, they seem to address this on their legal page[0]. Despite this, it does seem like just installing Windows and then attemting to debloat post-install is the least risky option than just trusting a third party Windows installer. [0] https://revi.cc/legal https://revi.cc/legal
  - seanp2k2 3y ago
    I used to like Blackbird for this, but after breaking updates and the Store enough times I’ve learned my lesson. O&O ShutUp10++ is all I used to debloat now, in addition to MassGrave activation. NTLite is the nuclear option if you’re prepared to invest a few hours crafting your “perfect” image.
- userbinator 3y ago
  I thought people around these parts knew better than to trust some hacked up Windows “distribution.” That's what the corporate propaganda wants you to think --- that you are to trust Big Tech unconditionally, including all their user-hostilities, because they are supposed to be "good for you" somehow. While I have no doubt that some customised ISOs may contain malware, in my experience the "official" malware is really no better, and I can't think of any well-documented instances of trimmed Windows distros actually containing third-party malware, so I suspect the campaign against them, much like the similar one against cracks/patches/keygens, is mostly FUD to advance the interests of Big Tech.
heywoodlh 3y ago
As a person who only uses Windows for gaming (I use Linux or MacOS everywhere else), I worry about these custom Windows ISOs being merely reskins of Windows. I would love to hear what you like about it -- I think I may try it out, as the sales pitch looks compelling: > It aspires to re-create what Windows as an operating system should have been - easy and simple > ReviOS [is] a capable, efficient yet private operating system
- LilBytes 3y ago
  Yeah I'll do the same and report back. Might make a Show HN to talk about it. I need to better understand how updates work however, turning off auto updates is a concern. So I'll mostly be focusing on usability and how updates are managed as part of their tooling. 1st edit: Noticed a few broken links on their site regarding updates, I've created an issue on GH: https://github.com/meetrevision/revision-tool/issues/38 https://github.com/meetrevision/revision-tool/issues/38 2nd edit: I'm not sure how I feel about disabling Windows Defender. https://revi.cc/docs/faq/after/defender/ https://revi.cc/docs/faq/after/defender/ If you're not using Windows Defender, you'd want to use something else and I don't know what to recommend except Malware Bytes. I do have Malware Bytes running too so perhaps it's redundant, but as far as AVs (antivirus') go, Defender is the best of a very broad, bad bunch.
dietr1ch 3y ago
I understood more about it by reading the legal notice than the About section, About, > As a group of friends and tech enthusiasts from all over the world, we have dedicated ourselves to the idea of sharing insights and ideas freely among us. Our picture of the internet is that of a country without borders and we cherish cultural diversity without exception. We embrace the concept of open source, open knowledge and collaboration, sharing the belief among us that information should be free and never have a price tag. Where others hoard knowledge to gain an advantage, we share it and where people sell information, we give it away for free. Still I know nothing. Legal Notice, > By downloading any of these images (ISOs), you agree to Microsoft's Terms of Service regarding (5.) Authorized Software and Activation. None of these pre-tweaked image files are pre-activated. That's it, ReviOS must be a trimmed down Windows
keyle 3y ago
I've been out of the Windows world for years, but seeing a lot of games are now available on Linux, and drivers, why not build a Linux gaming PC? I mean what else would you need a PC with Windows for? This ReviOS stuff has all the smoke signals of too good to be true.
- dc3k 3y ago
  I want less hassle, not more. Linux still has a very long way to go in gaming - some things still require a bunch of tweaking, some games suffer from poor frame rates or just plain don’t work at all. Also I vastly prefer the windows desktop experience to any Linux distribution I’ve tried over the years.
  - TwentyPosts 3y ago
    I don't know, works on my machine. Basically any game I play works immediately out of the box. Last bigger issues I remember is Elden Ring crashing when opening sometimes. Otherwise it all just works immediately, no issues at all.
  - Scoring6931 3y ago
    Have you tried again in recent years? Today it is much more of a binary experience. A game either runs smoothly out of the box or does not run at all. And the latter is the exception, not the rule.
- yonatan8070 3y ago
  If you need to run MS Office, 3D CAD or animation software, the Adobe suite, and other things, you need Windows. As much as I'd like it if Linux became the default, WINE just doesn't cut it for every program yet
catlover76 3y ago
So what is this, exactly? I download this, pay for Windows, use the Windows activation key with ReviOS, and I can get Windows 11 without spy-and-bloat ware? And everything works? All my hardware, all my apps?
- keyle 3y ago
  Basically it reads that way. Be sure to read the doco and the FAQ before jumping in.
- dc3k 3y ago
  Yes to all of your questions, at least in my experience.
  - catlover76 3y ago
    Good to know, thanks!
blakes 3y ago
Just so everyone is aware, ReviOS disables the Spectre and Meltdown mitigations, virtualized based security, Windows Defender, turns off and hides the ability to use Windows Update (no future security updates), disables Bitlocker, etc. Many of the performance improvements come from disabling security mitigations/processes. Just something to be aware of. I think all of these settings can be re-enabled through their Revision Tool https://github.com/meetrevision/revision-tool https://github.com/meetrevision/revision-tool.
deleted 3y ago
[deleted]
cout 3y ago
Interesting, reminds me a bit of 98lite which did something similar for windows 98.

Glad I switched to ReviOS and don’t have to deal with these shenanigans. https://revi.cc/ https://revi.cc/

by dc3k 3y ago

Glad I switched to ReviOS and don’t have to deal with these shenanigans. https://revi.cc/ https://revi.cc/

Huh, I thought people around these parts knew better than to trust some hacked up Windows “distribution.” At that point you might as well just use an illegitimately-activated copy of LTSC — at least you can be sure it wasn’t tampered with. Especially since installing Windows using customized install media is explicitly prohibited by the EULA of almost all Windows editions. You have to have the same sort of enterprise support contract with Microsoft that would get you access to LTSC to legally use this thing anyway.

heywoodlh 3y ago
Interestingly, they seem to address this on their legal page[0]. Despite this, it does seem like just installing Windows and then attemting to debloat post-install is the least risky option than just trusting a third party Windows installer. [0] https://revi.cc/legal https://revi.cc/legal
- seanp2k2 3y ago
  I used to like Blackbird for this, but after breaking updates and the Store enough times I’ve learned my lesson. O&O ShutUp10++ is all I used to debloat now, in addition to MassGrave activation. NTLite is the nuclear option if you’re prepared to invest a few hours crafting your “perfect” image.
userbinator 3y ago
I thought people around these parts knew better than to trust some hacked up Windows “distribution.” That's what the corporate propaganda wants you to think --- that you are to trust Big Tech unconditionally, including all their user-hostilities, because they are supposed to be "good for you" somehow. While I have no doubt that some customised ISOs may contain malware, in my experience the "official" malware is really no better, and I can't think of any well-documented instances of trimmed Windows distros actually containing third-party malware, so I suspect the campaign against them, much like the similar one against cracks/patches/keygens, is mostly FUD to advance the interests of Big Tech.

heywoodlh 3y ago

As a person who only uses Windows for gaming (I use Linux or MacOS everywhere else), I worry about these custom Windows ISOs being merely reskins of Windows. I would love to hear what you like about it -- I think I may try it out, as the sales pitch looks compelling: > It aspires to re-create what Windows as an operating system should have been - easy and simple > ReviOS [is] a capable, efficient yet private operating system

LilBytes 3y ago
Yeah I'll do the same and report back. Might make a Show HN to talk about it. I need to better understand how updates work however, turning off auto updates is a concern. So I'll mostly be focusing on usability and how updates are managed as part of their tooling. 1st edit: Noticed a few broken links on their site regarding updates, I've created an issue on GH: https://github.com/meetrevision/revision-tool/issues/38 https://github.com/meetrevision/revision-tool/issues/38 2nd edit: I'm not sure how I feel about disabling Windows Defender. https://revi.cc/docs/faq/after/defender/ https://revi.cc/docs/faq/after/defender/ If you're not using Windows Defender, you'd want to use something else and I don't know what to recommend except Malware Bytes. I do have Malware Bytes running too so perhaps it's redundant, but as far as AVs (antivirus') go, Defender is the best of a very broad, bad bunch.

dietr1ch 3y ago

I understood more about it by reading the legal notice than the About section, About, > As a group of friends and tech enthusiasts from all over the world, we have dedicated ourselves to the idea of sharing insights and ideas freely among us. Our picture of the internet is that of a country without borders and we cherish cultural diversity without exception. We embrace the concept of open source, open knowledge and collaboration, sharing the belief among us that information should be free and never have a price tag. Where others hoard knowledge to gain an advantage, we share it and where people sell information, we give it away for free. Still I know nothing. Legal Notice, > By downloading any of these images (ISOs), you agree to Microsoft's Terms of Service regarding (5.) Authorized Software and Activation. None of these pre-tweaked image files are pre-activated. That's it, ReviOS must be a trimmed down Windows

keyle 3y ago

I've been out of the Windows world for years, but seeing a lot of games are now available on Linux, and drivers, why not build a Linux gaming PC? I mean what else would you need a PC with Windows for? This ReviOS stuff has all the smoke signals of too good to be true.

dc3k 3y ago
I want less hassle, not more. Linux still has a very long way to go in gaming - some things still require a bunch of tweaking, some games suffer from poor frame rates or just plain don’t work at all. Also I vastly prefer the windows desktop experience to any Linux distribution I’ve tried over the years.
- TwentyPosts 3y ago
  I don't know, works on my machine. Basically any game I play works immediately out of the box. Last bigger issues I remember is Elden Ring crashing when opening sometimes. Otherwise it all just works immediately, no issues at all.
- Scoring6931 3y ago
  Have you tried again in recent years? Today it is much more of a binary experience. A game either runs smoothly out of the box or does not run at all. And the latter is the exception, not the rule.
yonatan8070 3y ago
If you need to run MS Office, 3D CAD or animation software, the Adobe suite, and other things, you need Windows. As much as I'd like it if Linux became the default, WINE just doesn't cut it for every program yet

catlover76 3y ago

So what is this, exactly? I download this, pay for Windows, use the Windows activation key with ReviOS, and I can get Windows 11 without spy-and-bloat ware? And everything works? All my hardware, all my apps?

keyle 3y ago
Basically it reads that way. Be sure to read the doco and the FAQ before jumping in.
dc3k 3y ago
Yes to all of your questions, at least in my experience.
- catlover76 3y ago
  Good to know, thanks!

blakes 3y ago

Just so everyone is aware, ReviOS disables the Spectre and Meltdown mitigations, virtualized based security, Windows Defender, turns off and hides the ability to use Windows Update (no future security updates), disables Bitlocker, etc. Many of the performance improvements come from disabling security mitigations/processes. Just something to be aware of. I think all of these settings can be re-enabled through their Revision Tool https://github.com/meetrevision/revision-tool https://github.com/meetrevision/revision-tool.

deleted 3y ago

[deleted]

cout 3y ago

Interesting, reminds me a bit of 98lite which did something similar for windows 98.