What's the benefit of Windows 10 vs 8.1, not of a fan of telemetry

[jedisurfer1]

I need to use different scaling on each individual monitor, something my beloved win7 can't really do. I 8.1 and 10 in a vm but for proper scaling on my 4k and my other monitors I need to run 8.1 or 10 as my host machine.

I'd like to avoid Cortana, the MS store, telemetry etc. I hate doing installs so I don't want to go to 8.1 and then 10 or vice versa.

[hhhd1]

dpi scalling is improved with windows 10, try both (without installing anything else).
or just google it.

[erik]

I'd like to avoid Cortana, the MS store, telemetry etc. I hate doing installs so I don't want to go to 8.1 and then 10 or vice versa.

There are tons of tweaks out there to kill all of that stuff in 10. It's a hassle but worth the time if you like the interface.

Besides, if you don't think similar telemetry exists in XP, Vista, 7, 8 and 8.1 then you haven't looked hard enough. 10 added to it but not as much as what's already been collected for the last decade. The same goes for your smartphone, tablet, television, ISP, etc. Windows is but a small slice of the pie.

[coolcat37]

I'd like to avoid Cortana, the MS store, telemetry etc. I hate doing installs so I don't want to go to 8.1 and then 10 or vice versa.

There are tons of tweaks out there to kill all of that stuff in 10. It's a hassle but worth the time if you like the interface.

Besides, if you don't think similar telemetry exists in XP, Vista, 7, 8 and 8.1 then you haven't looked hard enough. 10 added to it but not as much as what's already been collected for the last decade.

Similar telemetry exists in XP ? That is a new one. I can't say I've ever heard that one before.

[erik]

Similar telemetry exists in XP ? That is a new one. I can't say I've ever heard that one before.

It started in XP and has grown. Similar doesn't mean equal. Don't conflate the two terms.

[Puppy]

The software telemetry also exists in Firefox, Thunderbird, Libre Office etc.

There is nothing wrong with Windows telemetry, the purpose is to automatically detect issues and collect them for further investigation to make the product better. Microsoft does not need to spy user private activities like Google or Facebook do, for them it is the only way of income (selling targeted ads).

There is article (in Czech but can be easily translated) with detailed analyze of all Windows 10 telemetry communication captured for several days. It is written by a Linux community, iow Microsoft haters The result is, no private information is sent.

[erik]

To add to Puppy's point, Microsoft even tells you what they're doing and how/where to control it:

https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/itp ... t-services

Any power user can automate most of this via Registry and Group Policy scripts.

[Puppy]

What is the benefit compared to Windows 7:

- depending on how often you change hardware, you will receive security updates longer than with Windows 7
- BitLocker in Windows 10 Pro (unless you have Windows 7 Ultimate)
- it is faster, supports latest hardware and have much longer lifecycle than any other previous Windows edition

Also the integration with Microsoft online services is better. Yes, you'd like to avoid them but have you actually tried to use it ? It is convenient to have documents available here and there. Yes, there are security concerns. As usually, you have to think before you put a document into OneDrive or any other cloud storage. It is not a 100% solution for everything. It also isn't a substitute of an (online) backup solution.

As for the Store, you can avoid it for some time. World has changed, software itself is for free or almost for free and you are being charged for additional services. I also prefer to have installation file backup so I can reinstall it any time but this model is fading since more and more applications are "connected to something".

I recommend to always have at least one local administrator account (disconnected from Microsoft account) and second Standard User account connect to MS account. Such setup is IMHO safe.

[hhhd1]

To add to Puppy's point, Microsoft even tells you what they're doing and how/where to control it:

https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/itp ... t-services

Any power user can automate most of this via Registry and Group Policy scripts.

That applies only to "Windows 10 Enterprise", some does not apply to "Pro", and most do not apply to "Home" version., I for one do not like to pay for the Enterprise, and then continuously battle with the OS to stay stable, or without EASY full control of the update process.

That list of things that require managing is constantly updated, notice the date on the article: "Last Updated: 5/27/2016" , which is only 2 days ago.

[erik]

It sounds like anyone can upgrade to Enterprise using a KMS key. I've not tried this myself to know if it works long-term. http://www.howtogeek.com/250503/how-to- ... g-windows/

My point remains that Microsoft has summarized and continues to summarize what they're doing. I currently use 10 Enterprise LTSB N but haven't had any issues securing lower builds to meet specific privacy requirements. If you truly need to meet HIPAA/SOX/PCI requirements then you'll be using Enterprise anyway, regardless of it being Win 7 or 10.

No, it's not easy, and I never said it was. But, the controls are there and Microsoft tells you exactly where to look. They keep the list up-to-date. Good luck getting such a list from the countless vendors of the other software you use with telemetry. That's a whole other challenge in itself.

[Puppy]

That list of things that require managing is constantly updated

Require ? Not really. The only important thing to manage is ability to disable a botched Microsoft update, if happens. There is a tool for that https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/3073930

I also expect that all of those Windows 10 privacy hunters does not use any Google software or service. Otherwise it is really ridiculous to try remove non-existing Windows 10 "spyware" while use much worse software regarding privacy and security.