http://www.simhq.com/daily-news/part-one-resisting-windows-10.html

Love it? Hate it? Completely apathetic?

More specifically, how do you guys feel about Microsoft's (and many others) business model of homogenizing products and services?

I was going to upgrade to Win 10 early on, but Oculus Rift DK2 support wasn't there at launch, and it's still so so now, especially considering that some of the best Oculus demos/games are still relying on the older runtimes which do not work with Win 10 - because of that I'll be pushing back the upgrade until the very end of the free upgrade period, which is July 2016 if I remember rightly. Apart from that it looks like a less painful move than some of the previous ones.

I upgraded my laptop (HP DV6) to Win 10 about a month ago. I was immediately unable to play Civ 5 anymore and they specifically say on their site that Win 10 is NOT supported. I also now have issues with my laptop taking several minutes coming out of sleep. I too did the upgrade first (from Win 7) and my computer was so slow afterwards that I had to get the Win 10 ISO and do a full install. Still have the sleep issue. I suspect it's an incompatible BIOS or driver somewhere, but no idea and have not been able to get assistance with it.

I've also read several complaints on Steam forums about Win 10 making their games unplayable. I do not like the trouble it now takes finding Control Panel and Device Manager/Disk Mgmt, and it's real annoying having to spend a day sifting through deeply buried settings to shut off all of the privacy-sucking Apps that Win 10 now has turned on by default. It's also impossible to turn off the resource-hogging Cortana!

I just built a new desktop and will be keeping Win 7 until absolutely forced onto Win 10.

I upgraded to Windows 10 for a short time. The reviews had been so positive and glowing that I even went ahead and did a refresh so it would be a clean install. Then two things happened.

First, I saw just how much information was being collected from my system and sent back to Microsoft. It was almost as if Microsoft had left behind the "your OS is actually ours and we're licensing it to you" philosophy for a more Orwellian "your computer actually belongs to us" philosophy.

The second thing that happened concerned my need to install a 2013 edition of MS Office on my newly installed Windows 10. The last version of MS Office I bought was 2013, and I couldn't find the download location anywhere. I contacted MS support, and the tech insisted that I allow him to remotely take control of my computer so he could install MS Office. All he had to do was give me a download link, but for whatever reason, he felt he needed to TAKE OVER MY COMPUTER instead.

Neither of these two things are that alarming on their own. When taken together, though, something just seems shady about how MS is handling things lately. I can't help but wonder what kind of internal policies are being floated around the board room, policies which are not for public release.

@FlyingMonkey

Yeah, the Oculus Rift issues are definitely something that needs to be addressed. Hopefully with the impending launch we'll see some more work in that area.

@aleader & -Peregrine-

The shady issues you guys have brought up are definitely some of the more valid arguments against Windows 10, and in the 2nd part to this post, I'm going to take a look at just what is going on with some of these things. On top of that, I'll show you a couple ways to avoid some of these "features," as well as talking about what Microsoft is collecting, why, and just what the implications are. In the third and final part, I'll get into some of the more drastic ways you can get around dealing with Windows 10 :]... thankfully, resistance isn't actually completely futile!

I don't think I will ever install Windows 10. I have 7 and am pretty satisfied with it, I think that my next upgrade will be something a different company offers or maybe a linux based solution.

PC games are the primary reason I have a PC and when the games become unplayable due to the OS I just reject the OS.

In the past it has been MS who lost vs the consumers when it did this kind of stuff, there are plenty of failed Windows versions out there.

Check out a freeware program called GWX Control Panel; it blocks Windows pop ups which keep prompting you to upgrade to Win 10, will stop Windows from downloading Win 10 files in the background, and will get rid of any Win 10 files already downloaded, among other things. Here's the site: GWX Control Panel

It's simple for me. I'm NOT getting Windows 10 until there are several games out there that I want to play which require DX 12.

I imagine part of the Oculus consumer launch will have windows 10 compatibility. If not, that's more Oculus' fault than MS.




Whoa, I didn't know Civ 5 wasn't compatible! I mean, I guess it's over 5 years old now, but it's had extensive expansions released as recently as 2013. Keep in mind though, that Fraxis has some responsibility there too. It's not MS job to ensure every program ever works with W10. Devs need to meet MS half way here.

I could understand if much older titles like the original IL2, Falcon 4.0 (and by extension, BMS) and even Microsoft's own FSX weren't compatible. As frustrating as that is for our community, Microsoft has to eventually leave the past to support the future, and if they worried about supporting every older title it would just be an older version of windows with a new skin.

As far as the Cortona thing, the problem is Microsoft has trouble getting people (especially gamers, who want the OS to take up as little resource as possible) excited for new operating systems because no one want's the OS to do anything but be a container for all the programs they use.

And if your current "container" is working just fine (eg. Win 7 64) you're not going to be motivated to upgrade. MS needs you to think features like Cortana are 'sexy', and things you 'need' in an OS. Microsoft doesn't want you turning off all the new Windows 10 toys because they want to change the "OS is just a container" mind set. Not saying I agree with or support that logic, but it is what it is.

If anyone is dedicated to keeping Windows 10, they can change the buried settings and frustrating start menu to a more Windows 7-like style by picking up a program by Stardock called Start10 for $4.99. If you want to try it out first, it has a free 30 day trial period. Link here: Start10

One question, Why would a historically profit driven business, like Microsoft, provide an OS (The meat and potatoes for most of its existence) for "free"? This could easily explain the Steam statistics on OS used and tracked by them. Also, some of you are not aware of the deep snooping going on within Windows 10 with your "consent" (read the EULA for once).



http://www.forbes.com/sites/gordonkelly/2016/01/06/windows-10-spying-secrets-revealed

As far as I am concerned, Microsoft ran a very successful Linux advertising campaign.

Thanks to their - in my opinion: criminal - penetration of Windows 7 systems in order to sneak their increasingly bullying advertising stuff and even automatically-installing W10 stuff onto HDs whose users may even have set measures and options to prevent right that, I am now a Linux Mint user for my working and surfing needs, and run a web-isolated Windows 7 partition from another HD as game-launcher.

Why I say criminal? Because if MS would do in real life, to my apartment for example, like they do "virtually" in the digital world when trying to hijack my system and steal my sovereignty over my possession - after all it still is my computer, not theirs - from me, then this would be called burglary, plain and simple. If you lock your front door to somebody, and thats somebody then tries to come in through the balcony door, which you have sealed and locked, so that he throws in a window, which you have hardened with unbreakable glass, and so while you sleep he finally sneaks in via climbing through the chimney - then this is burglary. And that is what they did and still do with millions of computers whose users said "No.". Just that MS has the arrogance to not take the No of users as a "No".

Trust is dead after 20 years. I cursed at Ms before, but always was too lazy to draw the consequences, but with this stunt they finally managed to make even me lifting my lazy a$$ and getting rid of them.

I have had quite some "symptoms" before my latest fresh installation, going dual boot now. Every week I spend far too much time to safeguard against Microsoft malware infesting my system with GWX stuff. MS is untrustworthy, and extremely underhanded, and intentionally misleading. I finally have had enough of it, and of them.

Also, it might even be possible that they are obeying political and legal orders, due to US intel policies and secret laws. I would even say it is likely. US company managers revealing that they obey orders by the intel organizations when for example designing backdoors into their commercial products, can get prison for several years. Now guess what any holy oaths sworn by managers in the front of cameras that they refused the government's demands to do this and that, are worth. And understand why several such companies so desperately have appealed to Obama to allow them speaking out to the public if they were under such secret obligations. Do you think that is just by coincidence? Really, do you...?

Ironically, going to Linux Mint showed me within just minutes what a piece of terribly overburnded and misdesigned crap Windows is. Linux Mint is faster, more stable, faster booting and shutting down, far less overburdened, much better in user security design. It installs in a fraction of the time , does stuff in a fraction of the time, and boots and shuts down in a fraction of the time, than Windows does. And it has the necessary stuff like browser, email client, graphics software GIMP, office suite, document reader, media player and much more, all installed by default. A breeze.

While MS advertises features sometimes that are Linux standard already since a decade and longer. It is hilarious.

I have been with MS since W95, even DOS 3 and 5. But they have lost me, forever. I also carefully sealed my windows i so that it does not contact, to my best knowledge, MS servers. Any connection to MS servers can be the source of a new GWX infestation, I learned by experience that this stuff DOES NOT creep on your HD by Windows Update "Service" alone. Not before I had locked down any background task connecting to the web all by itself, for example clock synchronization and error reporting and so forth, I stopped from being haunted by GWX ghosts and KB updates mysteriously appearing on my rig although I had banned, deinstalled, marked them as not to be installed.

My age, 49, is my friend, I must not get the newest and latest game stuff anymore, I have started to lose interest and just come back to some old simulations. That makes it easier for me. For those "needing" W10 to play, I can only recommend: maintain TWO systems, at all cost. One for games: and that means: only games, NOTHING else, and never making exceptions, and a Linux system for everything else: surfing, mailing, office, etc etc. You do not need Windows if you are an ordinary home computer user, you just do not need it. I would not even buy games via Steam installed under Windows, but would buy them via my Linux partition, and when done with paypal and such - then switch to the Windows system and download the game. Want to chat with your game partners? Boot in Linux first. Forum visit? Go Linux first. Only get your games launched via Windows - and nothing else.

With Microsoft, you do not get a product anymore. YOU are the product. An operation system's job is to coordinate the technical components of a computer system, and get the software started that really is what is of interest for the user: his working programs, his games. Of the operation system, you ideally should not see and note anything. But Microsoft thinks that Windows has to be the star of the show, and that its job is not to coordinate the system components and launch software in the first, but to advertise, to sell you stuff, to sell you to their clients too, to spy on you, to profile you, to make you depending on them, and most likely to help intel offices to snoop on you.

You can just accept this, no matter what your excuse is and what you make yourself think. But you then do not deserve anything different in fact than what you get. And that, in the end, won't be pretty.

I have decided differently, and it seems along with me many many people have as well. I said "No". And short time later I said: "You, Microsoft - NEVER again. Not in this life."

Currently using a dual boot system with two HDs since autumn. Planning to go for two systems later this year.

And no, I do not post at Facebook or Twitter, I don't want nor have a smartphone, and I prefer to pay in cash, always. The digitalization of the world means people become more and more naked and unprotected before and transparent and defenceless to the state claiming more and more control over their private and intimate parts of their lives. You only laugh as long about that as you have never learned and experienced yourself what dictatorship really means when it has you by your balls.

Maybe you can not stop them. But you can have the decency at least to not additionally even morally legitimising them. Say No, and reject their gambit gifts. Chess players know that a gambit is a gift best refused if the player offering it knows his stuff, for its no gift, its an attack. And nobody knows Windows as good as Microsoft does. Your privacy options to tune it, are faked. Their promises are lies. Their trustworthiness ruined and in ashes since long. The drive of US policies to gain global access to each and every existing computer system, is well documented, even openly admitted by US intel services. Snowden'S warnings should still echo in your minds (your fault if they don't). All this is laid out before your mind. Chose your fate. If you think this Microsoft stunt is just about your gaming experience, then you are completely disconnected from reality. Choosing you must. Do it wisely. Their EULA now reads: "You are unthinking idiots. For playing Windows 10, you have to press the Agree-button to continue." - Well, do you?


When I add 1 and 1 together, I get a result of 2. Strangely, many people these days claim to get a result of 11.

Unfortunately, I am not only locked into Windows for gaming, but the control systems I program and maintain at water and waste water plants depend heavily on software available only on Windows. I went to Windows 7 x64 from Windows XP at home and at work at almost the same time. Aside from one work laptop that never performed as well as it should have with Vista, my wife and I escaped Vista altogether.

Windows 7 has been both the fastest and most stable OS I have ever used at work, having progressed through 95, 98, NT4, 2000, XP, and Vista.

At home, it has been far more stable than XP, and with an SSD hard drive, boots up exceptionally fast. There isn't one old game I have installed that I couldn't make backwards compatible with Win 7. It still works great for its principal purpose of running sims like DCS, SF2, SBProPE, Aces High, ArmA 2, etc. Until my favorite games greatly benefit from DX12, I just don't see any reason to ruin a perfectly good PC by becoming a beta tester for Win10.

I am sure the next PC I build will have whatever OS is the newest and best. Just not this veteran gaming machine.

Nope. Not upgrading. Lots of older games I play would simply not function under win10. Besides, When did newer directX versions ever meant anything? I never saw any worthwhile application besides being used as a marketing fodder. Also I don't play all the latest games that much. So I dont have any real reason to upgrade.
Theres more though. I thoughrouly despise this mobile unification they try to achieve(with terms such as "apps" taking over everything in order to appeal to the clueless youth. This is especially mind boggling considering Windows phone is at the bottom of preference. As if those chaps at microsoft want to somehow boost their sales.

Windows 10 might as well kiss my lower, round area.

I had Win10 on my PC game for about a month, maybe 3 weeks. I reverted back to 7. 10 seemed stable, but there were two many games and apps that just were not compatible. I appreciate the gesture of a free OS from microsoft, but I'll stick with 7.

My Win7 install was having issues (something kept taking me out of full screen games and back to desktop), so I reformatted and decided to give Win10 a try.

Most of the games I play are via Steam, so the re-install from scratch has been pretty easy.

I haven't ran into any games yet that I play that don't work in Win10 but if I run into something that bugs me, I will just reinstall Win 7.

I can understand the worry some have about the privacy, but personally I've used Google for mail and calendar, phone for a decade at this point, so I figure my privacy was long ago compromised by me using those services, the NSA has hooks into everything at the ISP level anyhow... either way I can understand why others don't want to give it up.

Anyhow so far so good.

I was pretty much in the same situation as you when I upgraded. Due to some lingering issues from some sort of virus that got past my anti-virus, I had just reformatted and re-installed Win 7. I had gotten the notice for the upgrade, but waited until I could read plenty of info about the up side and down side of it.

I upgraded back in August and other than a few hiccups that have been fixed through software and driver updates, I've have no major issues. I haven't found a game yet that ran on Win 7 that won't run on Win 10 and I'm running a few games from 1999/2000 with no issues. Other older games that had problems before, I had replaced with updated bargain priced Steam editions, so they all re-installed on Win 10 just fine. Somebody mentioned an issue with Civ 5. I bought the entire Civ 5 bundle just prior to updating. I just re-installed it last week and after trying out several of the tutorial missions it seems to run better than it did before.

Anyway, just like you, so far, so good!

Cheers

Staying with Windows 7 since I can't see any new features that increases my productivity (I use my PC for more than gaming) and then there are the privacy issue, hate the forced updates, never use the cloud stuff and dislike the new flat GUI style.

Whhen it comes to games I'm sure DX 11 will be supported for a long time, heck DCS got DX 11 support just a few months ago and DX 11 was released 2011! Remember DX 9? It lasted for a very long time...

Edit: Forgott about Vulkan that does what DX12 do and if it takes off and dev's support that then gaming on Windows 7 will probably be possible even longer. As allways time will tell....

Just my 0.20 SEK

/KC

You could understand this but honestly I don't!
I have Windows 7 installed on my desktop/gamming PC and for example I still play (and well) Jane's F/A-18.
If I can play a game that when I bought and first played it was on a Windows 98 machine than I surely expect to be able to play more recent games such as IL2 1946, Falcon 4.0 with BMS and FSX on Windows 10!

But if I can't (play my games on Windows 10) than it's simple:
I won't install Windows 10, simple as that! I never installed Windows 8 (or 8.1) on any of my machines and to be perfectly honest I never missed it, so I should not miss Windows 10 as well (at least on the foreseeable future).
In the end why should I install an inferior OS (Windows 10) when I have a superior one (Windows 7)?

I've installed Win10 on two computers. My older one was bricked big time. Wiped out my operating system and I had to start over from scratch. I had to reinstall Win7.

The other one crashes about once a week and will not shutdown. I have to hold the power button and then it takes 3 or 4 times to restart. Besides that it works wonderful... '

If you have an alternate computer and you have about 3 hours a week to waste I recommend it otherwise don't...just don't.