Has this happened to you

[GOPHER SLAYER]

I turned on my computer yesterday and everything went south. It said, Microsoft was checking my hard drive. It kept the puter tied up all day. When I finally got it turned on everything had changed. All my shooting forums were gone, replaced by Amazon, E bay, Facebook and Twitter. My tool bar was gone also. I think Firefox had a part in this as well. Until I figure out how to get things back the way they were or get a repairmen to do it, I have to sign in for every forum I want to visit. BUGGER!

[Armorer77]

I have had automatic updates screw everything up .

[ourflat]

Yes, turn off your automatic update in your control panel. I now have an automatic weekly backup on an external hard drive for this very reason!

Frank

[GOPHER SLAYER]

Yes, turn off your automatic update in your control panel. I now have an automatic weekly backup on an external hard drive for this very reason!

Frank Will do. Thanks Frank

[Handloader109]

With Win 10, you can't just shut them off if it is a windows update, but you can tell it that you have a metered internet and that will keep it from downloading update.

Sent from my SM-G892A using Tapatalk

[Froogal]

Had trouble with the wireless mouse today. Resorted to using the wired mouse that had been on something else. Wireless mouse is made by "logitech" Wired version is from Microsoft. Almost immediately after connecting everything-----Microsoft stepped in and wanted me to log into something that I don't even use, or even know why I would need it, and it would not let me get out of it. I got rid of the wired mouse. replaced it with another Logitech unit, Did a restart, and now all is well.

[silverbear]

I have noticed that the auto updates don't always make all changes necessary. They may take 2 days to complete. MS does not want other products tied in with theirs. They want you to use only MS items and if you use something like Firefox as a browser, you get things that don't want to work together. Resulting in unknown hangups or pages that don't download right.

[pworley1]

I got tired of the automatic changes that Windows makes and switched to Linux several years ago. End of problems.

[Mal Paso]

With Win 10, you can't just shut them off if it is a windows update, but you can tell it that you have a metered internet and that will keep it from downloading update.

Sent from my SM-G892A using Tapatalk

That doesn't work, tried it. Got rid of win 10 instead. Got tired of the computer trying to recover from updates. Win7 on a Toughbook for as long as I can.

[Minerat]

When your wireless mouse starts acting up check the batteries. I hate windows. I hate windows10 more then any other version. Every time it updates you spend a hour trying to get it back to normal. They turn on everything of their anal examination software that tracks your use of your computer. Oh by the way I hate microsoft too.

[Polymath]

Worst come to worst , do a restore. and don't for get to regularly create a recent restore point. Like time travel.

[rbuck351]

I went to a chrome book because of the MS up dates. The Chromebook won't do some of the things a normal computer will do but it does everything I need and when it updates you usually don't even realize it's updating.

[fiberoptik]

Google knows more about you than MicroShaft and the govt. Ditch bill gate$ nightmare and switch to Linux! Look for Just Use Linux. Don’t use chrome or google! Duck duck go doesn’t track anything.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[megasupermagnum]

Those of you running a Linux operating system, which one do you have? When windows Vista came out, I switched to Ubuntu, which is a Lunux based operating system aimed more at gamers and security. I ran that for quite a while, and as far as I know, it is still one of the #1 choices. When Windows 10 came out, it was way better than the past vista, and finally got a format that wasn't so alien like 7 and 8. Now Windows 11 is set to be released this fall, and will supposedly be even easier to use yet. I hate Apple Mac, I can't stand it. I'll admit they make things just push and go, but it dumbs things down to nothing, and isn't compatible with anything non-Apple.

Windows 10 is a great operating system, as good as XP was in its time. Ubuntu is also a great system, although I would not recommend it to those who already have problems figuring out Windows. It does boast great flexibility, and security is always a concern in the gaming community.

[Froogal]

When your wireless mouse starts acting up check the batteries. I hate windows. I hate windows10 more then any other version. Every time it updates you spend a hour trying to get it back to normal. They turn on everything of their anal examination software that tracks your use of your computer. Oh by the way I hate microsoft too.

Yes. Replacing the battery is the first thing I did. The mouse worked for a short time and then went belly up again, so I replaced the mouse.

[John Wayne]

As other folks have mentioned, don't allow updates. It's just more spyware.

[farmerjim]

"megasupermagnum Those of you running a Linux operating system, which one do you have?"

I have both ubuntu and Mint (3 computers on my desk). I think that I now like Mint the best.

[Acorn]

Pardon my ignorance, but how do I switch to Linux? Is it a download? Do I need to wipe my hard drive?
I hate Windows 10, but not tech savvy and don't want to get in over my head.

[john.k]

Linux is for tech savvy people ,preferable with a diploma /degree in IT.......IMHO,if you have to ask about Linux ,forget it.

[bakerjw]

The kernel of Linux is well maintained but most of the supporting packages do get compromised and require updates. Linux is less of a target so the security vulnerabilities aren't targeted by the hacker community at large.
As for Google Chrome Book, it is a massive data collection scheme used by Google to target you for ads based on your online activity.
As for search engines. duck Duck Go is decent but pales in comparison to Google for technical searches.

To keep a small presence on the web, use a browser like Brave which blocks trackers, ad links and clears cookies. To go even a bit further, use a reliable VPN. My ISP has ZERO idea of what I do online as I have an encrypted pipeline via NordVPN to a server presence in Charlotte. I will switch to Atlanta here soon because I can. Also use the TOR browser when applicable. It bounces between TOR nodes before getting to the eventual destination.

[gwrench]

I disagree about needing to be tech savvy to use linux. There are differences and things to learn, but that is true of every new version of Windows too.

1. I suggest you get yourself a flash drive of 4 gigs or larger that you can dedicate for now.
2. Research a bit for linux distro's to try. Mint and Ubuntu are good options. Download your choice of "image".
3. Download a program that will install the "image" on the flash drive. Rufus and unetbootin are free and work well. They are tiny downloads.
4. Use rufus or unetbootin to install the image on the flash drive. (this will delete any data already there). You can't just copy it to the flash drive, it needs to be in a form the computer will understand to boot with.
5. You may need to do some research on how to start your computer using the flash drive rather than your hard drive. For many Dell's you press F12 as it's starting to get a menu where you can pick what drive to use.
6. When your computer starts you will be running a live version of linux! You can try the programs, surf the net (once you put in wireless info etc). You have the option to install in the menu or desktop but there's no obligation. If you don't like it, restart and go back to windows or download another distro to try. In a live version you can't install programs but once installed there are thousands of free programs you can try. You actually have to do some looking to find something that costs $.

Using an older or spare computer for practice is a good idea. If you choose to install you will wipe the hard drive so all data will be lost. Back up your files before doing computer work!

[farmbif]

I'd heard of brave its supposed to be safe and versatile and won't allow tracking.
linux has been around for like forever, open sourced, ive heard people say it was created by geeks and hackers for geeks and hackers. it started as kind of like an anti Microsoft option, for folks who have no interest in big brother looking over your shoulder and being a slave to their system. you would think hackers don't want to get hacked. I think many years ago bill gates tried to shut it down some how.
but I'm no expert, just what ive heard, second hand scuttlebutt

[BunkTheory]

1. TOR is NOT untraceable. It is like the other VPN.... a company website does the searches for you... you just get the data popping up. It is traceable.
You HAVE to consider them nothing more then the voice to text service translators that translate phone calls into text for the hearing impaired. you have a TRANSLATOR listening in on the phone line to do the translating.

2. There is NO way to undo auto updates with Windows 10. Its IMPOSSIBLE. EVEN with a metered connection set up. The metered connnection setup actually used more data bandwidth to do the updates.

3. Its going to screw people over, the new next version of Windows. Its actually going to NEGATE the usage of many computers more then 3 years old based on hardware requirements. That little security chip, last october was priced at 1100$ ON SALE. And then you need a mother board and processor that can actually use those chips.. Thats at minimum 200$ on the mother board..

[David2011]

Google knows more about you than MicroShaft and the govt. Ditch bill gate$ nightmare and switch to Linux! Look for Just Use Linux. Don’t use chrome or google! Duck duck go doesn’t track anything.

Agreed. Google is unavoidable if you use the internet because so many websites embed Google. Still, I avoid using them directly and also use Duck duck go.


Yes. Replacing the battery is the first thing I did. The mouse worked for a short time and then went belly up again, so I replaced the mouse.

In almost 25 years in corporate IT, I found wireless mice and keyboards to almost always fail when they were about 2 years old. Some lasted longer but I prefer wired devices for both.


As other folks have mentioned, don't allow updates. It's just more spyware.

With Windows 10 the only way to avoid updates is to never turn the computer on.


Linux is for tech savvy people ,preferable with a diploma /degree in IT.......IMHO,if you have to ask about Linux ,forget it.

Most people have an old computer available. Use Linux on the old one before committing changes to a newer computer. Linux requires far less hard drive and RAM than Windows and will run well on older machines. It isn't all that hard but it is different.


Pardon my ignorance, but how do I switch to Linux? Is it a download? Do I need to wipe my hard drive?
I hate Windows 10, but not tech savvy and don't want to get in over my head.

There was a detailed answer above. You can actually run Linux from a CD/DVD/flash drive without doing anything to the existing hard drive but for safety's sake it's safer to run Linux on something other than your primary computer until you learn how to back up your data onto an external hard drive. In my professional opinion, flash/thumb drives are not good for backup. I've seen lots of data loss from people trusting them. For that matter, ALL drives are built "terminal" so data is best kept on at least two hard drives at all times.

[kootne]

Windows is the ULTIMATE virus.

[GOPHER SLAYER]

Windows wiped my hard drive clean, including all my pictures. I just found I can no longer post pictures. I have a very strong urge to throw the computer out the back door and drive my car over it.