Windows 10 - Deeper Impressions

[JorgeA]

Another Win10 improvement tool sees the light of day:

 

Not a fan of Microsoft Edge? Here's how to block the new browser in Windows 10

 

If you don’t use Edge, and I don’t, then its presence in Windows 10 might be a bit of an annoyance, especially when it sets (and occasionally resets) itself to not only be the default browser, but the default PDF reader too. Fortunately, you can block the browser, so you don’t need to ever worry about it again.

 

To do this you’ll need Edge Blocker, which is a simple tool that does what its name says and blocks Microsoft Edge. It couldn’t be easier to use, as there are just two buttons on the interface -- Block and Unblock.

 

Once you’ve blocked the browser, it won’t load even if you -- or an app -- tries to launch it.

 

--JorgeA

[dencorso]

Can you send me the XPI? I can try to get it to run in SeaMonkey, or modify it if it doesn't.

 

I was going to do that, but then I realized it's a proprietary (Adobe) file, so I'm not sure it would be kosher.   I'd like to check on that first.

It's not kosher, as you already suspected. But you can install Sea-Monkey and try it yourself. Since you already proved it works on PM, it should also work fine on SM.

[JorgeA]

Thanks for confirming, dencorso.

 

And thanks, too, rn10950, for the offer to help.

 

I'll try installing the add-on myself and keep my fingers crossed.

 

--JorgeA

[mikedigitize]

Another Win10 improvement tool sees the light of day:

 

Not a fan of Microsoft Edge? Here's how to block the new browser in Windows 10

 

If you don’t use Edge, and I don’t, then its presence in Windows 10 might be a bit of an annoyance, especially when it sets (and occasionally resets) itself to not only be the default browser, but the default PDF reader too. Fortunately, you can block the browser, so you don’t need to ever worry about it again.

 

To do this you’ll need Edge Blocker, which is a simple tool that does what its name says and blocks Microsoft Edge. It couldn’t be easier to use, as there are just two buttons on the interface -- Block and Unblock.

 

Once you’ve blocked the browser, it won’t load even if you -- or an app -- tries to launch it.

 

--JorgeA

For me, no difference! if blocked, edge started happy as ever....

[Tripredacus]

On a lighter note, Symantec/Norton thinks that a Windows 10 system using Windows Defender has no protection! 

 

Norton vs Defender.jpg

 

--JorgeA

 

Is it still true that Defender doesn't pick up the EICAR file?

[NoelC]

Edge just needs to be REMOVED entirely.  The wretched thing can't possibly start after THAT!

 

 

It's a bit geeky to manage it, but all you need to know to uninstall it (and any number of other packages that aren't wanted) is at the following link.  The key is turning off the IsInbox flag in the StateRepository-Machine.srd database file, then removing the packages using a highly privileged CMD window.

 

http://www.msfn.org/board/topic/174344-uninstall-cortana-from-windows-10/page-2#entry1111151

 

Microsoft needs to get a clue:  No one wants or needs another half-baked browser!  Implementation excellence is the ONLY thing they can do to save their company.  IMO they're only building it to try to convince people there's going to be no way to browse on a Win 10 system other than using the stupid Metro/Modern/Universal/XAML hodgepodge.

 

-Noel

[JorgeA]

 

Another Win10 improvement tool sees the light of day:

 

Not a fan of Microsoft Edge? Here's how to block the new browser in Windows 10

 

If you don’t use Edge, and I don’t, then its presence in Windows 10 might be a bit of an annoyance, especially when it sets (and occasionally resets) itself to not only be the default browser, but the default PDF reader too. Fortunately, you can block the browser, so you don’t need to ever worry about it again.

 

To do this you’ll need Edge Blocker, which is a simple tool that does what its name says and blocks Microsoft Edge. It couldn’t be easier to use, as there are just two buttons on the interface -- Block and Unblock.

 

Once you’ve blocked the browser, it won’t load even if you -- or an app -- tries to launch it.

 

--JorgeA

For me, no difference! if blocked, edge started happy as ever....

 

 

Commenters on the betanews page are starting to report that it doesn't work.

 

Wonder if the betanews blogger actually tried it?

 

Meanwhile, my trip back to that page yielded the following interesting observation from a commenter on that 200-million adoption figure for Windows 10:

 

The faults with this number lie in that the 200 million is still counting a lot of devices that are no longer running 10 or that are not in service, such as:

* Units manufactured with 10 that remain unsold (Win7 outsold Win10 over the holidays!) or were downgraded after sale.

* Upgrades that were uninstalled

* Devices that were upgraded and later disposed of.

Since its "Devices" and not "PCs", it might also count Xbox, which received Windows 10. Windows Phone 10 numbers are reported separately, but for all I know, they might be counted too.

Hell, I'd be willing to bet it double-counts devices that were upgraded twice (like my laptop, whose 10 install died due to failed updates. I restored my 7 backup from WHS then upgraded again).

 

--JorgeA

[JorgeA]

 

On a lighter note, Symantec/Norton thinks that a Windows 10 system using Windows Defender has no protection! 

 

Norton vs Defender.jpg

 

--JorgeA

 

Is it still true that Defender doesn't pick up the EICAR file?

 

 

Is this what you're thinking of? (See the box on the right.)

 

--JorgeA

[JorgeA]

Woody weighs in on the Skylake/Win7 controversy:

 

Microsoft won't support many Skylake PCs without Windows 10

 

I'm not saying Microsoft should support Windows 7 forever. The real issue here is that enterprises especially want to hang on to Windows 7 as long as possible, given then disaster that was Windows 8, the tepid changes in Windows 8.1, and the ongoing gaps in Windows 10. It's not buyers' fault that Microsoft has screwed up the last three Windows versions, yet buyers are getting punished for sticking with the last reliable version of Windows -- particularly enterprises that have very legitimate reasons to stick with Windows 7. ("Reliable" meaning stable and compatible with their apps and hardware.) Why should they be restricted to Broadwell and older processors?

 

Until there's a new version of Windows that everyone can rely on, the burden should be on Microsoft to support whatever version is still reliable -- and especially not make enterprises choose between potentially unsafe, unpatched but reliable Windows 7 PCs and Windows 10 PCs whose reliability or fit is in question.

[emphasis added]

 

--JorgeA

[rn10950]

Woody weighs in on the Skylake/Win7 controversy:

 

Microsoft won't support many Skylake PCs without Windows 10

 

I'm not saying Microsoft should support Windows 7 forever. The real issue here is that enterprises especially want to hang on to Windows 7 as long as possible, given then disaster that was Windows 8, the tepid changes in Windows 8.1, and the ongoing gaps in Windows 10. It's not buyers' fault that Microsoft has screwed up the last three Windows versions, yet buyers are getting punished for sticking with the last reliable version of Windows -- particularly enterprises that have very legitimate reasons to stick with Windows 7. ("Reliable" meaning stable and compatible with their apps and hardware.) Why should they be restricted to Broadwell and older processors?

 

Until there's a new version of Windows that everyone can rely on, the burden should be on Microsoft to support whatever version is still reliable -- and especially not make enterprises choose between potentially unsafe, unpatched but reliable Windows 7 PCs and Windows 10 PCs whose reliability or fit is in question.

[emphasis added]

 

--JorgeA

 

I can't tell you how credible this is, but I have heard that Windows 7 won't be getting new Skylake features backported, but it still will run. For example, I have XP SP3 x86 and XP x64 running on my Arrandale Core i3 laptop from 2011 with no issues. I personally don't see how MS could restrict installation of Windows 7 without crippling the processor itself, therefore restricting Linux and other OSes from running on the CPU. If these new processors are valid x86 and x86_64, Windows 7, along with all previous releases including MS-DOS boot disks, should install and run with no issue. If these new processors are NOT valid x86 and x86_64, we have bigger problems we have to worry about...

 

@JorgeA: Sorry that I couldn't help you with your PDF issue in SeaMonkey, but if you can't get Acrobat to work, I did find an alternative that works. It looks like it can screenshot whole web pages into a PDF (as well as popular image formats) You can look into it more here. You can also try modifying the Acrobat XPI yourself. If you need help, you can always PM me, as this is kind of OT for this thread.

[vinifera]

hospitals here use Server 2003

supermarkets use XP

some private practices use "7"

departement for un-employedes (or whatever its called) use XP

IRS (in my country) use "7"

 

I haven't seen yet anyone in state business using anything above "7"

even our goverment use "7"

[TELVM]

Microsoft mandates new Windows support rules

 

"Okay, what's the real reason Microsoft is changing support?

 

Only Redmond's execs know.

 

But here are some guesses:

 

· Yet another push, gentle or not, to get customers to migrate to Windows 10 sooner rather than later.

 

· A quid pro quo with the major OEMs (original equipment manufacturers), who were shut out of their usual new-OS bump in shipments and resulting sales when Microsoft offered a free upgrade to Windows 10. Microsoft's earlier-than-expected demise of Windows 7 support and the transitional list of privileged PCs, say analysts, will give a boost to OEM sales.

 

· A hint at how Microsoft could continue to make money even if Windows 10 is the last version of its OS, a question experts have pondered since the company first breathed the claim. Microsoft could, down the line, announce that the newest silicon will only run Windows 10.x, and push customers to buy new devices to retain support ..."

 

[TELVM]

BTW speaking of browsers Pale Moon 26.0.0 (Goanna engine) has been just released and it works like a charm.

[aviv00]

The 4 month upgrade gonna make lots of problems to IT

And bizez gonna loss hours of productive because that

Each time there new bug finding

Ms will say oh yea , we fixed it in new build go get it

IT will work on it to upgrade and make it stable

[rn10950]

Reading that article that TELVM posted a few posts up, I found something interesting:

 

 

"Windows 7 was designed nearly 10 years ago.... For Windows 7 to run on any modern silicon, device drivers and firmware need to emulate Windows 7's expectations for interrupt processing, bus support, and power states -- which is challenging for Wi-Fi, graphics, security, and more," Myerson said. "As partners make customizations to legacy device drivers, services, and firmware settings, customers are likely to see regressions with Windows 7 ongoing servicing."

 

So their reasoning for dropping security updates is the device driver model? That's it? I kind of understand why they wouldn't want to update the driver model on a 7 year old OS, but not updating the rest of the OS up until the date you set for OS support is ridiculous. Once you install drivers and get them working, since when do you need to replace them again? If I got working drivers for my hardware, why would the OS need to stop working? How can security updates break working drivers? Oh wait, it just pushes their Windows 10 agenda, and I have a feeling that those three years of security updates will be "ported" to the "unsupported" Windows 7 PCs by someone on here, just like Windows 98 USP, Windows 2000 Extended Kernel and Windows XP SP4.