Posts by Carl D

Microsoft's latest Windows 10 update downs Chrome, Cortana

Anyone else besides me still wondering why Windows 10 seems to be getting progressively worse nearly 3 years after it's general release despite all the telemetry Microsoft collects from insiders and millions of unpaid beta testers?

For goodness sake Microsoft, stop adding more useless "features" to Windows 10 and start working on making a stable operating system that doesn't introduce radical changes every 6 months like you used to have with Windows XP and Windows 7.

A nice big "Telemetry Off" button (that really works) would be good as well.

Press F to pay respects to the Windows 10 April Update casualties

"The Windows 10 April Update has begun seeping out from beneath the Redmond bathroom door"

Yes, and it looks like a lot of people are already getting it even though they don't want it yet.

https://www.askwoody.com/forums/topic/many-reports-of-win10-1709-users-getting-pushed-onto-1803/

I've already got the popcorn out... I'm sure we'll be seeing another "Oops, sorry, we made another mistake" announcement from MS shortly (gets a bit boring after a few years of hearing the same thing over and over).

Firefox to feature sponsored content as of next week

Re: Not buying it - This is a badly timed Slippery Slope

"It'll be interesting to see if Firefox stays bundled with Linux installs..."

One of the first things I do these days after a Linux Mint install is remove Firefox and install Pale Moon.

Windows 10 April 2018 Update lands today... ish

Yep, and my 12 year old HP laptop used to run Windows 7 perfectly (and XP before it).

Couldn't be something Microsoft is doing to sabotage Windows 7 by any chance? Nah, not our old buddy MS... such a pillar of virtue with outstanding performances like GWX, the eternal wait while scanning for Windows updates in Windows 7, followed by 8.1, changing the "X" to mean "go ahead and install Windows 10", blocking Windows Update for new processors with 7 and 8.1 and so on...

Oh, and I'm running Windows 7 on Kaby Lake and it is fully up to date with Windows Updates - the Simplix author is kind enough to remove the processor blocking update(s) from his packs. Such a considerate gentleman he is.

Re: "again with MInt, no slowdown for my PC"

Really? Do I make IT dangerous?

Funny how in the 16 years that I've been using the Internet I have NEVER had a single virus or malware issue.

The main thing that makes IT dangerous these days is MIcrosoft and their "Swiss cheese" bug and security issue riddled excuse for operating systems.

"I also hate to point it out but the "rarely gets used" looks to be a valid reason."

Oh, but the PC does get used. Quite a lot. 95 percent of the time it runs Linux Mint.

"How did you post on an internet forum with an air gapped pc?"

I have a dual boot with my main PC - Windows 7 and Linux Mint 18.3

Windows 7 does not have Internet access (Network Adapter disabled in Control Panel). Everything online is done with Linux Mint.

I also have a 12 year old HP laptop which is also running MInt 18.3 perfectly (posting with it right now). Last time I tried installing Windows 7 on it all I had were blue screens every 30 minutes or so after I updated it to April patch level. Funny about that.

If I'm running my "No Internet Access Allowed" Windows 7 on my main PC I can go online with my laptop or Samsung tablet - or even my phone.

"Additionally, letting any OS get out of date, especially Windows by that margin is relatively stupid.

Not something I'd brag about personally."

Why?

My Windows 7 has never had Internet access since I installed it. I have the activation file saved from when I used to use 7 online and I updated to December 2017 using the Simplix Pack which I downloaded last December (I trust the author of this pack more than I trust Microsoft these days).

And, either by incompetence or design (I suspect design) every update from Microsoft for Windows 7 since the start of this Meltdown/Spectre BS at the beginning of the year has been a complete clusterf... (and they STILL can't get it right).

With Linux Mint I have full protection against Meltdown and Spectre (despite the fact that there STILL isn't any malware related to these in the wild). And, again with MInt, no slowdown for my PC like there is with the Windows 7 patches (I also suspect this is by design).

Keeping Windows 7 away from the Internet also ensures MS cannot mess with it with things like "accidentally" turning Windows Update on against the users' wishes (oops, sorry - we did it again *chuckle*).

Sitting back here with popcorn in hand waiting for my 6 monthly Windows 10 "entertainment extravaganza" to begin again.

Posted from Linux Mint (in a dual boot with an air gapped - no Internet access allowed - Windows 7 which is updated as far as December 2017 and very rarely gets used these days).

'Your computer has a virus' cold call con artists on the rise – Microsoft

Wish I could set up "Lenny" here and let the scammers talk to him.

https://toao.net/595-lenny

Be sure to have a look at some of the calls on his YouTube channel (link provided on site).

Hilarious stuff. Especially the ducks (about 6 minutes in - if the scammers/telemarketers stay on the line long enough. lol).

I think I had another one of these scammers try to call me a few hours ago (I'm in Perth, West Australia). I only answer the call when I recognize the number (all family and friends, work, etc. are programmed into the phone so I can see straight away when they call).

Phone rings, the caller ID shows a number with "Unavailable" (which means you cannot call the number back), call goes to answering machine, after the answering machine greeting finishes there was 5 - 10 seconds of silence then a female voice says "Hello.... hello" then a few more seconds of silence then the call disconnects. Another number added to my ever increasing blocked list.

Had the same thing last week but from a different number. My phone is set to block all calls with no caller ID but the problem is, these idiots are able to generate a seemingly infinite list of "fake" numbers to call with and because they have a caller ID (even if is fake) the calls get past the 'no caller ID block' and go to the answering machine so blocking them becomes an increasingly difficult if not impossible task. At least they eventually give up once they realize all they are going to get to talk to is the answering machine.

Exposed: Lazy Android mobe makers couldn't care less about security

Looks like my Samsung Galaxy S5 has joined the long list of "Abandondroid" products.

No security updates for over a year now. Too bad - I will continue to use it until it dies (Hardly ever use it online anyway since it has a Vodafone prepaid SIM card in it).

I also still have (and use) a Samsung Tab 3 10.1 inch tablet that hasn't seen a security update for 4 years now. I don't keep anything important on it and I usually do a factory restore about once a month to keep any security issues at bay.

nbn™ CEO pleads with staff to control costs in ‘seeya later’ letter

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-04-04/nbn-co-boss-bill-morrow-resigns/9617210

"The National Broadband Network project was a complete train wreck that we inherited from the Labor Party and it was really the biggest turnaround, I would think, in Australian history."

"Bill is a great leader. He's turned the project around. It is now about two-thirds finished and it's well on track to be completed by 2020."

- Malcolm Turnbull.

What planet is Malcolm living on? Here on Earth, Malcolm and the Liberal Party have made a complete mess of the NBN. Roll on the next Federal election...

Mad March Meltdown! Microsoft's patch for a patch for a patch may need another patch

I've said it before... easy solution to MS's incompetence (or another deliberate attempt to sabotage W7) is to dual boot Windows 7 and Linux (Mint 18.3 in my case).

Windows 7 is patched up to December 2017 (with Simplix Pack) and kept offline.

All online activities are done with Linux Mint.

No Meltdown/Spectre BS or MS incompetence (or sabotage) to worry about when I'm using Windows 7. If I need to go online while using W7 I have my trusty 12 year old HP laptop - also running Mint - or I just use my tablet or smartphone.

OK, deep breath, relax... Let's have a sober look at these 'ere annoying AMD chip security flaws

Well, at least I'm not alone

https://doublepulsar.com/on-amd-flaws-from-cts-labs-f167ea00e4e8

"You may have seen media reports about flaws in AMD chipsets. AMD are currently reviewing the report, as they were given less than a day notice of vulnerabilities that CTS Labs claim put lives at risk (via their website, AMDflaws.com). This is a highly unusual and reckless disclosure of security flaws."

and...

"I would encourage security researchers not to disclose vulnerabilities like this. If you have vulnerabilities that you truly think are serious and truly want to provide information so people can protect themselves, work to get them resolved and work with the cyber security community around mitigations.

The only real public exploit here at the moment is a press exploit. This situation should not be happening."

Yep, absolutely correct.

Not sure what the downvotes are all about for my last post?

I thought it would be obvious by now that we are all being played for suckers with these never ending security issues. I know of a group of people (using Windows 7) who have not updated for nearly a year now and they have had ZERO security issues with their computers. And, yes... they do use them online (unlike myself, who has taken the wise step of keeping Windows 7 offline for good now and using Linux Mint for everything I do online).

I'm convinced that the world would never hear about things like Meltdown, Spectre, etc. if these so called security companies kept their mouths shut instead the constant "Ooohh... look what I've found" boasting that we see constantly these days. Reminds me of a juvenile dick measuring contest. Of course, their big fat pay cheques no doubt have a lot to do with it as well.

I'll bet the average hacker wannabe/script kiddie would never discover the majority of these so called security vulnerabilities in a million years.

*Yawn*

Meltdown... Spectre... and now this.

The only question I'm asking is have these chip 'flaws' surpassed Y2K yet as the biggest non event in computing history?

Gotta keep that good old 'security company' money making gravy train rolling along... I'm sure MS love it too as it enables them to maintain control of peoples' computers with the never ending updates.

Perhaps we might have a more peaceful, 'security flaw' free computing experience if these security companies went out of business.

nbn™ scoreboard: our new way to look at Australia's national broadband network

Re: NBN cabinet installed in next street to us!

>> NBN cabinet installed in next street to us! I suspect it's empty, but WHOOOOO it sure looks nice and shiny.<<

FTTN cabinet? Just wait until it gets covered in graffiti like a lot of the ones I've seen lately.

They've been like that for several months now so it doesn't look like nbn are in a rush to do anything about it.

Microsoft whips out tool so you can measure Windows 10's data-slurping creepiness

I believe I've mentioned this once or twice before - if all of this telemetry that Microsoft is collecting from Windows 10 users is supposed to be used for making Windows 10 better then why is it still a pile of unstable garbage nearly 3 years after it's release?

In fact, it seems to be getting worse with each new version.

One only needs to look at Windows 7 for the answer. Why would Microsoft want to 'retrofit' telemetry to Windows 7 when they have no intention of adding any new features and haven't done so for several years now? In fact, after their disgraceful behaviour with the GWX campaign, it is pretty clear they've been trying to kill off Windows 7 completely.

One could even be forgiven for thinking that this Meltdown/Spectre fiasco is yet another ploy to get rid of Windows 7 (Windows 10 is allegedly the only OS that won't suffer slowdowns with the patches for Meltdown/Spectre. How convenient for MS).

Looks to me like the telemetry is more about targeting ads and just being generally 'nosy' with the excuse that because everyone else does it these days then why can't we?

"The application is dubbed Diagnostic Data Viewer, and is free from the Windows Store."

Wow, we might finally see some user activity amongst the tumbleweeds blowing around in the Windows Store.

But, not from me... they couldn't pay me enough to install Windows 10 these days.

Don't just grab your CPU bug updates – there's a nasty hole in Office, too

Re: don't forget to patch your Android devices

Thanks, I'll keep an eye out for patches for my Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 10.1 inch tablet bought in late 2013 or early 2014.

Hasn't had any updates available for it since late 2014 (KitKat 4.4.2) but I'm sure Samsung will make an exception due to the (alleged) severity of these CPU security issues. Yeah... right.

Lucky I only use it for web browsing occasionally these days (at least on the sites where I don't get the "couldn't establish a secure connection" message due to the outdated included browser).

Tried Firefox a few times but it always liked to crash with monotonous regularity.

And, I like to do a factory reset every month or two to try and stay safe.

Mozilla's creepy Mr Robot stunt in Firefox flops in touching tribute to TV show's 2nd season

Never heard of it

And... I've never even heard of Mr. Robot until now. Doesn't appear to be on Australian free to air television at the moment.

Looks like the sort of program that will probably end up on Foxtel (pay TV) which I don't have.

Speaking of free to air TV... all I can say is it is fortunate we don't have to pay TV licence fees here in Australia any more (abolished in 1974) otherwise there would probably be a nationwide riot when you see the amount of absolute rubbish (plus the almost non stop ads) we get on free commercial TV these days.

" I knew there was a reason I stuck to the ESR."

I knew there was a reason why I dumped Firefox for Pale Moon a couple of months back (after using Firefox for about 12 years).

Firefox 57: Good news? It's nippy. Bad news? It'll also trash your add-ons

Moved to Pale Moon a couple of months ago and haven't looked back... got tired of Firefox with their rapid release schedule and Add-ons shenanigans (after using Firefox for nearly 13 years).

Australian senator Pauline Hanson wants devilish scam calls to flash '666'

No problems here

I don't have any issues with scam/spam callers on my landline.

All of my calls are screened with the answering machine, family and friends know that they need to announce themselves after hearing the recorded greeting then we pick up the phone.

All other calls are ignored and most of the time all I hear is "beep beep beep" when the call immediately disconnects after the answering machine greeting finishes playing.

Then, when I check the number it usually says "Out of area" or "Withheld" which is a sure sign that it is a scammer or telemarketer (despite us being on the Australian Do Not Call register).

I'm thinking about getting one of those Panasonic cordless phone/answering machines that can be set to block any call without a valid number - the phone rings once then immediately disconnects the call.

It's 2017... And Windows PCs can be pwned via DNS, webpages, Office docs, fonts – and some TPM keys are fscked too

The NeverEnding Story Continues...

I was watching George Pal’s 1960 movie of H.G. Wells’ The Time Machine the other day and I couldn’t help but wonder if we’ll still be patching Windows security issues in the year 802,701 A.D.?

Not as far fetched as it may seem, in my opinion.

nbn™ adds premises to FTTC, HFC, slims down FTTN build

What's with all the NBN ads on TV the past couple of weeks? And the glossy NBN brochure that came in the mail last week (the same one that was in our West Australian newspaper a few days earlier)?

How much is all this costing? Unbelievable!

I guess the Federal government is in "damage control" mode regarding the NBN at the moment considering the mess that Malcolm Turnbull has made of it.

And, anyone who doesn't believe it is a total mess only has to read through the NBN section of the Whirlpool forums for starters to see how bad it is.

http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/forum/142

Fortunately (for me) I live in the last street in my Perth suburb (Rivervale) to get fibre to the premises 2 years ago. Funny thing - well, not really - is that we're in a complex of 4 duplexes which run from one street across to the next. The 6 units in 3 of the duplexes (including mine) at one end got fibre to the premises and the 2 units in the last duplex at the other end are getting fibre to the node which is only just being activated now, 2 years after we got our FTTP.

And, our duplex is actually closer to the street that is getting fibre to the node but because our street address is the street with fibre to the premises, that's what we got. Thank goodness.

Old Firefox add-ons get 'dead man walking' call

Really?

"they made Intel 6th Generation the last generation if I was to stick with Windows 7"

-Anonymous Coward.

Not for me they haven't.

Running Windows 7 on a 7th Generation Kaby Lake i5 processor with all drivers installed (despite the Gigabyte motherboard driver disc claiming that the drivers were only for 6th but not 7th Generation).

Been running fine for a month and a half now. And, I have all of the Windows 7 security updates installed as well despite MS's attempt to block updates for 7th Generation back in April (lucky I didn't hold my breath waiting for the lawsuits regarding that... same as lawsuits about the GWX fiasco. Doesn't look like anyone on the entire planet has the balls to take MS to court apart from the lady who got $10,000 last year).

Oh, and it looks like Firefox 55 will be the last version I'll ever use if things like NoScript, Self Destructing Cookies and uBlock Origin won't work from version 57 onwards.

70% of Windows 10 users are totally happy with our big telemetry slurp, beams Microsoft

So... why, after over 2 years of massive data slurping by MS, is Windows 10 still no better than an early beta version (and that's me being polite)?

Looks to me like the data slurping is more about pushing ads rather than improving the operating system.

I'll just stick with my Windows 7/Linux Mint dual boot thanks. That's Windows 7 minus all the telemetry BS, of course. And, fully up to date with Windows security updates using a Kaby Lake 7th generation processor despite MS's lame attempt to block updates for 7th generation back in April.

Microsoft: Get in, IT nerds, you're now using Insider builds and twice-annual Windows rollouts

No thanks. Keep your Windows 10, MS.

I'll just keep using my Windows 7 which runs perfectly on my new Kaby Lake system which I built a month ago - including all of the motherboard chipset drivers, etc, which allegedly were only available on the supplied Gigabyte MB driver disc for 6th but not 7th generation processors like Kaby Lake.

Oh, I also have all of the Windows Updates installed despite MS's ham fisted attempt back in April to block them for 7th generation processors (still waiting for the lawsuits to happen over that - I won't hold my breath though).

nbn™ hits the half-way mark – but has more than half of the job left

"I was lucky enough to be one of the last suburbs that had an FTTP box installed. I even made the installers install the NTD in my study on the other side of the house. I call it fibre to the computer."

-mcdardy

Same here - Rivervale in Perth, West Australia. I've got fibre all the way to the NTD on the wall directly behind my computer desk in the bedroom which was the easiest place for the NBN installer to put it anyway seeing as the bedroom is at the front of the house and the external box is on the wall just outside the bedroom.

Then it's fibre from the NTD to the Telstra modem/router next to my computer desk and finally it's a short ethernet cable to the PC.

We're lucky because the fibre to the home that we got was already contracted to be done under the previous Federal Labor government before the Liberals got in and made a mess of the whole thing with fibre to the node.

Don't install our buggy Windows 10 Creators Update, begs Microsoft

Re: Help!

Control Panel is near the bottom of the Start Menu - under Windows System. You can right click and 'pin' it to the Tiles or Taskbar if you like, as I have done.

Yes, I noticed Microsoft removed it from the Start button right click options in Creators Update. I have no idea why, of course.

Change just for the heck of it, so it would seem.

Chap 'fixes' Microsoft's Windows 7 and 8 update block on new CPUs

MS are already on to it

Looks like Microsoft have already taken steps to block this workaround. As expected.

https://www.askwoody.com/2017/the-whack-a-mole-approach-to-running-windows-7-on-newer-machines/

Pity they're not as quick off the mark with PROPERLY TESTED updates and bug fixes these days...

Microsoft raises pistol, pulls the trigger on Windows 7, 8 updates for new Intel, AMD chips

And yet another MS stuff up

"For Microsoft, however, the policy will mean fewer headaches for its programmers and less time spent wrangling code to work with various configurations"

Wanna bet?

Apparently, even older processors are being caught up in this BS as well.

http://www.infoworld.com/article/3189586/microsoft-windows/microsoft-plan-to-force-pcs-with-newer-processors-to-windows-10-backfires.html

I've just bought a new Gigabyte motherboard with a 7th generation processor. The driver disc that came with it has Windows 7 drivers for 6th but not 7th generation processors. It's almost like there's some sort of conspiracy between MS and the processor manufacturers.

And, I'm guessing I won't be getting any Windows Updates for it either. Mind you, with the "quality" of MS's patches lately, that might not be such a bad thing.

Well, when I get around to putting my new build together, if I can't run Windows 7 on it I guess I'll have to install as a dual boot with an 'airgapped' Windows 10 and an online only Linux Mint.

Windows 10 Creators Update general rollout begins with a privacy dialogue

>>> I will delay the update as long as possible, so that the anti-telemetry (such a nice way of saying spying) programs have a chance to catch up.

Mine's the machine with shutup10 and all the settings tweaked.<<<

____________________________

New version of ShutUp10 has just been released... downloading it now, and the download speed is really slow at the moment. Must be lots of people downloading it.

I already have the Creators Update of Windows 10 installed in a dual boot with Windows 7. With Windows 10 not allowed to go online after it was activated, of course.

Edit: The new version of ShutUp10 allows to to disable Windows Defender which MS tried to stop people from doing in Creators Update. Good.

Put down your coffee and admire the sheer amount of data Windows 10 Creators Update will slurp from your PC

Easiest way to stop Windows 10 spying is to install it, make sure it is activated and has all the drivers,etc. then disconnect it from the internet (disable network adapter - right click > disable) and run it as a dual boot with an online Windows 7 and/or Linux.

Works well for me. That's also what I'll be doing if I need to buy a new 7th generation processor where Microsoft have now maliciously denied access to Windows Update for Windows 7 and 8.1 with these new processors - offline Windows 10/online Linux.

Windows 10 Creators Update: Clearing the mines with livestock (that's you by the way)

What a load of bollocks

I managed to download this so called "Creators Update" before MS pulled the link.

Installed it on a separate solid state drive and played with it for a while. Can't see what all the fuss is about? Apart from Paint3D (which I'll probably never use) and changing a few things around as usual (like making Control Panel a bit harder to find by removing the link when you right click the Start button - it's down the bottom of the Start menu under Windows System) the whole thing doesn't look much different to the Anniversary Edition.

What a waste of time and effort. Back to Linux Mint (in a dual boot with a non Internet facing Windows 7) I go...

'Windows 10 destroyed our data!' Microsoft hauled into US court

About time too

I'm still wondering what happened to government agencies worldwide that were supposed to protect us from the kind of BS like GWX? Surely they couldn't all have been asleep at the wheel seeing as a lot of them were probably affected by this as well as the average user?

Now I'm waiting for the fertilizer to really hit the fan regarding this (already started by the looks of it):

http://www.infoworld.com/article/3183583/microsoft-windows/microsoft-will-kill-some-windows-7-and-81-support-in-april.html

Especially seeing as MS is actually including code in the latest monthly preview to detect new processors and deny access to Windows Update - trouble is, the code is apparently detecting older processors as well. Oops... another "sorry, we made another mistake" excuse coming up, I'm sure. Yeah, right.

Will someone please sue these f***ers out of existence? PLEASE!

Sure, we could replace FTNN, says nbn™, if you let the unwired wait even longer for broadband

I'm one of the fortunate ones who has fibre all the way to the home - right to the Telstra modem/router next to my computer desk actually (Rivervale, Perth, Western Australia).

I'm told the reason for this is that it was already contracted to be done under the previous Federal Labor government before the current Liberal government was elected in 2013 and made a mess of the NBN.

If they weren't going to continue to do the job properly (with fibre all the way to the premises) then they shouldn't have bothered at all. I've seen many stories of people who had better speeds with ADSL than they're now getting with fibre to the node. Especially during peak times during the evening when everyone's streaming Netflix, etc.

Roses are red, bugs make you blue, Patch Tuesday is late, because Microsoft loves you

I have to pinch myself here...

https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/msrc/2017/02/14/february-2017-security-update-release/

"Our top priority is to provide the best possible experience for customers in maintaining and protecting their systems."

Wow, has Microsoft been sold and under new management or have I crossed over into the Twilight Zone?

Ex-FBI man spills on why hackers are winning the security game

Sorry, off topic but I can't resist

Yes, I know it is supposed to represent the Golden Gate Bridge but I wonder if the B-Sides San Francisco security conference is going to get sued by Atari for using Atari's logo not once, but twice?

Windows 10: What is it good for? Microsoft pitches to devs ahead of Creators Update

Windows 10: What is it good for?

First thing that came to mind for me:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dpWmlRNfLck

Substitute 'Windows 10' for 'War'. And it really does mean the destruction of innocent lives (computers) in many cases.

Boffins break Samsung Galaxies with one SMS carrying WAP crap

Wonder if my nearly 5 year old still going strong Samsung Galaxy S2 4G which never received a single update after Android 4.0.4 (Ice Cream Sandwich) in late 2012 is vulnerable?

Lucky I don't have anything important on it and don't let it connect to the Internet.

Hopefully, Samsung (and others) have finally woken up and started providing timely updates and not abandoning devices after 12 or 18 months like my abovementioned phone and my Galaxy Tab3 10.1 inch tablet which is also still going strong and hasn't seen an update for nearly 3 years.

Windows 10 Anniversary Update crushed exploits without need of patches

"Won't let me do that. It says C: is in use."

What? You mean we STILL can't do this after all these years? /sarcasm.

Year ago, on the old Annoyances.org forums we used to get a lot of questions from people who asked things like "Why can't I format C:?" (while they were running Windows).

About a year before Vista was released, someone started a Wish List For Vista thread and one poster jokingly said "The ability to format C: while Windows is running".

New Windows 10 privacy controls: Just a little snooping – or the max

Re: Rule number 0

"Hows that work in the real world though? Does this not mean you have to reboot into Linux everytime you want to check email"

"No. It means you boot into Linux or BSD in the first place.

If you need something that's Windows only and doesn't run under Wine you either reboot into a Windows partition or, preferably, Windows on a VM. And you'd be surprised to find out for how many people that evaluates to never."

__________________________________

Exactly.

I find that I spend most of my time using Linux Mint these days.

I only boot into Windows occasionally to run a Windows only program or game. In the case of Windows 10, it's just to 'play around with things' and to get to know the operating system in case I get any "how do I do this in W10?" questions from family and friends.

So, will these new privacy options actually work? Or, will they just pretend to work like some of them seem to do at the moment?

Example - during the installation of Windows 10 Anniversary Update there are a list of ON/OFF options under the Custom Installation settings.

One of them is "Share Windows Updates with other computers" (or words to that effect). If you choose the OFF option you'll find that when you check the setting under Windows Update later on after you've finished installing Windows 10, that setting is turned ON again.

I get the feeling the same applies to other Privacy settings as well, even after they seem to be turned off.

Or... no snooping at all

To repeat what I've posted in another topic earlier (slightly modified):

The privacy (and forced update) problems are easily solved - install W10, make sure it is activated and has all the drivers installed... then disconnect it from the Internet (Network Adapter disabled in Control Panel) before it installs any other updates and install Linux Mint in a dual boot with all Internet activity restricted to Mint only. Just like I've done with Windows 7 on my other solid state drive.

I also ran O&O's ShutUp10 to disable all the annoying Windows 10 stuff - even if it can't access the Internet I'm sure it'll still keep bugging you about wanting to go online all the time.

The result? A nice, easy to manage Windows 10 installation which doesn't annoy you and can't phone home to MS.

I might do the same thing when the 'Creator's Update' is released in April.

Windows (any version) is just too much of a hassle to use online these days.

Microsoft's Blue Screen of Death dead in latest Windows 10 preview

"you'll be able to "pause updates on your computer for up to 35 days" and "decide whether or not to include driver updates when you update Windows." This feature will only be available on Professional, Education, and Enterprise editions of Windows."

Its also available on my Windows 10 Home Edition (Anniversary Update) which I decided to try out again last week (just for fun, of course).

The forced update problems are easily solved - install W10, make sure it is activated and has all the drivers installed... then disconnect it from the Internet (Network Adapter disabled in Control Panel) before it installs any other updates and install Linux Mint in a dual boot with all Internet activity restricted to Mint only. Just like I've done with Windows 7 on my other solid state drive.

I also ran O&O's ShutUp10 to disable all the annoying Windows 10 stuff - even if it can't access the Internet I'm sure it'll still keep bugging you about wanting to go online all the time.

The result? A nice, easy to manage Windows 10 installation which doesn't annoy you and can't phone home to MS.

I might do the same thing when the 'Creator's Update' is released in April.

London's Winter Wonderland URGENTLY seeks Windows 10 desk support

Saw this classic comment on the AskWoody site the other day:

"So many users expending so much energy trying to make Windows 10, secure, private and stable… The answer is obvious, but for the few that logic has eluded let me spell it out for you…

W.I.N.D.O.W.S. S.E.V.E.N."

Sums up the entire Windows 10 fiasco perfectly, in my opinion.