Windows 10

[mhkohne]

More info -- per RPS, it seems that games bearing certain types of invasive DRM may not work in win10...maaaaaybe good, maaaaaybe bad.

http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2015...c-securom-drm/

I'm more than a little shocked that those titles worked as long as they did. I kind of thought MS would have ended up stomping that kind of thing back in win 7.

Good luck to those who have the old games - re-buying from GOG is at least EASY, but perhaps not cheap.

[lordlundar]

I'm more than a little shocked that those titles worked as long as they did. I kind of thought MS would have ended up stomping that kind of thing back in win 7.

Well technically they still haven't. The reason those DRM systems no longer work is because the Win 10 infrastructure is different and the files aren't compatible. Essentially the DRM is out of date.

[EricKei]

RAM compression in win10...or "Why it takes up so much freaking RAM/so many CPU cycles":

http://lifehacker.com/why-is-windows...ium=socialflow

[EvilEmpryss]

Update on the Win 10 privacy issues:

I found out we have a brand new Microsoft store in one of our malls, so I went there to ask them some questions in person. I was told that it is possible to shut off all communication from your computer to the mothership, but you need to buy Office 365 for Small Business AND have a third party firewall to block the rest of the communication. So, to get the company to stop using the operating system to poke through your files, you have to a) buy more software from the company, b) set up your firewall to block them, c) have chased this information down all over hell and creation, and d) make sure you have someone tech-savvy enough to know what the hell they're doing to know this needs to be done. He couldn't answer what this would do to the functionality of the software, though. As the HIPAA rules go, this is not "reasonable and acceptable".

The guy also tried to reassure me in regards to MS cloud security, claiming it's the same kind of security the government uses to protect their servers. Yeah, the government that has been hacked repeatedly in the last few years? Not comforting.

PS: The Microsoft store was cramped in its layout (a disabled person's walker would have trouble going down the aisles where the different computers were displayed if someone was looking at one -- forget about an actual wheelchair), and they were blasting music in there so loud that staff and customers were having to shout to be heard, making the noise even worse.

[lordlundar]

Uh-huh. Riiight. To shut off communication you need to buy a piece of software (that is terribly overpriced to start with) that requires a constant connection and communication.

Sheesh! I know They're taught to think customers are computer illiterate, but this hits a borderline cro-magnon level.

[wolfie]

I understand that Linux is free, and that the (crowdsourced) authors don't provide tech support, so that there are some companies that survive on packaging a version of Linux for sale and providing support to their customers.

Sounds like there's a niche market for a few tech-savvy people to package a "turnkey" package with a Windows-like interface and the applications a medical office would need (backup software being one of them - with the default being back up to write-once DVDs, and the option to support larger media), along with the guarantee that the OS and applications provided, if installed as directed, won't breach HIPAA.

[EricKei]

Yeah, that's generally how corporate Linux works, AFAIK. Wolfie has a point, it's definitely worth looking into.

Also, I figure there have got to be firms out there that more or less specialize in setting up networks for HIPAA compliance ...I just don't know of any specific ones.

[EvilEmpryss]

There are firms, but they want $5,000-$20,000 to do so, and that's before they charge you for the equipment, software, annual licenses, and maintenance. The best quote we got was for about $3,000 start up with $1,000 per month. For a business with only 8 employees. And they didn't provide all the services we needed at that cost, like encrypted email accounts for everyone.

I found a doc who on his blog outlines some of the issues I've brought up, and points out that these are no threat to his clients because he uses Linux. Well, I know next to nothing about Linux, so the office would be in a world of hurt if they want to go that direction since I'm the only one with any kind of tech knowledge.

[Lovecats]

I just wanted to say that since the last time I posted on here that 10 has been working fine for me. Had to do the fix from Microsoft once. My husband's seems to be working ok now, also.

[EricKei]

Don't get me wrong -- I'm looking forward to actually installing Windows 10. I'm just gonna wait a while and see if solutions come along to these annoyances; I don't like going in blind, as I did with Windows Me. Last time I make that mistake (got a BSOD within 30 minutes of the initial install; I didn't even have time to get all of the Windows Updates!)

Speaking of annoyances, though -- apparently MS has decided to backport some of the questionable security issues to w7 and 8, just so the rest of us won't feel left out. Isn't that sweet of them?

[dbuzman]

That's why I like being in control of the updates. I can decide not to install those if I don't want. I don't think I'll go to Win 10 on this computer at all.

[EricKei]

More of the "in the interests of fairness" stuff -- something good for gamers -- Win8.1 vs 10 game benchmarks

[DGoddessChardonnay]

Even though I'd hidden the icon to upgrade to 10, it popped back up again. Went back in, hid the Windows KB update for it, then it kept nagging me in my head for a week.

Weekend before last, I went ahead and re-installed 10 after hearing about the first two sets of updates that came down (which I think the first time I installed may have had to do w/the hiccups I encountered as it was before the patches came out) and so far, it's been okay.

Went into the settings and adjusted to my liking, and was able to get the pictures folder adjusted and set up for One Drive (first go around I was being plagued by a pop up window about the photos being assigned to a different folder and was requesting I do this through iCloud??? Couldn't figure out why but it's neither here or there now.)

This go around it's running smoother and I think I'm starting to like this more. But we're still going to wait to see if it's really worth upgrading before we do my brother's desktop PC again.

[NorthernZel]

I've just installed 10, and besides a minor 5-second freeze/blackout I've had no issues except for one:

Apparently, it's hard to run Flash- or Shockwave-run things (like, say, Facebook games or video streaming) while using Chrome as the main browser.

For now, I'll just use Edge whenever I need to play Candy Crush Soda or watch a documentary (it runs fine, but a bit slow there - but I blame that on my crappy graphics card, not the OS), anyone knows if there's a fix for it or I have to wait for the next OS update?

[mhkohne]

I've just installed 10, and besides a minor 5-second freeze/blackout I've had no issues except for one:

Apparently, it's hard to run Flash- or Shockwave-run things (like, say, Facebook games or video streaming) while using Chrome as the main browser.

For now, I'll just use Edge whenever I need to play Candy Crush Soda or watch a documentary (it runs fine, but a bit slow there - but I blame that on my crappy graphics card, not the OS), anyone knows if there's a fix for it or I have to wait for the next OS update?

That may actually be chrome, not win10 - Google has recently started not auto-loading flash stuff. It's supposed to start with ads and junk, but no idea how they are supposedly telling the difference.