Beware - the latest Windows 10 "update" screwed up my computer.

[FuzzyRabbit]

Thanks Microsoft.

Without asking and without my permission todays "update":
1 - replaced my desktop picture. Won't let me put my old one back up.
2 - uninstalled a legal, legitimate game program, and who knows what else
3 - changed the desktop icon fonts
4 - added a "people" icon to the taskbar.
5 - rearranged desktop icons
6 - removed all my system restore points so I can't restore my computer back to the way it was.
7 - and who knows what else I might discover?

So I will probably wipe my hard drive and install a copy of Windows 7 from a disc that I still have. My next computer will not be a Windows machine. I need to be in control of my computer.

[elleng]

1. Thanks, been avoiding it.

[brush]

2. Uh-oh. You're about to re-start the Mac/Windows wars.

Come on over from the dark side.

That stuff never happens on Macs.

[FuzzyRabbit]

3. All my software programs are for Windows.

That stuff never happened to me with Windows until now. Windows 7 looks to be my best bet, at least for the time being.

Besides, Macs are not real computers. That's what my friend who works for Microsoft told me.

[CountAllVotes]

4. Bought a new open box computer w/Windows 7 on ebay

Would highly recommend the Acer Veriton. I bought this one for $380 on ebay last year w/Windows 7 Pro on it.

Not a single problem w/it.

I have one with XP on it as well (still works but out-of-date) which is also an Acer Veriton that I bought in 2008 -- ran that machine for 9 years without any serious problems either. Paid abt. $500.00 for this one as well.

Best of luck & sorry to hear abt. your problems w/Win 10.

[brush]

8. I like your little winky emoticon at the end there, but if you ever get ready for...

a...ahem...r-e-e-a-a-l computer, try gainsaver.com.

They've got refurbished Macs of all types from laptops to desktops and pads at half and even less the price of new ones. You can even add as much memory, warranties and additional drives that you want.

I'm typing on one I got from them right now, no issues with it.

Sorry about what happened.

And btw, I've worked on windows platforms also. They're pretty similar to Macs now.

[FuzzyRabbit]

9. Thanks for the gainsaver.com suggestion

[TheBlackAdder]

6. That's not what the Zone of Tech folks on YouTube say. Many bugs with Macs, just suppressed.

With hardware issues, if not returned within the 14-day period, you're essentially fucked.

[brush]

18. You've been misinformed. I've Macs for 25 years and that's never happened.

[TheBlackAdder]

23. And I have Macs, Windows and Linux systems. Just because you have happy times doesn't make it false.

[brush]

24. Ok then, describe this alleged 14-day period you talked about and how you handled it.

[TheBlackAdder]

27. For someone with so much Mac experience, you seem to not know basic Apple store policies.

[brush]

30. Because I've never had a problem withany Mac within 14 days of buying it.

But pls, give it a rest, the Mac v pc thing is old, old, old.

I don't wanna play. Both platforms are pretty similar nowadays.

[hunter]

14. When a Mac goes bad, you buy a new one, right?

That's what it looks like to me, living as I do in the land of Linux and salvaged computers.



For people who have basic computer needs (no Photoshop, no Excel spreadsheets finely honed over the years, etc.), for anyone who wants to avoid bleeping computer problems, I heartily recommend Chromebooks.

Microsoft, Apple, and Google are all "the dark side." Pick your poison.

One of the sunny spots in my computer world is a $35 Raspberry Pi running Raspian, one of many Linux variations. My desktops are Linux machines as well.

[brush]

16. When a Mac goes bad you take it to the Apple store and they fix it for free.

I'm in graphics so I need Photoshop and Illustrator and other memory hogging programs.

What you describe is great those who don't need much memory.

[Egnever]

20. when a pc goes bad they fix it for free too :P

you just pay when it breaks instead of when you buy it.

[brush]

21. Don't think Apple stores work on PCs

And most Mac veterans know about gainsaver.com and others.

Not really trying to start a Mac v PC thing again. They're all pretty similar nowadays.

I do like the Apple will fix Macs for free.

[Egnever]

25. as if there arent refurbished PCs?

and apple stores don't really work on much. If there is any real issue it is sent off.

Also the apple store does not fix the refurbs free. Hell it doesn't really fix anything else free either.

https://support.apple.com/mac/repair/service

And really the prices they do charge are pretty similar to what it would cost to repair the same issue on a PC even if you have apple care. Actually if you don't have apple care the prices are more than you would or should be paying to fix the same issue in a PC.

90 percent of the time these days the issue on any machine is the drive going bad. Anything beyond that in a win 10 machine can usually be solved by doing a reset if you don't want to or can't just clean it up. Mac PC linux doesn't really matter. There isn't a huge variety in drives and so mac or pc chances are pretty high you are using the same drive.

Most folks replace the pc when it is getting slow when they could usually just replace the drive and be right back in business. I have piles of old pc's sitting in my garage that just need a new drive. I give them out to kids as I hear needs of them after i replace the drive and they go on typically for years after that.

Macs are nice machines but then so are similarly priced and sourced PC's use what works for you I am a gamer and a tinkerer so macs are not really an option for me. Not to mention I build my own machines so OS really can be whatever flavor I feel like using.

[brush]

28. Misinformed. I had refurbished Macs repair for free at Apple stores. They don't ask where...

bought it.

But come on. We were just joking about restarting the Mac v pc controversy.

They're all pretty similar now...except that getting fixed for free thing.

[Egnever]

29. So the price list pulled from their own website is fake?

[brush]

31. Not aware of any price list. Going from my experience only. They've fixed my issues for free...

by appointment even.

But pls, stop with the Mac v pc thing.

It's old, old, old.

We were just joking about restarting the Mac v pc thing.

Both platforms are pretty similar.

[Egnever]

33. The price list was in the post you replied to.

Calling me misinformed.

Here it is again.

https://support.apple.com/mac/repair/service

Pretending macs are fixed free is misinformed. In the past perhaps but not anymore. Hell now you pay for cracked screens even if you have apples add on protection on Iphones.

https://support.apple.com/iphone/repair/screen-damage

While $29 is not ridiculous for a cracked screen when you consider that is after you bought the insurance it is pretty gross when the support plan cost the balance of that repair cost to begin with. Basically you are paying up front in case you crack your screen.

So with apple care they may fix it for free but really you already paid for that repair. Just like when you purchase the machine in the first place. Unless you buy refurb but even then you are paying the service fee upfront when compared to a pc with similar hardware that is also a refurb.

No real war here just push back on the apple mythology. They are solid machines but then pretty much any machine is solid these days as long as you don't buy the cheapest thing you can get your hands on. Many people that have issues on the pc side have them because they purchased under powered equipment in the first place. That is definitely an issue on the pc side. You can absolutely purchase a machine that does not have the oomph to run windows right from the start and it will be nothing but a problem for the entire time you own it.

That issue is certainly avoided with a mac but it comes at a cost and if you bought that cheap pc it was the cost that drove you there in the first place so the mac was never an option to begin with.

[brush]

35. Still not getting it. I'm not playing Mac v pc. It's not the '90s anymore.

[Egnever]

38. Then don't bring the 90s Mac mythology

Nothing wrong with Macs but they don't come with free repairs or free anything. If they are under warranty sure but free repairs under warranty is standard for first year on any computer you buy.

[doc03]

5. It has my internet working slower than when I had dial-up. I am unable to

access my e-mail on Comcast. Luckily I have another laptop I am using now.

[procon]

7. I'm good so far. Everything looks copacetic with no noticable differences.

I agree, about MS pushing out these updates without an advance warning or offering users the option to do a backup and set a restore point, or schedule it for later if you're working on something important and can't risk a tech problem in the midst.

[Egnever]

17. There is plenty of advanced warning.

people just don't pay attention to it. They telegraph these patches for weeks. It is a sign of how smoothly it usually goes that no one cares they are coming.

I get the resistance to change but as someone who works on these things for a living trust me 10 is a far superior OS to 7 when it comes to your typical user. The amount of infections I see on a daily basis went down dramatically with 10. Not to mention the ease of resetting it should something go wrong.

Sometimes patches break things in the world of the PC with endless combinations of hardware. I know it sucks when it bites you but the vast majority of people have little or no problems.

The idea mac has no patch issues is a an old wives tale at this point and for them there is little excuse as they control all of the hardware.

https://www.theverge.com/2017/12/2/16727238/apple-macos-ios-software-problems-updates

Just one of the many issues they have had.

There is no perfection in the computer world but todays OS's on any side are far superior to anything before them when it comes to stability and security.

When it comes to backups this is something everyone should be doing regardless of OS if your data is important to you, and again today there are a wide variety of easy options for doing that.

[procon]

22. Telegraph? No wonder I missed the advanced warning! 🤣 nt

[Egnever]

26. .

[earthshine]

10. It's important to have clone backups of your system's boot drive.

Anytime a Windows update (or other software installation) goes wrong, I don't even bother with system restore. I just take last week's clone, and start from there.

I only run Win 8.1 on my production systems. No 10.

On other, lesser systems, I use a neutered version of Win 10 Pro. I have turned off the Windows Update service on these systems.

I rather hate Windows 10. I think of it as Microsoft's attempt to outdo Google in spying on us.

[Skittles]

11. that desktop pic

is it a lake that looks all nature but you can see a freaking BACKPACK in the foreground?

[ucrdem]

12. oh yeah the drowning pool

Very weird. Gives me the creeps and keeps creeping back. No biggie but I like the red biplane and wish it would stay put.

[BigOleDummy]

13. No problems

No problems at all here. I highly suggest a malware/virus scan if THAT much changed after the update. The main reason I say this is the missing restore points. What antivirus do you use?

As for Desktop picture go to Settings > Personalization > and then...... well choose whatever picture you like. If you're talking about the Bing Homepage that changes periodically.

Not doubting you, but I've NEVER seen any update change fonts. Do you use a third party shell extension? If so, then maybe that's the cause.

No People icon for me either, and have never heard of it being added. Again, do you use a third party shell extension? It should be easily fixed by going into Settings > Personalization > Taskbar.

At the risk of being redundant , I strongly urge a very through malware/virus scan. More than one actually as no single Product is foolproof.

[hunter]

15. I agree.

This sounds a lot like malware.

But Microsoft does break things.

The maker of Classic Shell has abandoned it as of December 3, 2017, partly because Microsoft keeps breaking it.

[Egnever]

19. The latest update did add a people icon to the task bar

and it is actually pretty useful if you tie your contacts into it.

You are right with the font change and background change though. Sounds like some third party stuff may have been making those changes.

I understand people being disturbed by the big change in the start menu with 10 but really once you get used to it I find it far more useful than the previous start menus. The cortana box makes getting to anything dead simple all by itself.

[FuzzyRabbit]

37. Scanned the day before, and twice after the update with two different programs.

No problems found.

I got my desktop picture back. Yesterday after the update the "choose your picture" option would not list .jpegs. Today it does.

I still don't understand the update uninstalled my game program. It was a third party program.

Anyway, the machine seems to be OK for now.

[saidsimplesimon]

32. Thank you

It's a HACK? Mr. Gates, step up to the plate. What the F are you doing to protect your investment?

(My PC has gone wild..clocks promising updates...) Glad to hear it is not just moi.

[Egnever]

34. you should be able to reset it

by going into recovery and choosing reset this pc. you can have it keep your data and at the end it will be a clean instal with your data intact.

You will need to reinstall any software you put on but it should fix any issues.

[left-of-center2012]

36. My Win 10 updates automatically

It doesn't give me a choice
or tell me what it's doing.

[Brainfodder]

39. That doesn't sound right at all!

Have you scanned for Viruses/Malware/rootkit lately?

I advise you to call Microsoft, some of those don't sound right, at all, for an update.

-B