I have been running Win 7 Ulti since it came out and never had problems, but I see the light at the end of the tunnel for win 7 and it seems like its a good time to upgrade. I mostly edit video, use lightroom,photoshop, premiere, etc. Games with steam on occasion. MatLab/Solidworks/CATIA aslo. For the past 2 hours I've been reading up FAQ threads, activation threads, custom setups, scripts to remove telemetry, etc. The list of tweaks and fixes you have to do to Win 10 looks immense. I find myself a bit lost in all the options honestly. Evidently, almost every user has it's own preference. I'd like a ''no bloat'' version. Don't plan to use edge or cortana or any of the Ms store or apps (unless removing them creates problems ?) I'd also like to keep my privacy realistically talking. You can get 10 Pro, then run a bunch of scripts and software to block telemetry. O&O shutup 10 seems recommended ? You seem to have to re-run the scripts after every microsoft update ? or is that just the big bi-annual ones ? Use MSMG to disable all features and unwanted apps on 10 Pro before install, but you still have to run scripts and software after ? Enterprise looks good too, but software and scripts need to be run also ? Do I lose needed features as a gamer ? There's also Enterprise LTSB 2016 which seems like a good barebones version, but I've seen threads where people have driver compatibility issues ? I am sorry for the block of text and if these questions have been asked before, but catching up to all the new info since 2012 is crazy.
Definitely Enterprise LTSB 2016 or wait for Enterprise LTSC 2018. Every other edition than LTSB will break the changes you have done to the system after they receive feature updates, LTSB is the only one that doesn't have this problem - it's closest to "vanilla" Windows 7 experience.
Seeing that you stick with win 7 for so long,you can also try win 8.1.Its multimedia capabilities are rock solid & better than win 7(based on madvr & lavfilters threads on doom9).Just install classic start menu & you are good to go.Unlike win 10 the "apps/app store" are not deeply integrated into the os so you can leave them alone or you can uninstall them or remove them using some powershell scripts.I would just leave them alone though.
You can see my answer post #5 of this thread: https://forums.mydigitallife.net/th...-server-for-simple-streamlined-privacy.76774/
Windows 10 pro can be easily made 'nobloat' as ltsb without breaking os integrity. here's how apps are not that bad, and they wont run unless you use them, just make sure you've disabled background apps running in settings. however if they are bothering you, you can use powershell to remove those.(guides are available on google) cortana can be turned into simple search menu.(as ltsb) onedrive can also be uninstalled easily. edge, come on, its good to have a browser just in case. there, i think you just turned pro into ltsb. and its better to use newer windows 10 version bcoz of various fixes and ltsb is old with many bugs which have been fixed in newer windows. and few more things. to stop updates, just set your connection as metered and 'do not' use any 3rd party privacy enhancing tool, they breaks some things. just use privacy option in settings and it have enough options.
Yep good post and agree for the most part. Except LTSB’s bugs have been sorted via updates and I find it the most stable build. Infact the newer versions I find buggier especially on older hardware. LTSB will receive security updates until 2026 but you obviously upgrade to 2019 LTSB when available. And I only recommend WPD because it’s more conservative and not so “over the top” like some of the other third party tools and not everyone knows how to do these things themselves via Group policy, Registry, Powershell what have you. Bottom line is atleast you’re current on the latest OS Windows 10.
3 problems in ltsb which i know have been fixed in newer windows version. 1.usb wifi dongle signal status problem (always full).2. data usage meter doesnt work correctly.3. it doent support multi partition usb drive(only shows 1st partition).. these things i need thats why i've to use newer version. there may be a very long list of fixed bugs and improvements Microsoft made over all these years.
Not sure how relevant to majority of users but still here it is.Win 10(any version) doesn't play nice with hdr & full screen exclusive mode(madvr) for those who are as enthusiastic about their color space & screen calibration as some here are about "testing" & "dissecting" win 10.For this reason alone many "video quality enthusiasts" at doom9 & avs forum won't touch win 10 with a 10 foot pole.
Yes I’m a bit of a home theater enthusiast myself and am familiar with those forums. Madshi still swears by 8.1 I believe. Problem is mainstream support ended in January so will only receive security updates until 2023. At least with 2016 LTSB we have 2019 LTSB incoming possibly later this year or next. Makes it difficult for us consumers unfortunately as we can’t have our cake and eat it too as the saying goes.
For a media pc i think 8.1 with latest security updates is more than enough.In fact anybody who can manage with win 7 features can also manage with 8.1.Win 10 is unavoidable only if you really need some new features missing from 7/8.1.
That’s true of course and 8.1 is the best platform for a media PC but will have to upgrade eventually. No way around that. MS is really forcing the issue with forced upgrades etc. that’s why among other reasons a lot of people are clamoring to disable Windows Update reliably. MS can’t wait to see the back of 7/8.1. People here are enthusiasts and want the latest and greatest. I’m quite happy to be somewhere in the middle on LTSB regarding stability and not having to worry about forced upgrade nonsense. I’ve been fortunate and have had no problems with media playback on LTSB, if memory serves me correctly a lot of those issues were introduced with the Creators Update (I could be wrong about that).
Liquid Atoms There aren't any problems with drivers on Enterprise LTSB 2016 - it's a myth that is being pushed by Microsoft shills, computer illiterates, or people that use LTSB 1507 (outdated version). I work in computer servicing field and i have installed LTSB 2016 for a lot of my clients; i've installed it on many desktop PC configurations, laptops and netbooks (copyright laws are not enforced in Eastern Europe and Russia, so it's a bit of grey area here), all drivers that work on 1703, 1709 and 1803 will also work on Enterprise LTSB 1607. Every Win32 API software also works on LTSB 2016 (Steam games, Adobe products, older retail games, etc). You wrote that you don't intend to use any UWP (Metro) apps, so in my opinion LTSB 2016 would be perfect for your needs. If you want to know how my setup looks like, check my post over here: https://forums.mydigitallife.net/th...ur-windows-10-setup.76025/page-2#post-1415702
doesn't matter what version of window 10 you install, you still get the start menu, system apps, immersive control panel and other stuff.
The only thing about LTSB/C you have to remember is some application software you buy will see this as an Business OS and I have one software that asked much more for it's license compared to Win10 Pro. Therefor I went back to Win10 Pro, but it is a small change running into this - just keep it in mind.
The bloat/security issues keep coming up, a stick thread dedicated to taming Windows 10 home/pro would be helpful.
just some methods to make home/pro no bloat, same as ltsb. and it'll be useful bcoz so many people use ltsb just so they can avoid bloat. no conspiracy here,
I started with Windows 95 and I have used every version of Windows since but I just cannot make the switch to the modern desktops. My first job on a fresh installation is to turn all the modern garbage off and install Classic Start Menu, I would also prefer not to share info with anyone, I dont care what their motives are. This is not about any conspiracy it is simply ease of use and protection of privacy, I run Shutup 10 and some Winaero tweaks but I am not running these things hourly or daily and wearing a tin foil hat.