Katherine Albrecht: Windows 10 Is Full Blown Electronic Tyranny

a reply to: MrCrow
Although they can have hidden software (or parts of the software) gathering info, if those send that info then they can be found by "looking" at the network traffic, as even if the data is encrypted the destination cannot be (the modem/router wouldn't know where to send it), so we can always know when something is communicating through the network and the address of the target of that communication.

a reply to: hellobruce

Didn't see it either.

a reply to: ArMaP

Hmm, interesting. So, without constant monitoring though, we'd never really know 100% what is being passed back and forth?

a reply to: MrCrow

True, but it's not hard to automate the process on a specific machine just to see what happens, so anyone with the knowledge to do that (and there are many thousands of people like that) can do it.

For someone like Anonymous this would be easy.

From another Win10 user's observations:
Windows ten spying on every image you look at.



Description:

Every time you open an image in Windows Ten, it informs Microsoft. Creepy as hell and hard to believe, but the packet capture proves it.

I thought at first this might be happening every time you launch a program, which is perhaps marginally better, so I launched some other programs too and didn't observe any traffic. It was only after making this video that I came up with another theory: It does make the suspicious encrypted connection upon launching calculator. Why does MS care how often I run calculator? No idea, but I think it might be something to do with both the image preview and calculator being new 'metro' interface, store apps. It might be that MS simply wishes to be immediately informed every time you run any application. That's not much of an improvement on my earlier 'spy on your images' theory.

originally posted by: Informer1958
a reply to: proob4

I am thinking of going towards apple next, I have not heard any complaints yet, however I have not researched it either. What do you think?

Apple has been a fail since the late 1970's...

Here's suggestion: instead of Windows 10...try Windows Server 2016. It is the same operating system, but, without the crap. As a Microsoft Partner, and software developer, that is what I'll be doing soon...

a reply to: tanka418

The server versions has always been better.

a reply to: ArMaP
That depends on how you define better. If you are running a server with huge resources, that's probably true. However when I tried the server versions on ordinary hardware (a regular PC and not a server PC) it didn't work so well because it didn't seem to be designed to work on such PCs, so it was actually worse on those. Maybe now that home PCs have more resources it won't be as much of an issue unless Windows server 2016 scales up the resource requirements.

It also occurs to me that part of the appeal of Windows 10 is that it's free for many people, and presumably Windows server 2016 won't be? It might be worth the extra money to avoid all the spyware.

originally posted by: Arbitrageur
a reply to: ArMaP
That depends on how you define better.

At least as fast and more stable.

If you are running a server with huge resources, that's probably true.

It was some years ago (it was Windows 2000) and I installed it on my home computer, one I assembled myself but with common hardware.

However when I tried the server versions on ordinary hardware (a regular PC and not a server PC) it didn't work so well because it didn't seem to be designed to work on such PCs, so it was actually worse on those.

One difference between desktop and server versions is that the server versions give priority to the server services instead of giving it to the programs run by the user, if you don't change that then the computer would act slow for the user.

originally posted by: ArMaP

At least as fast and more stable.

And that's the bottom line...

I have sitting next to my desk an old Windows Server 2003 system...don't se it much any more...it's 32 bit, and kind of out of date. It still runs it's original 2003 installation of the OS...and It ran, unattended (for the most part) for over 10 years at a Dallas Server Farm...it was retired and replaced with a Server 2012 system...

And, yes absolutely some of the priorities must be changed to turn a server into a decent desktop...but I've used Server 2003 (different system) for regular development, and playing World of Warcraft...that system was replaced 5 years ago with a Windows 7/Intel i7 machine...now I'm facing the need to upgrade so that I can continue to develop for more modern systems...I'm not at all sure if I like what Microsoft has done to Windows 10...all I can say is that there are parts that do not belong in an Operating System.

I am now hearing a number of people that have bought new laptops with windows 10 are finding it impossible to duel boot them with any Linux OS.

originally posted by: ANNED
I am now hearing a number of people that have bought new laptops with windows 10 are finding it impossible to duel boot them with any Linux OS.

The operating system...Windows 10 can't do that. The loading of the Bootstrap is controlled entirely by the BiOS, neither OS should interfere with that...

a reply to: ANNED

If I'm not mistaken the same thing happened with some Windows 8 notebooks, and it was those that used the new UEFI system (the "secure boot" part) instead of the old BIOS that could give some problems.

a reply to: jude11

People MUST HAVE...And this is what they are banking on. Not intelligence but rather greed, shallowness, apathy and ego.

Thanks to our bonkers economic system based on nothing but rampant consumerism.

What's wrong with Windows 7, or 8? Nothing. Why delete 7 or 8 for 10? Because it's 'new'.

Bonkers, bonkers and thrice bonkers.

originally posted by: ANNED
I am now hearing a number of people that have bought new laptops with windows 10 are finding it impossible to duel boot them with any Linux OS.

Microsoft has to approve of the Linux version before it can be allowed to dual-boot.

Microsoft's Windows 10 secure boot ruling spells trouble for Linux lovers, dual-booters

UEFI or EFI is a replacement for the BIOS, and is controlled by MS. Linux versions now have to be "approved" by MS before they will be allowed to boot. Microsoft subsidizes the cost of the hardware in a PC, one of the reasons why a Wintel PC is cheaper than one that comes with another OS. This gives MS leverage over what freeware (like most versions of Linux) can work with UEFI. In order to obtain the "Designed for Windows" logo, manufacturer's must ship with UEFI secure booting enabled—a move that prevents booting operating systems that aren’t signed by a trusted Certificate Authority.

If you want to run Linux your best bet is probably to run it in VMware, you can even do that from an external disk via USB or a USB drive.

Windows 10 to make the Secure Boot alt-OS lock out a reality

Windows 10 hardware must support Secure Boot and won't have to let you turn it off.

It's a continuation of the program started under Win8: Windows 8 secure boot could complicate Linux installs

“Microsoft requires that machines conforming to the Windows 8 logo program and running a client version of Windows 8 ship with secure boot enabled,” Red Hat developer Matthew Garrett writes on his blog in reference to a recent presentation by Microsoft program manager Arie van der Hoeven. The Microsoft exec notes that UEFI and secure boot are “required for Windows 8 client” with the result that “all firmware and software in the boot process must be signed by a trusted Certificate Authority.”

originally posted by: ArMaP
a reply to: MrCrow
Although they can have hidden software (or parts of the software) gathering info, if those send that info then they can be found by "looking" at the network traffic, as even if the data is encrypted the destination cannot be (the modem/router wouldn't know where to send it), so we can always know when something is communicating through the network and the address of the target of that communication.

ALL of the traffic is between your PC and Microsoft. There is no way to distinguish encrypted traffic to Microsoft that is the result of spying on you versus "normal" traffic to Microsoft. The NSA is obtaining the data from MS, not from you.

originally posted by: Blackmarketeer
Microsoft has to approve of the Linux version before it can be allowed to dual-boot.

Microsoft doesn't have to approve any thing, the OS manufacturer can use a Microsoft key (like Fedora and Ubuntu do) or have their own key and provide the public key to the hardware manufacturer.

UEFI or EFI is a replacement for the BIOS, and is controlled by MS.

UEFI is not controlled by Microsoft.

In order to obtain the "Designed for Windows" logo, manufacturer's must ship with UEFI secure booting enabled—a move that prevents booting operating systems that aren’t signed by a trusted Certificate Authority.

That's true, the manufacturers that want to have the "Designed for Windows" logo must follow Microsoft's rules, but even then they can have the possibility of disabling UEFI, as Microsoft doesn't have a rule forbidding them from doing it.

originally posted by: Blackmarketeer
ALL of the traffic is between your PC and Microsoft. There is no way to distinguish encrypted traffic to Microsoft that is the result of spying on you versus "normal" traffic to Microsoft.

Is all the traffic to Microsoft encrypted?

The NSA is obtaining the data from MS, not from you.

I wasn't talking about the NSA.

originally posted by: ArMaP
a reply to: ANNED

If I'm not mistaken the same thing happened with some Windows 8 notebooks, and it was those that used the new UEFI system (the "secure boot" part) instead of the old BIOS that could give some problems.

i have a ASUS R503U Windows 8 laptop i have spent a year trying to duel boot.
the next laptop i buy will be duel boot before i buy it.

Yes the UEFI system is part of the problem but windows 8/8.1 has a big part of it.

I have been through every duel boot site on the internet and tried all of them trying to duel boot this computer.
nothing works.
I am going to have to wait till the first of the year when i can buy a new laptop that is already duel boot(i will not buy a new computer from a stroe unless the store can duel boot it.)
then i will save all my data to the new computer and wipe the old one and put linux mint on it.

a reply to: ANNED

The problem is that it depends on the computer, only last week we had a problem with a Windows 8 HP laptop and to see if it was a software or a hardware problem I tried to boot from an USB stick with Ubuntu, but before I had to go to the BIOS and disable UEFI.