Changes to Windows 10 update model announced

John WA7UAR

Reported by ars technica on July 24, 2019 https://arstechnica.com/information-t... Quoting first paragraph: “Microsoft outlined new directions for Windows 10's update model in a pair of blog posts. It looks like the company is shifting its twice-annual major release cycle to a twice-annual major/minor release cycle, with major upgrades in spring and minor upgrades in the fall.”

Lee - N2LEE

Joe N3HEE

Steve K9ZW

Michael N3LI

You can pause the updates to give Microsoft the chance to patch the patch that they needed to patch the last patch. 

Michael N3LI

My MacOS install with DogPark is at 100 percent uptime.  We have MacOS users in here, and I don't recall anyone complaining about updates messing up DogPark.

As well,   I cannot come up with a rationale for Windows 10 to have a reason to change the names of audio drivers.

Perhaps my experience is not typical, but having supported Windows since W95, Mac since it's beginning, and Linux since 2011, update problems have been 99 percent Microsoft delivered. What is a bit scary is that the situation is getting worse, not better.

I use W10 because I have to for other work I am doing. Thank heavens for Enterprise version, I have good confidence that it will function at boot time. Other work that I am doing requires a Mac that I can control when it updates. I did have one OSX update that made it a bit jumpy years and years ago, but that was fixed in a day. 

Perhaps I overemphasize uptime. 

Lee - N2LEE

This is also a side benefit of running my SSDR on Windows 7

Steve K9ZW

@Lee - largely staying on Win7 works. 

Are you able to avoid other issues that tend to push us off Win7?  

It is a shame that some productivity software pushes a need to upgrade Windows on us.  

@Michael - what you point out about macOS is why my main machine is an iMac.  It is really the one I consider permanent, as I consider the various Win10, Linux and other machines a bit more temporary or of limited use.

73

Steve
K9ZW

Michael N3LI

I have a conundrum with my Mac. It's a mid 2011, and fell off the update wagon. If I buy a new one so I can run Mojave, the new OS won't run W7.

So the question I will have is if anyone is running Parallels in W7 on a new Mac. I prefer bootcamp but if I have to.....

Maybe I'll retire this one for MacOS and just use it for W7. 

Ted VE3TRQ

Sorry, don’t use Mojave yet, on High Sierra. I do run Windows 7 under Parallels. I have not heard that I can’t upgrade to the next OS and keep Parallels running. I _am_ nervous about the talk of dropping support for 32 bit apps (I just don’t understand why). Edit: Wait! I just read that again: “Parallels in W7 on a new Mac”. Is that what you really meant, Michael if that’s what you really meant (and I didn’t know you could do that), my response makes no sense :-)

John KB4DU

When I started in the computer business in 1978, I was advised that if the system is stable and functions as it should, there is no point in updates.

So I have stayed with win7 and plan to do so for the foreseeable future. Since all this PC does is run the ham shack, there isn't anything in win10 that I want or need. Also, there isn't anything on here that anybody else would want.  Even if ransomed, I would restore from known good backup, and continue, or just reinstall.

KM6CQ - Dan

I believe support ends in January for win 7.

Lee - N2LEE

Dan do you mean from Microsoft ?  I thought they quit supporting Win7 quite a while ago.

KM6CQ - Dan

Dogpark runs fine on my 2015 MacBook. I will probably get one of the new minis for it. I spend to much time fixing windoze issues instead of operating. I am at the point with Windows that if DAX gets to messed up, I blast a new image on the ssd, update Windows then install SSDR. But really dogparks always works, the new minis are what I've been waiting for. So thats the direction I'm heading. I like windoze 10 a lot however, Mac always works. So with Catalina coming out and a new Mac mini, I will have uninterrupted 6600 bliss.

Ed Woodrick

Michael N3LI

As an aside, I believe that the individual user is the final arbiter of their computer's security. More than Microsoft's update process - which if they have to do security updates all the time just shows they aren't doing a good job, it is incumbent for the user to use the tools at their command. While I have AV software, I consider that only partially useful. It stops something after it is already on the computer. 

You need to go after the vector. This means an ad blocker at the very minimum. Ads are a great way to serve up malware. Forbes advertisers have given us the Angler Exploit Kit. This after insisting that people turn off their adblockers.  There are other vectors as well. 

Next on the protect yourself list is script blockers. I use Ghostery myself. helps deny a lot of tracking scripts. You can unblock a script if needed. Mostly though, if a site refuses me, I just figure they really want to place a script on my computer, so aren't trustworthy, and I move on.

And that is why I'm no more afraid to run W7 than I am to run W10. A lot of the bad guys are putting out stuff that a W10 machine can catch as well.  Am I immune? Nope. But I'm pretty safe, which is the best you can hope for. 

Michael N3LI

HA! No problem - and yet, I figured out pretty much  what you meant. 

Michael N3LI

And to me, that's the issue. Time spent messing with my computer trying to fix it just so it works, is a real pain, and I'd rather be playing radio.

Whic brings me back to my constant whining about Flex providing a "FlexRefresh" program for especially the W10 users. 

I don't think the W10 issues are going to go away, and it would be wonderful to have a program that we could run as oftern as we like that will save the profiles if we want, then go scorched earth on the Program, the drivers, Dax and Cat, and FlexVSP. 
Then reinstall everything and reload the profiles, and..... a whole fresh copy of the software, started and running.

I consider starting up SSDR, having something fail, then having to go back and fix things manually, a psychological bad thing. I do it, and still love the radio, but it's too often a "Here we go again!" moment.

Much better for me to run this FlexRefresh program, have a cup of coffee while it's working, then sit down in front of the radio with a reasonable expectation that it will work is a big psychological plus. The only downside is it will reduce the number of "Windows 10 updates wrecked my radio again" complaints, so we won't get to complain about one of our favorite targets. ;^)

Michael N3LI

As an insider, can you give us Microsoft's rationale for renaming audio drivers?

John KB4DU

I don't need or want any of MS updates for win7. The shack computer is not connected to the net most of the time, no MS apps to update. Logging and spots are on the Ipad.