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Microsoft's major Windows update today.
 

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dddd
Joined: 11 Jan 2004
Posts: 3345
Location: NorCal

7/12/17 9:20 PM

Microsoft's major Windows update today.

I had to wait through MS's big update today, took about an hour, and it made changes.
First I noticed memory usage was up from 25% to 30% with no app's running.

I had to end-task of their "Store" and of course Cortana, Skype, etc. as usual.

There is a new security app, "Windows Security Health Service", can't shut that one off!

And lastly, there is a new Microsoft Edge icon annoyingly pinned next to the "new tab" button, no doubt it will open their app unwantedly from time to time.

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Jesus Saves
Joined: 16 Jun 2005
Posts: 1150
Location: South of Heaven

7/13/17 8:26 AM

Windows Security Health Service

I haven't noticed and significant changes myself. I like Microsoft Edge, too.

Give it some time to settle in your system - to scan your computer and update all of the security components.

But if you really must....

https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_10-other_settings/windows-10-creators-update/b29aeb1c-1d03-4008-b2a5-670249f8c73a

Please be aware that if you disable Windows Security Health Service, your PC might malfunction. It notifies you if there is a security threat on Windows. We recommend having a Malware suite. To disable this feature:
Go to Settings.
Click Updates and Security.
Click Windows Defender.
Go to Real-Time protection, Toggle on/off.

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dddd
Joined: 11 Jan 2004
Posts: 3345
Location: NorCal

7/13/17 2:29 PM

Thanks, I wasn't planning on tampering with their security features that I know almost nothing about.
My memory usage is half way back to normal today.
My 3-1/2 year old laptop has bee sensitive to it's memory usage for the last 18 months, the browser freezes up and I have to "end task" for I.E., then it resumes my session upon request when I re-open I.E.
Often it is the arrival of updates that gums up the works until a restart eases the memory load. Yesterday I had to restart three times for updates, the third time was the hour-long ordeal.
I always start my post-restart activities by closing Skype, Photos, Garmin, Cortana and now Store. Cortana needs to be closed eight times in succession as it re-opens itself seven times before giving up.

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Jesus Saves
Joined: 16 Jun 2005
Posts: 1150
Location: South of Heaven

7/14/17 7:37 PM

misc windows comments

The Windows 10 update ran on my computer yesterday evening. It took a little bit longer than most updates - maybe an hour. A big payload I gather. I've used my computer for several hours this evening and there's no sluggishness or difference - business as usual.

My laptop is as modest (low powered) as they come: 1.6ghz Celeron processor, 2GB RAAM memory, 32GB SSD hard drive Lenovo 110S. It suits my needs fine for writing a book - MS Office and light web browsing for research.

All updated version of web browsers are good {Safari, Chrome, FireFox, Opera,etc.}, IMHO. Browsers have matured a lot. However, I recommend Microsoft Edge over Microsoft Internet Explorer (IE). All the new development and support by Microsoft is for Edge. Microsoft hides IE for windows 10. It's on its way out. IE is only kept around to keep corporate intranet websites and applications relying on its components from breaking.

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dddd
Joined: 11 Jan 2004
Posts: 3345
Location: NorCal

7/15/17 9:46 PM

Well, I tried using Edge today, but I found no place to type in a web address so had to hunt/peck around using a search engine.
Also there seemed to be no intuitive way to import my address favorites folder, perhaps I'll have to purchase them at their store that always seems to be operating in the background(?).
Most annoying was the video advertising that opened itself in the middle of the first web page that I visited. I literally had to fine-tune the scroll bar to read around it, while random crackles of sound seemed to be coming through a speaker with a loose wire.
I guess m'soft thinks we should all be using our pc's like they were phones with no keyboard, only poking at it to bring up various app's and scrolling oh-so-delicately to find what we are looking for on the screen.
As a shareholder I am pretty disappointed.

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Sparky
Joined: 08 Dec 2003
Posts: 19068
Location: PDX

7/15/17 11:20 PM

MS will do all the thinking for you. Else google will. Just be a good consumer, go where they lead/send you, and spend... ;)

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dddd
Joined: 11 Jan 2004
Posts: 3345
Location: NorCal

7/16/17 12:11 AM

I hear, and I obey, ...NOT.

Any idea how to get rid of Edge's default un-named tabloid home-page?
The last thing I want to be greeted with first thing in the morning are the faces of Trump, Hillary, et all.
Especially since I have shit-canned the tv set, I realize the inestimable value of almost never having to see or hear them.

I did find the Favorites and settings, so imported mine from IE.
And I can now view videos that appear within web pages, something that my Ad-Blocker was preventing along with the ads.
Looks like I'll need a new ad-blocker for Edge(?). Would be good if I could view videos at least when I wanted to, on demand in real time, and block the rest along with the ads. Tall order, I know.

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Jesus Saves
Joined: 16 Jun 2005
Posts: 1150
Location: South of Heaven

7/16/17 7:32 AM


quote:
but I found no place to type in a web address so had to hunt/peck around using a search engine.



They are one in the same. A combined web address and search bar has become the new de-facto standard design/common practice for all web browsers, by all web browser makers, on all platforms (desktop, smart phone, tablet, etc).

Edge has steadily added new features since its recent birth. Ad blocking is slated to be added.

On the laptop I described earlier, I use Edge exclusively, as I want to conserve disk space and my web browsing needs are modest. For other computers, I use multiple web browsers. They're all free to use, and using them are similar enough (i.e. see search/address bar comment about), that one will suit a particular need for a particular website or instance. [/quote]

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Brian Nystrom
Joined: 26 Jan 2004
Posts: 5096
Location: Nashua, NH

7/16/17 11:20 AM

Not to hijack the thread, but...

...since we're talking about browsers, ad blockers and video, I've run into a frustrating problem recently. I have two computers with the same version of Windows 7, the same ad blocker configured identically. I have the same browsers on each (Firefox, Chrome and IE) with identical versions and configurations. For some reason, one machine gives me an error whenever I try to play an HTML5 video (format not supported).

Any ideas?

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dddd
Joined: 11 Jan 2004
Posts: 3345
Location: NorCal

7/16/17 6:09 PM

Perhaps something like your Adobe Flash Plug-in needs an update (or has been corrupted, which I think is less likely).

There are possibly either audio or video issues that might be involved here.

Good to know that Edge continues to be developed for computer dummies like me to use.

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Sparky
Joined: 08 Dec 2003
Posts: 19068
Location: PDX

7/16/17 6:20 PM

Yeah, I think that is a flash error.

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daddy-o
Joined: 12 Apr 2004
Posts: 3307
Location: Springfield

7/16/17 6:55 PM

Brian: 32bit OS / 64bit OS?
I configured a 32 bit Windows system for a scanning station. The 64 bit was the everyday machine. The motherboard for the 64 bit died so I figured "whatever," use the other one. The 32 bit box does not handle some browser tasks as well, it even blue-screens sometimes, an issue I'd forgotten about. Firefox doesn't really like to use Flash anymore, but you can insist and it will.

Edge browser:
Microsoft has embraced the business model of monetization of user data with Edge/Bing. I don't think it's any more nefarious than Apple/Google product lines. The least they could do is to make Bing better than Duckduckgo (which is great.)

The Vivaldi browser is a decent replacement for Chrome. They have the same roots. Chrome presents YouTube the best, being cousins. But Vivaldi is good too, without the tentacles so far.

How long before Alibaba deploys a browser? Like anyone needs something published by them sniffing around one's privacy.

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Brian Nystrom
Joined: 26 Jan 2004
Posts: 5096
Location: Nashua, NH

7/16/17 6:55 PM

Flash is the same version on both machines

This had not been a problem until a recent Flash update, but I can't say for certain that caused the issue, as there were also Windows updates during the same timeframe.

The only other peculiarity of the problematic system is that the monthly Microsoft "security rollups" always fail to install and I have to manually install the "security update only", which always works.


Last edited by Brian Nystrom on 7/16/17 7:00 PM; edited 1 time in total

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Sparky
Joined: 08 Dec 2003
Posts: 19068
Location: PDX

7/16/17 6:59 PM

I had this problem a few weeks back. I can not recall what I did specifically to fix it. It may come to me...

Codecs not up to date for that browser maybe?

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dddd
Joined: 11 Jan 2004
Posts: 3345
Location: NorCal

7/16/17 8:02 PM

I'm thinking that one of Brian's machines might have an older video card that is somehow insufficient in terms of it's software, firmware or some such algorithm support. But aren't there software/driver updates/fixes for those things in most cases?

Then again, it's probably just some "setting" that needs adjustment.

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dddd
Joined: 11 Jan 2004
Posts: 3345
Location: NorCal

7/16/17 10:05 PM

An annoying Edge feature just popped up, seems that one cannot right-click on a photo or link to access it's properties. Instead, there is some "ask Cortana " bologna.
So how to capture a web jpg photo's address?

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Brian Nystrom
Joined: 26 Jan 2004
Posts: 5096
Location: Nashua, NH

7/17/17 5:09 AM

One of the first things...

...I did with my Windows 10 machine was to remove Cortana, change my default browser and delete the Edge icon so I would accidentally click it. From there, it was time to install Classic shell and delete all of the tile crap that I didn't need and will never use.

I can't stand it when MS tries to force me to change the way I use my computer. It's not their f-ing decision to make.

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Sparky
Joined: 08 Dec 2003
Posts: 19068
Location: PDX

7/17/17 9:01 AM

Remove cotana?

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daddy-o
Joined: 12 Apr 2004
Posts: 3307
Location: Springfield

7/17/17 11:37 AM

So how to capture a web jpg photo's address?
A lot of times that's javascript blocking the right click.
One way to get what you want uses the ability most browsers allow for the source code to be examined. In Firefox CTRL-U or Tools>Web Developer>view source. (I guess it's about time for me to explore Edge.)
Take note of some fairly unique word near the photo and search the source. Nearby is often a photograph anchor. With any luck the photo will be named something descriptive and not like ~~"192837467382.jpg" Copy/paste into the addressbar to see. You can look for jpg, png, gif, etc also, depends on how many graphic elements are on the page.

I might get down on Edge, but I recognize it is a major dev effort for Microsoft. The only times I use it now is to explore the Microsoft website. Same with Chrome and YouTube. But Bing is so awful. "What color is the sky?" Bing: Ralph Lauren's new women's fragrance.

Yeah, "remove cortana?" I just hide it as well as I can.

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Brian Nystrom
Joined: 26 Jan 2004
Posts: 5096
Location: Nashua, NH

7/17/17 12:43 PM

I should have said "disable" not "remove"

Frankly, I don't recall exactly what I did.

I don't want to or need to talk to my computer; I have enough bad habits already! And I definitely don't want it talking back to me! ;-)

Stock Windows 10 is basically a social media platform hiding an operating system underneath. I strip away as much of the surface crap as possible, so I can actually get something done without having to wade through it.

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daddy-o
Joined: 12 Apr 2004
Posts: 3307
Location: Springfield

7/17/17 4:34 PM

I was hoping you had a method to do something more. Right click and hide Cortana is all I do, well that and any tile deletion/uninstall to declutter. There are so many undocumented connections I can't recommend doing anything more than methodically stepping through settings and turning off reporting and feedback. The classic shell gets good reviews. I can't take credit for this one: Social media is where attention spans go to die.

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Sparky
Joined: 08 Dec 2003
Posts: 19068
Location: PDX

7/17/17 6:00 PM

You can stop the Cortana secondary app, I forget what it is called.

__________________
It is actually pretty straightforward to disable Cortana, in fact, there are two ways to do this task. The first option is by launching Cortana from the search bar on the taskbar. Then, from the left pane click the settings button, and under "Cortana" (the first option) and slide the pill switch to the Off position.

The second option is by launching the Settings app and on Privacy, go to Speech, inking, & typing, and click Stop getting to know me.

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daddy-o
Joined: 12 Apr 2004
Posts: 3307
Location: Springfield

7/17/17 7:23 PM

Cortana's been hidden but I wanted to follow your suggestions. Over time on this laptop I've discovered clicking both mouse buttons at the same time brings it up. I checked the settings-gear and discovered "use with lock screen" was still on.

You know, with Microsoft's Win-10 history of update shenanigans it would probably be a good idea to tick through all the settings just to make sure they weren't updated back to the default too. Re: The the title of this thread.

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Brian Nystrom
Joined: 26 Jan 2004
Posts: 5096
Location: Nashua, NH

7/18/17 5:11 AM

Use Spybot Anti-Beacon, too

It shuts off all of the Win 10 spyware.

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Steve B.
Joined: 19 Jan 2004
Posts: 769
Location: Long Island, NY

7/18/17 3:15 PM

My home laptop with Win 10 updated at some point, its scheduled to to it at 2AM.

Never noticed till I read this thread.

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