Don't update Windows 10 today

Got rid of Avast in January after I had problems with my computer -- which I now think was caused by a W10 update.

Did lots of research and it actually seems that many people think NOW the supplied Windows Defender is a decent AV choice. I use that and MalwareBytes. No problems.

Got a Chromebook for my grandparents. They are quite happy with it.

 

Updated to Windows 10, version 1803 on my Asus $99 laptop I purchased 3 years ago. This Atom based PC has only 2GB memory and 32MB emmc storage (non-upgradable), but had no problem updating. After update, erased older version system files. This version is the smallest system file usage so far. I gained almost 5GB of disk space after update. Quite Happy.

 

Thanks for that, I'm thinking of getting a Chromebook that can also run android apps from the Google Play Store.


Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.

 

I did a bit of research before we pulled the trigger on the oldsters CB. The discussion below that I found on Reddit is typical of many that prompted me to spring for CB.


I convinced my wife and her two brothers to purchase the Asus Chromebox for their mother this past December for Christmas.


She had been complaining about how slow her desktop had been for years. Every year we all put money together to update something electronic for her. One year it was a camera, then she lost that camera (lol) so we got her another the next year. Then it was a Bluray player. The computer had been on the list for years.


In my family and circle's I am the "go to person" to fix computer or technology related problems. I never gave my self that title but unfortunately for me I'm stuck with it.


I don't know about you but I can't count how many times I've been asked to "fix", "speed up", or "I think I might have a virus, my computer is so slow can you take a look at it". What I have found over the years is that almost always there isn't a virus. The fix for all of those problems more times than not is you need a new machine. Your Sh** is old. And honestly I just grew tired of getting this from so many "tech illiterate" people.


Windows (I can't speak for Mac) is a pain to maintain. There are a lot of people who would say otherwise but unless you find that sort of thing easy, it just is.


So with all that (hopefully funny backstory) said I wanted to get my mother in law a Chrome device. And like I said we got the Asus Chromebox.


Let me tell you, it is by far my mother in laws favorite device we ever got her. We got it off of Amazon on black Friday. We paid $119.99 US and I bought an extra stick of ram from corsair I believe. That would upgrade the ram from 2gb to 4gb.


She no longer has a slow computer. It boots up in less than 10 seconds. Everything is saved and synced. No windows updates. No fragmented hard drives. No virus/malware. She can still play solitare via a chrome store app. It plays video's great when she sees them while looking at her facebook. The browser doesn't lag and isn't slow. ChomeOS updates automatically and is seamless. I know a lot of people that had their windows machines freeze while on a windows update. Essentially making their computer a brick, until someone like me comes and fixes it for them. If ChromeOS ever gets into trouble, it is as simple as doing a "powerwash" which is basically a factory reset and everything goes back to new. But since everything in ChromeOS is synced, as soon as you log back in everything is restored just how it was.


Chromebooks/boxes come with at least 100gb of online storage and Drive is "mounted" in chromeOS it's self so it acts just like if it were a hard drive in the computer. ChromeOS is incredibly simple. There aren't a lot of options menus. You can't get lost in the OS.


ChromeOS I would argue is amazing for tech illiterate people. I'm far from tech illiterate but ChromeOS has been an absolute breath of fresh air for me as well! There really isn't much of a learning curve, outside of understanding how to install/remove a chrome app or extension.


There are, however, some take-aways. For one you can not install any software like you would on windows or mac. There is one program my mother in law uses and I have found no way of a work around for her and the chromebox. Skype is not available right out of the box for ChromeOS. There is a a work around but requires using a program to convert the Android Version to work in ChromeOS.


I have lots more I could say, but I'm getting the evil eye from the wife, time to get off of Reddit!


I can't recommend a Chromebook/Box more, especially for non tech folks. And is wonderful for us who have to run tech support. Makes our job so much easier! I tell people to first examine their primary needs and research if they can be met with ChromeOS, before buying. Understand it's limitations. If you go into it knowing exactly what you are getting, then it is a wonderful experience.

 

Finally "won" the lottery, got the update tonight. As usual, the notable change: freecell classic deleted, had to reinstall.

 

If you don't put it in a protected system folder, it won't be deleted everytime....

 

It's a Winaero game suite, the traditional Windows games, per Windows 7 and earlier, has an installers, and seems to install the usual manner, and puts the executables in c:\Program Files.

For anyone else interested, there's ONE gotcha: the final page of the install, it displays a (ticked) box, proposing to install some "performance tweaking" program, I always untick that. With every windows update.

So far, two boots, it also turns off both the Windows Defender and BitDefender firewalls. At least it notifies it's done it.

Addendum: I keep choosing the option it presents, to turn BitDefender firewall off. When I check later in Control Panel, it continues to warn all firewalls are off. Joy...

Addendum: BitDefender seems to be saying it's firewall IS on. The width and breadth of my understanding of firewalls could be contained in thimble, so I guess I'll just let everything ride for a while.

 

Microsoft Windows Search Protocol Host seems to be constantly running, top of the list in "memory", which is indicating 55% resources in use, with nothing else active.

Maybe just temporary?

 

Alt Tab (to switch between programs) has reverted from showing compact icons of what's open, back to the default, large pictures, much harder to read. I used to fix that with this in regedit, but it's fighting me, the ability to create a new key greyed out, oh well. My info:

Revert to old alt tab behaviour:

1.Open Registry Editor. (run "regedit")
2.Go to the following Registry key: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer

Tip: You can access any desired Registry key with one click.
If you do not have such a Registry key, then just create it.

3.Create a new 32-bit DWORD value named AltTabSettings and set it to "1".
4.Sign out from your Windows 10 session and sign in again.

 

What's going on with your avatar photo? Why is it soooo long (vertically)?

 

I got a coffee table book, The Earth From Space, with all these fantastic pics. I've taken to taking snaps from it with my cell phone, using them for the avatar. I may dust off and reinstate the ol' maple leaf shortly.

 

Tried this, for the incessant search behaviour:

From:

SearchProtocolHost.exe using 100% CPU - Microsoft Community

In windows 7, just use Windows button and search for 'Indexing Options'. Now click on 'Modify' and uncheck the unwanted options e.g., outlook, any other disk drive, which you don't want to include in search options and close.

Now, the Searchprotocolhost will disappear. Enjoy...

Also, still not sure if I have a firewall...

 

Apparently BitDefender Firewall is on, just bogus report from windows.



What to do when Windows Security Center reports Antivirus, Antispyware and/or Firewall are turned off

My impression of this windows update, the usual: a royal pain in the keester.

 

It's been a while since I've done a Win10 install or update. I remember that there were lots and lots of boxes to UNcheck if I wanted any semblance of privacy.

 

Registry Editor@71. Approach RegEdit cautiously. No safety net for your dancing fingers unless you prepare it.

 

How to make a $5 computer?

Start with $500 computer.

Open RegEdit.

 

What me worry...

 

...showing our egregious lack of an Alfred E. Newman emoji.