Indeed, wise old man are you...

I used this page:

http://www.askvg.com/how-to-remove-ge...

and Registry Tweak 2: Disable OS upgrade.
They had several ways, which I appreciated, I was not into creating new registry values like some had. Number 2 seemed the easiest reg change.

This reminds me of working for the Alabama Department of Corrections during the 90s when I was presented with the preferable option of having my paycheck instead electronically transferred into my checking account.
Knowing that outfit like I did I just knew there would be growing pains.and screw-ups.
Really needing to be paid without a hitch every two weeks, I decided to wait a year.
During that time I heard coworker moans and groans about glitches and snafus while I kept collecting my paper check without a hitch.
A year later I went electronic and never had a problem with my pay landing in my checking account.

I'm older than many of the now-senior government officials who make decisions about acquiring computer systems, and I'm appalled at how incredibly ignorant they are. Of course it could be that they're corrupt, taking bribes of one form or another from the firms they award contracts to.

Dell did a real sales job in Washington, convincing the Pentagon and the intelligence agencies that the risk of security issues was small compared to the increased inventory of computers they'd have by going to a Windows PC as the platform of choice. The result was a security disaster. Most of the analysts had both a classified and an unclassified PC on their desk, just like the one they had at home, and many of them wanted to bring in CDs with their favorite music to play on their work machines. Viruses spread like wildfire, and until the CD/DVD drives on the classified systems were locked, even they were hit.

During the resulting scramble to try to fix the problem, I suggested they ditch Windows, and go with Linux, as it had most of the security strengths of Unix, a Windows-like interface, and would work on the PCs. Microsoft got wind of the Linux rumors, and cranked up their lobbyists to torpedo any move in that direction.

The other change in operations that leaves government computers wide open to hacking is the use of commercial software. When I ran a classified computer operation, the rule was that we had to have a physical audit of the source code, so we could uncover any possible security problems. Commercial software source code is proprietary, meaning that government security teams can only perform a functional audit, denied any view of code. That makes it easy for hackers to plant invasive code in commercial packages.

While true, a lot of other things come into play, such as compatability with some programs. You are correct in your overall analysis, except the Front end cost is what stops most people. MS's real issue is piracy, which they have never been able to solve successfully, and the Chinese basically flipped them off and pirate huge amounts of software. The ineffective government and cozy relationships means MS was powerless to stop. A Nifty bug would be to send out an update that verifies it is a real copy, or crashes it, that might get some attention. But then, their updates tend to do that already...

Indeed, a modified, security OS is what they should use, but the government "managers" probably couldn't imagine such a beast, and would spend billions making it, and even then it wouldn't work. Sort of like Microsoft. Business imitating government...

Yep, a good plan dino. I waited 2 years before Win7 and it has been an easy system to work with, the new UFEI Bios on motherboards is more problematic, they tend to eat hard drives and rearrange them at random points. Win 7 is the most stable one of the crowd, so I hope they don't mess it up...

Good points, it seems the verdict is in. If they resolve the privacy issue and figure out how to test updates before ramming them, I would reconsider, but they seem to have no urge to do so yet.

Underwood 7 with the firefox plugin would be better, too.

I have no idea what this is all about. I have been working with my Mac for 25 years and never had a problem with the OS as described.

I've been using open source software on my Mac for over a decade, with no adverse consequences. I find Apple's imitation of Microsoft Office pathetic next to the OpenOffice family, and prefer Firefox to Safari, just to name a couple.

Apple does get pushy about using the iCloud feature for both home computers and iPhones, but I just ignore them. I keep my backup local, and limit the use of my smartphone to making calls and sending text messages - no music, video, or games. With my background in the intelligence community, I trust no one else with my data, and seem to be relatively insensitive to the alternately seductive and domineering pressures demanding I become more "sharing".

What confirmed my decision to stick with the Mac was watching the catastrophe the intelligence community had brought on itself when they decided to replace their Unix machines with Windows PCs. Security patches were required on a bi-weekly basis, and their computer security workforce quadrupled in size. Since OS-X is Unix-based, it's much more resistant to damaging hacks.

She seems to have it down. I hate using her computer.

Doc, I think it is not just that, but the huge costs involved as well, and the flip side of "you will use what Apple tells you too" mentality. Apple is almost as bad as MS in its approach, they are hugely proprietary, so they practice a form of blackmail: "You want good software and no virus run only our stuff at our prices". So They are not angels wither. There is a lot of good stuff in the MS world, if they just followed the Hippocratic Oath...

I have one laptop on Win 10 and the only reason I upgraded was because it was a Win 8 when I got it and I hated Win 8. All my other computers are Win 7 and will stay that way. 2 laptops and 2 desktops (self built) along with a NUC ( bare bone, self built). I am moving to Belize later this year and the infrastructure down there is very basic, I could not get the Win 10 laptop onto the internet down there. The company said they would not be able to allow Win 8 or Win 10 computers on their network until around 2017. So, not everyone gets to partake in Microsoft's domination of the computer software world.

The wonderful world of windows, and when their screwy patch inhibits you from lging on (since all you have as a windows login in the future) then you get stuck, because MS Help wants 75.00 up front to talk to you because the EULA specified they had no obligation to fix anything they break and can we have your social security number?
Nope, in 2 years or so, maybe they will have hacked out all the secrets of why MS was giving away a thing, and what we were giving back. I am sure it is our privacy and they have it in their EULA that you have no such thing. Better to wait for 2020 and re-evaluate.

They've hit two problems. One is that most users don't like the tiled interface (I'm one of them). It's confusing even to savvy users. The second is the use of the Windows Live login to get to the OS at all. Sorry, but I'm not going there. I refuse to have Microsoft control whether or not I can use my property.

I have one Windows 7 PC (self-built) and one Windows XP PC (also self-built) and they're what I'll continue to use for some time.

Yes. That was one aspect (being tied to Windows Live login) that made me put my foot down and say absolutely not interested. I also can't stand the tiles in Windows 8 or 10.

MICROSOFT: LEAVE THE FREAKING DESKTOP THE WAY I WANT IT!

Fedora Red Hat is getting closer... =) Bye-bye MS.

The steps below work so far to block W7 downgrades to W10. What is your registry change?

suppress display of W10 update popup notices in Windows 7:
....control panel > all control panel items > notification areas icons
..or
....right click taskbar > properties > customize
then
......."GWX Get Windows 10" - "Hide icon and notifications"

to remove KB3035583 "update" pushing W10:
....control panel > all control panel items > programs and features > installed updates
........"Upgrade for Windows 7 for x64-based systems (KB3035583)"
............right click > uninstall

to view update history
....control panel > all control panel items > windows update > view update history

hide KB3035583 "update" to prevent future "offer"
....control panel > all control panel items > windows update > select updates to install
........important
............"Upgrade for Windows 7 for x64-based systems (KB3035583)"
............right click > hide update

prevent silent automatic updates -- notification only, to choose updates installed
....(updates are normally released on the second Tues of each month)
........control panel > windows update > change settings
............notify important updates
............notify recommended updates

Your wife should upgrade her W8 to 7.

That will work, but the fix I found also had you do a reg edit to disable OS upgrade. Maybe they have some other thing they do to trigger it, who knows, they are being sneaky with this whole upgrade thing...

Apple actually has Linux in the background. Windows has been tricking people into using it...so many updates, pataches, security updates, software and hardware issues, yet people keep getting/using it. People are lazy and yet complain.
What would Atlas do???

Go for it you will not be sorry. I spent months procrastinating the change but now I wait for the day I can totally dump Windows. I have two programs which must use Windows and one is for my finances. But Linux is catching up.