Windows 10 computer for $150 (US)
 

I picked up a Windows 10 computer at Best Buy for $150 (US).




It has a quad core atom, and battery life is rated at 9 hours, 1 week on stand by.

2 GB ram, 32 GB SSD storage.

It comes with Win_8.1 with free upgrade to Win_10.

Mine is still loading updates, etc for Win_10, so I have no hands-on experience to report.

I did notice that it is infested with bloatware, so after the updates drizzle in, I'll put on the hip boots and wade in to see what I can remove.

Looks like it's OK for Internet browsing, and word processing, maybe book reading, etc.

Don't expect to edit video.

Best,

-AC

Are you an AARP member¿ Last time I looked, those netbooks were boldly displayed in the center pages of their circular. Lifetime support and help and such included.

After a little use...
 

I've been able to get a few of the problems solved, but not all.

Firstly, I hate Bing. I'm perfectly happy being spied on, and having all of my personal information vacuumed up by Google and having that information sold to the highest bidder, with no limits at all placed on how it will be used, thank you.

I found a page that told how to switch the Bing disease to the Google disease:

I am also astonished that Win_10 didn't come with Notepad. I mean, how tough can that be??

I found an open source replacement called Notepad++ that looks very promising... perhaps too promising, because I may want to find a less capable, and smaller replacement. But at least I have someplace where I can park text.


I also breathed a sigh of relief to be able to get the CMD.EXE icon on the task bar where I can get at it to go in and tweak and peek at the lovely details of basic networking tasks.

One of my objectives in getting this thing is I wanted to be able to use it as a lightweight, portable network tweaking tool. So I'm half way there. It has no Ethernet port, and I have a few USB-to-Ethernet dongles laying about, I just have to see if any have Win_10 drivers available.

Best,

AC

I won't touch Windows 10 with a very long pole

Windows 10 is spying on almost everything you do – here’s how to opt out | BGR

Thanks for this link... But your link is actually a review of another post that has the real guts of the situation:

How To Stop Windows 10's Spying Ads | Rock, Paper, Shotgun

Thanks,

-AC

I think windows 10 is heading in the right direction after the abomination of win 8/8.1, but they should have waited until it was ready before releasing.

Using it on surface pro 3 and battery life is half that of win 8.1.

The bundled mail app is useless, mail with images(junkmail) doesn't render properly with images spread everywhere.
Links within email cannot be opened and i've yet to find a way of copying text from within mail.
For some reason it doesn't show/receive all attachments, only the ones it feels like receiving.

Onenote which was quite useful on win 8.1 doesn't work properly if at all.

The on-screen keyboard rarely opens when selecting a text input box and when it does i get a handwriting input window instead of the keyboard which takes another 2 keypresses to get the keyboard up, select another input box and the same happens again :(

My desktop will be staying on win 7 for at least another 6 months and i'm considering rolling back the surface to win 8.1 before the month deadline expires.
If they can't get it working right on their own hardware from day one then it's not ready!

Steve

All good feedback.

On my upgrade, everything, media player, browser, etc. is infested with user-tracking and advertising. I have found that by following the advice I posted previously (and more that I need to post) it is possible to reduce that.

Also, the invasion of privacy, as stated in the 12,000 word user agreement, is absolutely chilling. I am still working on turning off as much of that as I can. It is even required, to turn off some of the newer features that are intriguing, in order to ensure privacy. But even if you do all that, is it really secure?

The user agreement says very clearly, that they are going to search your computer and its contents, and all the computers on your network, and if they find anything illegal, they will not act upon it themselves, but will turn you over to the local authorities. Orwell couldn't have dreamed up anything as monstrous as this.

In my opinion, the user agreement in Win_10 is the clearest possible expression of the intent of corporations and their declared relationship with the police state. It is also a clear statement of the extent of intrusion of corporate interests. Having averts infest the content of your browser is a real drag, but having your private computer activities continuously monitored, and having the adverts operating inside your operating system, is a whole new level of horrible.

It may be possible to reduce the adverts by purchasing and installing a new copy of Win_10. But that does nothing to address the declared intention to monitor all of your behavior and assess the entire content of your computer and all of the machines connected to your network, and to turn you over to the authorities.

This is the best reason I have ever seen to abandon commercial operating systems (Apple, too) and go open source ASAP, And to use encryption internally and externally and to use a VPN when doing anything on the Internet.


BTW, by removing as many of the intrusive apps as I could, and by turning off all of the 'features' that I could, I have significantly improved the performance of this little computer... privacy concerns are still an issue.

Best,

-AC

Browser Update...
 

I was beseiged with so many various tracking scripts executing all at once, that I was having considerable difficulty even getting EcoRenovator posts to become viewable.

SO I am now trying an open source browser called "D+", which stated that it was 'security enhansed'.

I am amazed by how fast pages are opening, and images are rendering and how No Adverts are showing up.

The browser's rendering engine is funky, but it does point to what is possible.

-AC

I decided that D+ is not developed enough for serious consideratin.

I also tried a browser called Dillo. It is more developed than D+, and has similar rendering characteristics, but it's default browser is Google, by default, and there didn't seem to be any options to change.

Finally I found a browser that looks very promising. It's called Aviator, and it is built from the open source components of Chrome, with all the benefits of current rendering engines. The distinguishing factor is that it is built to maximize security benefit of users rather than the commercial interests of advertisers.

If you become nostalgic and yearn for web pages that load slowly, infested with advertisements, you do have the choice of opting in to tracking and advertisements.

It also it gives you a drop-down menu that allows different search engine choices, such as Google, Yahoo, Bing and DuckDuckGo. If you don't know about DuckDuckGo, it is a search engine that does no user tracking, at all.

Aviator is available HERE

Best,

-AC

That sounds very like the rationale behind Iron which is the browser I have been using for a while now. Had you considered Iron? If so, why did you prefer Aviator? I hadn't heard of Aviator before so it would be good to know if it is worth changing from Iron.

I have been using DuckDuckGo as my search engine of choice for a long time now, and it is usually fine. Very occasionally it can't find what I want and I have to use something else, but that is rare.

SDMCF,

No, I have not heard of Iron, but I'd like to give it a try.

By the way, what operating system are you using??

Have you ever tried using a VPN service?

Thanks,

-AC

I have a number of PCs here with various OSs, for different purposes. Nothing later than Windows 7 though.

I have used a VPN service for working with one particular customer, but I am no expert.

I've got Win10 installed as well. I upgraded then I reinstalled it from scratch. I removed some of the spyware crap but I'm sure there's a ton more.

I heard something about the big brother stuff in the agreement, but wasn't aware of it was quite that bad. I don't understand how they can do that legally. Just because you write something down doesn't mean you're allowed to invade people's privacy.

I think I need to start using some of these other Open source OS's as well as browsers. I use Firefox now with adblock, cookie blockers and ghostery. I run peerblock as well but that doesn't do much.

SDMCF, what other OS's do you use. Would the best Open source OS be linux still? I haven't used that stuff for a long while. We're mostly a MS shop at work.

I have been investigating and using a VPN service for about half a year now, and it is very interesting...

There is a technique called 'geo-location' by which content providers can serve up content tailored to your geographic location. Google uses this technique to an amazing extent, so if you are searching for 'hardware store' it will return information that prioritizes hardware stores in your locale. In that case it is benign.

It can also give you the illusion that you are searching the whole planet for information, when in fact your search field is actually more limited than you may assume. So, VIP services can allow you to choose your location in the world, so that from a server's point of view, you are actually where you have chosen to be. This can open up very promising possibilities if you have an interest in other parts of the world, and what are the cultural offerings, and for me, even more importantly, what is the news content that is available. Of course, if you are convinced that the news we get in the US is the best in the world, this would not be an attractive feature.

I have discovered that there is wonderful cultural content that is available from BBC, that is not available if your geo-location is not in the UK. And if you don't know this, the BBC content that is available through PBS is pre-filtered by BBC (what do they want US audiences to see) and also by PBS (what do they want US audiences to see), so we never see the amazing, rich, and sophisticated content that is daily fair in the UK. This has given me a glimpse into the impact of "free TV", and what a terrific price we pay for it in terms not only of the intentionally deadening effect of continual bombardment of commercial messages, but even more insidious, the invisible censorship wielded by commercial sponsors. If we really had a democratic government that was sensitive to the will of the people, this would not be our fate.

Additionally, as you surely know, VPN uses 'tunnels', which are constantly monitoring for intrusion (and will re-route themselves if intrusion attempts are detected), through which encrypted data flows. One result of this is that your true IP address is impossible to determine.

There are different ways to do VPN, and after some research I have determined that OpenVPN is te best from an ease of deployment perspective and from the perspective of the robustness of the encryption.

Since I have come to realize the extent to which corporations are tracking and recording all data pertaining to Internet behavior and exploiting that data in any way that can result in making money, and also the extent of government intrusion (Snowden revealed that corporations share their information with the government, so it's all the same), even though I am doing nothing wrong, the Constitution did grant me privacy rights, which I am determined to keep.

I also have several computers, and 'Internet devices', some of which are not capable of running a VPN service. So I have found that there are commercial routers which will provide VPN security to your entire network. The commercial VPN routers that use OpenVPN are few in number. A good commercial VPN router should have encryption in hardware, to support good bandwidth.

I have also discovered that certain DD-WRT and Tomato builds are custom firmwares can be installed on select routers. The result is a cheap and effective VPN router. So, I have a hobby of seeking out used routers (usually less than $10) from the 'selection list' and re-configuring them to be OpenVPN routers. I have discovered that since these routers were never meant for VPN use, they don't have hardware encryption. Rather they rely on the CPU to do the heavy lifting. So I am seeking used wireless routers with the highest CPU speed.

VPN processing can consume a lot of the CPU capacity of home routers, and if your Internet bandwidth is high, the homemade VPN router may not be able to keep up, unless your router has a hardware encryption capability. My best DD-WRT conversion is able to support 17 Mbps down, with no crypto chip.

There are certain lower-priced CPUs that do have crypto ability, like certain Atom, VIA, AMD, and ARM CPUs. A bit of sleuthing will tell you which.

There are some projects going on that I am following, wherein people are building their own VPN routers with crypto-enabled CPUs. There are some very small micro-ATX computer boards that perfectly fit the hardware bill. These projects are using pfSense rather than DD-WRT or Tomato.

A lot of people outside the US use VPNs to enable them to see NetFlix from the US, because NetFlix uses geo-location, too. Which means that there is NetFlix content that we don't have access to, either.

There may be some BT activity also, but I can't say for sure.

My favorite VPN service is PIA (Private Internet Access) which is only $40 a year, and they keep NO (zero) records.

Best,

-AC

ROKU with Euronews. It shows the world is going to hell while all the US news is showing is a skateboarding dog and Kim Kardashian :confused:

A man after my own heart.
But have you noticed when watching a PBS program that it starts with a small segment showing what the program is about and then immediately goes to a series of ads for cars, trucks, insurance etc. Oh sorry, they can't be ads because this is commercial free public television. Yeah right :mad:

I am the wrong person to ask about that. My choice of OS is dictated by what OS my customers want to use (I write custom software), so I don't pick them myself, I don't particularly keep up to date with the latest releases and I keep old stuff around so I can maintain/support the software I write. The OSs I rated most highly (when they were current) have been commercial failures and have not been available for years. So you would probably get better advice from a random person on the street.

LOL ok, no problem man. I work in IT, but like I said we're mostly an MS shop here. I talked to my coworker who likes to read about Linux and he said Linux Mint was good. He also said he read Chromium was good as well as Iceweasel (which can only be used on Linux).

Power Tools for De-Crapification
 

I have learned that Microsoft sells "Microsoft Signature" computers. This is a special series that have no bloatware or crapware installed. And you have to pay $200 or $300 more dollars for these 'special computers'. So these bums are making money going and coming. If you build your own computer, or if you completely wipe your computer and install a purchased copy of a Win OS, you will be starting with a faster computer.

You can also send your PC to a Microsoft Service Center to be de-crapified for $99, how kind of them.



M$ formerly published specs telling the world how how much faster their Microsoft Signature computers were than fully crapified computers, but it became so embarrassingly clear what scumbags they actually are that they pulled THIS_PAGE down from the Internet... How ungracious of them to deprive us of that knowledge. Good thing we have Internet Archive to capture those precious memories.


I also ran across a program from THIS_PLACE that has a PC De-Crapifier program that will de-crapify Win_7 & Win_8.1, I'm not so sure if it will work it's magic on Win_10.


HERE IS an interesting piece that discusses how, in Win_10 you can 'Reset' your computer so that it is like new, so you don't have to get an image from MS to do a re-install. I tried it, it worked pretty good, but some of the apps I hate kept coming back and were still there... (come to think of it, I had an X-girlfriend who was just like that...)


I have found some interesting tools and programs that can remove a lot of the bloatware from Win_10. These tools are very powerful and they could cause your computer to cease functioning, so I strongly suggest that you prepare a USB drive that contains a Fresh Install copy of Win_10, as a precautionary backup.


The instructions for doing this can be found RIGHT_HERE.


I found a YouTube video on securing Win_10 that covers most of the security techniques I have learned so far.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cfzWxxDV13w



I also found A PAGE that goes into considerable detail about how to use a Win_10 tool that is already in Win_10. The tool is called PowerShell, which if run as Administrator will allow the removal of quite a few apps that are time consuming or not possible to remove.

PowerShell, when run as Administrator will allow you to type (or paste) the following PowerShell command lines into PowerShell, and hit return, and it does it's magic. I have tried them all, most work, a few didn't and I got messages saying so.

I hope everyone understands that the lines in BOLD are descriptions and the following lines are the lines to be pasted into PowerShell.

(BTW: If anyone is more scripting savvy than I am knows how to chain all of these commands into one script, please post full details, you will be doing a service to the world.)


I also have found a program that is reputed to stop spying and remove unwanted programs.

There's a description of the program (PLEASE READ FIRST) HERE.

And there is a download link for the program HERE.

I haven't tried this program, so I can't vouch for it at this time.


May all of your de-crapifying efforts be successful and bring you improved PC performance, and relief from the relentless advertising Harpies and National Security creeps that think they have a right to invade us, where we live.

Best,

-AC

You know you could just ditch Windows 10 and install Linux. I have Ubuntu on my Laptop and have had 0 issues...

Installing Ubuntu
 

I think installing Ubuntu is a great idea... or any other OS for that matter.

I actually think that the Win_10 is OK. It is over-sized and could be made to run faster, but it's kind of nice.

For me, the biggest problem is that the personal data collection has now reached an Orwellian scale, with data being collected in video form, in audio form, in the text you type, and in all of your Internet activity.


I just found out via a Forbes Magazine post (yes, that Forbes), that M$ has pushed out updates to older Windows 7 and Windows 8, that bestow those OSs with ALL the Orwellian data collection features as Win_10.


So if your Win_7 or Win_8 even has the Win_10 update thingie waiting, you have already been hit.

Luckily, THIS_PAGE tells you how to remove those nasty data-collecting updates.

So folks, it has never been clearer, Microsoft is NOT YOUR FRIEND.


Getting back to Ubuntu... I have been following attempts to convert the little ASUS X205T from Win_8/10 to Ubuntu. So far, as best as I can determine, it's not ready for prime time, the Wi-Fi is not working, and the sound is not working... there may be some other issues also.

So, I am keeping my eye on the situation...

Best,

-AC

I agree. Windows 10 looks cool and is all fancy, but I could do without all the garbage that it uses. It's video player is terrible compared to Win7. That goes for it's picture viewer as well. Edge is supposed to be fast, but I hate how it works. I may switch to Ubuntu or Mint instead. I'm tired of MS garbage.

I have been using Ubuntu or Mint for 10 years now with great success. There are many differences from Windows or Apple but since most everything is browser based now there is no real difference to most people. I still keep a copy of windows in a virtual machine but have been using it less and less.
I was planning to update that VM to win10 until I heard the ugly stories. No thanks.
Most of the ugly stories about Linux flavors are false and since most flavors come as live demos there is no risk to try them. if you don't like one remove the media (DVD or thumb drive) and reboot back to what you had.

That is unfortunate. I forgot to mention, Ubuntu cannot run my laptop screen at it's native (higher) resolution, so I understand. It is possible that the latest Ubuntu fixes that issue, so thanks for reminding me that I need to look into that.

Still on the trail...
 

I am still on the trail regarding Win_10 personal information tracking...

I had a brief conversation last evening, with a fellow I know who is currently (as in 'for now'...) using windows OS (7 & 10) to run applications that require maximum security.

He is the most computer savvy person I know, and even he didn't know about how invasive Win_10 has become. To put it mildly, he was very concerned.

I'll be interested to find out what he comes up with. I'd be surprised if he doesn't jump ship and go with some kind of Linux, or better yet, BSD.

I should report that I have gone through some of the recommended security-insuring lists and have turned "off" as many options as I could and still have my computer run. I have found that some of these settings have ominously re-set themselves to "on".

I'm now in the process of collecting and assessing various tracking tools.

One of them, "Windows 10 Privacy Fixer" triggered a Trojan alert in AVG. Could be a false positive, but I'm in a maximum conservative mode right now regarding my computer, so I dumped it.

But here is a very interesting write up that was hard to find. Especially interesting is in section 4, which concerns,"...remove your Microsoft account from Windows 10 and use a local account instead...".

Best,

-AC