Windows 10 and mandatory updates

[Reefmagnet]

Originally Posted by autumnbreeze27

Outlook 2010 certainly has no issues with 5000 emails in any one folder. I have 17k emails in one folder and it's fast. Outlook 2010 has a default maximum PST size of 50GB. I do not encourage you to have big PST files, but I have customers with 20-40gb PST files and they work just fine.

More than likely you would be very pleased if you upgraded your notebook's hard disk to a SSD, and maybe the TLC of an IT professional.

Like most things everyone has a different opinion so it's best to just let it rest with a reference to the relevant MS KB: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/2695805

Pelagic mentioned "corporate version" of Outlook and the fact he is having issues. This implies he is possibly connected to Exchange server which does indeed have limits which are related to synchronisation. In this case, I've always found this to be the more relevant MS KB document: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/905803

[Pyxis156]

Originally Posted by Reefmagnet

Like most things everyone has a different opinion so it's best to just let it rest with a reference to the relevant MS KB: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/2695805

To be fair, the first KB article you reference states (emphasis added):

"When you use Outlook 2010, the following .ost size guidelines generally apply:

• Up to 5 gigabytes (GB): This file size should provide a good user experience on most hardware.
• Between 5 and 10 GB: This file size is typically hardware dependent. Therefore, if you have a fast hard disk and lots of RAM, your experience will be better. However, slower hard disk drives, such as drives that are typically found on portable computers or early-generation solid-state drives (SSDs), experience some application pauses when the drives respond.
• More than 10 GB: When the .ost file reaches this size, short pauses begin to occur on most hardware.
• Very large (25 GB or larger): An .ost file of this size increases the frequency of short pauses, especially while you are downloading new email messages. However, you can use Send/Receive groups to manually sync your mail."

Originally Posted by Reefmagnet

Pelagic mentioned "corporate version" of Outlook and the fact he is having issues. This implies he is possibly connected to Exchange server which does indeed have limits which are related to synchronisation. In this case, I've always found this to be the more relevant MS KB document: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/905803

Also to be fair, the KB article you reference here is for Exchange 2000/2003. The current version of Exchange is 2013 and the 2016 version is due out this fall. A lot has changed in Exchange in the 12 years since the 2003 release.

As a data point, I run Exchange Server / Outlook 2013 for our company and we do not impose limits on our users mailboxes as we feel they should use Outlook in the way they are most comfortable (and presumably most productive). This leads to some users having huge inboxes (30,000-50,000 emails) and mail files (> 50GB) and I never get complaints about performance. They simply search for what they are looking for in the inbox and shortly they get the list of emails. We also have users that are extreme organizers and have hundreds of subfolders under their inbox where they file every email once it has been dealt with. Performance seems fine for them as well. Several of our employees travel extensively and use ungodly slow hotel connections for access (what can people possibly be doing in the evenings that suck up so much bandwidth??? ), similar to what a satphone connection would provide both in throughput and latency. In this case, performance is slow but consistent as the connection mechanism Exchange / Outlook uses is fairly robust and takes into account the quality of the connection.

I do agree that the single biggest performance improvement you can provide your aging computer is replacing the hard drive with an SSD and both personally and internally at our company we have seen dramatic increases in perceived performance with this upgrade. One way to see if you would benefit from an SSD upgrade is to try to determine where your performance bottlenecks actually are. While using your computer, open the Task Manager (or some utility that shows CPU/Memory/Disk Access performance if you are using an OS version that is pre-task manager) and keep an eye on it while you are working. When you feel your system is lagging, odds are your CPU will seldom get over 50% while you will see your disk access (and especially disk response time) close to peaked out. This is a sure sign that your computer's overall speed isn't the issue, but your disk access is the bottleneck. You may also see memory access issues (access latency) if you only have 1-2GB of RAM, but this manifests itself in the system monitor as both slow memory access AND the hard disk thrashing since your computer is using the hard disk to swap out pages of memory, so don't let a busy hard drive fool you if you don't have much memory. In this case, a memory upgrade will definitely net you a bigger bang for the buck than a new hard drive. Please note that not all older laptops have the correct interface for an SSD drive, so this isn't a sure-fire upgrade path for everyone.

Last but not least, one way around the whole mandatory update issue is using a firewall on your metered (satphone / SSB, etc.) connection. Essentially, this is a box that goes between your computer(s) / cell phone(s) / tablet(s) and your modem / satphone and restricts traffic to only those things you want to allow. For example, it is a simple matter to lock it down so requests for updates to Windows simply don't go through. Case in point, I used a RedPort Optimizer helping a friend move his sailboat across the Atlantic and he had a satphone connection for downloading email and weather. He was constantly complaining that his crew and guests would connect their cell phones and tablets to his WiFi (which he was fine with in port using a WiFi booster) to get their personal stuff, but when underway it used the satphone connection and it was costing him a fortune. He would shut things down to discourage this activity, but that was a pain since someone had to know what they were doing and the proper sequence for firing things up in order to get things working again and it made it difficult to get weather updates or deliver important emails (i.e., his email! ) whenever they wanted. I installed the RedPort and it worked exactly as advertised, and no more huge satellite phone bills but the owner had unrestricted access and the crew could get weather whenever desired. This would be a perfect solution to not having Windows (or any other software you might be running) do things you don't want while still being able to take advantage of the benefits of the new OS. Setting up the firewall requires a little computer knowledge, but certainly no more than someone wanting to run *nix on a computer would need and once configured is pretty much a set-it-and-forget-it deal. The firewall units I am familiar with come pretty much locked down out of the box and provide the information needed for opening ports for services you would commonly want to enable.

Sorry so long winded, hope this helps...

[Pyxis156]

Originally Posted by Pelagic

For me the biggest issue is the years I have invested in organizing MS OFFICE especially OUTLOOK (Corporate Version) ..... so that I can quickly research past email conversations linked to different project files going back to the 90"s.

Presently using Win 7 on a 4 yr old Acer laptop... and being asked to upgrade to 10.... I know it is about time to buy a new laptop

Was tempted after the Vista fiasco to switch to Apple, but found out that Outlook was not fully supported on the pro level and since my pst file is about 5 Gb, apparently archiving would loose the file conversation structure .

Now using Office/OUTLOOK 2010... which takes forever to load

Pelagic,

One thing you can try if your Outlook data file is old and large is to compact the data file. Instructions for doing so in Outlook 2010 can be found here. Unfortunately, there is nothing similar I can run on myself as I get older and larger.

Hope this helps...

[jwcolby54]

Originally Posted by 44'cruisingcat

This is really annoying. Our laptop is getting on a bit, some keys don't work, etc.

You can probably buy a new keyboard. Replacing it is usually dead simple.

[dilligaf]

Has anybody tried using Windows 10 the Open CPN?

[kentobin]

Windows 10 isn’t spyware but it wants your data

Cookies must be enabled. | The Australian


GEOFFREY A. FOWLERTHE WALL STREET JOURNALAUGUST 06, 2015 11:26AM

We’re used to talking about how Facebook and Google use our personal data. But Microsoft Windows has long been an island of disconnect from the internet economy, for better or worse. It was simply an operating system for running software made by others.

Now, Windows 10 goes further than any past PC operating system to incorporate the internet, allowing us to do things like speak to the Cortana virtual assistant, store files in the cloud, log in quickly to Wi-Fi networks, and stay protected from new cyberthreats. But these capabilities also mean Microsoft has never been more interested in collecting — and building businesses around — our personal data.

A number of readers have asked me if Windows 10 is, in fact, “spyware,” designed to intrude into our lives and mislead about its true intentions. I think that description goes too far. Despite some broad and foreboding language in its privacy policy, I’ve not yet seen evidence yet that Microsoft is pushing the envelope further than other big tech companies.

But let’s be clear: Microsoft made Windows 10 a free upgrade because it has the explicit goal of making money from internet services, ads, apps and games that run on it. Microsoft’s financial people call this new business model “customer lifetime value” — they don’t want to make money just when you buy a new PC, but on an ongoing basis. Microsoft made $US3.6 billion from search engine advertising last year. They’re not selling our data, but they’re certainly making use of it.

Any information shared with Microsoft is at your discretion — we will not collect information without your permission,” says a Microsoft spokesman.

That’s good to hear, but many of Microsoft’s data collection systems are turned on by default. Opting out requires knowing where to look, and disabling some of the features in Windows 10.

What you can do about it

The most active data collector is Cortana, the virtual assistant. She tracks your Web searches and looks through your email to learn your tastes and schedule. Much of this is information is stored in an editable Notebook, available inside Cortana when you click on the button with a square-and-circle icon. Information is also stored by Microsoft’s Bing search engine, whose memory you can clear by tapping Settings, then “Manage what Cortana knows about me in the cloud” or by going to bing.com/account/personalization.

Microsoft says it protects the data Cortana collects about us using “a variety of security technologies and procedures” including encrypting it while in transit to Microsoft’s computers. But the company may share some of your data if it is compelled to by law enforcement or government agencies.

If you don’t want Microsoft in your personal life, you can choose not to link Windows 10 to a Microsoft account. (During setup, when you’re asked for your Microsoft login, instead look for “Create a new account” and “Sign in without a Microsoft account.”) The Windows 10 search bar will still work, but Cortana won’t be around to help without a Microsoft account. Updates to Windows and Defender, the built-in antivirus, will still come through.

Even if you don’t log in to Windows with a Microsoft account, Windows 10 may collect data in numerous other ways. In particular, the new Edge browser defaults to Microsoft’s Bing search engine, which tracks some activity (anonymously, if you’re not logged in) and attempts to serve personalised ads. You can opt out of the ad tracking by going to choice.microsoft.com. Edge also does page prediction, which pre-loads your likely next click. You can turn that off in Edge’s settings.

Microsoft put a host of other privacy controls in the Windows Settings menu, including Microsoft’s ability to receive and share data about your computer’s unique ID, location, microphone, camera, even how you write and type. All of these are turned on if you use the “express” setup in Windows 10. You must manually turn off anything you aren’t comfortable with, and in the Settings menu you can also limit the specific applications that have access to those capabilities.

Confused yet? Sites such as fix10.isleaked.com have collected a helpful gallery of all the privacy controls you can adjust.

About that Wi-Fi password sharing tool

There has also been some concern about a Windows 10 feature called Wi-Fi Sense that’s supposed to make it more convenient to join Wi-Fi networks by letting you share passwords with friends. This isn’t necessarily a problem, but you should understand what’s going on.

When you log in to a new Wi-Fi network with Windows 10, it lets you check a box to share the ability to log in with your Outlook.com, Facebook and Skype contacts. When you do that, the password gets stored on an encrypted Microsoft server, where it’s handed off to friends who need it when they’re nearby. Your friends don’t see the passwords — they just get the ability to log in automatically when they are physically nearby. You can stop sharing any particular network inside the Windows Wi-Fi settings.

If you don’t want anybody to be able to store and share the password of your own home network, type it into your friends’ computers yourself and turn off the share checkbox. You can also completely avoid Wi-Fi Sense sharing by adding “_opt out” to your network’s name.

No doubt, Windows 10 is a new approach for Microsoft. And like anything else “free” on the Web, it puts the responsibility for vigilance squarely on us. We all need to decide how much we allow our data to become part of the product, and what we get in exchange.

This article was first published in The Wall Street Journal.

[autumnbreeze27]

Originally Posted by Reefmagnet

Like most things everyone has a different opinion so it's best to just let it rest with a reference to the relevant MS KB: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/2695805

Pelagic mentioned "corporate version" of Outlook and the fact he is having issues. This implies he is possibly connected to Exchange server which does indeed have limits which are related to synchronisation. In this case, I've always found this to be the more relevant MS KB document: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/905803

I don't see anything in your links to support a contrary opinion but am perfectly fine with not trying to further convince you.

[AlbergSteve]

This current article may help with a work-around for automatic update.... check it out.

How to Prevent Windows 10 From Automatically Downloading Updates

[transmitterdan]

Originally Posted by AlbergSteve

This current article may help with a work-around for automatic update.... check it out.

How to Prevent Windows 10 From Automatically Downloading Updates

So the people in Redmond are not as dumb or inconsiderate as many seem to think (or hope).

[Reefmagnet]

Originally Posted by autumnbreeze27

I don't see anything in your links to support a contrary opinion but am perfectly fine with not trying to further convince you.

I don't need convincing. As an IT support business supporting hundreds of Outlook end users's I can say that 99% don't have issues. However, for those that do - like Pelagic - the problems are generally related to the volume of emails and folders as I have previously mentioned. Pelagic has an old laptop. Perhaps this means a combination of one or more of low system speed, limited RAM, 32 bit OS and almost certainly a 5400 rpm hard disk; Perhaps he accesses an Exchange server over a low speed VPN; In either case a prime candidate for problems as described. I'd suspect his issues will alleviate when he upgrades. Yes a new PC, SSD drive, whatever, will most probably help but in most any case, I'd be reluctant to suggest keeping a large volume of archival emails in a working .pst or .ost file as a prudent solution, but each to their own. In fact, even the kb articles I treat with some skepticism as it is MS basically admitting faults, limits and whatnot with their products and one can only reasonably assume that problems are downplayed somewhat in current releases. In any event, my response to anyone that thinks a 20Gb+ email data file flagged as an inbox for email delivery is a good idea would be "good luck with that".

Originally Posted by transmitterdan

So the people in Redmond are not as dumb or inconsiderate as many seem to think (or hope).

This is the same organisation that brought us Win ME, Vista and Win 8/8.1, right?

There's no doubt that Win 10 can be configured to remain totally static. After all, who wants their $500 000 CNC machine tool to automatically reboot in order "to install important security updates" when running an embedded Win 10 system in the middle of a big job?

The problem is that automatic metered connections are fine, but most access on a boat, I reckon, is via wifi which will not be automatically set as a metered connection. Many non-tech savvy end users may struggle to 1) realise this; and 2) reconfigure the connection for metered.

[sigmasailor]

What are all those numbers in Windows (7, 8, 9, 10...)? Mine simply says XP!

[Reefmagnet]

Originally Posted by sigmasailor

What are all those numbers in Windows (7, 8, 9, 10...)? Mine simply says XP!

Oddly enough, most versions of windows have a technical version number that doesn't really coincide with the actual name/number of the product.

Operating system Version number
Windows 10 10.0*
Windows Server Technical Preview 10.0*
Windows 8.1 6.3*
Windows Server 2012 R2 6.3*
Windows 8 6.2
Windows Server 2012 6.2
Windows 7 6.1
Windows Server 2008 R2 6.1
Windows Server 2008 6.0
Windows Vista 6.0
Windows Server 2003 R2 5.2
Windows Server 2003 5.2
Windows XP 64-Bit Edition 5.2
Windows XP 5.1
Windows 2000 5.0

https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/lib...or=-2147217396

As you can see, MS really didn't jump a version between Win 8.1 and 10, they actually jumped 3 major versions!

[transmitterdan]

Originally Posted by dilligaf

Has anybody tried using Windows 10 the Open CPN?

Yes., the developers have tested with Windows 10. OpenCPN works fine.

[blackcrow]

Originally Posted by dilligaf

Has anybody tried using Windows 10 the Open CPN?

yes, it is working fine, no difference from w7 64bit that I had, before upgrading few days ago to w10. w10 is actually upgraded w7, nothing else. that is reason they are giving it for free.

[Wanderlust]

Originally Posted by blackcrow

w10 is actually upgraded w7, nothing else. that is reason they are giving it for free.

I think there is more to it than that .... profit. I'm sure they have numerous plans to extract more $$ from us down the track.

One that many people don't realise is that W10 is licensed for the hardware. So when you trade your W7 licence for a free install, then want to get a new PC, you will either have to go backwards and install your old W7 (can you still do so??) or pay to buy a new W10. People will rarely choose to go back.

I have used my single W7 Pro licence on 2 desktop upgrades so far, and replaced the Home edition that came with my laptop as well. I plan on replacing the desktop again next year, and maybe replace the 4 year old laptop. Can't do that with W10.