manik12 :
Hi everyone!
Im thinking about buying an SSD and upgrading from Win7 to Win10 Professional Version.
My Setup:
Nvidia GeForce GTX 660 Ti
Intel Core i5 3570K - 3.4GHz BOX
CORSAIR DDR3 2x8192MB Vengeance RAM
ASUS P8Z77-V LX
My CPU and GPU are overclocked to max levels I was able to. I can play all the games on High or higher settings... except recent Wolfenstein 2 the new colossus, which stutters in a weird way.. the stutter doesnt change in Im on Ultra settings or low... So I gues its the VUlkan and DX12 problem..
Ive read that I need Dx12 to properly use Vulkan, so Im thinking to buy Win10 just for that...
DO you guys think it is worth for me to upgrade to Windows 10?
Also what are your experiences with the privacy issue and data mining on Win10? (Ive read couple of threads here and around the internet, but nothing recent)
Thank you for your help in my decision process
Worth it? Yes. I'd just get Win 10 Home unless you need the pro version for some other reason.
Privacy? On a Win 10 PC? Laughable. The user needs to first visit the Privacy section and make their selections there.
Next up is Cortana. The user needs to create a DWORD 32 bit key within the registry that disallows Cortana. Let me see if I can find that.
http://www.thewindowsclub.com/disable-turn-off-cortana-windows-10(click on not now, surely later). The registry fix is what I was referring to. Some rename Cortana's folder but will also break the Start menu and WIndows' search function. People remedy that with
Everything. I do prefer Everything to Windows' search. I can look just for videos if I want. I can change that to just look for pcis. I could just search for everything without a filter. And Everything doesn't break anything.
Next up is the internet. When is your PC talking with M$? I use
Glasswire . It tells me when something is making contact with the outside world. It will also tell me when versions change(updates). If I see somethin I don't like I can simply click on the Firewall tab within Glasswire and click on the grayed out
flame which tells Windows' firewall to block that connection. Sorta funny that is.
It's so much more than a firewall manager. I can also see how much data I am using with each connection. It also shows you your monthly, weekly, or daily bandwidth usage amounts. It of course shows the real-time connections and usage. It's a handy utility.
http://www.thewindowsclub.com/opt-out-stop-personalized-windows-10 shows you how to disable user specific ads.
Enough steps? No!? Okay.
Now you should head to Services within Windows. Look for entries that include the word Telemetry and disable them. Viper has a Services list. http://www.blackviper.com/service-configurations/black-vipers-windows-10-service-configurations/. Don't skip to the good part. Read the warnings beforehand. You can easily break things in Windows if you disable the wrong service. I bet there is no less than a dozen services that are wasting the PC's resources and/or phoning home with your actions.
I also use Anti-Beacon. https://www.safer-networking.org/spybot-anti-beacon/ It's made to reveal telemetry issues within your PC. Just be careful. Both Glasswire and Anti-Beacon needs to be used with care and all decisions need to be informed. They can certainly cause issues. Block the wrong things and you can surf and use the internet. You then come to Tom's Hardware and you will get a VERY odd message and you won't be able to use this site.
Your security is of course important. Be aware that they(security apps like Norton or AVG) can also be tracking you.
I'll also uninstall items I don't need. There is also Windows features that I disable. Click on Start and type
features Click on Turn Windows Features on or off.
There are still other ways that a user can protect themselves. Do you use a wireless router. That router is constantly broadcasting your SSID. That can be hidden to others but still accessible by you.
That is just a small part of increasing your level of privacy there are other avenues you can search.