Advertisements to begin with Aug. 2nd AU

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Interesting article by Woody about the “Unstoppable” advertisements coming to W10 Pro after the Anniversary Update by changing the GPEDIT. I guess this helps pay for the “Free” upgrade by spamming you.
More forced advertising creeps into Windows 10 Pro

http://www.infoworld.com/article/3101947/microsoft-windows/more-forced-advertising-creeps-into-windows-10-pro.html

Don't take yourself so seriously, no one else does 🙂
All W10 Pro at 22H2,(2 Desktops, 1 Laptop).

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Sure glad I saved that Image of Win 8.1 Pro!

I think MS is in for a world of hurt when this gets out. Unless someone figures out a way to block it I’ll be learning Linux! Sure glad I didn’t invest in a new version of Office!

:cheers:

May the Forces of good computing be with you!

RG

PowerShell & VBA Rule!
Computer Specs

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Sure glad I saved that Image of Win 8.1 Pro!

I think MS is in for a world of hurt when this gets out. Unless someone figures out a way to block it I’ll be learning Linux! Sure glad I didn’t invest in a new version of Office!

:cheers:

Agreed 😀
Although I don’t yet know the outcome of the advertisement “thing”, it makes me glad that I only upgraded 1 computer to W10 and left the others alone. It may cost me in a few years but hopefully things will be peaceful in the meantime.

Don't take yourself so seriously, no one else does 🙂
All W10 Pro at 22H2,(2 Desktops, 1 Laptop).

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Hey RG, I know I’ve been away a long time but I agree with JoeP. Wait and see if it REALLY affects you. I still use Google a LOT. Including Gmail and the phones that my wife and I both carry. Tell the truth, I cannot tell you what any ad they’ve pushed to me was for, ever. Just ignore them. In a very short time you won’t even see them anymore. Plus guaranteed someone will come up with a way to block them before too long. There are an awful lot of really smart folks on this forum and elsewhere. It will NOT take them long!

Joel

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Woody’s site has a number (currently 28) of responses about this: Details about the Win10 Pro disappearing group policies.

Microsoft removes policies from Windows 10 Pro over at ghacks is over 180 comments already.

Top story on MS’s Windows10 blog: Windows Store Weekly: great new titles in this week, alongside Windows Insider Program.next()

Meanwhile, back at Martin Brinkmann’s ghacks site: You can still grab a free Windows 10 copy after July 29, 2016 “Microsoft made the decision to provide the free upgrade offer to all customers who need assistive technologies. This means that anyone can click on the upgrade now button on the website to start the upgrade process.”

We are not restricting the free upgrade offer to specific assistive technologies. If you use assistive technology on Windows, you are eligible for the free upgrade offer.

As an occasional user of Little Sky’s Colorblind Assistant, reckon I don’t have to rush to grab W10 for free, wish I’d known that months ago. Anyone who uses the OSK or Magnifier could also upgrade with a clear conscience.

Judging by the Event logs on my #2 PC, there’s already a non- GPedit/Regedit method of killing Cortana, gotta wait to find out whether that method can still be applied to this new Advertising Edition of W10.

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Why all the angst? The article talks about domain joined Win10 Pro systems. This is nothing new for non-domain joined systems. It has been known to be coming for a long time.

We all use services that push advertising. Google still gets >90% of its revenue from ads. Plenty of people gladly use its services.

Why not wait and see before getting upset? From what I’ve seen they are pretty unobtrusive. Ignore the ads. See if someone comes up with a way to block them.

--Joe

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Angst? Why not interest?

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Woody can’t write anything about Windows 10 without unnecessarily inserting the word “forced”.

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Woody can’t write anything about Windows 10 without unnecessarily inserting the word “forced”.

Here’s a dozen of Woody’s most recent articles about Windows 10 on InfoWorld.

Windows 10 upgrade stuck at 99 percent? Here are your options

Microsoft cumulative update brings Windows 10 beta 1607 up to build 14393.5

Still undecided about Windows 10? Here’s how to reserve that free upgrade

Microsoft releases cumulative update, build 14393.3, for Windows 10 beta version 1607

Still searching for a killer app in Windows 10 Anniversary Update

Is Windows 10 beta build 14393 the final Windows 10 Anniversary Update?

New Windows 10 beta, build 14390, brings us close to the finish line

Installation problems snag Win10 update KB 3172985 build 10586.494

New Windows 10 beta build 14388 creeps out to Windows Insiders on ‘Fast’ ring

Microsoft releases surprise Windows 10 beta, build 14385, to fix clipped Chrome

New Get Windows 10 nagware screen arrives — no need to install anything (although ‘forced’ appears in a subsequent comment, but not by Woody)

Win10 admins and developers should get build 10586.456/KB 3170411 for testing

Sorry but I have to disagree. I couldn’t find ‘forced’ (or ‘force’) in any of them.

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Here’s a dozen of Woody’s most recent articles about Windows 10 on InfoWorld.

Sorry but I have to disagree. I couldn’t find ‘forced’ (or ‘force’) in any of them.

Oh, you took me literally. Here’s my top ten:

With Windows 10’s forced update policy there’s no obvious way to protect your system

Block Windows 10 forced updates without breaking your machine, part 2

On the road to Windows 10: Problems with forced updates and KB 3073930

Wanted: Windows 10 users to join a crowdsourced experiment to block forced updates

Windows 10 forced update KB 3135173 changes browser and other defaults

Windows 10 forced updates: Don’t panic

Block forced Windows 10 updates using a metered connection

With Windows 10’s forced update policy there’s no obvious way to protect your system

Windows 10 forced updates are causing dozens of installs of the latest fix for the Visual C++ runtime

The first forced Win10 patch of 2016 is entirely devoted to fixing the last forced patch of 2015

We get it Woody: Windows 10 updates are automatic.

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@Rick Corbett and @Bruce R: Is anyone taking bets/wagers as to who will win this “to-force-or-not-to-force” battle?(!!!!)

My Rig: AMD Ryzen 9 5900X 12-Core CPU; ASUS Cross Hair VIII Formula Mobo; Win 11 Pro (64 bit)-(UEFI-booted); 32GB RAM; 2TB Corsair Force Series MP600 Pro 2TB PCIe Gen 4.0 M.2 NVMe SSD. 1TB SAMSUNG 960 EVO M.2 NVME SSD; MSI GeForce RTX 3090 VENTUS 3X 24G OC; Microsoft 365 Home; Condusiv SSDKeeper Professional; Acronis Cyberprotect, VMWare Workstation Pro V17.5. HP 1TB USB SSD External Backup Drive). Dell G-Sync G3223Q 144Hz Monitor.

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@Rick Corbett and @Bruce R: Is anyone taking bets/wagers as to who will win this “to-force-or-not-to-force” battle?(!!!!)

What battle? :confused: Everybody is entitled to an opinion.

Edit: I actually agree with BruceR, i.e. Woody does appear to have a thing about Windows 10’s reduction of choices. 🙂

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What battle? :confused: Everybody is entitled to an opinion.

Edit: I actually agree with BruceR, i.e. Woody does appear to have a thing about Windows 10’s reduction of choices. 🙂

Whether there are more including the word or more that don’t isn’t a matter of opinion, all you have to do it count.

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There’s more to come.

Obviously Microsoft will continue to crank up the pain until business users transfer from Professional to Enterprise at $84 per user per annum.

Leaving domestic users in . . . a world of pain.

Did anyone really think that W10 was free ?

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@Rick Corbett: No offence intended. You listed 12 articles and @BruceR listed 10. I am interested” to know which of the two sets of “opposing opinions” will be proven correct? Of course there is no battle.

My Rig: AMD Ryzen 9 5900X 12-Core CPU; ASUS Cross Hair VIII Formula Mobo; Win 11 Pro (64 bit)-(UEFI-booted); 32GB RAM; 2TB Corsair Force Series MP600 Pro 2TB PCIe Gen 4.0 M.2 NVMe SSD. 1TB SAMSUNG 960 EVO M.2 NVME SSD; MSI GeForce RTX 3090 VENTUS 3X 24G OC; Microsoft 365 Home; Condusiv SSDKeeper Professional; Acronis Cyberprotect, VMWare Workstation Pro V17.5. HP 1TB USB SSD External Backup Drive). Dell G-Sync G3223Q 144Hz Monitor.

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This is my tipping point – I regraded ( it isn’t an upgrade) one of my W7 laptops to experience and assess W10.

I didn’t find a material difference really although my scanner has no W10 drivers, a couple of important applications didn’t run properly and I found home networking a monumental pain to set up.

I was a bit concerned about the volume of uploads – I thought at first I had a virus but eventually concluded these were being driven by W10 itself. I have no idea what they contain and, if Microsoft can download and upload whatever they want, whenever they want, I fear for my security.

But having to wade through ads to get to my work is boring to say the least and has finally tipped me into dumping my experiment. I did the Acronis restore this morning – what a relief !

You know I have no inherent objection to advertising – it’s just a matter of what, how much, where and when.

The dishwasher in front of me shows the manufacturer’s name, my car has a sticker in the back window with the dealer’s name, my Android phone has a few applications supported by ads (which I can turn off by paying a small fee – I have done so in some cases) and my photo-editing software occasionally pops up with a proposed upgrade.

I can cope with this.

What I can’t cope with (strictly “can’t be bothered with”) is the in-your-face Microsoft idea of littering my chosen path with ads none of which (a phrase I use with some care) are of the slightest interest to me. A good walk spoiled.

I’ve got at least 4 years to think about my onward path with computing, but by then I expect the landscape will be very different – so I shan’t occupy myself with that question for a while yet.

Unless Microsoft choose to mess with W7 . . .

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Unless Microsoft choose to mess with W7 . . .

Microsoft have already chosen to mess with W7, both by the ‘encouragement’ updates to upgrade to Windows 10 (which – hopefully – will now stop) and by the addition of telemetry data uploads.

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But having to wade through ads to get to my work is boring to say the least and has finally tipped me into dumping my experiment.

What software are you using on your computer, and where did you get it? I use Windows all day, and the only time I EVER see an add is when I play Solitaire, and then it is only when I choose to play a new game.

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What software are you using on your computer, and where did you get it? I use Windows all day, and the only time I EVER see an add is when I play Solitaire, and then it is only when I choose to play a new game.

Agree. I’m not seeing them either. Maybe it’s because I’ve never run Edge, Cortana or any of the new apps.

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The dishwasher in front of me shows the manufacturer’s name, my car has a sticker in the back window with the dealer’s name, my Android phone has a few applications supported by ads (which I can turn off by paying a small fee – I have done so in some cases) and my photo-editing software occasionally pops up with a proposed upgrade.

I can cope with this.

.

Just a thought…

There was a car ad recently airing (Chevy IIRC) that had cars w/o logos, I was thinking what a good looking car… AND THEN they showed the car with the logos. WHAT a difference, it was just a run of the mill chevy.

All that crxp just makes things ugly and lowers a owner’s enjoyment IMHO.

I can cope but if I thought the Cxxxxy logo the dealer put on my honda would come off w/ no ill affect it would not be there. Dual boot w/Linux by removable drive rack is sounding rather worth the effort.

( BTW I say removable drive rack because my WX dual boot with XP amd W7 seemed to trash my XP and W7 drives, too much trouble to t/s just dumped WX Preview)

:cheers:

🍻

Just because you don't know where you are going doesn't mean any road will get you there.

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I am interested” to know which of the two sets of “opposing opinions” will be proven correct?

A whole industry of pundits have made careers commenting about Windows. Woody’s often-critical stance is fairly well-known by those who read his articles regularly. Potentially balancing out his views is someone like Ed Bott who seemingly rarely believes Microsoft can do any wrong (even when Microsoft admit to doing wrong). Another Zdnet writer, Mary Jo Foley appears to have a well-balanced viewpoint by concentrating more on known facts rather than on extrapolations based on any personal bias. At the end of the day these are all personal opinions, both theirs and mine.

To my mind (and opinion 🙂 ) the underlying issue is more about the changing nature of Windows itself. For years we have been used to an OS that’s proved to be highly customisable, an OS we’ve been able to tinker with and felt that we’ve made it unique and our own – even though we don’t actually own it. With Windows 10 it’s quite clearly evolving in a direction that many don’t trust or don’t like, e.g. forced Windows Updates, mysterious telemetry and advertising… hence the proliferation of differing opinions.

It will be interesting to see what happens, particularly after the Anniversary Update has been rolled out and bedded in. As for your question about which opposing opinion will be proven correct… it doesn’t matter, it’s just an opinion. Wouldn’t it be dull if we all thought the same. 🙂

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Potentially balancing out his views is someone like Ed Bott who seemingly rarely believes Microsoft can do any wrong (even when Microsoft admit to doing wrong).

As if to prove a point, Ed Bott’s latest article claims 350 million devices running Windows 10 is ‘close but no cigar’ to ‘Microsoft’s ambitious plan to get Windows 10 running on a billion devices’.

Perhaps my grasp of basic maths (sorry, math [US]) is wrong but isn’t 350 million just over a third of a billion? How is that even close? However, it’s an opinion so… hey ho. 🙂

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As if to prove a point, Ed Bott’s latest article claims 350 million devices running Windows 10 is ‘close but no cigar’ to ‘Microsoft’s ambitious plan to get Windows 10 running on a billion devices’.

Perhaps my grasp of basic maths (sorry, math [US]) is wrong but isn’t 350 million just over a third of a billion? How is that even close? However, it’s an opinion so… hey ho. 🙂

Rick,

You ought to quote the whole sentence – “Microsoft’s ambitious plan to get Windows 10 running on a billion devices within the next few years falls into the “Close, but no cigar” category, with the announcement that Windows 10 will need more time to hit that magic round number.” He is not saying that 350 million is close to a billion but that the original pronouncements by Microsoft will fall short based on current projections.

Ed Bott is not claiming 350 million Win10 devices he is reporting that Microsoft has said that.

--Joe

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You ought to quote the whole sentence – “Microsoft’s ambitious plan to get Windows 10 running on a billion devices within the next few years falls into the “Close, but no cigar” category, with the announcement that Windows 10 will need more time to hit that magic round number.” He is not saying that 350 million is close to a billion but that the original pronouncements by Microsoft will fall short based on current projections.

Ed Bott is not claiming 350 million Win10 devices he is reporting that Microsoft has said that.

You’re absolutely right. I put a different spin on it by not quoting in full.

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Did customers want more ads ?
Probably not.
Did Microsoft make ads non-optional ?
Yes.
Is there an ad-free option, at a higher price, for domestic users ?
No.
So was that changed “forced” ?
I think so.

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I suppose he’s saying that 350 million is on track to getting 1 billion by 2018.
.
The same MS release had some interesting statistics which hint at what sort of data they might be collecting from Windows 10 . . . as well as an opinion I don’t share :rolleyes:

Over 63 billion minutes were spent on Microsoft Edge in March alone, with 50% growth in minutes since the last quarter. Exclusively available on Windows 10, Microsoft Edge is our modern browser for helping you get things done.

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You can kill some of the “advertisements” by
Settings > Personalization > Start > Turn off “Occasionally Show Suggestions in Start”

Jerry

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You can kill some of the “advertisements” by
Settings > Personalization > Start > Turn off “Occasionally Show Suggestions in Start”

Jerry

Are we sure that isn’t one of the settings MS removed in the Win 10 Anniversary Update?

They removed or Protected several like this.

To All:

That said, I am only waiting on the AU for some of the initial bugs to get ironed out. Like the Cortana clobbering which may have been due to the AU installation, or may be due to a Cumulative Update since the AU.

http://www.infoworld.com/article/3106057/microsoft-windows/microsofts-massive-update-win10-builds-1439367-1439351-10586545-and-1024017071.html

Note that here Woody Leonhard is not being as cynical/ critical of Microsoft and Windows 10 in general as usual. Not exactly being cheery and optimistic, but not as gloom and doom as usual.

And I would call anything automatic which is unwanted by an end-user but over which the end-user has no easy means of control, to some extent or another, forced. Or at least coerced.

Whatever the correct term, Microsoft is not building friendly Customer Relationships with Windows 10 so far.

-- rc primak

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@MartinM,

What “in-your-face” advertising? The advertising I’ve noticed is not extensive and not intrusive.

--Joe

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@JoeP517: Agreed. In fact, here in South Africa (so far!!!) it has been ZERO.

My Rig: AMD Ryzen 9 5900X 12-Core CPU; ASUS Cross Hair VIII Formula Mobo; Win 11 Pro (64 bit)-(UEFI-booted); 32GB RAM; 2TB Corsair Force Series MP600 Pro 2TB PCIe Gen 4.0 M.2 NVMe SSD. 1TB SAMSUNG 960 EVO M.2 NVME SSD; MSI GeForce RTX 3090 VENTUS 3X 24G OC; Microsoft 365 Home; Condusiv SSDKeeper Professional; Acronis Cyberprotect, VMWare Workstation Pro V17.5. HP 1TB USB SSD External Backup Drive). Dell G-Sync G3223Q 144Hz Monitor.

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That one’s still there Bob.

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As Brownie said. As an Insider, I had the AU version at the time I posted. I see no ads and would like to see any specifics if anyone does see a Windows ad in the AU version of Windows 10. This whole thread is much ado about nothing IMO.

Jerry

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Here you go Jerry, an ad on AU Home edition

45269-w10ad

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Here you go Jerry, an ad on AU Home edition

45269-w10ad

If that’s the extent of the advertising, I don’t see it as a big deal especially if you can disable it via Joe’s suggestion in post 33. I have that setting and have never seen an “ad” like this.

Jerry

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On Pro you can remove suggestions by going to Settings | Personalization | Start then set “Occasionally show suggestions on Start” to OFF. Isn’t that available on Home?

--Joe

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On Pro you can remove suggestions by going to Settings | Personalization | Start then set “Occasionally show suggestions on Start” to OFF. Isn’t that available on Home?

It is on my Win 10 Home AU edition and I have it set to off.

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On Pro you can remove suggestions by going to Settings | Personalization | Start then set “Occasionally show suggestions on Start” to OFF. Isn’t that available on Home?

I have it on both Pro and Home, have never seen an ad on either.:cool:

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On Pro you can remove suggestions by going to Settings | Personalization | Start then set “Occasionally show suggestions on Start” to OFF. Isn’t that available on Home?

It’s there, just haven’t got round to tweaking my tablet PC yet so it’s a pretty much untouched AU install.

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On Pro you can remove suggestions by going to Settings | Personalization | Start then set “Occasionally show suggestions on Start” to OFF. Isn’t that available on Home?

Or merge a .REG file into Regedit:

Code:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
; Personalisation – Start – Occasionally show suggestions in Start – Turn OFF

[HKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwareMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionContentDeliveryManager]
“SystemPaneSuggestionsEnabled”=dword:00000000

I’ve attached a ZIP file with 2 .REG files – the one above and the other to switch Suggestions back on again.

Hope this helps…

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It may be just an issue with semantics. Perhaps we’ve become conditioned to think of ‘advertisements’ as big, in-your-face, massively intrusive PITAs as opposed to these ‘Suggestions’ as MS actually call them.

For example, I would find the WSL forum almost unusable if I didn’t do something about the size and placement of the 2 ‘advertisements’:

45282-adverts-in-wsl
Click to enlarge

The other issue is choice… we have to find the settings to turn off these ‘Suggestions’, i.e. ‘opt out’ rather than being asked whether we want to ‘opt in’.

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For example, I would find the WSL forum almost unusable if I didn’t do something about the size and placement of the 2 ‘advertisements’

Yes, I agree.
That’s why I see only blank space in those locations when using Edge with Adblock Plus.

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