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If you haven’t yet given it a try, you might download and install the latest version of Opera browser, which comes with a built-in VPN.  I’m using it now to access this page to post this comment.  I moved to Australia three years ago, and had to start using a VPN last July to access my bank account in Texas for online transactions, after the national telco here began blocking my access last year.  I discovered Opera with built-in VPN and began using it exclusively to access my stateside bank account, and it works wonderfully for that purpose.  No cost security.

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fisher75

I’ve been trying out various Linux distros for the past 10 years.  First one I tried was a Mandriva distro in early 2010.  It showed much promise as a viable Windows alternative but still seemed a bit clunky for an average Windows user to adapt to.  I tried a few other distros over the years, including Knoppix and Ubuntu.  I discovered Linux Mint Cinnamon a couple of years ago, and set up my new Acer laptop to dual boot Windows 10 and Mint 19.  Worked nicely until Windows 10 updated to version 1809, which blew away my dual boot capability.  So now my Acer is running only Windows 10, again updated, to v1909.  I took my 10 year old Toshiba Satellite Pro, wiped the hard drive, and installed Linux Mint 19.2, which has now been updated to 19.3 Cinnamon.  Runs well on the old Centrino processor and 3GB of RAM.  I find Linux has made great progress in the past 10 years in the area of user friendliness.  Still a little clunky in some areas, but definitely a viable alternative to Windows now.  Since Windows 10 doesn’t like to play very nice alongside Linux, I decided not to attempt another dual boot arrangement on my Acer, opting instead to install Virtualbox and run several Linux distros side by side in virtual machines.   Great way to test various distros to compare features as well as shortcomings.

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Charlie, johnf, Elly

I tried Cliqz for a day or two based on your recommendation, and almost immediately noticed an issue on my computer.  I’m running an older Acer that supports a maximum of 4GB RAM, which is maxed out.  Running Windows 10 Pro ver 1909.  Newer hardware may not be as seriously affected, but with my limited RAM, a noticeable memory leak can be debilitating  rather quickly.  With a few other programs already running, when I initially open Cliqz the memory usage is around 65% and the computer functions normally.  It climbs fairly soon to over 95% and the computer becomes very sluggish almost to the point of freezing up.  I close Cliqz then reopen, and the memory usage drops back to the 65% range, then quickly climbs again.  To be fair, Waterfox also leaks memory, but at a considerably slower rate.

anonymous wrote:

If you have any complaints about system performance, look into using an SSD.  If you are on 64-bit Windows 10 and you have less than 8gb of ram you could consider a memory upgrade as well.

If it is an older Toshiba Satellite, it may not accommodate 8GB of RAM.  I have a Satellite Pro that goes back to 2009, and came from the factory with 2GB of RAM, which ran Win 7 fairly well.  I upgraded to 4 GB, which was the maximum RAM supported by my particular model.  After upgrading to Windows 10 Pro 64 bit, I discovered It could run with the 4GB RAM, but VERY slowly.  I finally had to invest in a more up-to-date laptop a couple of years ago that came with 8GB, which has since been upgraded to 16GB RAM.  For those who preferred the look and feel of Windows 7, I highly recommend Open Shell, which restores the classic Windows 7 look to the Windows 10 desktop and taskbar.  https://open-shell.github.io/Open-Shell-Menu/

[JimT777]

I found the answer I was looking for.  The desktop display information is found at this registry location: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion

I edited the version number to reflect the winver information, and now all is well.

To the moderator – Could you please remove the anonymous posting just above this one which is awaiting moderation?  I posted it before realizing I wasn’t logged in.  Thanks!

• This reply was modified 5 years, 3 months ago by JimT777.

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mledman

[mledman]

mledman wrote:

JimT777

I made the registry tweak some time ago to display the Windows 10 version on my desktop. …  I have included a screenshot showing both the winver info and the desktop display info.

Winver 1909 build 18363.592   I made the registry tweak just now.  The desktop results match yours.

• This reply was modified 5 years, 3 months ago by mledman.

Thanks for confirming the issue is not unique to my system.  It’s a puzzle to me…the desktop display apparently pulls the info from somewhere other than the location winver gets it from.

PKCano wrote:

Win10 versions 1903 and 1909 have the same core, the same CUs , the same Servicing Stacks, etc. If you look at the KB numbers, they are the same. But the difference can be seen in the Build numbers. V1903 will be (for example) 18362.592 and v1909 will be 18363.592. The differenc between the two, beside the “2” in v1903 and the “3” in v1909 Build numbers, will be that the “Features” will be turned on in v1909 an NOT turned on in v1903.

If you look at the screenshot I attached, it shows the Build number for v1903 to be 18362.19h1 rather than 18362.592, and the Build number for v1909 is 18363.592.  A marked difference for the two versions in the number following the dot.

Paul T wrote:

Which registry tweak?

cheers, Paul

The one featured in this article from TechRepublic:  https://www.techrepublic.com/article/how-to-permanently-display-the-windows-10-version-on-the-desktop/

I’ve have no issues with running Office 2007 on Windows 10 Pro Desktop PC, installed directly from the original disk.  I even run Office 2003 SBE on a Windows 10 Pro 1903 laptop without any problems.

Thanks to all for your suggestions/advice for my Virtualbox malady.  After returning to Aussieland from my stateside visit, I performed the nuclear option and am now fully functional with Virtualbox once again.  That option became necessary for other reasons also…early in my travels the laptop crashed and refused to boot up, forcing me to boot to a Linux live DVD for the couple of weeks until I returned home and could do major repair.  All good now, and the laptop is running better than when new, minus all the Acer factory installed bloatware. 

aaron451 wrote:

Check your available network adapters. VB installs a couple and doesn’t do a good job of removing them.

Thanks for the suggestion.  I checked my network adaptors.  The only VM network adaptors showing are tied to Hypervisor, which I am currently using until I can find a resolution to the Virtualbox issue.

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aaron451

anonymous wrote:

Since you are preparing to fully redress Windows 10, have you tried disabling the ransomware protection feature know if that is a possible cause for the as yet unexplained cause of your VirtualBox issue?

Yes, that is one of the many things I’ve tried.

Thanks again to all for your suggestions and advice.  I guess I will have to do the  nuclear option suggested by mledman if I want to get Virtualbox back into operation.

mledman wrote:

If all else fails, there is the nuclear option.  Reinstall Windows.  If you go this route be sure you have backups of your data and VMs and license keys for paid software.  I would create an OS drive image (in case everything goes belly up)

Thanks once again.  Looks like at this point, that may be the only option I have left.  I was just hoping against hope that I could avoid the nuclear option.  No big rush on it though.  For now, Hypervisor is working okay.  Virtualbox just seems to be the most user-friendly VM interface I’ve seen…better than both VM Ware and Hyper-V.  I will apply that option after returning from a visit to the states next month.

JohnW wrote:

You might try searching for your question over at the official VirtualBox forum. It is possible that somebody else has already solved your issue.

Otherwise ask your question there.

Make sure to first read the sticky about posting, as the moderators there like to run a tight ship, but they are usually very helpful. https://forums.virtualbox.org/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=8208

VirtualBox on Windows hosts:

https://forums.virtualbox.org/viewforum.php?f=6&sid=15cff2cfc6855ab6649ea28ed70d5d8c

Thanks for the suggestion.  This was my very first step in attempting to fix the issue.  I tried all the possible solutions I could find there, but nothing worked in my case.  It has been a couple of months since I last checked there, so will take another look.