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The Device Installation Settings box doesn’t block driver downloads completely; only when a device is first plugged in. You can still get driver updates through Windows Update. I added these commands to a post-setup script to disable it globally. Works a treat. The last one is the most important:

reg add “HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\DriverSearching” /v “SearchOrderConfig” /t REG_DWORD /d 0 /f

reg add “HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\DriverSearching” /v “DontSearchWindowsUpdate” /t REG_DWORD /d “1” /f

reg add “HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\DriverSearching” /v “DriverUpdateWizardWuSearchEnabled” /t REG_DWORD /d “0” /f

reg add “HKLM\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WindowsUpdate” /v “ExcludeWUDriversInQualityUpdate” /t REG_DWORD /d 1 /f

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wavy, b

You can also check the partition style of your boot drive in Diskpart as Windows only allows BIOS to boot from MBR and UEFI to boot from GPT. So that would be a dead giveaway.

Ed has it slightly wrong here:

“Most of the items in the WinSxS folder are hard links to files that are in use and are stored elsewhere”

In fact, the real files are in WinSxS, which can be verified by Nir Sofer’s NTFSLinksView tool. The links are in the original locations. For example, in Windows 10 1903, C:\Windows\notepad.exe is a hard link to C:\Windows\system32\notepad.exe which is itself a hard link to C:\Windows\WinSxS\amd64_microsoft-windows-notepad_31bf3856ad364e35_10.0.18362.1_none_4177fd76ed382a53\notepad.exe.

JCCWsusser wrote:

Ah, so that’s why they aren’t fixing this month’s patches.

Windows has supported dual screens since at least XP.

Windows 98 in fact!

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Kranium, JCCWsusser, woody

Looks like this is a troublesome update:

https://www.reddit.com/r/Windows10/comments/f35o6i/anyone_having_trouble_with_kb4524244_it_hangs_and/

https://h30434.www3.hp.com/t5/Business-Notebooks/KB4524244-cause-certain-HP-computers-to-hang-and-even-brick/td-p/7471459

https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/all/2020-02-updates-kb4524244-locks-up-my-computer-and/b3cb2162-79aa-4870-a645-ac8a2e5a7ef6

Linux Mint is probably fine if you stay within their software repository. But it’s too cumbersome if you venture out of that, as is pretty much any Linux distro. As I mentioned before, I don’t want to be compiling from source to install simple software updates. I spend enough time administering Windows in work so I wouldn’t be want to be adding to my workload in my personal time. It’s a shame because an open source project that really interests me had encouraged me to revisit Linux, but it wasn’t for me.

I agree with @bbearren about Google. I don’t even have an Android phone because of them. If it wasn’t for the Apple tax, I’d probably be using MacOS by now. So that, reluctantly, leaves me on Windows.

The product key is not tied to a specific bit level – you can use the same key to install 64-bit Windows 7 as for 32-bit.

The main issue with OEM licensing is that from a legal perspective, the licence lives and dies with the system. You can’t legally transfer the licence to another machine – it’ll work but it’s not allowed. I believe this restriction has been overruled in Germany but not so in other countries.

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AusJohn

Reminds me of Lindows, which had to rebrand to Linspire after legal action by Microsoft.

b wrote:

Edge uses “InPrivate”, not “Incognito”. A shortcut with switch ” –inprivate” starts OK for me.

Also, the shortcut key is now Ctrl+Shift+N (for iNcognito I assume?) instead of Ctrl+Shift+P as it was in IE and the old Edge.

Also broken for me on 1909, 18363.592. Had to use the BingSearchEnabled workaround.

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woody

Here’s another variation from an Enterprise 1909 machine in the office:

Just thought I’d give a final update on this issue. Looks to be solved now.

The issue did come back after my last update. As a last resort before wiping the machine, I restored the EFI system partition from my 1809 backup and ran bcdboot again. My thinking was that the error appears so early in the boot sequence that it probably wasn’t anything to do with my install. Since running the restore, everything has been fine.

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Paul T

Wavy is correct. This would imply that the TV is capable of receiving a 1080p signal, but it downscales it to 768p or 720p to suit the panel.

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Nathan Parker

In fact, Woody has regularly advised against joining (as he calls it) the Group W bench.

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b

[steeviebops]

Got the e-mail to my global admin account this morning. Mods, feel free to delete if this isn’t suitable.

 

 

New Feature: Office 365 ProPlus, changes to browser default search engine
Major update: Announcement started
Applied To: All

Beginning with Version 2002 of Office 365 ProPlus, Microsoft will install a browser extension that makes Bing the default search engine for Google Chrome, providing the benefits of Microsoft Search in the browser to those end users.

This browser extension is scheduled to be available in Monthly Channel (Targeted) in February 2020.
It is expected to be released to Monthly Channel in early March 2020.
It will be included in the upcoming releases for Semi-Channel (Targeted) and Semi-Annual Channel.

This message is associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 59917.

Note: This change only applies to devices in certain locations, based on the IP address of the device. At this time, countries include Australia, Canada, France, Germany, India, the United Kingdom, and the United States. As we add locations, we will notify you through Message Center.

[How does this affect me?]

New installations of Office 365 ProPlus will include this extension. When you update your existing installation of Office 365 ProPlus, the extension is included unless Bing is already the default search engine in your tenant. The extension sets Bing as the default search engine by default; users may turn it off via the extension toggle.

As part of Microsoft 365, Microsoft Search is on by default for all Microsoft apps that support it. Microsoft Search provides contextual work-related information using data sources in Office 365, including SharePoint, Microsoft OneDrive for Business, and Exchange.

With Bing as the default search vehicle for Google Chrome, those users will be able to access Microsoft Search directly from their browser address bar when they are signed in with their work or school account. This browser access to work-related search is known as Microsoft Search in Bing.

The first time your users open Google Chrome after the extension for Microsoft Search in Bing is installed, they will see a Welcome screen:

Welcome screen mockup

Mockup of a Welcome screen in Chrome browsers (subject to change).

Your end users may disable the extension by

Clicking its icon to the right of the URL bar;
Then toggling off Use Bing as your default search engine; and
Restarting the browser.

Extension toggle mockup

Mockup of the search toggle in Chrome browsers (subject to change).

Once this feature has rolled out, your end users can change their search engine preferences only via the toggle in the extension; they cannot modify the default search engine in browser preferences.

Although this feature is rolling out initially for Google Chrome, support for Firefox is planned. We will advise you of updates in a future Message Center post.

Microsoft Search does not use searches in your organization to improve public web results or to improve Bing, and Microsoft Search does not let advertisers target anyone within your organization.

[What do I need to do to prepare for this change?]

If you don’t want Bing to be the default search engine for Google Chrome, there are several ways to block the installation.

You must exclude the extension before you install or update to a version of Office 365 ProPlus that installs the extension for Microsoft Search in Bing. Implementing the exclusion after the extension has been installed will not remove the extension.

For new installations of Office 365 ProPlus, the Office Deployment Tool may be the best method, as outlined in this support document
For existing installations of Office 365 ProPlus, modifying the Group Policy may be best. Enable the policy setting Don’t install extension for Microsoft Search in Bing, which makes Bing the default the search engine.
If you use Microsoft Endpoint Configuration Manager (current branch), from the Features section, set Microsoft Search as default to the Off position.
If you use Microsoft Intune to deploy Office 365 ProPlus, clear the check box Microsoft Search as default on the Configure App Suite pane.

If you have already made Bing the default search engine for your tenant, the extension will not be installed, and your end users will not be able to change the default search engine.

Learn more

If you decide to deploy Microsoft Search in Bing in your organization, see our Microsoft Search in Bing Adoption Kit for resources to help communicate the benefits of this work-related search change to your users. Plan your content to make Microsoft Search more helpful in your organization.

Find what you need with Microsoft Search in Bing
Getting started with Microsoft Search in Bing and Office 365 ProPlus
Set Bing as the default search engine in your tenant now
What your users will see with Microsoft Search in Bing

Additional Information
Sign in to the Office 365 Admin center to use the links below:
View this message in the Office 365 message center
To customize what’s included in this email, who gets it, or to unsubscribe, set your Message center preferences.
If you are receiving this email because your Admin added you as a recipient, please contact your Admin to unsubscribe.
Edit release preferences
Choose the release track for your organization. Use these settings to join First Release if you haven’t already.

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

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rc primak, RamRod, OscarCP, doriel, woody