How bad is Win 10? Options

[Christian J]

Just noticed that my customized hosts file has been reset to its default a few months ago (I also use ad-blocking in some of my browsers, hence I didn't notice it at first). When I opened a backup copy in my text editor, Windows Defender warned about a Severe level "SettingsModifier:Win32/HostsFileHijack" for the backup file.

I've now managed to reapply my hosts file customizations, but I wonder if it needs to be done at every Windows Feature update from now on?

After installing Feature Update 20H2 I got a "Severe" warning about the hosts file again:

"If this change was intended by you or your organization, then please know that the hosts file is not a supported method of managing network connections to Windows devices."
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/wdsi/threat...threatid=265754

At least it wasn't overwritten this time.

[pandy]

What does that even mean?

[Christian J]

Got the "Let's finish setting up your device" message again. Seems you can disable it easily: https://www.tenforums.com/tutorials/137645-...ndows-10-a.html

[pandy]

Great. Except I don't have that option ("Suggest ways..."). I have all the others in the screen shot.

I also got that screen. I don't remember what I did. I haven't noticed anything different though.

[Christian J]

Do you have an older Windows 10 version? According to the article, "This will only work with Windows 10 build 18945 and higher".

There's a "Not now" option in the nag screen to get rid of it every time (so far).

[pandy]

Where do you find the build? I find "version 1909" which seems very old compared to 18945. 😁

I find it hard to take an interest in this OS at all. Every new OS before this I've loved to check what's new and learn my way around it. This just makes me tired an uninterested. Maybe that's the purpose. We should just sit back and let Big Brother do what Big Brother wants. 🤢

[pandy]

Oh, winver of course. Version 1909, build 18363.1198 .

Why doesn't it update? Thought updates/upgrades to Windows were what they send down the pipe all the time, among other things.

[Christian J]

I find it hard to take an interest in this OS at all. Every new OS before this I've loved to check what's new and learn my way around it. This just makes me tired an uninterested. Maybe that's the purpose. We should just sit back and let Big Brother do what Big Brother wants. 🤢

Same here, I just want to disable everything that's new in it. Same as with browsers. Maybe they assume all power users have fled to Linux already.

Why doesn't it update? Thought updates/upgrades to Windows were what they send down the pipe all the time, among other things.

Feature updates need to be started manually, which is fortunate since it took an hour last time. Lately I got increasingly frequent warnings that the end of 1909 was near, haven't you got that yet?

[pandy]

Nope.

[Christian J]

Win10 didn't let me me download patch KB5004237, instead I was presented with the following slightly paternalistic message:

"Updates are available, but they are too big to download over your current connection. We'll download the updates as soon as you connect to Wi-Fi."

After I unchecked "Set as metered connection" in my Network properties Win10 agreed to download the patch.

[Christian J]

In Edge, I tried pasting the URL to an HTML file on my desktop in the address bar, but then Edge insists on submitting the URL as a web search instead of opening the HTML file. If I instead type in the URL it seems to work.

Have we discussed this already?

[pandy]

No. And it doesn't happen to me.

Did you mean URL, not path? If path, did you copy it with the context menu command and forgot to remove the quotes?

[Christian J]

No. And it doesn't happen to me.

Tsk.

Did you mean URL, not path? If path, did you copy it with the context menu command and forgot to remove the quotes?

Sorry, I meant path. I copied it from another browser:

CODE

file:///C:/Users/foo/Desktop/bar.html

("file:///" is the same format Edge uses, BTW).

Do you get quotes from the context menu? Never seen that.

[pandy]

Sorry, I meant path. I copied it from another browser:

CODE

file:///C:/Users/foo/Desktop/bar.html

("file:///" is the same format Edge uses, BTW).

That is a URL.

Do you get quotes from the context menu? Never seen that.

Yeah. I mean if you Shift + right click on a disk file and choose "Copy as path".

Anyway, Edge is fine with everything here as long as it isn't quoted, even Windows paths.

[Christian J]

That is a URL.

Sigh. Isn't it a path too? I can't find any conclusive answers on the web.

Do you get quotes from the context menu? Never seen that.


Yeah. I mean if you Shift + right click on a disk file and choose "Copy as path".

Never done that.

Anyway, Edge is fine with everything here as long as it isn't quoted, even Windows paths.

But do you have the Chromium Edge now? I recall you used the older version.

[pandy]

Sigh. Isn't it a path too? I can't find any conclusive answers on the web.

I think it's a URL. If it has a protocol and uses forward slashes I say it's a URL.

Yeah. I mean if you Shift + right click on a disk file and choose "Copy as path".

Never done that.

I do all the time. Also when uploading files. Much quicker than to browse, maybe because I usually locate things by clicking on folders. I think Win10 is the first windows version that has it natively. Used to need to install a third party "extension".

Anyway, Edge is fine with everything here as long as it isn't quoted, even Windows paths.

But do you have the Chromium Edge now? I recall you used the older version.

I don't know. What else is there? I thought Edge was a branded Chrome?

Oh right. When I clicked About, the darn thing started to update itself without giving me an option! How's that for sneaky?

I had time to copy this:

CODE

Microsoft Edge
Version 86.0.622.68 (Official build) (64-bit)
This browser is made possible by the Chromium open source project and other open source software.
© 2021 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

[pandy]

Now I have Version 94.0.992.37 . Still works with both the file protocol and a Windows path. I guess it depends on the skill level of the user.

[Christian J]

I thought Edge was a branded Chrome?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EdgeHTML

Still works with both the file protocol and a Windows path. I guess it depends on the skill level of the user.

But do you paste the URL into the address bar? When I type part of the URL it works for me too.

[pandy]

I pasted. Are you saying it only happens when you paste, not when you type? Maybe something's wrong with your pastry.

[pandy]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EdgeHTML

What a mess.

Judging from the timeline there they are still developing EdgeHTML. What do they use it for now when they've ripped it out of the browser?

I knew Edge wasn't always Chromium based, but I guess I thought they had just revamped IE. Never took an interest really. I had no idea they put this much work into it, so thanks for enlightening me.