[xdude]

Looks like some processors and motherboard do need a BIOS update, if you need to use Windows 10. My Desktop has a i5-3550 processor and GA-B75M-D3H motherboard. I guess it's better update BIOS before the installtion. Also using Windows 10 chipset, Sound, VGA drivers given by GigaBite rather than it let it auto install after the OS. I didn't think about Compatabilty issues before.

[sagher]

My Windows 10 Professional cant update to latest release. stuck where i install it. even i got update messages but after long error acure. and i am such suffered from this issue. last update is 1709. ... and as i manually see the microsoft update releases. it's now 20H2 .. i just as if i manually download the updates and apply on it. is it works?

[xdude]

So, finally I have installed Windows 10 in my Desktop. I got a copy of Windows 10 Enterprise from my office without a key. Which I installed into a UBS. It was bit older version so I downloaded resent one online too, the version 20H1. It's a ISO from guy I download stuff for long time. That Also without a key. I'm using Evaluation method which gives me 180 days. UBS version didn't work so I had to use the later burnt into a DVD. I don't think you can Burn Windows 10 ISO into a DVD after the update 20H2.

Anyway, installation part was easier than I imagined. I forgot to mentioned I did updated BIOS to the latest. I'm using a motherboard released 7 years ago and a Core i5-3550 processor which also probably same age. I think Windows 10 Handles drivers lot better than Windows 7. I installed chip-set drivers from Gigabyte site but rest picked up by Windows it self. I had to find a Monitor driver my self to get optimum result but this time it was taken care of. Also I think sounds works better than in Windows 7 so I didn't bother installing drivers from the site.

I don't see a huge difference in Speed but good it. After all I think I'm getting the best i can get from these old hardware. Something I have noticed is Windows 10 does memory management so much better than in Windows 7. Maybe it's too early to say so but that how it looks. Also I like how Task Manager works in this. Firefox was bit slow at begin but after updating from 20H1 to 20h2, it seems working faster. Well, I heard many say Windows 10 boots faster but I haven't noticed that. Maybe its also because of my old hardware. I think it takes same time as Windows 7.

Telemetry features are disabled and I'm gonna keep an eye on Bandwidth usage for a while. This is what worries me the most since I have Limited bandwidth.

[deanhills]

Well done @xdude.  Looks like Windows 10 Enterprise is a good way to go.  

I'm back with Windows 7 with my old Lenovo Thinkpad X201 laptop.  I give Microsoft thumbs up for making the upgrade so easy.  However once the updates started to rain down on my poor laptop, it started slowing down, and with the last major package of updates it could hardly move.  To top it off, the laptop screen went on dim.  When I Googled the screen issue, looks like this is a major issue with many laptops in that there is something in Windows 10 that triggered sleep mode in the laptop.  There are many many work arounds available, going a bit deeper into advanced settings or doing this via command line.  I tried it once, but the laptop just moved too slow.  Fortunately I had an LG Monitor connected to the laptop and that was working perfectly.  It was only the laptop screen that went on dim.

Any way, I then decided to end the test.  It was much easier to downgrade to Windows 7 as the other way round, not that it was difficult, but I'm talking time wise now.  And there were no leftovers from Windows 10.  The system was as it was before I upgraded to Windows 10. First thing I noticed of course was the laptop screen was working again.  So the theory that it is Windows 10 causing the dimming of the screen is true.  What is curious to me is the last package of updates that brought my mobile to its knees and caused its screen to dim were security updates.  There was also one update for Framework.  But of course one can't see what the individual security updates were.  So I can't pinpoint to exactly which update caused the screen to go on dim.  What I do know is that it took ages for the updates to be installed and configured during the period of time I had to wait. Like I was already wondering then whether my laptop is going to make it. Then when I was Googling the screen dimming issue I realized I had lost complete trust in the updates for very old hardware.  Preferably one should use Windows 10 with a mother board that has been specifically created for Windows 10 - 2009 is definitely too old.

@xdude I'm very curious now about how the updates are working with Windows 10 Enterprise.  Are they listed more individually instead of as a package like in Windows 10 Professional?  what effect are the updates having on your hardware @xdude?  Like everything else for Windows 10 Professional worked just fine and most were an improvement over Windows 7.  Just the updates were completely out of my control and out of control period.  If I could give advice to Microsoft I'd like to see a Minimal version of Updates for upgraded Windows 7 computers.  But seeing that Microsoft is just as greedy as Apple in wanting users to upgrade their hardware, I can't help but wonder whether the update incompatibility has something to do with a policy of built-in obsolescence.  Make the updates as hard to digest as possible so users will go out and buy new computers or laptops.  Microsoft must be on a roll now.  

So for now my primary desktop is staying on Windows 7. My next test on my Thinkpad X201 will be with Windows 10 Enterprise. Just to see how the updates work. I still have a bootable USB with Windows 10 Enterprise on it. I just need to figure out how the key will work before I tackle the new test.

[xdude]

So far everything is working great! I have full control over updates, I think. It does let me select updates, pause updates etc. Also it recommends driver updates which I think a really good feature. I think the biggest difference between Enterprise edition and those lower versions are the amount of control you get. I think this is bit of greed from Microsoft side.



Like saying for Windows 10 users, hey you pay cheap for this so we take all your user experience data. And Windows 10 pro users have some control over what to stop but not 100%. They sell Enterprise edition as per volumes so only big companies would go for it. By giving full control it lets IT Departments of companies to take care of everything and setup the environments as they want. I think finding Enterprise edition is more beneficial for people like us who want to OS to work as we want.

Well, yeah old hardware always have problems with latest software but what we can do it try to close the gap. This is why it's a good idea to update BIOS to the latest version. Also it's wise to search Google for problems people had when they installed Windows 10 on your board. I went through various search results and learned hellwa lot about my old board and processor. Another thing is when it's an old PC it's better install a fresh version and upgrade on top of the old OS. I tried Windows 7 of XP and that did slow down the PC.

Also try to download the latest version for installation rather than trying an early version. I used the one called 20H1 which worked great. There is a new one called 20H2 which can't be burnt into a DVD. Sometimes we can't install from a USB properly if the board is too old and haven't got proper features for that. This is one reason why did prepared a DVD along with USB.

[deanhills]

Thanks very much for your detailed feedback @xdude. Actually I had updated the BIOS of my Thinkpad X201 before I did the upgrade to Windows 10 professional.  I couldn't find updates for some of the devices though, like the Intel Graphics. But the BIOS update before the upgrade went OK.  Lenovo is quite good with that and has a good record of hardware updates.  But update wise my laptop is looked at as First Generation for which some of the components of the laptop are no longer updated.  So I guess not only Microsoft but the Manufacturers are also hoping to get you to buy a new laptop.  

You're also completely right about Google providing answers.  Like wow, Google is a great indication of the problems that can potentially be experienced.  Like when the laptop screen went on dim after the most recent updates.  Can't believe how many tutorials there were to try and fix the problem.  Like every tutorial had a list of at least 4 or more options as not all of them may work so one had to use them trial by error. All of those tutorials went deep into the advanced settings and command line which may not be such a good way to go for those not knowing what they are doing.  The solution should have come from Microsoft as those tutorials have been dated for a while.  So the screen dimming issue must have been around for a while and Microsoft hasn't fixed it yet.

Regarding latest version.  When you upgrade direct from your computer - i.e. use the Microsoft download tool in its Website, then one automatically gets the last best version.  I was on something similar to yours.  And everything did work very well.  Except for the updates that created a huge slow down of the laptop and started to create conflicts that affected the operation of the hardware.

I"ve got a USB with Windows 10 Enterprise that I got a couple of years back from one of @Mashiro's many excellent contributions on Windows 10 Enterprise.  The link below is to a more recent contribution by him.  However, I'll probably do some proper research in everything first before I start my new test.  I agree with you.  Possibly a CD with an ISO would work better.  Although I must say the hardware of my ThinkPad is really working well.  Just the lack of available updates that is a problem. I can't help to be cynical about this as I'm sure this is what Microsoft in collaboration with the industry wants. It wants you to ditch hardware that is in perfect working order, to keep the industry alive and buy a new device.

https://post4vps.com/Thread-Best-version...8#pid33808

[Mashiro]

A bit of a bad news I suppose?!

In Windows 10 from build 20H2 you can no longer disable the Windows Defender Antivirus! The registry hack won't work and the group policy option also won't work. Microsoft has taken this steps as a sacrifice for the security of Windows users. The only way to disable it is to actually install another Antivirus that uses the Windows API properly and disables the Defender Antivirus component as long as it is running.

I'm on Windows 10 Enterprise 20H2 and wanted to disable it. The GPO option didn't work and I was wondering why... after some research I found the information I mentioned above. The GPO actually just ads the registry hack to disable the Defender Antivirus. Since that registry hack has been removed the GPO is pretty useless for latest Windows builds.

Also found this: https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/mi...-registry/

[deanhills]

A bit of a bad news I suppose?!

Absolutely bad news for me. Now if Microsoft's updates were good and didn't create as much harm as it has to date and there weren't so many people complaining, then OK. but wow, what a way to go! Someone is not paying attention. The reason people are forced to go into registries is because there is a problem in the quality of the updates. Fix that, and then they won't need to make these rules about something that should basically be under the owner of the computer's control. We have to pay for a license to use software and now find we don't really have the right to use the software as we feel fit to use. This is a form of despotism? And we have to pay for it on top of everything else, not only for Windows, but upgraded hardware in order to be fit to use up to date Windows.

In Windows 10 from build 20H2 you can no longer disable the Windows Defender Antivirus! The registry hack won't work and the group policy option also won't work. Microsoft has taken this steps as a sacrifice for the security of Windows users. The only way to disable it is to actually install another Antivirus that uses the Windows API properly and disables the Defender Antivirus component as long as it is running.

This sounds so weird. Do you know of an anti-virus that will disable Defender? Because if this is how it is going to work. Then I'll be completely happy. Now if one could get an anti-virus vendor to be totally on top of Windows 10 updates so much so it can defend one's computer against those updates that are bad for one's computer. Now that's a new future for anti-virus vendors. Or not?

I'm on Windows 10 Enterprise 20H2 and wanted to disable it. The GPO option didn't work and I was wondering why... after some research I found the information I mentioned above. The GPO actually just ads the registry hack to disable the Defender Antivirus. Since that registry hack has been removed the GPO is pretty useless for latest Windows builds.

Also found this: https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/mi...-registry/

Wow! I didn't realize Windows 10 Enterprise was included as well. I thought only Windows 10 Home. But looks like it's across the board. I wonder whether someone could make a case of this in court? I'm getting fedup with prescribed security that may or may not be appropriate for my hardware.

[Mashiro]

As far as I'm aware installing any other antivirus product will disable the Windows Defender Antivirus component to prevent conflicts. Every well known and average (Avast, AVG, Avira and etc) antivirus should be enough. Not sure about obscure products like Dr. Web or some Chinese stuff. Rather stay away from those anyway.

I'm a bit disappointed too that they're forcing this onto enterprise and business users, too. I wonder what was on their mind when they made this decision.

[mzltest]

As far as I'm aware installing any other antivirus product will disable the Windows Defender Antivirus component to prevent conflicts. Every well known and average (Avast, AVG, Avira and etc) antivirus should be enough. Not sure about obscure products like Dr. Web or some Chinese stuff. Rather stay away from those anyway.

I'm a bit disappointed too that they're forcing this onto enterprise and business users, too. I wonder what was on their mind when they made this decision.

Maybe Microsoft wants these users to be more "secure".(laugh)Who knows Windows defender whether have security holes?

You may want to try HuoRong and WiseVector.Both are Chinese antivirus with good reputation.Some people install them simultaneously.Huorong is somehow a WD disable tool rather than antivirus.(Some people use this joke as Huorong's detection rate is low and most called as security tool)While wisevector has high detection rate but not certified by Microsost.(Of cause,false positives are high too as they use AI technology)