My 90 year old Mom accidentally downloaded windows 10.. She's nearly blind

[annabanana]

and had memorized where all the "buttons" were for her to email and skype and get the Times headlines...

My Sis is out there in Denver with her. How hard will it be to "put things back where they belong" so we can resume our daily calls? It's hard being so far away, and skype is the best way for me to gauge how well she's feeling.

(REALLY pissed off at windows for pushing and pushing that damn "upgrade&quot

[Fuddnik]

1. Yeah. I really wish the would add a button for "NO! Stop bothering me".

They're pushing me to go to Linux.

[mnhtnbb]

6. My son set up my new laptop with Linux Mint after the motherboard died on my Windows 7 machine.

He also has hefty anti-advertising software on it and I LOVE the fact I'm no longer
followed around by constant advertising.

It's taken a little getting used to, but I'm doing ok with it. I did have to give up my Canon software
for my cameras--won't run on Linux--but he did install a virtual machine running Windows 10 that
I use exclusively for doing TurboTax. (Our taxes are somewhat complicated, and I've been using
TurboTax for probably 10 years.)

[TTUBatfan2008]

61. Canon software...

Did you try installing it through the Windows 10 virtual machine?

[mnhtnbb]

83. My son doesn't want me to use it for that--because I'd be using it all the time.

He thought it was better that I limit its use to the 4-6 weeks when I work on taxes.

[Egnever]

103. Turbo tax is now available online

You can use it through a browser and it doesn't care what OS you are on. You can even import your old returns.

https://turbotax.intuit.com/personal-taxes/online/

[earthshine]

74. Single-button solution to block upgrade to Windows 10.

The renowned Steve Gibson of TWIT.TV has created this free mini-program for Win 7/8/8.1 to permanently block Windows 10.

https://www.grc.com/never10.htm

Below, others write about the GWX control panel, which is also effective, but more complex to use.

I first found out about the GWX control panel from Steve's weekly podcast. He highly praised it, but, some users had some difficulties. So, he created a simpler solution that uses Microsoft's own internal mechanisms (via registry tweaks and group policy) for blocking the upgrade.

[intrepidity]

95. Thanks for that link

huge fan of Gibson

[onethatcares]

2. something you might try

get some stick on dots and put them on the keys she needs to use. Of course you vary them for different keys. Or you can cut them with a sharp blade in different forms. It a cheap form of braille.

My dad did that for my mom and her microwave oven. She was close to blind also.

[annabanana]

3. Her biggest challenge right now is

getting the cursor to the right place on the screen. The keyboard isn't an issue yet. I've heard there is a setting for W 10 that will somewhat mimic the screen set-up on windows 7

[yourout]

4. Try windows classic shell

http://www.classicshell.net/

[gfwzig]

12. not an advertisement but (free) Classic Shell is a lifesaver

I resisted changing to w8.1 I tried it but because my security camera software was not compatible with w8.1 iI reverted back to w8.0 then I found Classic Shell a free program that has allowed me to get windows 8 8.1 and 10 to act similarly to xp. It still cannot solve all the problems with w10 but it did make it useable. (why in the hell do software makers change sh*t all the time as so called improvements but manage to make it worse overall....they had something great with windows xp but had to change it)
Pardon me while I go off on a Lewis Black style rant now.

[polly7]

21. Yes, it's a GREAT program. nt.

[KoKo]

35. We used Classic Shell with Win-8 when one of our laptops died using Win7.

It was our business computer and we couldn't waste time learning to deal with the new Win 8 format. Classic Shell made a huge difference, so hopefully it will for Win 10.

[Califonz]

5. GWX stops all Windows 10 installation requests!

Get it here:

http://ultimateoutsider.com/downloads/

[eShirl]

8. I need to check that out

thanks!

[OldRedneck]

27. There's a problem with sites that claim to be able to solve your computer problems. . .

. . . by simply downloading their "free"software.

The problem is many/most/all of them install on your computer one or more applications that track your browsing, sell that info, then you are deluged with ads. That's how they offer their service for free.

[hunter]

59. I've never had that problem with Debian...

The last Microsoft product I used at home was Windows 98SE. The last Apple product was System 7.

I have these old home machines fully emulated on my Linux desktop; same with my Atari 800. My oldest personal computer files go back to the 'seventies.

Fluency in Linux is a very useful skill. I haven't purchased any proprietary closed source software for a long, long time, nor have I been tempted to download "free" but infected-with-advertising-and-worse software from any sketchy sources.

The generic, open source Chromium browser works fine for most web sites and javascript apps. You only have to sell your soul to google for the fully-branded Chrome if you choose to use protected subscriber services such as Netflix, but Chrome is still free, and still less intrusive than Windows 10.

With Windows you are essentially relinquishing ownership of your computer to Microsoft.

[Califonz]

90. True in general...

That's why one should always check out online reviews to see if there are reports it is malware or has hidden trackers. None reported on this one.

[eShirl]

7. not sure if voice recognition software like Dragon would help

but has she tried anything along those lines?

My late husband was legally blind and used it for some things, and for other things just a really good magnifying glass along with a screen zoom utility.

[RoccoR5955]

9. How to uninstall Windoze 10 and revert back to 7 or 8.x

Follow the link.. How To Geek is a very good resource.

http://www.howtogeek.com/220723/how-to-uninstall-windows-10-and-downgrade-to-windows-7-or-8.1/

[nxylas]

10. Unfortunately, I only found out about that when it was too late

I made the mistake of letting Microsoft badger me into downgrading, and soon wished I hadn't. But as someone said on Twitter, trying to stop it is like wrestling a sweet off a robot monkey.

[OldRedneck]

26. The problem with How To Geek . . . .

. . . and similar sites that promise to fix your computer problems . . . the problem is many/most/all of them install on your computer one or more applications that track your browsing, sell that info, then you are deluged with ads. That's how they offer their service for free.

[RoccoR5955]

99. I don't believe that I have seen that from How To Geek.

The only thing that they do is to put a tracking cookie on your PC. They are so easy to get rid of, that they even tell you how to do so on their site.
They never sell your info. Here's their statement from their site:

Email Privacy
We will never sell your email address to any third parties, ever. If we ever sell your email address to anybody, we agree that you can beat us with a large metal object. The object must be at least 4 feet long and weigh more than 20lbs.

Yes they use advertising, but how else do you expect them to pay for the site?

I cannot stand it when people give good sites like this a bad rap, that is not deserved.

[Worried senior]

69. Tried to go back

but on the recovery screen it said the folders needed for this were not available.

I'm living with 10 and since Dell didn't upgrade drivers for my computer there have been problem.

[MrMickeysMom]

11. Boy, I sure don't belong in this conversation...

(Macintosh, like, forever), but sympathies!

[90-percent]

13. Windows 10 aggressiveness

Been getting the upgrade messages for a while. Came home a few days ago and the windows 10 install was almost complete. i did not agree to the license and manged to get it uninstalled and windows 7 restored. some nail biting minutes working to restore itself. Anxiously waiting to find out if I get my computer back or microsoft wrecked my machine without my permission!


Thanks for the needless stress, monopolistic microsoft!


-90% jimmy

[Gary 50]

14. Ive got news for you. Your mom didn't download it.

Microsoft did. I was on my computer yesterday and after refusing ten thousand requests to "upgrade" I got a notice windows 10 download would begin in 14 minutes. I went to the linked site to stop it but that was not one of the options offered. These assholes just took over my computer without my having any say in the matter. I did have to confirm at the end of the process, which I did, but only because I feared if I didn't accept it would ruin my computer. Of course, even though they claimed nothing would change, everything did. I wish someone would start a class action lawsuit. The gall of these fucking assholes is breathtaking.

[hobbit709]

16. There are ways.

You can revert.
It won't ruin your computer by accepting or denying but 10 will definitely cause problems.

http://www.howtogeek.com/220723/how-to-uninstall-windows-10-and-downgrade-to-windows-7-or-8.1/

[polly7]

24. I used that successfully when I got rid of Win 10 the first time it downloaded itself

even after I kept 'postponing' it until I learned more about it, and went outside to cut grass. Then I installed GWX and have had no more problems.

[MH1]

33. Why anyone would downgrade to Windows 8.1 is beyond me

I guess if you have a tablet you can't go to 7. But in that case wouldn't 10 be better?


I have 10 on my pc at work and I like it. I haven't upgraded my home pc though because I know my company IT dept. figured out how to get all the settings right. So I need to go talk to them and find this stuff out before I upgrade. But I'm definitely upgrading. 10 breaks some things for me but I've figured out how to fix or change those so it works just as well. And it's faster, and the task manager is better, and the tiles on the start menu are growing on me now that I figured out I can make some of them small and some of them big. I'm still a little pissed that they stole the Windows-S hotkey for "search" (for a program or whatever I guess), that I might use once in 3 months, and now I need more clicks to do a screenshot to the clipboard with the Snipping Tool. But that's ok now because I bagged the snipping tool and figured out how to set up Greenshot, and the new way works so much better that I'm almost glad Windows forced me to do that. Except it's b.s. for them to take a hotkey that people use many times a day and use it for something that hopefully they won't need to do very often at all. (Morons. Just shows how off-key the Microsoft designers can be sometimes. As if Windows 8 wasn't enough to let us all know that.)

[hobbit709]

34. Because 10 makes 8 look good. It takes all the worst of Vista and 8 and adds to it.

8/8.1 sucks until you tweak it a little.
I install Classic Shell-it makes it look and feel like 7 with no problems.

[MH1]

39. Ah, good to know.

My work laptop isn't very much different after the upgrade to 10, but it does run faster, and handles more open apps at one time, which is a huge plus for me at work and makes the annoyances worth it (now that I figured out how to get around the worst of them, which was by far the snipping tool thing). I think my IT dept. was able to disable the most obnoxious "features" that I see other people complaining about. The main weird thing left is the start menu, and I'm getting used to it. Not having to be constantly closing apps before I really want to, really let's me work more efficiently. That's probably not a factor for a lot of people that don't have to have all those heavy hitters open at one time. Or maybe with a newer pc and more RAM it's ok, but my work laptop has 8 gig now so that should really be enough. But it wasn't with Win 7.

[hobbit709]

41. I have 8 Gb RAM on my main machine with 7

I'm running 3 different folding@home processes in the background constantly. Have on occasion had a video conversion, browser, and listening to music running in addition without a problem. Of course using a 8 core cpu overclocked to 4.5 GHz might have something to do with that

[MH1]

47. Yeah but most of the stuff I run is either Microsoft or SAP

so that probably explains it.

[Egnever]

78. Hobbit is an anti windows 10 crusader

I would take his windows ten advise with a grain of salt. I don't think he actually has spent any time using it. But he has spent a ton of time removing it or trying to talk people into removing it.

[MH1]

94. Thanks for the info.

I actually generally like Windows 10 and it makes sense to move forward. But there are some really stupid and annoying things that Microsoft does; sometimes I think they do it just to remind us of their power over us, and how we'd better just accept that they're going to f*ck with us now and then.

My IT department did spend some time figuring out how to make Windows 10 look as much like Windows 7 as possible. So we got the performance benefit without many of the obnoxious "features". And the performance is MUCH better, I will say that.

[Egnever]

104. I really don't think the IT department is doing you any favors.

I realize it looks different when you first see it but if you use it for a week or two it grows on you pretty quickly and after that the start menu is actually much more functional than the one in win 7.

I get that change can be hard but if you bite the bullet and maybe just watch a couple of quick videos on the changes you will find it really is a much better start menu. I think one of the mistakes they make with it is loading way to many tiles that people will never use to begin with that make it overwhelming for people.

One of the first things I do for my customers is eliminate a lot of the tile clutter for them.

This is a pretty comprehensive video of all the changes and the new things you can do.

[lostnfound]

64. Some old people have trouble adjusting to change. And the OP is about one who's nearly blind nt

[MH1]

92. Yes, but she should go back to 7 if anything, not 8.1

Unless she's on a tablet, which doesn't seem likely.

And let's not even talk about the gawd-awful mess that was Windows 8.

Actually I think it would be best for a tech-savvy young relative to "fix" W10 for her similar to what my company IT department did. Windows is going to stop supporting 7 at some point so it's best to make the switch now while it's free. Things can probably be set up pretty close to how she had them on 7. Although, I agree, if it is found that there's something critical that's just not possible to fix, and she can't adjust, then go back. But Win 10 is not all that bad, and it does improve performance. (Performance is not likely to be an issue for what she is doing unless she has a rather old/small machine. But still, the support thing.)

[First Speaker]

56. That happened to me a few days ago...

...went away for a bathroom break--and lo and behold, it was downloading when I got back! I was pissed...nothing wrong with Windows 10, but I didn't goddam ask for it... also lost my Windows 7 solitaire game, which is much better than the 10 one...trying to decide if I want to bother trying to get rid of it...

[joshcryer]

72. I blocked all windows updates because of this.

So lame.

[randome]

15. Some of the fanatics keep saying Windows 10 is sooo much better.

They deliberately forced color schemes on us that make it harder to tell which window or which item you have highlighted. Don't even pretend to tell me they did user acceptance testing on this.

In in IT but I know how to design a usable user interface. Windows 10 is a big step backwards in that respect, which, arguably, is the only respect that matters.
[hr][font color="blue"][center]Stop looking for heroes. BE one.[/center][/font][hr]

[Egnever]

82. Really?

Different strokes for different folks. I find the highlight on the bottom of the open program icon on the task bar much better for seeing what's upon and what is not.

I do agree they took a step backward in your ability to control color schemes but most folks never touched that anyway so I don't really see that as much of a loss and actually it makes it easier for people to use because it is much simpler.

[randome]

88. Program icons? I'm talking about highlighting one row of data among many.

You simply can't see what you're doing very easily. Outlook 2013 and later is even worse at the office. It's bizarre stuff that no one -absolutely NO ONE- asked for in the first place.

Sure, different strokes for different folks, but not everyone's eyes see things the exact same way so why not let users have some control over their desktops? I mean, it's supposed to be THEIR desktop, not Microsoft's.
[hr][font color="blue"][center]Stop looking for heroes. BE one.[/center][/font][hr]

[Locrian]

17. I have it blocked

I use a free program called GWX Control to keep Win 10 OFF my Windows 7 setup. I loath the direction MS is going - and it's likely to get worse. If I didn't have a lot of music / digital audio workstation stuff like Cubase etc I'd be on Linux Mint / Ubuntu.

http://blog.ultimateoutsider.com/2015/08/using-gwx-stopper-to-permanently-remove.html

[nxylas]

18. I've wondered about that

I can't seem to get a simple, non-techie answer to the question "If I switch to Linux, will my files and programs still work?" My limited experience of it is that it's heavily slanted towards non-standard simulacra of the programs that everyone else uses. In particular, I have a Linux-using friend who's always sending me email attachments in some weird file format that won't open on my PC.

[hobbit709]

36. M$ Office won't open it because it pretends no other document formats exist except theirs.

But Office won't even open older Office versions' documents.

Just tell your friend to send it as a .docx-which Libre Office will do and you can open it.

[reACTIONary]

40. Don't count on it, unless.....

..... unless you are already using those non-standard simulacra on windows to begin with.

For instance, if you use Open Office or Office Libre on windows, the files will work under those programs on Linux. If you use MS Office, there is a good chance they won't on Linux. Sometimes they do, and you can save in an interchange format like RTF to make it work, but if you get an Office file from someone via email you might have trouble with it. As you have experienced with your friend's email attachments.

The heavy slant towards non-standard simulacra is there by design. Linux is not a straight forward comercial product. It's part of a techno-socioeconomic philosophy / movement based on the concepts of open source, user control and involvement, and a "sharing", DIY economy.

All the ideology aside, the business model that underlies it works surprisingly well, but it is defently a niche product that is focused on techies that know what they are doing, really enjoy doing it themselves, and want to "change the workd".

[-none]

48. To answer your questions about Linux

Yes, your files will still be there. As for your programs, no, but there are equivalent programs for Linux that more than likely will be able to understand your window files.

Linus mint comes standard (and free) with Firefox and the word processor suite LibreOffice, programs to play music, gimp for graphics, plus a free 'store' you can fine and install practically anything under the sun.

As for the weird file formats, what kind of files are they? Probably word/text files. download LibreOffice. Much better than MS Word and it understands all or at least most Word Office files and you can save in either Linux or Word format.

Always back up the data files you wish to keep. Either to an external hard drive or to CD/DVD or flash drives before installing another operating system. Linux can be installed in its own partition for duel booting, leaving Windows alone. The reverse is not true. Windows will overwrite the boot sector every time and sometimes even the Linux OS, when installed second, if you are not careful.
Linux Mint can be setup to look and even mostly feel like XP/win7.

Check out http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=forum&id=1092 for more resources and answer to your questions.

Oh, and one more thing, Updates. They are quick and easy, unlike win7 and above. No rebooting afterwards either. And no threats nagging to "up grade" to something you really do not want either. Linux is worth checking out.

[nxylas]

50. They're all sorts

Sometimes documents, sometimes images, sometimes media files, you name it. The only thing they have in common is that nobody else can open them. I suspect he does it deliberately, so that he can say "Well, if you had Linux instead of those wicked capitalist Microsoft/Apple products...."

[-none]

65. What are some of the extensions?

[nxylas]

80. I'd have to go trawling through my old emails to find out

All I remember is that Windows didn't recognize them when I tried to open them.

[-none]

89. Google could help with that too.

[area51]

108. Yes, Linux is worth checking out,

as is the user-friendly version of FreeBSD, PC-BSD

[polly7]

20. GWX will delete Win 10 programs, keep it from installing any 10 files and ....

well, that's all I know so far. But those things work well.

("deletes hard-to-remove program files that are known to prepare your computer for Windows 10 upgrades.&quot

[Helen Borg]

19. You need to uninstall update KB3035583

That is the one that causes the stupid Windows 10 reminder to come up.

http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/get-rid-windows-10-upgrade-notification-windows-7-8/

That, after you get back to Windows 7.

[hobbit709]

42. Then you need to set Windows Update to notify but don't download

And whenever good old KB3035583 shows hide it.

Recently though I had a MSE update that turned Update back to full automatic and it wanted to install 10.

[annabanana]

57. This is what I ended up doing on my machine.. my Sis is taking

care of it out in Denver... Thanks so much!

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

22. Thank you everyone for the tips! Just yesterday I caught mine doing the stupid ass

upgrade without my consent. I forced a shut down and it reverted back to 7. Now I need to get rid of that annoying reminder.

[polly7]

23. GWX Seriously. It saved me. nt.

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

28. I was just reading that one. Glad people posted it because the "solution"

I'd found online crashed my computer and didn't even get rid of that annoying ass reminder. I'd given up and didn't realize they'd actually force that bullshit upgrade without my consent. I thought it'd just keep reminding me in perpetuity. Can't wait to try it.

[polly7]

29. I'm no expert, but I love it. It's caught certain win download files

and prevented them while allowing the rest of the updates, will scan your computer for any Win 10 files already on it and just sits there running quietly. I was so tired of those update reminders and that button.

[annabanana]

60. It seems to have

taken care of my and my Mom's problem

[hobbit709]

43. Uninstall KB3035583.

[MyNameGoesHere]

25. Unlike OS's stuck in the 80's

you can use Cortana to send emails, make a call, text someone. Why even bother with looking for mouse pointers and tiles and start buttons?

[backscatter712]

31. Cortana was the first thing I turned off after I put Windows 10 on my laptop.

It's an upgrade to Microsoft Bob, but with a female voice.

[brooklynite]

30. MS push the upgrade last night; if you DECLINE the legal agreement it will restore your old OS

[annabanana]

58. This ended up being the quick-fix for my Mom

Then we disabled the "reminders" for the upgrade..

Thanks

[sunnystarr]

32. What's with all the hate?

Windows 10 is far superior to it's predecessors and uses less of your puter's resources. Plus it's flexible. To make it look like 8:

Change the Start menu to Classic view -

1. Open Taskbar and Start Menu Properties by clicking the Start button , clicking Control Panel, clicking Appearance and Personalization, and then clicking Taskbar and Start Menu.

2. Click the Start Menu tab, click Classic Start menu, and then click OK.

To make it look like 7:

http://www.laptopmag.com/articles/make-windows-10-like-windows-7

Change is a good thing.... thought we were progessives here lol

[Gary 50]

37. What's with all the hate?

They took over my computer without my consent. They changed everything while promising to change nothing. They are a bunch of fucking assholes.

[eShirl]

38. +1

[reACTIONary]

44. Without your consent ? Didn't you read that...

..... license agreement completely ? Don't you remember clicking on the "Yes, I Consent" button.

Believe me, you consented, whether you know it or not. Now, INFORMED consent, well that's a different story...

[Gary 50]

62. Yes, without my consent. They downloaded it in spite of my refusing to accept it.

If you are talking about my consent AFTER it was downloaded then yes, I consented because I feared it would mess up my computer if I refused acceptance after it had already been downloaded. Believe me, they loaded windows 10 without my permission.

[Egnever]

102. That was where you consented

it wouldn't have harmed a thing if you had refused it.

[Chan790]

96. Get used to it.

They want everybody on Win10 and off Win7/8...they've gone so far as to suggest to industry bloggers that if the "forced upgrades" don't work...they're going to go one further and use their patching to remove critical core components that if you ever read the EULA, you'd know they actually retain ownership of...to "break" Win 7 and 8 so you have no choice but to upgrade.

It may be in the end that the only way to not go Win10 is to give up the internet entirely instead.

[reACTIONary]

45. I think you have a good insight there,...,

.... I'm sometimes surprised at how conservative progressives can be.

[-none]

49. Change for change sake is not necessarily good.

Especially when it is forced on you for the benefit of the one forcing the change.
Win10 in its native form is spyware. There are no two ways about it. In the Home versions, you cannot turn off the slurping of your data. Plus it really wants you to start using the Cloud, another place they can look at your data.

Your computer is your computer. Microsoft thinks that since you are using their operating system, your computer is really their computer, so therefore they can do as they please with it. Apparently you have bought their hype.

[Ms. Toad]

53. Increases the clicks required to do anything by about 1.5

Things I use on a daily basis (like the control panel) are hidden. Not to mention that it isn't playing nicely with software that ran perfectly on Windows 7.

I'm sure I can fix all but the last, but why would I want to have to take extra time to fix something that wasn't broken in the first place?

[Egnever]

76. Not true at all

Because you don't know where things are does not mean they are harder to get to. And the search bar at the bottom will find anything for you.

For control panel or other common settings right click the start icon.

Watching a simple ten minute welcome to the new windows video would solve a lot. Of people's issues.

Win 7 software should have no trouble running on 10.

I get that as you get older you get more and more resistant to change but ten is not going anywhere and it is supposedly the last windows you will have to learn. All you are doing by clinging to 7 is postponing the inevitable.

[greatlaurel]

91. The search bar at the bottom does not find the dozens of free games that came with my computer

Microsoft basically took over my PC without my permission and wiped out thousands of dollars of software and data. I will never buy another computer infested with anything from Microsoft. Cortina is particularly useless, by the way.

I very much want to go back to my original software.

[Egnever]

101. Did you look in the store?

There are hundreds of free games available there.

[greatlaurel]

105. Why should I be forced to go to the store and download new software?

I paid for the software that came with that computer and it all functioned perfectly. I was satisfied with the product I had. There was no need to change to a new OS at all. Microsoft must be in a lot of trouble if it has to resort to this kind of chicanery to force people to use this software.

Windows 8 was a massive failure and it sure looks like 10 is just as bad. If it was easy to use and did not steal people's intellectual property then Microsoft would not need to force/trick/scam people into using it. A superior product would have people happy to download it/even purchase it.

[Egnever]

107. Maybe you should get a mac

Not much has changed on that side for years.

[Ms. Toad]

98. You skipped the second and third parts of my comment.

And you are making ass our of youself by making *ass*umptions that are incredibly unwarranted about my age, software, and programming experience, and how well I adapt to software. You seriously have no clue.

There is a significant difference between being unable to adapt to change, or unwilling to because it is challenging, and objecting to being coerced into change for change's sake. The second point was, if it isn't broken - why should I bother spending the time to adapt to a different interface. I have far better things to do with my time than to go hunting for where everything is now hiding. Even if the beneath the cover changes were necessary to make the OS more efficient, that doesn't justify slapping an entirely new interface on it - with changes that are designed to make the interface look and function differently from the previous one for nonfunctional reasons. (It doesn't even justify cramming it down the throats of people who prefer to stay with Windows 7 - who may need no more efficiency than they currently have with their current operating systems.)

As to the third part - you obviously don't have the same software I do. Theoretical "should have no trouble" is not the same as reality, and I have a fair amount of software that functions well on 7, but is glitchy on 10.

[Egnever]

100. Ok

Doesn't change the fact that most things are much easier to get to in 10 than they were in 7.

The cortana box alone allows you to search for any setting you are looking for just by typing it in. It doesn't get easier than that.
It isn't an entirely new interface either. The task bar is still there it just has added functionality the same with the start menu and instead of having the bar where the settings are like it used to, you right click the start button instead nothing hard about that.

I agree they shouldn't be cramming it down peoples throats. I disagree completely with the idea it is harder to find things. I do repair for a living and I have not run into many if any complaints about software compatibility. I don't doubt you have some glitchy software issues but characterizing it as a widespread problem just is not my experience or the experience of my customers.

What I have found glitchy is machines that have been upgraded without going in behind the upgrade and doing a refresh. Something about the upgrade and the way it moves the software over has caused issues with some of my customers machines. Having said that doing the refresh and installing the software fresh has solved those issues every time I have encountered them so far.

[greatlaurel]

106. Great post. Thank you!

[Deadshot]

55. I agree.

Not only that, it's much more secure than the earlier versions of Windows.

[jpak]

46. My 14 Y.O. cat downloaded it for me

[bhikkhu]

51. Its easier to use

Having spent 30 years using computers, and having to deal with countless OS upgrades, I understand the aggravation when suddenly familiar buttons are gone and menus moved, but in the long run it all depends on how well an OS works. Overall the changes are big improvements. Ubuntu has always been my favorite OS, and for the last few years its been nearly flawlessly easy to use. Windows 10 is much like Ubuntu now - very easy. I have to use it at work.

[Silver_Witch]

52. I think she ca use the Contana feature to activative things for her so...

This might be a wonderful mistake. If her computer has a microphone she can fell Contana to dial a number or open an application.

If I might I have a disable sister who I brought an Echo from Amqazon for and it even types emails for her. It took her a while to vet the hang of it but she said it gave her her life back. She can eve dictate emails and have emails read to her.

Anyway if you google Get windows 10 off my computer the second or third hit will walk you thought the process. Sorry on my kindle or I would copy the link for you!

[whistler162]

54. Classic Shell

http://classicshell.net/

[Worried senior]

70. Love Classic shell.

[CanonRay]

63. Windows 10 literally destroyed my hard drive

when it loaded, it did not remove Windows 7. Now they are both on there, and using 100% of the memory, freezing the computer. Took it to a tech and they can't even boot it up to try something. Now we have to format the hard drive and start over. Fuck Microsoft.

[kimbutgar]

68. Same thing happened to me

[sendero]

66. We had a power outage..

... a few days ago. When my wife restarted her computer (she didn't hang around waiting for it it boot) and returned, Windows 10 was installed (she had 7).

She didn't ask for it, didn't want it doesn't want it but is giving it a try. So far it has "forgot" her HOMEGROUP, refused to run Notes properly but I don't know of any other problems.

The installer makes a backup of your existing windows and you've got 30 days to back into it.

She hasn't decided yet.

[kimbutgar]

67. I brought a new computer that had Windows 8 last year barely used it

Upgraded to Windows 10. The hard drive crashed couldn't restore it and had to get a new hard drive. Brought Windows 7, the guy who repaired my computer told me this was not uncommon. Cost me $250 to repair.

[joshcryer]

71. I don't know but can't you revert?

30 days or something like that?

[blogslut]

73. Eventually,

your mother might do better with a touchscreen monitor and either Windows 8 or 10. Both are touchscreen capable and use Metro. The Metro User Interface has big old buttons on the Desktop that replace the Start Menu and would be so much easier to use for someone with declining eyesight. She can pin all her favorite programs to the Metro Menu.

[earthshine]

75. A simple way to stop Microsoft from spying on you. (For Win 7/8/10 users.)

The simplest would be to disconnect from the internet permanently.

Since none of us are going to do that, there is this nice little free program that prevents your computer from communicating with any of Microsoft's Telemetry servers. (It sets up the blocking in the Windows hosts file.)

https://www.safer-networking.org/spybot-anti-beacon/

One might need to download fresh versions of this program on a periodic basis because Microsoft continually adds new Telemetry servers. Your usage data (the applications you run, the searches you make, your screen names, etc.) is very valuable to them. After setting up the telemetry in Windows 10, MS backported as much as they could to previous versions of Windows. Win 7/8 became tainted with advanced telemetry functions in June 2015.

Additionally, for Windows 10 users, do not use Cortana, set all your privacy settings as appropriate, and turn off usage of the unique advertising ID.

[SteveG]

77. download Classic Shell

It's a replacement shell (interface) for Windows 8 and up, it's free. It makes the system look and act like it's windows 7.

[LuvLoogie]

79. You can roll it back. She has about 30 days, I think.

[greatlaurel]

93. Please tell me how or a link. Please, please.

I would be so happy to roll it back. I simply find 10 impossible to use.

Thank you.

[LuvLoogie]

97. Here you go.

http://www.howtogeek.com/220723/how-to-uninstall-windows-10-and-downgrade-to-windows-7-or-8.1/

[LuvLoogie]

81. Here are directions on how to roll back Windows 10.

http://www.howtogeek.com/220723/how-to-uninstall-windows-10-and-downgrade-to-windows-7-or-8.1/

[renate]

84. I wish I'd seen this before my MIL paid the Geek Squad to come to her house

But since Windows 10 will probably install itself on her computer again, I'll keep this in mind for when it does. Thank you!

[WhaTHellsgoingonhere]

85. I think she did it in time for the 50% savings

[Agnosticsherbet]

86. I was able to roll my computer to an older backup.

[woodsprite]

87. You have to get in and create a program that runs on startup that kills GWX.exe

That's the Win 10 upgrade program that hangs around your system hoping you click on it. I would imagine it's possible to go back, but I'm sure they don't make it easy. I only run Windows at work and have not moved to 10 yet.

Best of luck! I know what it's like to have parents at a distance and having to try to provide tech support so you can stay in touch. We haven't used Skype, but have used OoVoo. Skype may support it now, but at the time OoVoo supported multi-chat windows, my BIL, SIL, MIL/FIL and Hubby could all video chat at one time. We've even celebrated Christmas using OoVoo. Put Mom and Dad on a large screen in the middle of the buffet table

[nilram]

109. I totally recommend TeamViewer

http://www.Teamview.com. In order for you to look at / control her desktop, your mom would have to know how to bring up the program and relay her id (though that says the same each time) and her password (which changes each time). It has been totally helpful when helping out my partner's 91-year-old mom, 3000-miles away. There is also a way to set a password so your mom doesn't have to relay the new password each time, and that sounds helpful for her situation, but I haven't enabled that for my partner's mom's. The program is free for individuals, and really expensive for companies when they use it for company support. I've used it dozens of times without paying and it's really nice of the company to make it available for, essentially, individuals to help out remote family.