Showing posts with label Microsoft. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Microsoft. Show all posts

Friday, September 23, 2016

Eff You Very Much, Microsoft!

Or the continuing saga of the Windows 10 update.

As I reported a few months ago, Microsoft updated my machine to Windows 10 one night after I failed to do anything positive to avoid it. I wasn't terribly upset; I had intended to give it a shot anyway. I gave it decent reviews for speed and resented the new file folder scheme (which I have since come to live with). And it had a problem with a Windows System program called "Runtime Broker", apparently a memory management program that that sometimes becomes a memory devouring program and needs to be killed occasionally to restore free memory.

After the update, I noticed the games section had been replaced with a new "Microsoft Solitaire Collection". I tried its version of Free Cell and didn't like it, besides, it didn't show my large number of consecutive wins any more. A quick look on line found you could download and reinstall the old Windows 7 games for free, and when I did, voila! all my record was restored. Apparently Microsoft deleted the Windows games programs, but not their records.


OK, it's a minor vice; I can quit anytime I want. . .

Two nights ago, Windows decided to push down it's so called "anniversary update". I left the machine running after I went to bed, and when I restarted it in the morning, it took an hour and a half to finish the update. About the only thing I can find different in the update is that Cortana is now more intrusive than ever, and they moved the power options to a button. Big whoop.

But most annoying, they deleted that Windows 7 games I had installed again, and Cortana kept directing me to "Microsoft Solitaire" section. A look on line revealed that the reason is pretty clear. The new "Microsoft Solitaire Collection" features ads, and for a mere $1.49 a month or $10 a year, you can banish the ads! So I went to my "download" directory, found the old file for the Windows 7 games and reinstalled it.

And they still haven't fixed the bug with Runtime Broker.