Win10 version 1903 shaping up to be a real productivity enhancer

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I finally got a super-clean copy of Win10 Pro 1903 installed. Local account. No remnants from earlier installs. Take a look at the new, improved Start
[See the full post at: Win10 version 1903 shaping up to be a real productivity enhancer]

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NetDef, PhotM, abbodi86, Elly

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woody wrote:

Personally, I like to wait until the cannon fodder has run its course and the screams have died down.

What happened?

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Test machine.

Necessary evil, but I like to keep ’em clean….

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Meh indeed!  I’ve never laid hands on or tried Win 10 so please excuse me if this sounds weird, but how does one get to the things that really count?  Like Program Files for instance?  I see nothing much in that picture that interests me.  What I do see is a lot of nonsense.

Again, please excuse me, I don’t make a habit of criticizing Win 10 but couldn’t help myself this time.

Being 20 something in the 70's was far more fun than being 70 something in the insane 20's

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Alphabetical scrolling programs menu on the left; browser, email and Office tiles on the right. (Unwanted tiles can be removed easily with a single action.)

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Charlie

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What things really count to you? How do you get to Program Files now? Why is getting to Program Files so important?

There are a number of things you can do to customize the Start Menu.

--Joe

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Programs I use most often are on the Desktop, other programs I use less often are on the Start Menu.  All other programs I can get to by clicking the Start Menu and then All Programs.  I do use the Classic Theme so things are more to my liking.

I was just wondering about Program Files because what I saw in the picture was everything but.

Being 20 something in the 70's was far more fun than being 70 something in the insane 20's

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You can certainly leave whatever you wish on the desktop as you do now. In the original post the left half of the picture is the All Programs list. The right half are pinned tiles or groups of tiles. All easily removed or changed.

Program Files is easily accesible using File Explorer. A shortcut can be pinned where you need it.

--Joe

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Charlie

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The Win 10 Start menu is great, but it receives a lot of criticism due to the junk tiles that Microsoft installs.

I run a Decrapifier script during OS installation that removes all tiles from the Default User profile so they’re not created when new users log in. When I hand a laptop to a user, their first experience is a Start menu that has nothing but a list of apps and zero tiles. My own Start menu screenshot is attached.

I always thought All Programs was a click too far. The new layout and options are much nicer. And the right-click Start menu was a welcome addition after Windows 7.

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Charlie

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I see what you mean, that looks a lot better than Woody’s picture.  I still prefer Win XP’s Start Menu in Classic Windows mode.  That’s something that got changed in Vista and Win 7, I didn’t like it but learned to live with it.

Being 20 something in the 70's was far more fun than being 70 something in the insane 20's

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1903 ISO media is now available to My Visual Studio susbscriptions

incorporated with cumulative update KB4497464 (18362.30)

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ch100, NetDef, woody

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woody, can you type winver.exe in the Run dialog box and check which 1903 build you got?

@abbodi86: I just checked the MSDN RG Adguard site and MSDN/VS subscribers should be getting any of the following ISOs today:

en_windows_10_business_editions_version_1903_x64_dvd_37200948.iso
en_windows_10_consumer_editions_version_1903_x64_dvd_b980e68c.iso

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Not Woody. But, left mouse click on the Start button and type winver and hit the Enter key. About Windows with the complete version information comes right up.

There is no need to right mouse click, select run and then type winver.exe. You get the same information either way.

GreatAndPowerfulTech

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Or type about… it’s 18362.53, as you would expect.

I fresh installed 1809 to a local account, went into the Release Preview Ring (using an Insider account), installed the update (using a local account), then did one round of cumulative updates. Build 18362.53.

 

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One piece of good news about 1903 is that more inbox apps can be uninstalled without resorting to Powershell malarkey.

The full list is:

• 3D Viewer
• Calculator
• Calendar
• Groove Music
• Mail
• Movies & TV
• Paint 3D
• Snip & Sketch
• Sticky Notes
• Voice Recorder

I also suggest turning off the “Live tile” option for the Microsoft Store icon.  Otherwise it will occasionally show ads for things in the Store.

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ch100, Seattle27, NetDef, woody, AlexEiffel

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Tero Alhonen just installed a clean copy of 1903 from MSDN. Here’s what he got:

https://twitter.com/teroalhonen/status/1118972805167685632

Not a single game on it.

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Microsoft default would be icons of a size that ‘shows off’  live tiles.  The presence of small icons indicates tiles have been modified.  Either its not a clean install or it was modified since installation.

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Rick Corbett

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Office apps don’t have live tiles. There are no “small” tiles on that start screen; those are group tiles which expand when clicked:

Based on your feedback, we’re introducing a simplified default Start layout for new devices, new user accounts, and clean installs. The new layout has been simplified into a sleek one column design with reduced top-level tiles.
What’s new for Windows 10 Insider Preview Builds (19H1)

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ch100, NetDef

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Windows 10 is  like a car body that only ever get’s a refresh never a complete new styling. Were stuck with Windows 10 because there apparently is no Windows 11. Its like groundhog days with a twist every six months. Throw in a few quirks and that’s what we get. Can’t get excited about that.

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Free refreshments and no having to buy a new model every three years.

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Does it still upload your entire life tho?

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This version has no real productivity enhance.It breaks many of our core programs that we used. We called up an MS agent who told us to avoid this version since core programs that our business use it does not work on it. Our business is now stock piling windows 7 computers and licenses and will be removing Windows 10 computers.

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warrenrumak wrote:

One piece of good news about 1903 is that more inbox apps can be uninstalled without resorting to Powershell malarkey. The full list is:

• 3D Viewer
• Calculator
• Calendar
• Groove Music
• Mail
• Movies & TV
• Paint 3D
• Snip & Sketch
• Sticky Notes
• Voice Recorder

I also suggest turning off the “Live tile” option for the Microsoft Store icon. Otherwise it will occasionally show ads for things in the Store.

Unfortunately ‘PowerShell malarkey’ is what some people *have* to use to clear the crud. (Anyone actually used the 3D viewer? If yes, more than once?)

Unfortunately, most Win 10 users *aren’t* here on ‘AskWoody’ so have little or no idea how to clear the crud nor how to stop the incessant whittling down of data caps due to regular data downloads/uploads (albeit miniscule for tile updates).

It’s an eye-opener using something like Nir Sofer’s CurrPorts (with logging) and just watching how many external connections (i.e. over the internet) a standard Windows 10 PC makes – say over 7 days – without the user even *once* opening a program following the Windows 10 installation.

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Elly, PKCano

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I use Windows Firewall control to review Outbound traffic. The number of background tasks that request access is mind-boggling.

If you think Microsoft is bad for spying, try a Dell laptop. Aside from numerous Dell services and processes wanting access for unexplained reasons, there’s also a Dell Telemetry service that keeps asking.

I grew up in an age when nobody poked their noses into other people’s business. Now the whole world seems to be looking over everybody else’s shoulder as they do anything.

Just interrupted by Microsoft System settings wanting web access (why) and Microsoft speech runtime… Hang on, I don’t have speech recognition switched on!  Back to research! Just as well I  am retired, have an IT background and  have the time to do the research.

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JohnW, Elly

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First upgrade-blocker for 1903 🙂
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/4500988/windows-update-blocked-because-of-drive-reassignment

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Elly, woody, PKCano

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This would not be at all good on computers which have been using an external USB device in order to get W10 updated, due to their small, but supposedly adequate for W10 hard drive.

Non-techy Win 10 Pro and Linux Mint experimenter

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FWIW, here’s two articles about 19H1 (the May update).

The first is Microsoft’s list of what is new – https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-insider/at-home/whats-new-wip-at-home-19h1#introducing-windows-sandbox-build-18305.

The second is a list of the top 15 features as voted by Windows Insiders – https://insider.windows.com/en-us/community-news/windows-insiders-vote-for-their-favorite-features-19h1.

--Joe

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Elly

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The Windows insider preference list says a lot!

Group A (but Telemetry disabled Tasks and Registry)
1) Dell Inspiron with Win 11 64 Home permanently in dock due to "sorry spares no longer made".
2) Dell Inspiron with Win 11 64 Home (substantial discount with Pro version available only at full price)

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