November Windows 10 Update

Ambisinisterr · December 20, 2015

Hey guys,

I just got home from work and received the November Windows 10 Update on my laptop. I don't know why it took so long for me to receive this updateon my computers as they have all been used since this update was released. Are they releasing this in batches as well?

My main concern, though, is that when I logged in I immediately noticed Cortana and various other privacy invading programs were re-enabled without my permission. I purposely set up Windows 10 avoiding a lot of the bloatware they pushed on consumers and with this update they enabled these features without my permission anyway. Has anybody else experience this?

~~I couldn't find a way to disable her either as of right now. The guides I have no longer show the correct Settings UI. Maybe there is a way but~~ I called Windows Tech support to both vent about how wrong it was for Cortana and other privacy invading software to be enabled without my permission and to get simple answer on the new way to disable her. Their solution was "hiding" Cortana so I don't see her but not actually disabling the program as I well as trying to convince me I should use Cortana because she helps me.

One of their exact questions was "Why don't you want Cortana?" Seems pretty simple to me: I don't want it. It isn't even just the questionable privacy concerns as much as a number of other personal preferences which include but are not limited to not wanting to search the internet from my "Run" search box. What's wrong with wanting the Run search box to simply return stuff on my computer and opening a web browser when I actually want to search the internet? I don't see any compelling reasons to want Cortana instead of typing in a standard search engine and I personally feel it gets in my way so the real question is 'Why would I want Cortana?"

This is so not how I envisioned my morning going...
But I am surprised to not see a lot of grief on this yet? Am I the only one this happened to or did everybody else actually start using Cortana since Windows 10 released?

Update: Turns out they changed the "Run" search box to be Cortana and enabled by default. You have to click into the box and click the circle Cortana Icon in order to turn it off. The only way I found this out was by noticing there was no way to disable the search box, only Cortana.

Xarvz · December 20, 2015

You can do stuff in this video if you really care, but it really does not matter tbh...

Ambisinisterr · December 20, 2015

That's the problem and why I am upset. I had done a lot of that when setting up my computer of that and they enabled every feature I disabled without my permission when my computer installed the November Update.

I am by no means a huge privacy fanatic. The privacy irks me but Cortana is my real hatred. I don't see a single reason to use Cortana so I want it outright disabled. It's purely personal preference and the security is only a small factor of the distaste I have for it. Windows enabled it and changed the UI so previous guides on how to disable it are completely incorrect.

Think of it like setting a non-edge program to be the default web browser and having Microsoft change it without your permission. That's the reason I am irritated Cortana was enabled and took over various computer functions. Privacy aside I simply don't want to use Cortana any more than I want to use Siri or whatever Google Called their service.

TheLoopyOne · December 20, 2015

the problem i encounter with the update besides all the OS could do enabling things was a mayor boot time in UEFI mode, now appear 2 boot screens instead of one and idk why, my PC used to start in 15 secs now its like 30secs and idk why.