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Windows 10 free upgrade for Win 7, 8

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  • thomasp
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    thomasp hero character
    change for the sake of change you mean? it's just an OS, something to run the software on that we work with. i only run windows because all the main tools i rely on either are exclusive to or run best on this platform.

    if i was not bound to use specific CG tools and was merely looking for a general purpose computing OS, windows would be the least likely choice. i consider the registry a massive disadvantage, making the system hard to maintain and crawl over time, a problem i've never encountered with any other OS. semi impossible to really fix with anything but a fresh install for anyone but an expert.

    i dislike the clunky user experience. worst in class and degrading further IMO. their interfaces seem hacked together with bits from old windows versions showing through the cracks in the newer layers of paint. generally they also seem to have the most annoying wizards and warning dialogues and i always end up spending a lot of time after an install to get the thing to shut up and just let me work without pop-ups and preference settings of the 'who could possibly want THAT??'-type. did this again recently for windows 7. mental...

    best thing i can say about windows is that it is fairly backwards-compatible compared to the alternatives. you rarely end up with a tricky upgrade situation due to running the wrong version of XYZ, something which can frequently drive you mad on linux.

    in any other way OSX and linux stomp all over it in my opinion. no reason at all to consider windows. now if only CG software makers would focus their main development efforts there and not just do those ports as an afterthought (feels like it anyway).
  • martinszeme
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    martinszeme polycounter lvl 8
    Ignoring UI, stability is the main issue I have. Not much works properly with 8^ yet. Production wise; reliability is more valuable than the slight benefits and massive cons upgrading carries.
    I'll be sticking with 7 for now.


    What specifically doesn't work? Been using 8 since it came out and had zero problems. Be it games, production software or anything really.
  • Neox
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    Neox veteran polycounter
    What specifically doesn't work? Been using 8 since it came out and had zero problems. Be it games, production software or anything really.

    same here
  • pior
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    pior grand marshal polycounter
    Pancakes : it has nothing to do with handling change, but everything to do with handling pointless changes.

    For instance, I know for a fact that on 7 I can fully disable any "Aero" effect in order to squeeze the best performance out of my GPU in CG apps and Photoshop at all times. With 8 relying so heavily on accelerated "tiles" I have the feeling that disabling that layer of the OS might be tricky. Now I don't know if it is even possible to do so or not, and it might very well be ; but I am not willing to tempt fate and upgrade between important projects until I know for sure.

    As a matter of fact, I would be very willing to install 8 or the 10 preview if I had a secondary machine that I could put it on just to experiment. But since my main workstation is too important for that and since my laptop is a Macbook that I do not plan to multiboot, I just don't have the option.

    So yeah - it's not at all about fear of change, but more about not having the luxury to play around with computers just for the sake of it.
  • Dataday
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    Dataday polycounter lvl 8
    I was a fairly big windows 8 hater until it came on a surface pro I purchased. Still hated it...and then discovered that once you add Classic Shell or any other start menu application... everything suddenly got better. Now I love 8, its on all my PCs and I cant imagine going back to 7. There's a kind of polish that exist with 8, a fine refinement that was messed up by their marketing team's insistence on a new UI/start menu.

    This has left me cautiously optimistic about Windows 10, however its probably not wise to upgrade immediately when its offered... I am still a bit hesitant to see how they are going to try and profit off of the app market and what "services" they will be pushing as part of windows. Over all though I think they learned a valuable lesson from 8's launch. Keep the marketing guys out of the design decisions.
  • iadagraca
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    iadagraca polycounter lvl 5
    pior wrote: »
    Pancakes : it has nothing to do with handling change, but everything to do with handling pointless changes.

    For instance, I know for a fact that on 7 I can fully disable any "Aero" effect in order to squeeze the best performance out of my GPU in CG apps and Photoshop at all times. With 8 relying so heavily on accelerated "tiles" I have the feeling that disabling that layer of the OS might be tricky. Now I don't know if it is even possible to do so or not, and it might very well be ; but I am not willing to tempt fate and upgrade between important projects until I know for sure.

    As a matter of fact, I would be very willing to install 8 or the 10 preview if I had a secondary machine that I could put it on just to experiment. But since my main workstation is too important for that and since my laptop is a Macbook that I do not plan to multiboot, I just don't have the option.

    So yeah - it's not at all about fear of change, but more about not having the luxury to play around with computers just for the sake of it.

    You can turn it off with a simple application.

    Or change the settings to where it shows all apps rather than the start screen and/or boots to desktop.

    But there's nothing in the windows 8 interface that effects performance, it's FAR faster than windows 7 at default.

    Aero was a performance concern, the start screen isn't like that. Even on low end hardware like my vivotab I've never seen these features affect performance transitioning in and out of them.

    And there's no performance boost for people who turn it off either. And the usability of turning it off is in question and varies from user to user. I love the start screen, but some chose to avoid it and love doing that.
  • pior
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    pior grand marshal polycounter
    Iada, I think you are missing my point ...

    I am not claiming that the tiles and new start menu affect performance in a good or bad way (and how would I know ! I haven't installed the OS). I am just saying that given the fact that they rely on GPU acceleration, and the fact that I need my GPU focused on all the GPU intensive tasks I use it for every day, I am simply not willing to find out.

    I am not for or against an OS - when the time comes, I will test it out. I just look at it like an IT guy would, following the simple rule that every new software comes with unexpected bugs or issues. The time investment required to fix such (potential) problems is just not worth my attention at the moment.
  • Fuiosg
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    Fuiosg polycounter lvl 5
  • Kwramm
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    Kwramm interpolator
    pior wrote: »
    For instance, I know for a fact that on 7 I can fully disable any "Aero" effect in order to squeeze the best performance out of my GPU in CG apps .

    The whole Aero vs. Basic mess is GONE! That alone is one of the best Win 8 features for me. Especially since some older 3D programs now work right out of the box without any of that Aero/Basic twiddling.

    If there's any performance you lose, then it must be measurable in something smaller than milliseconds. It's negligible - if there really any slow down (which I doubt).
  • Ben Apuna
    Fuiosg wrote: »
    This might be of interest to some: Raspberry Pi 2 runs free Windows 10, costs $35

    It's not going to have a desktop or GUI. More like a command line only version for developers to create "Internet of Things" apps.
  • martinszeme
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    martinszeme polycounter lvl 8
    Ben Apuna wrote: »
    It's not going to have a desktop or GUI. More like a command line only version for developers to create "Internet of Things" apps.

    Apparently it WILL hose some sort of GUI. Not full on desktop, but still a GUI with ability to launch applications. http://www.stephendonaghy.com/?p=8
  • C86G
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    C86G greentooth
    My free upgrade is about to expire. Would you recommend upgrading to Win10 (from 7)?
    I haven´t done much reading on Win10. Would I need to re-install any software or anything else I need to do to run my computer the way it does now with all my software, tools etc? What do I need to know?

    Thnaks guys : )
  • Biomag
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    Biomag sublime tool
    C86G said:
    My free upgrade is about to expire. Would you recommend upgrading to Win10 (from 7)?
    I haven´t done much reading on Win10. Would I need to re-install any software or anything else I need to do to run my computer the way it does now with all my software, tools etc? What do I need to know?

    Thnaks guys : )

    Don't simply upgrade. Either make a complete clean setup or stick with Windows 7.

    I did try it out after the BS they pulled of that by closing the update window you automatically scheduled an update date. It was a mess. My Wacom drivers became as instable as ever before, analog head phones didn't turn off my sound boxes anymore (first I had to get my sound working as it simply didn't anymore after the update),.... Besides I really hate the phone apps crap on my PC. I reverted everything back to 7 the same day.

    Same story I heard from different sources. A friend of my first updated and was forced to return to the previous version, too. After a clean install (deleting all the old files) she has been very happy with it.

    So if you decide to go with Window 10, do it properly. Though I don't really like it at all when it comes to UI and design, it is probably better than the old ones. Since I plan on buying a new laptop soon I won't bother updating mine as I can't complain about Windows 7.
  • pior
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    pior grand marshal polycounter
    My free upgrade is about to expire. Would you recommend upgrading to Win10 (from 7)?

    If anything, the fact that a so-called "free" upgrade is bound to a limited time offer is a pretty good reason to not upgrade. There is no reason for anyone to put their work tool at risk by installing a new OS in a rush.
  • notman
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    notman polycounter lvl 18
    I would hardly consider it a rush, considering how long the option has been available. 
  • pior
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    pior grand marshal polycounter
    That's not really my point ... All I am saying is that doing something as drastic as an OS upgrade on a workstation is not really worth the risk/hassle if motivated only by a limited time discount.

    Of course if that's just for a recreational machine then it's all good ... but then again I personally don't see much benefit to it besides maybe the option to play KI for Windows since it is one of the few games requiring win 10.
  • JedTheKrampus
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    JedTheKrampus polycounter lvl 8
    Unless you want to write D3D12 renderers there's not really a good reason to upgrade right now. I've had the start menu stop working completely without rebooting my system, which is pretty much the one thing that should never, ever happen. Also, graphics driver updates are pushed through Windows Update which is probably not a good thing if you regularly use one of the more temperamental programs (although you can disable that.) I'm using 7 again now (and Ubuntu) because it's way more stable for me.
  • MagicSugar
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    MagicSugar polycounter lvl 10
    @C86G, if you haven't experience blue screens up to this point without upgrading...don't bother.

    For a year after switching to the free upgrade I've experienced a few exception error blue screens (especially when I had multiple youtube videos open on Chrome).  But lately, new window updates seem to have resolve those issues.

    No major app issues I can share that I think is Windows 10 related other than Krita 3 has been pretty buggy (crashes a lot) compared to 2.9.  Clip Studio initially had a cursor lag issue but I resolved that by making a wacom tablet preference switch (I don't remember which one but the fix is quickly google-able)

    Regardless, I don't regret updating to 10.
  • leleuxart
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    leleuxart polycounter lvl 10
    Unless you want to write D3D12 renderers there's not really a good reason to upgrade right now. I've had the start menu stop working completely without rebooting my system, which is pretty much the one thing that should never, ever happen. Also, graphics driver updates are pushed through Windows Update which is probably not a good thing if you regularly use one of the more temperamental programs (although you can disable that.) I'm using 7 again now (and Ubuntu) because it's way more stable for me.
    Switched to 10 for the free upgrade over the weekend. Ran into some issues with the whole graphics driver thing and dealing with stuff that appeared to be on my drive(s) but actually weren't. Good excuse of doing some cleaning and reorganizing stuff off of my SSD.

    Other than the initial setup(I like modding the themes and slimming down as much as possible), I haven't had any issues. It's been running great
  • C86G
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    C86G greentooth
    Thank you guys, really appreciate it! I think I will stick to win7 (if you dont recommend going to 10)
  • Autocon
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    Autocon polycounter lvl 15
    Upgraded to Win10, I like it. Feels very similar to 7 with some of the new stuff of 8 but still way more 7 than 8. Takes a bit to get used too but that was the same of going up to 7. Everything has been working great for the last few months.

    The only issue I've run into is that if I turn off my second monitor I have to restart my PC to get it to recognize the monitor again if I turn it back on. Haven't looked into the issue as I rarely do it and restarting my computer takes 30 seconds. Seems that turning the monitor off disconnects it.
  • Kwramm
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    Kwramm interpolator
    Also, graphics driver updates are pushed through Windows Update w
    Install a nVidia or AMD driver on top and Win update won't bother you.

    Stability depends mostly on drivers, not on the OS. If your manufacturer has great Win7 drivers but shitty Win10 ones then stick to Win7. Win 10 has been working great for me on Dell's workstations (T3500, T3600) and on my Acer media center, which must have an uptime of a couple of months now. Win 10 is rock solid with the right drivers.
    I use ZBrush, UE4, Substance, Maya, Max and Houdini and run my VMs. Never had a problem. If it weren't for the data collection controversy (On win10 make sure to go to setting-privacy and turn everything off!), I would rate it the very best Windows yet. Especially since they got rid of Aero, which was really annoying with older 3D apps where everything switched to Basic.


  • Chimp
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    Chimp interpolator
    I like windows 10 but I've noticed less stability from the graphics driver under it. Also had wacom issues.
  • JedTheKrampus
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    JedTheKrampus polycounter lvl 8
    I forgot about that. I also had some problems with the Wacom tablet service needing to be restarted that I don't have on 7.
  • Lazerus Reborn
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    Lazerus Reborn polycounter lvl 8
    Currently working as IT support for a medium/large company and this upgrade is the bane of my life. When MS swapped the upgrade from optional to recommended a while back it screwed a fair few companies. Computer illiterate scientists (<-not that there is anything wrong with that.) trying to upgrade essential systems because the user policies let them install recommended updates. Bricked a £22,000 machine for a month while we sorted out the several licenses from different companies and order in a engineer to calibrate everything again.

    We've since disabled the ability to let the users upgrade however that icon is still there giving people headaches. <3

    Windows 10 is half decent from what i've used, but don't force feed people it. 
  • Ryusaki
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    Ryusaki greentooth
    WIndows 10 is actually a decent OS if you ignore the telemetry "we want all your data" bullshit and the arm twisting "take it its free or else" marketing.
    But Microsoft is also VERY determined to be as unpopular as possible.
    This is the newest plan to harness the hatred of the masses:
    http://www.slashgear.com/microsoft-will-make-cortana-mandatory-in-anniversary-update-27449841/

    I hope it works out for them and they get as much hate as they wanted.
    I for one will consider the brute force method of dealing with unwanted programs on MY COMPUTER.
    I fucking delete them like any other trojan/adware/spam.

    cortana.exe > recycle bin > empty recycle bin > yes

  • Kwramm
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    Kwramm interpolator
    With any commercial OS you're at the mercy of its vendors, at the mercy of what they perceive as they target audience, or at the mercy of their marketing department.

    About Cortana, apparently a registry hack disables the listening front end, according to people using the re-release version. You will still see a Cortana process, but this process is not really Cortana. It is more like the old Windows search core, renamed to Cortana, so it first the "Cortana is everywhere!" theme.

    MS has become better under Nadella, but they still are great at sabotaging themselves. Some ideas are total gear-head ideas. Like collecting telemtry is cool - when I as TA write tools for our teams I also want to monitor so we can make tools better and find mistakes early, before they endanger production. But you just can't do this on a global scale and not tell anyone about it, and hope people will simply believe you if you say you're not collecting personal data. The real world doesn't work like a geek lab where all this is just cool and awesome. Same with your "Tony Stark" idea of having a computer that just waits for your spoken commands.

    edit: I really wrote Bruce Wayne before...time for a coffee
  • CreativeSheep
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    CreativeSheep polycounter lvl 8
    The Windows10 Free Upgrade is over.  If you want to upgrade to Windows10 it's going to cost you $200.00.
  • Ryusaki
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    Ryusaki greentooth
    If you want me to put that software on my computer, you better pay me 200$.
  • ryebot
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    ryebot polycounter lvl 5
    So are they going to keep running those automatic upgrades and then send you a bill?
  • McGreed
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    McGreed polycounter lvl 15
    ryebot said:
    So are they going to keep running those automatic upgrades and then send you a bill?
    Heh, I never thought about that, that's true. Or maybe stamp you as an filthy pirate. ;) Personally, I'm with the 'get that thing away from me'-crowd, not gonna support the overlord stands that MS has started to take. Turning into  Apple, maybe Stevies has become the ghost in the machine in MS hq.
  • Jerc
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    Jerc interpolator
    I don't really get all the fuss.
    Sure the sneaky upgrade reminder was annoying for people who were not ready to upgrade, but 10 is already a better OS than 8.1 and regular updates are bringing substantial and useful changes.

    The same version of the OS for everybody would mean better support, better updates, better stability as MS can concentrate on supporting a single OS rather than 4 or 5. You can't have a unified OS and cross platform features on mobile, tablets, PC and console with a fragmented market.

    Cortana is a non-issue unless you were one of those tinfoil-hat guys who were afraid Kinect was going to livestream their couch sex to the CIA. I rarely use Cortana but it doesn't affect the performance of my workstation and is never in my way unless I want it to, so I don't see how it bothers anyone, everybody's data is already out there anyway. If not Microsoft, Google has it. Don't like it? Don't use it :]

    Microsoft is still very, very far from promoting a closed system like Apple does, and I don't think that's their goal.
  • CreativeSheep
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    CreativeSheep polycounter lvl 8
    I use Cortana on my Windows phone, I sorta have a Microsoft ECO system, I use OneDrive as well, another Microsoft Service.  Cortana on the Phone is great. 
    Microsoft Security is better then Apple, by a long shot. 
  • Bek
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    Bek interpolator
    Jerc said:

    I rarely use Cortana but it doesn't affect the performance of my workstation and is never in my way unless I want it to, so I don't see how it bothers anyone, everybody's data is already out there anyway. If not Microsoft, Google has it. Don't like it? Don't use it :]
    What are your thoughts on CNIL's formal notice to MS re: data protection? https://www.cnil.fr/en/windows-10-cnil-publicly-serves-formal-notice-microsoft-corporation-comply-french-data-protection

    As for the whole "don't like it, don't use it" idea, I'm not sure that's a productive way to discuss technology of this scale; if we were talking simple objects voting with your wallet seems fair enough, but when we're talking about huge system like operating systems or social networks, a single person is a mere drop in the ocean, and these systems can affect their lives in various ways - they become social norms, integrate with other services and so on. It seems entirely fair to criticise something regardless if you use it or not. And with respect to personal information, it also seems entirely reasonable to desire it be kept private, regardless of any other entity potentially having such data. Just because I'm comfortable with my local GP having my medical records doesn't mean I'd be ok with, say, a pharmaceutical company having access to it.

    Personally I find the direction Windows is taking to be concerning; I wish I could just use their OS and not have to worry about anti-social behaviour like telemetry, but alas that is not the case. Which is also why I'm very pleased with Allegorithmic offering linux support for Painter <3. Of course while it would be great from a developer's standpoint if everyone used the exact same OS, gpu, screen, keyboard, etc, that also means the death of choice. Which is bad not only because of the loss of personal freedoms, but also because companies need competition to drive innovation.
  • CreativeSheep
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    CreativeSheep polycounter lvl 8
    There are many concerning issues, central bankers, propaganda in our news etc, Microsoft and or Samsung or Apple is a issue but only just a sliver of the pie.
    Obviously this forum is not about some of the things I've or others have slightly addressed but, I can say one thing, most of you, are being fooled.  I won't say anything more as I mentioned this forum is not the place so you will hear nothing further unless it's the topic of Windows which more or less has been answered.  The Free upgrade is over and if you want Windows10 tomorrow you will have to pay $200.00; of course there are other channels to which you can upgrade but that is your choice.


  • Jerc
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    Jerc interpolator
    @Bek From the moment you open a social media account, you pretty much give up on personal data being personal. I'm a fatalist when it comes to personal data, Skynet has already won :D
    As for "the death of choice", I totally agree and that's why I can't stand Apple's philosophy, but I think MS is taking a very different path. They are not restricting hardware, on the contrary, they are trying to create a unified experience across wildly different hardware, brands and devices and I don't think it will hurt competition or take away your freedom, it will simply (hopefully) improve the experience if you're using one of these devices.

    But then again I'm a Windows Phone user so a lot of this stuff is especially appealing to me, I understand it doesn't bring much to people whose only Win10 device is their PC.

    Also, the upgrade is still free.
  • McGreed
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    McGreed polycounter lvl 15
    One of the things that really rubbed people the wrong way, was the way that MS sneaked Windows 10 into updates and people woke up next day and it was suddenly installed on their computers without their permissions. Happened to companies too, and resulted in them not being able to work because their software didn't work with Windows 10. MS is working hard on forcing everyone to upgrade, whatever you want to or not.
    That's the part that is freaking people out, and the collecting of data is just a part of it. Just because it was 'free' doesn't entitle them to force people to use it. Would be like you bought an e-book at amazon and suddenly they replaced it with another book that was newer, but you didn't choose.

  • CreativeSheep
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    CreativeSheep polycounter lvl 8
    I never woke up with Windows10 installed, I was asked; I agreed and therefore it was installed. 
  • McGreed
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    McGreed polycounter lvl 15
    I never woke up with Windows10 installed, I was asked; I agreed and therefore it was installed. 
    And because you did that, you never got to the point where it stopped asking if you wanted to install. We had this at work, we get the popup asking if we want to install before, but it changed, and at some point that wasn't an option anymore, it was now or later, not cancel.
  • Bek
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    Bek interpolator
    Jerc said:
    @Bek From the moment you open a social media account, you pretty much give up on personal data being personal. I'm a fatalist when it comes to personal data, Skynet has already won :D
    True, but again I think there is a significant difference between something you consciously choose to share, and someone (or something, I guess, since we're talking about automated software) deciding to peek through your computer and report back to... wherever. For unknown purposes, and for unknown parties. So when I see governments criticise this kind of telemetry, and the whole "Hey guys, upgrade while it's still free! Last chance! Alright swearsy-realsies this is the last chance to upgrade for free! Oh you missed it? Alright one last chance..." thing, my eyebrow is firmly raised.

    Even if you're fine with unknown people potentially accessing your telemetry data, these sorts of changes are something you should probably keep a watchful eye on - in my opinion, anyway.
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