Windows 10 screwed up all of my ATX!

[NECPA in NEBRASKA]

Microsoft was kind enough to download Windows 10 tonight.  I spent 2 hours getting it uninstalled with their online chant and now It has fracked up all of my ATX. The servers say started, but I get a ton of error messages. I will have to call support now and pray that I can get this fixed. It also ruined my regular Windows backup. God knows what else this has screwed with. QuickBooks appears to be OK. I'm so sad and PO'd! I had promised tax returns out today and now I have to call and tell them that I won't be able to. 

[TaxCPANY]

You have my deepest sym- AND em-pathy, n'est ce pas (couldn't resist it).  Despite getting Win10 on a new machine, it's cost me literally weeks of unbillable aggravation since October.  At this moment, I cannot use my laser printer with ANY machine in my network, even the Win7's and Apples -- about the half-dozenth time a Win10 update has caused that particular problem, and, of course, it was last Sunday's update, so that I had to address envelopes for extensions and estimates by hand last Monday.

I even dread fixing any Win10 problem because its lack of a native Help resource means wading through the online welter of conflicting users' advice and obtuse boilerplate from the few Microsoft-affiliated bloggers lurking in the Help chats.  Nothing like this focused, monitored chat community.

I advise everyone who asks to wait until just before the July 29 deadline to see whether Microsoft has consolidated its Help resources AND overcome the worst of the myriad of driver and software conflicts, before upgrading.  At this point, I would not upgrade my Win7 machines, and, with four years before its support ends, still hope for a truly mature, reliable operating system to succeed it.

[Roberts]

The thing about Win 10 that ticked me off the most was the fact it wouldn't work with ANY of our printers. WTH? Called Canon and Brother and they said they would never have a driver that was compatible and they aren't old printers. Returned the computer (it had MANY problems) later the day I bought it and went with a mini-pc which had Windows 8. Turned off all auto updates from Microsoft.

[GeneInAlabama]

When I upgraded to windows 10, it scattered all my documents all over the place.  Later I did find a file called "cobrand" that had all my documents in order.  Don't know if this will help any or not.

[GeneInAlabama]

9 hours ago, NECPA in NEBRASKA said:

Microsoft was kind enough to download Windows 10 tonight.  I spent 2 hours getting it uninstalled with their online chant and now It has fracked up all of my ATX. The servers say started, but I get a ton of error messages. I will have to call support now and pray that I can get this fixed. It also ruined my regular Windows backup. God knows what else this has screwed with. QuickBooks appears to be OK. I'm so sad and PO'd! I had promised tax returns out today and now I have to call and tell them that I won't be able to. 

Am I understanding correctly that windows 10 downloaded on your computer without you telling it to?  That is scary.

[Lion EA]

I followed someone's instructions to stop that on my office desktop.  Hadn't gotten to it on my laptop.  Came in one morning with it shut down, because it was waiting for a response from me and hadn't had one all night.  It had downloaded and installed Windows 10 and was waiting for me to accept Terms or something like that.  I declined, so it uninstalled itself.  Which took a long time but was worth the wait.  I have a Share folder between the two computers, so do NOT want them on two different operating systems.

[NECPA in NEBRASKA]

I did get Microsoft support to uninstall it and set it back to my NEWLY purchased Windows 7. Now ATX 2013-2015 have Database server errors. The payroll side is still OK. ATX 2012 is OK. My other programs seem to work, so far. I am calling ATX support and hope that they have had to deal with this problem previously. The Microsoft tech didn't even ask any questions, she probably has to uninstall it all day.

[grmy2h]

It downloaded and installed itself to my work computer. I couldn't print or access the internet. I googled uninstall and it was pretty easy to get rid of it, but it's now reminding me everyday to upgrade again. 

[Catherine]

There is a utility (free!) that STOPS those installs and pop-ups permanently.  We have it installed on all of our computers and it's great.  Info here:

Gwx Control Panel

 

[Jack from Ohio]

This was predicted as much as 6 months ago.  Now do you understand why I refuse to take on WIN 10?  Computer shops all over the country are backlogged with computers to undo this upgrade.

Microsoft added it to the list of "important Updates."  If you have your system set to automatically update, you have been HAD!!

Use the tool that Catherine gave the link to. 

[Yardley CPA]

Jack...you have been saying it from the get -go.   

Catharine...thanks very much for posting that site.  I just downloaded and enabled it. 

[Catherine]

17 minutes ago, Yardley CPA said:

Catharine...thanks very much for posting that site.  I just downloaded and enabled it. 

I got it from two different - and qualified - IT sources and it works the way computer software SHOULD work:  quick, streamlined, does exactly what it claims quickly efficiently and without causing other problems in the background.  Glad you got it installed.

[BulldogTom]

On this same topic, but a little different.  My trusted 4 year old laptop is starting to tell me it is time to upgrade.  It is notifying me that the cooling fan is about to go, and it runs a little slower than I would like.  I want to get a new laptop, but I really want a Win7 Pro operating system.  I know it, it works, and all my software and printers work with it.  I will probably need to upgrade my main office computer as well.  I don't want to go to Win 10 but I think I need new computers next year.

Anyone have a source for really robust laptops that I can get with Win7 Pro?

Eric....I will push the donate button for a good reply?  (I will push the donate button anyway, but it sounds good).

Tom
Newark, CA

[JMovichEA]

6 hours ago, Catherine said:

There is a utility (free!) that STOPS those installs and pop-ups permanently.  We have it installed on all of our computers and it's great.  Info here:

Gwx Control Panel

 

That's a great utility, got rid of the Win 10 upgrade box in the system tray.

[NECPA in NEBRASKA]

ATX remoted in and fixed the databases for 2013-2015. 2012 and the payroll programs were intact. It has taken forever to put back in my preferences, check returns and acks as complete. I have to get EASEUS for this computer now, because Microsoft destroyed their own backup system. 

[Jack from Ohio]

4 hours ago, BulldogTom said:

On this same topic, but a little different.  My trusted 4 year old laptop is starting to tell me it is time to upgrade.  It is notifying me that the cooling fan is about to go, and it runs a little slower than I would like.  I want to get a new laptop, but I really want a Win7 Pro operating system.  I know it, it works, and all my software and printers work with it.  I will probably need to upgrade my main office computer as well.  I don't want to go to Win 10 but I think I need new computers next year.

Anyone have a source for really robust laptops that I can get with Win7 Pro?

Eric....I will push the donate button for a good reply?  (I will push the donate button anyway, but it sounds good).

Tom
Newark, CA

I have a source.  Send me a PM.

[Jack from Ohio]

[Don in Upstate NY]

I installed Win 10 when it first came out last summer. I don't use ATX, I use TaxWise. Win 10 did break TaxWise, but it was a known problem - as I recall the installation process didn't bring over the latest version of NetFramework. Running the setup program for any year of TaxWise fixed it for all years.

All of my printers (two Brothers and an hp) worked as usual (except perhaps duplex printing on the hp inkjet, which I never use because it's too slow.)  I miss the old version of FreeCell.  Alpha 5 (my database), Reflect (my backup), Intellect (my mail, calendar and contact manager)  and Adobe Acrobat X all worked without incident.

Going from Win 7 to Win 10 was much less painful than going from Win XP to Win 7.

[BulldogTom]

2 hours ago, Don in Upstate NY said:

Going from Win 7 to Win 10 was much less painful than going from Win XP to Win 7.

 

Yeah, I held onto XP for as long as I could as well.  It worked out for me.  By the time I moved to 7 it was pretty much bug free.

Tom
Newark, CA

[BulldogTom]

10 hours ago, Jack from Ohio said:

I have a source.  Send me a PM.

You have been pm'd.

Tom
Newark, CA

[mcb39]

13 hours ago, JMovichEA said:

That's a great utility, got rid of the Win 10 upgrade box in the system tray.

I got a "Possibly unsafe site" notice when I went there.  I shut all of mine off by clicking on the "show hidden icons" in the taskbar.  Then go to "Customize" and shut off all icons and notifications for Windows 10"

[easytax]

17 hours ago, Catherine said:

I got it from two different - and qualified - IT sources and it works the way computer software SHOULD work:  quick, streamlined, does exactly what it claims quickly efficiently and without causing other problems in the background.  Glad you got it installed.

And you want to retire and leave us ---- MY VOTE says  NO   /// now that that is kyboshed ---- THANKS for the app -- no more win 10,  yea ''''''''

[FDNY]

Agreed, she won't leave us.  Catherine, you're part of our own little tribe with a commonality of experiences and knowledge that only we can understand each other, especially what we deal with on a day to day basis.

Besides, what's left for us to do in retirement, paint by numbers?

[Catherine]

On 4/23/2016 at 10:28 AM, BulldogTom said:

held onto XP for as long as I could as well.

Me too!

[Catherine]

On 4/23/2016 at 2:48 PM, FDNY said:

Besides, what's left for us to do in retirement, paint by numbers?

I won't leave you!  This board is full of friends and almost-family.  

I will still do a few returns.  I have been asked to teach tax CPE.  I will expand the US Constitution classes I teach.  I will be able to practice rifle "for real" instead of dry-fire in the basement as my only practice before the spring league matches (although I had a 186 with 4-X's last Saturday; if not a personal high then very close to it).  We have friends in Australia who have been begging us for years to come visit - but it's not worth going for less than a month - so that will be on the docket.  My husband wants to go to the Edinborough Festival again sometime, and that's another multi-week journey.  None of those had been possible with both of us working jobs that don't allow us to be away for more than a week at a time.