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Microsoft explains the lack of Registry backups in Windows 10

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Re: Microsoft explains the lack of Registry backups in Windows 10

#41

Post by plopz »

theandrewbailey wrote: post #21
docker_up wrote: post #6

I'm still on Windows 7 on a 2012 desktop. There's no reason for me to change. I've yet to run into any situation that has required me to upgrade. Since the world is generally web-first, the only thing that matters is Chrome and Firefox. Even running 4K video just required a codec upgrade as opposed to CPU upgrade. Yes there are security concerns but I'm pretty vigilant. I haven't run a virus scanner in 15 years, I'm…

Windows 7 isn't guaranteed any support or updates after next January. Good luck! https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/4057281/windows-7-s...

What does this mean practically when even something as old as XP got a patch just a few months ago?

Re: Microsoft explains the lack of Registry backups in Windows 10

#42

Post by philg_jr »

docker_up wrote: post #6

I'm still on Windows 7 on a 2012 desktop. There's no reason for me to change. I've yet to run into any situation that has required me to upgrade. Since the world is generally web-first, the only thing that matters is Chrome and Firefox. Even running 4K video just required a codec upgrade as opposed to CPU upgrade. Yes there are security concerns but I'm pretty vigilant. I haven't run a virus scanner in 15 years, I'm…

I assume you are running Security Essentials (aka Defender in 8 and 10)?

Re: Microsoft explains the lack of Registry backups in Windows 10

#43

Post by goodiegood »

This is good, right?

We constantly moan on HN about those diabolical Electron apps which waste 50 MB of disk.

Microsoft saved 50 MB of disk here, they are true heros. We applaud.

After all, why did I pay for all that sweet SSD disk space if not to keep it free.

Re: Microsoft explains the lack of Registry backups in Windows 10

#44

Post by tomku »

srfilipek wrote: post #24

Wouldn't this break the functionality of "system restore points"? Because those have saved me so many times in the past.

System restore points are the recommended and supported way to backup/restore critical system information including the registry, and they don't depend on the "secret" RegBack folder backups that this Forbes article is spreading panic about.

Re: Microsoft explains the lack of Registry backups in Windows 10

#45

Post by rolph »

pbhjpbhj wrote: post #19
Sujan wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What crime in what country do you think this should fall under?

It's a very minor fraud, if a product you purchase says it will do backups, but doesn't do them, then you were defrauded. I think you could sue for actual damages if you had them and be successful if it's in the documentation anywhere, or the system actively informed you that a backup was made. I'm in the UK, fwiw; I'd expect most English law systems to be broadly similar but IANAL.

if i spent all day tweaking peoples registries, only to find that they are not backed up to be restored when you desire a sane configuration uuum, "pissed off" would not even begin to approach describing the emotional carnage evoked.

I get the hunch MS is set on controlling the users configuration at all times. On the flipside i remember the hell of restore point trojans, and perhaps this is MS best go at mitigating a currently guesstimated threat that is coming?

Re: Microsoft explains the lack of Registry backups in Windows 10

#46

Post by fencepost »

rando444 wrote: post #5

50-100MB seems like a miniscule amount of space to warrant something like this. My WinSxS folder alone is almost 10GB. If they wanted to save space, even a modest improvement in managing updates would yield space saving results orders of magnitude greater than this.

Note that part of the size of WinSxS is an illusion because basically everything there is hard linked from elsewhere on the system (yes, NTFS supports hard links). There are some ways to do limited cleanup on it, but it's not a place to poke around in manually.

More depth: https://www.thewindowsclub.com/winsxs-folder-windows-7-8

Re: Microsoft explains the lack of Registry backups in Windows 10

#47

Post by fencepost »

docker_up wrote: post #39
Bartweiss wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I'm still on Windows 7 on a 2012 desktop... I haven't run a virus scanner in 15 years, I'm just extremely paranoid over what I click on and which sites I visit. I run an ad-blocker and pi-hole to decrease any attack vectors. To be blunt, this is a bad idea. I'm sympathetic to the general motivation. I think the value and effectiveness of antivirus is generally overstated; it's often a replacement for vigilant brows…

Yes, I forgot to mention I don't visit any questionable sites whatsoever. I've extremely vigilant, more vigilant than 99% of the population I would think, and I take it very seriously. If I need to test a link, I'll use my phone. I built my own desktop so no worries there, I don't have a CD player and I only install trusted apps these days, the only ones in the last few years have been Chrome and Firefox. It's not th…

I forgot to mention I don't visit any questionable sites whatsoever.

The problem isn't questionable sites (including ad networks), it's 0 days and hacked sites. uMatrix won't protect you from malicious js fed from the same site, or perhaps a malicious malformed font download[1].

[1] https://threatpost.com/of-truetype-font-vulnerabilities-and-...

Re: Microsoft explains the lack of Registry backups in Windows 10

#48

Post by gemjam »

Waterluvian wrote: post #37

I just booted up a windows 10 machine earlier today for the first time in many months. It absolutely bewilders me how terribad the UI is. You have this fancy UI but if you ever click one or two options deep you end up getting these alternately styled legacy interfaces. It's so incoherent. It really makes windows 10 feel like a skin on top of windows xp. So when the article says Microsoft wants to push users into wind…

One super useful hidden feature but terrible ui is you can start typing as soon as Win 10 start menu is open... example 'notepad'... I used to install classic shell just to get the [run] input box

Re: Microsoft explains the lack of Registry backups in Windows 10

#49

Post by theandrewbailey »

plopz wrote: post #41
theandrewbailey wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Windows 7 isn't guaranteed any support or updates after next January. Good luck! https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/4057281/windows-7-s...

What does this mean practically when even something as old as XP got a patch just a few months ago?

Patches might happen, but don't hold your breath. It's at Microsoft's discretion. If they are asked why don't they do something about a new vulnerability on an old OS, they'll say they don't support it anymore, users should upgrade, and that will be that. (Did XP ever get Spectre or Meltdown patches?)

Maybe more importantly, third parties will notice that MS isn't supporting it and is telling people to upgrade, so third parties won't support old OSes anymore.

Re: Microsoft explains the lack of Registry backups in Windows 10

#50

Post by antisthenes »

romanovcode wrote: post #7
docker_up wrote: post #6

I'm still on Windows 7 on a 2012 desktop. There's no reason for me to change. I've yet to run into any situation that has required me to upgrade. Since the world is generally web-first, the only thing that matters is Chrome and Firefox. Even running 4K video just required a codec upgrade as opposed to CPU upgrade. Yes there are security concerns but I'm pretty vigilant. I haven't run a virus scanner in 15 years, I'm…

> I haven't run a virus scanner in 15 years, https://i.imgflip.com/34p4uf.jpg

This is not constructive.

Security is 90% about good operational procedures and maybe 10% about what OS/Antivirus/whatever you have. And that's being generous.

It seems like the 2018+ trend is pushing poor software in the name of security.

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