Be Sure to Check Your Default Apps After Latest Windows 10 Updates
As most of you know, Windows 10 is a free update to Windows 8.1 and Windows 7 SP1. And if you using either of those versions of Windows, you have until July 29, 2016 to get your free upgrade.
It really is a free upgrade, but users do pay a small price – if not in money, then in aggravation. The constant “Get Office” notifications, being one example. (You can turn those off though.)
If you use Cortana you’ll be automatically using Bing search (Bing is Microsoft’s Google Wanna Be). Yes there are ways to force Cortana to use you preferred search engine, but by default you’ll be ushered to Bing, thus making money for Microsoft. There are many ways where Microsoft is milking money from Windows 10, including the collection of user data. And no they’re not the NSA and no they’re not using the data for nefarious purposes – but data is money in the age of information.
Now it appears that Microsoft is even trying to dredge up money from updates. We heard from quite a few people that recent Windows update reset the default browser to Microsoft Edge – regardless of what you had set as default. We’ve never heard anyone say they use Edge full time – no extensions allowed. won’t open certain kinds of page. hard to changes its default settings, very Bing oriented, etc. Every person Microsoft can persuade to use its Edge browser will become a source of revenue for Microsoft. This leads me to ask — why didn’t the make Edge a complete browser and knock people’s socks off, instead of making it look and work like a half-finished version of Chrome? We don’t know. Uncle Billy isn’t taking our calls.
Anyway, if you wake up one morning and you click a link and find you’re using Edge, here’s what you need to do:
Click Start —> Settings —> System —->Default apps and find Web Browser:
Click on it, and select your preferred browser from the list. Um…you must have the browser installed before it will appear in the list 
Just click on the browser that you want to use as your default browser and your done – well maybe until the next Windows update.
Windows 10 is a great operating system, and we’re no disparaging it. We both love it. But there’s no such thing these days as a free lunch. Apple makes its operating systems free for Apple users but they make money on every Apple user whether they buy anything or not. And Google, with its Android OS does exactly the same thing. Microsoft’s just catching onto this FREE way of making tons of money.
Apple, Android and Windows are kind of like beneficent adware We can call it Beneware!
Check out this free program to shut down Windows 10 switches for better security.
https://www.ashampoo.com/en/eur/pin/1004/security-software/AntiSpy-for-Windows-10
Thank you for posting and for you suggestion. However, it’s important to mention that we do not recommend this program. By supposedly shoring up privacy problems in Windows 10, you’re also eliminating some features. This whole issue of privacy in Windows 10 is the product of ill-informed bloggers and journalists who sensationalize in order to make more money by writing articles like the one written by the so-called “journalist” comparing Windows/Microsoft to the NSA. It’s ridiculous and stupid and whoever wrote that article knows better.
Apple and Google (Android) have been doing the same things that Microsoft is now doing with Windows. How do you think Apple and Google have been able to give away their operating systems free? There is no such thing as a free lunch, and there’s no such thing as a free operating system. And anyone who thinks the data collected is going to be used in some nefarious way should think again. Neither Apple, nor Google, nor Microsoft is going use any data they collect in any nefarious way. They are not going to turn over data collected to any government or law enforcement agency without proper legal authority (Search warrants / Court orders). Microsoft is not the NSA and it exists to make a profit – being loose with users’ personal data or using it for nefarious purposes would be corporate suicide. Microsoft is already fighting to keep its share of the operating system market, any kind of revelation about them using customer data for anything malevolent would certainly bring about its demise.
No one ever seems to care about the ISPs who log every web site visited, every link clicked, every email sent, every email received of every customer. Your ISP knows a whole lot more about you thank Microsoft, or Apple, or Google will every know. And who knows how well your ISP screens its employees — especially those with access to the personal data stored about every customer.
So we hope we’ve made it clear that there are more important things to worry about that turning off some things in Windows 10 that will supposedly shore up its privacy. If anyone wants to download the software recommended by the original poster, they do so at their own risk. Cloudeight is not recommending it.
As July draws near, I ask myself if I really want to upgrade to Windows 10. I had an issue with Windows 10 last Summer when I downloaded it to my laptop; thank goodness Darcy could straighten it out. I downloaded the update and of course lost Windows Mail (number one thing I did not like about it) and then I could not figure out how to get to the control panel to uninstall a program (still do not know how to locate that). Windows 10 sounds like it would be a great program to have on my computers but, has anyone else had these minor irritating issues or is it just me. Thank you
Gene
My windows mail disappeared too by Darcy easily put it back on…so now worries there
Only kudos to team Darcy and TC
I don’t know what is going on at Microsoft but I have had the same problems. Somebody might have been laid off that should have not been. Want be the first time.
When that browser team (Edge) at Microsoft gets serious with their browser, I will to. I have no intentions of going backwards to use that browser when there are so many other good browsers. I can wait! I like the one I have….