Windows 10/11 Download

[primestar31]

Windows 11 Version 26H2 is now available. For those choosing to perform this update go to Settings - Windows Update and select Check for Updates. Moderate time needed for those performing this update.

Is that a huge update? My Channels DVR server mini-pc is running 25H2, and everything is stable. Not sure I want this update for now, as besides the Channels DVR stuff, I'm running Docker Desktop, and several bridge programs.

 

[harshness]

Not much of a change, most of the improvements have been slowly rolled out in 25H2 already.

That's the whole point of the preview builds.

 

["MysteryMan"]

2026-10 Security Update Builds: 26300.9711, 26200.9711 and 26100-.711(KB5127648) along with 3 Security Updates for .NET and 1 Security Update for NET Framework have been released. Moderate time needed for those choosing to perform a manual download/install/restart. Quality improvements only. No new operating system features.

 

[harshness]

Setting yet another record.

Microsoft October 2026 Patch Tuesday fixes 1,411 flaws, 3 zero-days

Today is Microsoft's October 2026 Patch Tuesday, with security updates addressing a record-breaking 1,411 flaws, including one actively exploited and two publicly disclosed zero-day vulnerabilities.

www.bleepingcomputer.com

• 677 Elevation of Privilege Vulnerabilities
• 40 Security Feature Bypass Vulnerabilities
• 317 Remote Code Execution Vulnerabilities
• 254 Information Disclosure Vulnerabilities
• 73 Denial of Service Vulnerabilities
• 28 Spoofing Vulnerabilities

These 1,411 vulnerabilities add to the 384 vulnerabilities already addressed this month on Exchange Server and Microsoft's cloud services.

Microsoft needs to focus all of its AI efforts on fixing its own software rather than being "agentic" for evildoers.

 

[EarDemon]

With the release of 26H2, I did my yearly reformat and re-install of Windows over the weekend. My two 2 in 1's were done on Sunday, took care of my laptop yesterday. I've noticed zero changes between 25H2 and 26H2, but an odd usability thing came up. On my 2 in 1s, after a fresh install it's always been a pain to get the smart pens to retain the custom settings I use. I eventually get it, but it takes multiple tries. This time both worked first time right off the bat, and I'm using the same installer I have been for a few years now. Probably just a coincidence.

Single tap of the top button launches OneNote
Double tap of the top button launches Sticky Notes
Long press of the top button takes a snip of the screen
Top Barrel button to bring up the pen settings
Bottom Barrel button to erase

To get the software for my various radios and other devices to work the first time is always hit and miss with numerous COM port driver issues. The web based Motorola Business CPS software worked immediately, as did Uniden Sentinel and the two Midland programming utilities I use, Uniden's R Series Tool however will not recognize my detector and I never had a problem with that before on any version of Windows. Taking a few thousand mile road trip next week, so I would like to get the GPS database updated for cameras.

Not related to Windows, but Microsoft announced that Publisher was dead after Oct 1. When reinstalling Office 365 Business to my surprise Publisher was still included. Don't really care one way or the other, just an observation.

 

[WhiteBeard]

Linux.

 

[EarDemon]

No thanks. Very little of what I need can be run on Linux without some virtualization voodoo, if that will even work.

I have very little problems with Windows. In a fictional fantasy world, I would much prefer a smartphone running Windows that can utilize AD DS versus an Android device enrolled into InTune MDM.

 

[harshness]

Very little of what I need can be run on Linux without some virtualization voodoo, if that will even work.

What you need shouldn't necessarily be confused with what you want.

 

[EarDemon]

If it wasn't for what I want, I wouldn't need any of this.

Do I need a collection of handheld radios, scanners and speed enforcement countermeasures? Nope, but I want them. Very little, if any of the software used to interface with these devices is available on Linux.

 

[WhiteBeard]

No thanks. Very little of what I need can be run on Linux without some virtualization voodoo, if that will even work.

I have very little problems with Windows. In a fictional fantasy world, I would much prefer a smartphone running Windows that can utilize AD DS versus an Android device enrolled into InTune MDM.

Aside from gaming and my tax software, I have little use for Windows. Though I have heard that a lot more games will run natively on Linux now. The major exceptions are those games running anti-cheat software. I'm not a gamer so I won't miss any of that. And I would rather have an Android phone than an iPhone.

 

[WhiteBeard]

If it wasn't for what I want, I wouldn't need any of this.

Do I need a collection of handheld radios, scanners and speed enforcement countermeasures? Nope, but I want them. Very little, if any of the software used to interface with these devices is available on Linux.

To each there own but I've found that Windows can't do much more than Linux can. Can't have everything.

 

[HipKat]

Linux.

And I would rather have an Android phone than an iPhone.

Holy crap, we agree on something

 

[EarDemon]

My order of preference

1) Modern day Windows Phone or Blackberry
3) Android
4) flip phone
5) candy bar Nokia from 1999
5) Motorola StarTAC
6) Fisher Price phone with the smiley face
7) Two tin cans and a string
99) Apple iPhone

 

[EarDemon]

To each there own but I've found that Windows can't do much more than Linux can. Can't have everything.

For niche use cases, yes I agree. Kali for ethical hacking and security testing, and running a Cacti server for network monitoring are the two things I have experience in. Plus thousands and thousands of other things, but for every day use I just can't see it. The owner of the GMRS repeater that I pay to access is changing the Tx DPL tones tomorrow, while Chirp is available on Linux, the software to program my MXT500 is not.

I run Fedora and Ubuntu in VMWare, honestly I don't care much for the UI of either of them and I don't feel like spending days/weeks to customize the UI to make it look Windows-like when I could just use Windows. The cartoonish dock at the bottom of the screen reminds me of Apple products.

 

[dishstaller]

Holy crap, we agree on something

I KNEW I felt some type of disturbance in the continuum earlier today....just wasn't sure what caused it.

 

[HipKat]

For niche use cases, yes I agree. Kali for ethical hacking and security testing, and running a Cacti server for network monitoring are the two things I have experience in. Plus thousands and thousands of other things, but for every day use I just can't see it. The owner of the GMRS repeater that I pay to access is changing the Tx DPL tones tomorrow, while Chirp is available on Linux, the software to program my MXT500 is not.

I run Fedora and Ubuntu in VMWare, honestly I don't care much for the UI of either of them and I don't feel like spending days/weeks to customize the UI to make it look Windows-like when I could just use Windows. The cartoonish dock at the bottom of the screen reminds me of Apple products.

I'm sorry, but the Dock is optional. I run Arch Linux, and tbh, as someone without specific, niche needs like your radios, the GUI is really no different, and I worry less about my OS being infiltrated. The OS is less bloated; there is no OEM Software that I have to dig through to disable or remove; coding is not a massive pile of problems that require constant patching, and if there is a problem, I can easily fix it myself (ChatGPT is great for Linux or any programming issues), and setting it up to look the way I want it to does not take days/weeks. It takes barely an hour. Not to mention, a cold boot takes barely 30 seconds from Power on the being fully booted.

Ubuntu is a joke, btw

TRG would back this up better than I can, I'm sure

 

[EarDemon]

I have no OEM bloat, on CTO devices where I can access the drive, I order it with the smallest allowed drive and crack the device open throw the factory drive in the garbage and put in my own WD Black and install Windows from bootable media. For Windows bloat, I install Windows using the English - World option which limits preinstalled MS bloat.

Windows and Office features I wish to block, like CoPilot and Cortana, macro enabled Office files and others are blocked with GPOs.

Between keeping all software up to date, doing firmware updates, putting IoT devices on a separate VLAN, running Symantec Endpoint (say what you want about it, it's been good to me) and practicing safe hex, I'm vigilant but not paranoid about security.

With NVMe SSDs, my cold boot up time on all devices is under 30 secs as well. Fast boot disabled, BitLocker drive encryption enabled.

I have nothing against Linux, been paying with it on and off since 2004ish, it's just not the right solution for me.

 

[HipKat]

it's just not the right solution for me.

As I said above, and, FWIW, I run Win11 Pro and Arch on separate 250 GB NVME drives, using F8 to select which I boot to, with a 1TB SSD for storage, accessible to both OSs and a third formatted Nvme I want to use to learn Kali. It was much faster to setup Arch than it was to strip down Windows. Windows still takes much longer to boot.

 

[harshness]

I don't care much for the UI of either of them and I don't feel like spending days/weeks to customize the UI to make it look Windows-like when I could just use Windows.

What is so fantabulous about the Windows UI? By many accounts, it has been going downhill since Windows 7.

There are Linux desktops that offer Windows or Mac UIs, yet you don't hear much chatter about them outside of questions about when the creators might get sued.

 

[EarDemon]

What is so fantabulous about the Windows UI?

Because it's what I prefer. I know I've said this a few times, I use Open Shell to give me the cascading start menu a la WIN 95 and NT4.0. The only reason I went from Windows Vista to 7 back in the day was because of Classic Shell. I cannot stand anything other than the OG start menu from 30+ years ago. I'm using ExplorerPatcher to give me Windows 10 UI elements of the taskbar and right click context menus.

If you could take a look at how I set up Windows 95, you'd find many similarities to how I use 11.