New ITX PC with Ryzen - Win 10 issues

[gildasd]

I did not want to pollute this thread with my personal issues:
https://www.eevblog.com/forum/chat/microsoft-to-intentionally-brick-windows-78-update-on-kaby-lake-ryzen-systems/

I was planning a Ryzen7-1700, Radeon 480 8gig mITX setup with Win7 or Win8.1 at a stretch.
It was simple, Microsoft's new position has thrown a wrench in my plans...

The uses include (in order of confidentiality needed from low to high):
1) My new side gig to generate income from technical artwork.
2) CAD/CFD for academic/commercial purposes, not secret, but as I understand it, the CFD program needs a connection to the Uni server.
3) Confidential correspondance with my sea work company (dredging, cable laying, Panama Canal widening etc), the projects are all minimum 9 numbers... status of the ships, crew and work is all confidential. This basic info is worth a lot in this cut throat businesses - and the IT department does not consider Win10 secure in any shape or form...
4) my wife is a banker, she sometimes works from home (sick kid, weather or whatever) using a Remote Desktop. All highly confidential (she does commercial and public works financing reviews ).

All  this was easy to do in Win7, install the programs IT recommended, have a firewall, an antivirus and an anti spyware (with basic housekeeping) and everybody is happy.

With Win10, confidentiality always comes down to "no problem" IF i install this"secret uncle secret magic setup that has no warranties" that someone found somewhere...

Even the "pro" version of Win10 send gigabytes of stuff somewhere, with no user control.

I'm a bit miffed what to do.

[rrinker]

 My GF works for an agency that handles coordinates support agencies for developmentally disabled adults. As such, in the US her work falls under HIPPA privacy requirements. The laptops supplied for her to work from, as well as the laptops of all her coworkers, have Windows 10 on them. The thing is NOT keystroke logging you and sending all activity to Microsoft. This really is getting out of hand what people are claiming is going on.
 As a bank employee, I would presume that if she works from home she would connect via VPN. I don't know of a single one of our banking clients that allow direct access for employees - it's ALWAYS through a VPN. Again, Microsoft is NOT GOING TO TRACK ALL THAT.
 I've been using Win10 on ALL of my machines since the upgrade notification came, and I am fully patched up to date and I have YET to see these ads and crap showing up in my Start menu. An any of 4 machines. I've not done any of the super secret tricky ways to turn things off tricks on them, either. They are just as they came (I did remove Cortana from the task bar, but that's just a standard setting. Google is tracking all your searches too, why is no one complaining about that?).
 So just install Win10, and enjoy the latest and greatest hardware.

[rdl]

If you can get Windows 7 to install on the machine, then use it. That's what I would do.

[wraper]

Even the "pro" version of Win10 send gigabytes of stuff somewhere, with no user control.

I don't think there can be gigabytes of telemetry (which cannot be switched off without a little bit of hacking). However there is a default setting to receive/send update data from/to other PCs. That can generate gigabytes of traffic for sure, however you can switch it off while installing windows or later.

[wraper]

If you can get Windows 7 to install on the machine, then use it. That's what I would do.

with update disabled on Ryzen/kaby lake based systems.

[gildasd]

That's been my idea...

Do a clean install of Win7 on the Ryzen with updates off.
At the same time do also a clean install with my current Win7 X2-64...
Copy via USB stick the updates from one to the other...

I have a legit copy of Win7 Premium, and I hope the Microsoft Xn build shenanigans will not kill THAT plan.
Forcing me to install a "found under a bridge" copy.

[gildasd]

Even the "pro" version of Win10 send gigabytes of stuff somewhere, with no user control.

I don't think there can be gigabytes of telemetry (which cannot be switched off without a little bit of hacking). However there is a default setting to receive/send update data from/to other PCs. That can generate gigabytes of traffic for sure, however you can switch it off while installing windows or later.

That's what some of my mates are reporting, typing stuff and watching Win10 downloading crap loads of stuff for no logical reasons, and it's gigabytes over a month.
However I don't know if these are outliers on a standard "free" Win10 that don't affect Win10 pro.

Having to sort this out is pissng me off.

As for google doing analytics, I know, and I can choose a different browser/search engine when looking for big black bats or shaved cats, and they don't have access in what comes in Zips for work.

As for VPN's, you say Win10 does not keylog, other sources tell me the opposite. Until Microsoft comes clean on WTF they are doing, we are all taking a bloody big risk.

[Messtechniker]

When W7 will no longer be updated (in 2020 or so), I plan to do the following:

Run the main computer and all other computers on the local network on W10 without contact to the internet. To be done by entering a fixed wrong default route. Windows has the bad habit of reenabling its disabled automatic default route from time to time. Thus no need for security updates.

Run a second (older) computer headless on Linux for everything that needs to see the internet for browsing, online banking, vpn, email, ftp server etc. This computer will be operated remotely and files which have been checked by an antivirus program (or 2) can be exchanged via ULTRAVNC. 

Already done: At times when no internet is needed (during night time, for example), the router can be switched off manually through a mains switch which switches the mains power socket to which the router power supply is connected. 

If not too complicated, I might even set up with a second router a DMZ (demilitarized zone). Something I have not yet tried.