One hidden feature of Windows 10 you might not know about

[blackknight8653]

 

I would like to start off with a small introduction of myself. I am blackknight8653. I am not sure if many of you know me but this post will be my first post I will be posting in F|A Report News Section. I am not sure if I am allowed to post here but I thought I should share some things that some might not know. I apologise in advance if my English is not that perfect and my writing skills may not be on par with professional writers but I thought it is important that I share this with all of you especially for those who are not aware.

 

It is currently 30 July 2015 (in my country and it is almost 31 July 2015 in a few hours time), which is 1 day after the official release of Windows 10. I know some in F|A forums have already tried Windows 10 insider or just installed Windows 10 which released yesterday and have mixed reviews about this new Windows release by Microsoft. I just updated my own computer to Windows 10 a few hours ago as during the official launch day I faced some Windows Update Error (Error Code 800240020, etc) and I only managed to fix it today as I am currently busy with my military work. Similar to some, I have also tried the Windows 10 Technical Preview and now that Windows 10 have been officially release I thought I did share a particular hidden feature which some of you might not realised after updating to Windows 10. This particular feature is related to Windows Update.

 

In Windows 10, Microsoft introduced a new method in how Windows Update would function in Windows 10. This method was introduced in the early stages of the Windows 10 Technical Preview and I am sure some of you already know what I am about to talk about. It is none other than Microsoft adoption of BitTorrent-Style P2P (also known as peer-to-peer which is a protocol) method to deliver updates to Windows 10 users. I am sure many of you know what "torrenting" is and what it is often associated to. Torrenting has long been put under the spotlight with negative presses relating torrenting with illegal activities eg. pirating. However, this is not the main purpose behind torrenting. In order to make it easier for general users to understand, the basic idea to torrenting is the ability to share/distribute large files easily to many people. Using this concept,  Microsoft is able to tap into the huge potential that P2P can offer. One such potential is that it can reduce the load on Microsoft's servers and reduce the time it takes for users to download updates for Windows 10. I am sure many of you now wonder how would Microsoft be able to accomplish this as P2P methods are only effective if there are many "peers", in simple terms, many people "sharing" the updates. To answer this question, Microsoft makes the option for every Windows 10 users to be automatically opt in to become part of this P2P network. In other words, you would also automatically become part of the programme.

 

Now I am sure some of you are beginning to have concerns about such programme especially with regards to it possibility using your bandwidth affecting your gameplay or felt that being automatically opt in for such a programme to be a violation of individual rights etc. Regardless of how you may feel with regards to this new adoption by Microsoft, I will provide you a way to opt out of this programme.

 

With this guide I hope it brings a sense of comfort to those who have concerns with regards to this new feature introduced to Windows Update,

 

How to disable P2P in Windows Update:

 

Step 1 : Go to your Start Menu and click Settings.

 

Step 2 : On the Settings page, click on Update & security.

 

Step 3 : Select the Windows Update tab and click on Advanced options.

 

Step 4 : You should see a panel as shown in the image below. Click Choose how updates are delivered.

 

 

Step 5 : Turn off the option under "When this is turned on, your PC may also send parts of previously downloaded Windows updates and apps to PCs on your local network, or PCs on the Internet, depending on what's selected below."

 

 

Step 6 : You have successfully disable the new feature introduced by Microsoft.

 

If you are not convinced by my article or feel the need to have more reliable sources with regards to this issue, I have list some other news articles from popular news sources) below:

 

http://www.forbes.com/sites/antonyleather/2015/03/16/windows-10-to-use-bittorrent-style-p2p-to-deliver-updates/

http://www.techtimes.com/articles/39960/20150316/windows-10-updates-might-come-via-p2p.htm

http://venturebeat.com/2015/07/29/windows-10-tips-for-gamers-how-to-save-your-bandwidth-do-a-clean-install-and-more/ (For those who are looking for a more recent article)

 

This is the first time I have wrote an article and I apologise if it is not well written. I may write another article if I have time on how to update to Windows 10 for those who are eligible but did not get to update as you encountered errors such as (Error Code: 800240020).

 

This is not related to the article but for those who are wondering why I have not been online on Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory etc, it is due to the fact that I have been busy with military work, my own projects (which I hope to release soon) and the need to take a break from activities such as gaming due to doctor's advice. I apologise as I might not be online on Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory for a while though I may or may not play a little once in a while. I will still be active on F|A Forums. If you need me, do not be afraid to private message me.

 

It is getting late now and it is time for my rest. Goodnight.

 

Thank you for reading. I hope the article is useful.

Edited July 30, 2015 by blackknight8653

[menatwork]

Just a small correction - Bittorrent is the protocol used; P2P itself is not a protocol - merely an architecture, see: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peer-to-peer

 

I'm glad to see Microsoft implementing this mechanism - it'll improve things for a lot of people. Especially those in the same LAN; now in corporate environments this might not be such a blessing (depending on the wishing of the net-admins) although on the other hand this seems to be a whole lot easier than WSUS (even though that's not that hard from what I've seen).

 

Either way, as long as it doesn't seed to the entire world this'll help many people get updates faster and using up less bandwidth.

 

Great article!

[blackknight8653]

Just a small correction - Bittorrent is the protocol used; P2P itself is not a protocol - merely an architecture, see: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peer-to-peer

 

I'm glad to see Microsoft implementing this mechanism - it'll improve things for a lot of people. Especially those in the same LAN; now in corporate environments this might not be such a blessing (depending on the wishing of the net-admins) although on the other hand this seems to be a whole lot easier than WSUS (even though that's not that hard from what I've seen).

 

Either way, as long as it doesn't seed to the entire world this'll help many people get updates faster and using up less bandwidth.

 

Great article!

 

Thank you for spotting the error. It does seed to the entire world in a way if you set it to PCs on my local network and PCs on the Internet. Thank you for your compliment. Appreciate it.

Edited July 31, 2015 by blackknight8653