Windows 10 S MODE HELL!!!!!!

[britechguy]

It's like the stupid dance you have to do to setup Windows 10 Home from scratch without a MS login... The path is there, but they try to hide it.

It's not just Windows 10 Home, at least if memory serves.

In any case, my advice to anyone who wants to configure a machine that's being loaded/reloaded with Windows 10 to use a local account is to NOT have an internet connection until after you've gotten to that step. It automatically gives you "the easy path" to a local account if you do not have an internet connection at the time, and you can skip setting one up until after you're back on under that local account.

 

[Porthos]

The store will make you think you need to, it complains and pops up... but if you keep trying you'll eventually get into the store without logging in.

It's like the stupid dance you have to do to setup Windows 10 Home from scratch without a MS login... The path is there, but they try to hide it.

I will check it out on the next one I see and report back to help others.

 

[lan101]

You are logging with a Microsoft Account for this?

Yeah, Tried local but they force you to use MS account. Was on the phone with MS for over an hour and no avail yet. We're supposed to try something else again in the next hour. I will update from there.

 

[lan101]

I guess what I don't get is no one would want S that I can think of. If you want a limited computer for internet only just get a chromebook and call it a day lol.

 

[Porthos]

I guess what I don't get is no one would want S that I can think of.

All the consumer is looking at is the price and the ones currently with Smode are cheap.
For example https://www.bestbuy.com/site/dell-i...b-hdd-128gb-ssd-black/6403450.p?skuId=6403450

10th Gen Intel® Core™ i3-1005G1 processor
Smart dual-core, four-way processing performance for HD-quality computing.

8GB system memory for advanced multitasking
Substantial high-bandwidth RAM to smoothly run your games and photo- and video-editing applications, as well as multiple programs and browser tabs all at once.

1TB hard drive and 128GB solid state drive (SSD) for a blend of storage space and speed
The hard drive provides ample storage, while the SSD delivers faster start-up times and data access.

 

[britechguy]

S-Mode was actually intended to compete with ChromeOS and Chromebooks. The academic market, skewed toward the younger end of said market, appears to have been the primary target.

I personally despise S-Mode, and think it was a stupid mistake, but it also seems to do what Microsoft wanted it to do for the target market demographic. Much like the Windows Phone, this was too little, too late. Once someone dominates a market, and very thoroughly, it's no time to make very late entries and hope you can claw your way in.

 

[Porthos]

S-Mode was actually intended to compete with ChromeOS and Chromebooks. The academic market, skewed toward the younger end of said market, appears to have been the primary target.

Yup, If you can't install anything other than store apps it is less likely to get infected.

 

[Sky-Knight]

It's not just Windows 10 Home, at least if memory serves.

In any case, my advice to anyone who wants to configure a machine that's being loaded/reloaded with Windows 10 to use a local account is to NOT have an internet connection until after you've gotten to that step. It automatically gives you "the easy path" to a local account if you do not have an internet connection at the time, and you can skip setting one up until after you're back on under that local account.

If it's Pro, you just click the join domain button and POOF, local account access is right there.

Home requires it to be offline to get a local account option.

I was referring to the way it used to be, with this convoluted path of clicking on various things that aren't entirely related before it would give you the option you wanted. Mucking with the store to get the S-Mode app is just the same!

There is however... light... winget is a thing... and soon enough it'll solve all this for us.

 

[sapphirescales]

Be careful with S Mode devices. Even if you switch out of S Mode, you can NOT run 64 bit programs (32 bit win32 programs and store apps will work, but there's no support for x64 programs even if you switch out of S Mode). This is an immediate deal breaker for me when it comes to S Mode devices.

Quote from Microsoft's website about S Mode:

Note

If you switch out of S mode, you can install 32-bit (x86) Windows apps that aren’t available in the Microsoft Store in Windows. If you make this switch, it's permanent, and 64-bit (x64) apps still won't run.

A computer designed for Windows 10 S Mode can never be a real computer. Return the POS.

 

[lan101]

Be careful with S Mode devices. Even if you switch out of S Mode, you can NOT run 64 bit programs (32 bit win32 programs and store apps will work, but there's no support for x64 programs even if you switch out of S Mode). This is an immediate deal breaker for me when it comes to S Mode devices.

Quote from Microsoft's website about S Mode:



A computer designed for Windows 10 S Mode can never be a real computer. Return the POS.

Yeah that's looking like what's going to happen here. MS rep was messing around with it for over an hour and nothing. I don't think he knows any more than me about the situation. MS really dropped the ball on this thing IMO. I didn't know that about the x64 programs.

I guess this is going to get "escalated" up the MS chain here. I've already wasted too much time on this, but I think I'm just going to roll with it and see what happens.

 

[britechguy]

I believe that note above applies only to 64-bit MS Store Apps, of which there are very few to begin with. And for those of us who don't use Windows Store Apps, period, if that's all it applies to then it's a non-issue. Not to mention that a very great many installed programs, to this day, are still 32-bit and when there are 32 and 64-bit versions, it's often recommended to use the 32-bit one initially.

I know a number of people who've broken out of S-Mode and have just posted a query asking whether they ended up with a 64-bit version of Windows 10 afterward and whether 64-bit normally installed programs, as opposed to store apps, can be installed on the machine. I will report back once reports come in.

 

[Sky-Knight]

I busted 6 ASUS laptops out of S-Mode just a few weeks ago for a client... He ordered what he could get when COVID ramped up...

Win 10 Home with S mode, turned into Home... and they are ALL 64bit installations. But, which architecture you wind up with will be whatever was installed. S-Mode is just a layer on top of Windows after all, nothing special really. It's just a sandbox.

 

[frase]

And let me guess comes with an amazing storage space? You get what you pay for I suppose.

 

[Computer Bloke]

Quote from Microsoft's website about S Mode:

If you switch out of S mode, you can install 32-bit (x86) Windows apps that aren’t available in the Microsoft Store in Windows. If you make this switch, it's permanent, and 64-bit (x64) apps still won't run.

A computer designed for Windows 10 S Mode can never be a real computer. Return the POS.

This certainly is quoted from Microsoft's Website but it's a comment from a user, not a definitive statement from Microsoft.

And it's not true.

I've switched more than one computer from S-mode to normal mode and had no problems running either 32-bit or 64-bit software on them. I don't have one handy to try it on with 2004, but if anyone does then we can quickly settle this.

 

[lan101]

It's getting escalated and supposed to be getting a call tomorrow around 2-4 EST. I will update what happens. The rep I spoke with today thinks it's on their end a "server" issue. I told him it's been ongoing on and off for 2 years and of course he pretended like this was a rare thing. Which maybe it is who knows, but certainly super annoying. I've already ordered another new laptop with windows 10 pro this time in case this doesn't work out. I don't want my client waiting forever.

This acer computer by the way for $350 is one of the nicest laptops I've ever seen at this price...if this damn s-mode wasn't in the way I'd honestly be recommending these for people on a tight budget.

 

[sapphirescales]

I've switched more than one computer from S-mode to normal mode and had no problems running either 32-bit or 64-bit software on them.

I don't have much experience with S Mode, but it wouldn't surprise me if the processors that they put in some of these computers don't support 64 bit Windows. An Intel based processor might work with it, but a lot of the crappy processors that S Mode gets installed on probably don't support it so Microsoft might have just axed 64 bit support entirely on anything that originally came with S Mode even if it could technically run 64 bit just fine. Even if it doesn't support 64 bit programs, 99% of programs still have 32 bit versions and most users buying such a POS computer wouldn't know the difference anyway.

I'm really getting sick and tired of Microsoft trying to make these neutered versions of Windows. Windows should be Windows just like Mac OS is Mac OS and Android is Android. Did they learn NOTHING from Windows RT and Windows Phone?

 

[sapphirescales]

I believe that note above applies only to 64-bit MS Store Apps

There's no way to know because Microsoft annoyingly calls ALL programs (win32 and bullsh*t store apps) "Apps."

It's like a company calling all it's vehicles "cars" - including the trucks and SUV's.

I really wish they'd give up on this store BS. It's never going to catch on with Windows users.

 

[britechguy]

They call built-in, and Store Apps, apps. They call what used to be referred to as installed programs as Desktop Apps.

I don't like it, but there is a clear terminology differentiation. It is used consistently in documentation where a differentiation between the two is essential. There are, of course, times like this where ambiguity is present. And there are many times that various documentation webpages are not kept updated in a timely manner.

There already seems to be some rumbling regarding "changes" in universal apps (including their possible disappearance, though I doubt that will ultimately happen).

 

[britechguy]

. . . Android is Android. Did they learn NOTHING from Windows RT and Windows Phone?

Er, no. And no, they didn't.

 

[Porthos]

I have not had an issue installing 64bit versions of software on them after upgrading out of S mode. Which has included Firefox, Chrome, and Libre Office.