I hate windows, but I have to use it. Any advice to keep it from restarting without permission?

Fossil

Consumer573 said:

L'Adair said:

I intend to use my new computer offline, going online only when I need to, and as little as possible. But I'm going to need to connect it to the network to move files from the computer that will be online all the time. Seemed to me the easiest thing to do would be to use a switch to "remove" the network connection. I found a manual switch at Amazon for only $10: https://www.amazon.com/2-Port-Manual-Network-Switch-computer/dp/B004RB8CT4. I'm going to buy it, or something like it. The convenience is well worth the small cost to me.

 I've done this for years.  My graphics box never goes online and is free of anything that might slow it down.  I've even turned off many of the Microsoft services.  Thanks to this, and an SSD, Windows 7 boots from cold in just a few seconds.  I use my old computer (running Linux) for online stuff.  Anything gets transferred via a thumb drive and I backup to a NAS religiously.   We do the same in the graphics section where I work.  We have a small network that shares printers and scanners but they never ever go on the big bad internet.  We've also stayed with Win 7 64 bit.

I used a KVM switch for many years to share the monitors and keyboard, but having upgraded to some bigger monitors that use DP or HDMI connections, I had to ditch that as KVMs that work at high resolutions with the new connections are quite pricey.  My internet computer now uses my older monitors.  I did, however, have to lenghten my desk to accomodate the four monitors.

Subtropic Pixel

My computers are online at all times, and rarely get shut down.  They don't "mysteriously" slow down, either.  Modern OSs for modern times.

With Windows 10 Pro, you can prevent your computer from automatically rebooting.  Google "group policy editor" and "windows 10" and you can find the procedure.  If you don't have Windows 10 Pro, then you may need to use one of the aforementioned methods (unplug network cable, turn off router, etc).  But those are kludges.  Your mileage will vary, of course.

Consumer573

"My desk is too small for having a bunch of monitors and keyboards and KVM switches are expensive and not terribly useful when VNC works fine. I actually did buy a really cheap one, but it was just a Y cable set and was way too clumsy to bother with. I could probably get a better one, but it would be yet another thing to clutter the desk."

 

Okay, it sounds like a space and clutter constraint with a minor in cost.

KVM  "Keyboard Video Mouse".  That's the term I was going for.  I also liked the DD-WRT suggestion from Kendall Sears which would be for firwalling the VNC machine. It sounds like what he's got and what Trilobite has may be the way more professional/less consumer systems will be going.  My next internet machine may well be Linux while my powerful graphics machine(s) will remain firewalled and won't be allowed out.

Despite Subtropic Pixel's optimism for universal web access, once you've been burned a couple of times by 'modern' promises that fail you (I) tend to look for a way to protect yourself from companies that have their own profit forefront rather than your well-being. At first cleaning up their messes is a nuisance until eventually you realize that if they had to pay you for all the time you spend you'd be making quite a bit of money before even getting to what you do to earn a living. SP's right about the pro version of 10 vs the home version so far.