Windows and the Microsoft Edge and Internet Explorer web browsers will use SmartScreen technology to help prevent malicious content in web pages and apps from being downloaded to your PC. (General) Turn on SmartScreen Filter to check web content (URLs) that Windows Store apps use. This feature debuted in Windows 8, and if you disable it, you will simply see random ads in those apps that do display ads. Windows 10 will let apps anonymously use your advertising ID-which is tied to your Microsoft account-to provide tailored ads. (General) Let apps use my advertising ID for experiences across apps (turning this off will reset your ID. These are the four settings that Microsoft screwed up in the initial 1511 upgrade, reverting each to its default value:
WINDOWS 10 PRO VERSION 1511 ISSUES UPGRADE
So if you did previously upgrade to 1511 and had fine-tuned your privacy settings, you may want to visit Settings, Privacy and make sure everything is the way you prefer. Here’s why: Four privacy settings were not being properly brought forward on the upgrade to 1511, and … well, you know how things go with Windows 10 and privacy. What’s not clear from this statement is why Microsoft waited so long to explain itself. We worked to resolve the issue as quickly as possible – it will not impact future installs of the November update, which is available today.”‘ For these customers, we will restore their settings over the coming days and we apologize for the inconvenience. “Once these customers installed the November update, a few of their settings preferences may have inadvertently not been retained. “Recently we learned of an issue that could have impacted an extremely small number of people who had already installed Windows 10 and applied the November update,” a Microsoft statement belatedly explains. As it turns out, it was a much more mundane issue that only affected a tiny number of customers. I wrote about the mystery in What’s Going on With Windows 10 1511?, speculating that it was perhaps related to deployment issues for corporate customers.
WINDOWS 10 PRO VERSION 1511 ISSUES UPDATE
More important, the update is back, both on Windows Update and via the integrated installer. After days of silence and confusion, Microsoft has finally explained why it silently pulled Windows 10 version 1511 over the weekend.