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Author Topic: Anyone using Windows 10 LTSC?  (Read 3581 times)

aesmith

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Anyone using Windows 10 LTSC?
« on: November 29, 2019, 01:22:30 PM »

Hi,

I'm having to rebuild a couple of Windows VMs, and a couple of new ones for specific purposes.  To my regret I'm finding Windows 7 too difficult now, with the huge backlog of updates before it settles down from a new install, then all the Dot Net this and that which need to be manually installed before many applications are happy.  So for new installations it seems Windows 10 or an equivalent is going to make more sense.  However that brings its own problems with updates messing up settings, or re-installing games that I've removed earlier.  To avoid these issues it looks like the choice would be between Windows Server 2019, or Windows 10 LTSC.

What I can't remember is why we didn't go for LTSC at work.  I remember there was a reason, but I can't remember what roadblock we met or thought we met.

So I'd be interested in any feedback from anyone using LTSC, or anyone who tried it and gave up, or anyone who researched it and found some reason to rule it out.

Thanks, Tony S

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Chrysalis

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Re: Anyone using Windows 10 LTSC?
« Reply #1 on: November 29, 2019, 09:45:16 PM »

I have it on one device, and it makes the OS somewhat sane to use.

My VM that I use for dslstats auto rebooted a couple of weeks back even with auto updates disabled in GP.

The downsides of LTSC?

To use it legally as a consumer has barriers, as the licenses are designed for enterprise only.
Its going from one extreme to the other, so you go from been forced to have regular new major updates, to having no feature updates at all.

Thats all I can think off, for the most part its significantly better than the home/pro versions.
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Chrysalis

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Re: Anyone using Windows 10 LTSC?
« Reply #2 on: January 26, 2020, 04:34:08 PM »

Just ordered a LTSC license from ebay.

I just cannot get my head round a meagre 18 month support cycle, I expect my windows OS install to last a minimal of 3-5 years.

I also have decided my main desktop will probably be migrated to win10 when LTSD is released in 2021.  It might get LTSC instead if I do it earlier.

Because it is enterprise build, you also get the enterprise goodies such as applocker and fully featured GPO.
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Chrysalis

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Re: Anyone using Windows 10 LTSC?
« Reply #3 on: February 12, 2020, 09:22:01 AM »

So I have installed this on my ryzen machine.

The defer updates is gone in the settings UI, however I set all of the following in GPO.
Auto restarts following updates changed from 7 days to 30.
Kept telemetry on basic (on windows 1903 and upwards, you can set telemetry to security and it will honour windows update settings, but this LTSC is build 1809).
Set updates to notify, but not download/install automatically.
Set quality updates to be deffered for 14 days.
Can still set defer period for Feature updates but not relevant to LTSC.

Configured applocker (can now use this again given its an enterprise version).
Installed chromium version of edge.
Enabled windows defender application guard, basically adds virtualization isolation to selected applications, by default edge is added.
Installed 7+ taskbar tweaker to get sanity back to the taskbar.
Disabled driver updates ben delivered over windows update.
Enabled system restore.
Applied all my basic windows tweaks.

Seems ok so far.

Still need to put on windows firewall control, startisback menu, and also going to test new ms office on the machine also.

This LTSC build comes with no store pre installed, and also no cortana its a sane version of  Windows 10. :)
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dee.jay

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Re: Anyone using Windows 10 LTSC?
« Reply #4 on: March 02, 2020, 08:33:08 PM »

May I ask - how much is an LTSC license?
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aesmith

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Re: Anyone using Windows 10 LTSC?
« Reply #5 on: March 03, 2020, 01:12:01 PM »

I must admit setting this aside for the meantime.  For my technical builds I ended up using Windows Server 2019, which so far doesn't seem to have shown any particular disadvantage, and of course is completely free of the games and toys that clutter Windows 10.

As a side line I pressed on with an LTSC build anyway, as far as I can see it runs Microsoft Office OK, also Cisco Jabber and Webex.  As expected the technical applications like Wireshark etc are no problem.  I've had a rummage around and I "think" our reason for passing over LTSC originally was a belief that it would stop supporting Office.  Reading again it appears that's only the Office 365 "Pro Plus" version, not a normal locally installed version.

I'm going to pursue it further when I get chance, see if I can get all our normal applications installed and working.
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Chrysalis

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Re: Anyone using Windows 10 LTSC?
« Reply #6 on: March 03, 2020, 02:47:36 PM »

Yeah that might be the only issue, Microsoft locking out products aimed at consumers from running on Enterprise.  A bit like how you get a/v vendors blocking their consumer software from running on windows server.  Its good that the local install still worked though. :)

From the feedback I have seen and my own experience, normal day to day software as well as games function fine on enterprise.  But it be interesting to see if you hit problems.
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