Countdown to Win10 free conversion deadline

Yes I can, and it always worked which was how I knew my email account itself was ok. I just can’t stand using a web browser for email. Going forward and back thru web pages instead of opening and closing messages in new windows makes no sense to me. I mean, I understand how to do it, I just don’t like it.

I was using Windows Live Mail but my main email account is a Hotmail one. Microsoft owns Hotmail and a few weeks ago they finally changed their protocol such that Live Mail will no longer work with either Hotmail or Outlook (personally I think they did it just to force people to Outlook and then to Win10 and its Mail app). This is what started this whole thing about Win10 with me, I had to use the Metro Mail app in Windows 8.1 and there it only runs full screen and has limited mouse functionality. I switched everything over from Hotmail to Outlook without a problem, but then after upgrading to Win10 (where the Mail app ***doesn’t ***run full screen and right-clicking works) the built-in Mail app just stopped working with outlook.com as well.

BTW, I installed Thunderbird on Windows 10 and it seems to work fine so far. Plus it’s an old school UI like Live Mail & Outlook Express.

So, Mrs. Guest and I were gifted 4 functioning computers collectively for our birthdays this month, 3 repaired laptops we had sitting around and a new w10 machine, from the Mrs’ mom (she’s an IT mechanic, did the repairs herself)

Not being a big fan of most of Microsoft’s new OS’s I have diligently refused any and all “upgrading” on the older machines.

I’ve dithered around with the new puter, trying to learn whats different, what’s been taken away from me as a user (a lot imho) what might be better etc.

So far, I’ve switched the default browser back to IE from edge for privacy reasons, uninstalled as much of the spy/mal/ad/bloatware as I can, disabled as much of the info stealing options for Microsoft as I can etc.

couple of things, how do I actually get rid of priceline and tripadvisor? I uninstalled them from what used to be the control panel, but apparently not as they still show up in the browser and the wife would like them totally and permanently gone. is there a way to get rid of or disable the stupid waste that is the xbox thingamajigger?
what about that pos twitter thingy in the start menu? In fact how the hell do I make the start menu an actual menu and get rid of all that adware/mal/spy/bloaty junkware crap cluttering up the computer? (wife’s words not mine, I was thoroughly disgusted with it after a few hours fiddling with it just to get rid of that shitty ass spy system they call a browser I will only use that machine as an act of desperation) Mrs. would like to be able to use it but fears making full use of it for things like financial and what not because she can’t customize the machine to her liking and is worried about privacy and information theft.

Another week, another bad Windows update.

And yet another:
Kindle Paperwhites turn Windows 10 PCs into paperweights: Plugging one in ‘triggers a BSOD’