Discovered Windows 10S Restrctive mode

[raybarrow]

Hi Folks,

You probably know this but hey, it's Lockdown time.

I've been trying to get my last singing group member onto Zoom. She is not an idiot but believes, wrongly, that computers don't like her. I got the rest of the group up and running but this one's laptop kept going round in circles with 'There isn't a Windows App for this'. 'This' being Zoom.
Eventually, (I should have come here first, but we like to think we can fix anything!) I discovered that her laptop has the dreaded Windows 10S. Which if you don't know is a very, very, very restrictive Windows under the guises of 'if you only use Windows Apps then no harm can come to you.' Hmm. So Zoom or any non Windows App software is barred from you. In principle that's ok if there was a Windows App for all the things you wanted, but no.

It's quickly, easily and at no cost changeable to a normal Windows 10 once you find out, and that's where we go next. Grrrrrrrrrrrr! I know we have time to waste/learn new things, but the hassle we had trying to get Zoom on before, has put my friend off trying. If I could go round to her house it would take me 10/15 minutes, but now I have to persuade her to try again and it will be alright, honestly, trust me I'm not D.J.Trump.

Ray.

[Infrasonic]

Can't you use the Zoom web client in a browser, rather than the downloaded app?
https://zoom.us/join
https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/articl ... eb-browser

[raybarrow]

Hi, everything I tried came back to that ‘only Windows App allowed’. I thought I new that was just a setting in the Windows Settings screen where you can choose to limit it W Apps or look elsewhere. Her laptop didn’t have that choice. Long story short W10S restricts you from doing that.
Ray

[Watis]

Hi, everything I tried came back to that ‘only Windows App allowed’. I thought I new that was just a setting in the Windows Settings screen where you can choose to limit it W Apps or look elsewhere. Her laptop didn’t have that choice. Long story short W10S restricts you from doing that.
Ray

Details on how to remove the Windows Apps restriction - but not go back - are here: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/hel ... -of-s-mode.

Not had to do it myself, so this is offered as a suggestion only...

Watis

[Infrasonic]

Workaround here...
https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/win ... eeb69f0b5c

[Breelander]

... I discovered that her laptop has the dreaded Windows 10S...

It's quickly, easily and at no cost changeable to a normal Windows 10 once you find out, and that's where we go next. Grrrrrrrrrrrr! ...

The 'S' in S Mode has stood for various things since MS first introduced this version, but the most common interpretation these days is that S stands for Safe.

Yes, you can switch Windows 10S to 'full' Windows 10, but it is a one-way option - you cannot go back. How experienced a user is she? W10S is designed to prevent any app other than a Store app from installing, effectively turning it into the Windows equivalent of a Chrome tablet. This protects a naive user from being tricked into installing mallware. If she falls into that category then it is safer to use the 'join from your browser' option that's offered as the last line on any Zoom invitation to join a meeting, like this:


If you have Zoom Client installed, launch meeting. Otherwise, download and run Zoom.
If you cannot download or run the application, join from your browser.

[xeny]

It's quickly, easily and at no cost changeable to a normal Windows 10 once you find out, and that's where we go next. Grrrrrrrrrrrr! I know we have time to waste/learn new things, but the hassle we had trying to get Zoom on before, has put my friend off trying. If I could go round to her house it would take me 10/15 minutes, but now I have to persuade her to try again and it will be alright, honestly, trust me I'm not D.J.Trump.

Have a look at Quick Assist, combined with a phone call. It's not as good as going round to help but pretty close.

[Nocton]

W10S is designed to prevent any app other than a Store app from installing

That can be achieved (and should be the first step in protecting a computer) by making sure she is not running as an administrator. Then on the rare occasions when an app/program wishes to install, the Administrator password will be required.

[raybarrow]

HI Folks,

Thanks for the comments. Friend has gone 'It's never going to work for me' at the moment, so I'm backing off and will work more gently to nurture her back to the fold. Patience will have it's reward.

Cheers,
Ray.