And today, after being on this system since its release, Windows 10 suddenly has this to say (note the lime-green circles)
https://awoo.space/media/WtuVrekimjtCIJRTjUk
No, Windows I'm not going to activate you. I'm going to deactivate you. I'm going to put something on this system that doesn't constantly overwrite working video drivers with broken ones, that doesn't wake my monitors up at night, that doesn't need constant vigilance just to keep from spamming me with ads and unwanted apps.
And I'll set up a VM with a copy of Windows 7 stripped of anything like telemetry, and I'll use that for the scant few apps worth keeping around. I'll take a melon baller to the bits of code that suggest such nonsense is even necessary. Any software I legitimately own the right to use, I will install with whatever methods are necessary to make them simply work without phoning home. I'm never getting a piece of legit software yanked out from under me again.