How to permanently stop my W10 Drive going online ?

Clean install the W10 drive and change the router's id/password combo for both wifi and web admin interface.

The Routers I've set up had the Wireless password on the sticker on the bottom of them. Better security? Change that password if someone else had/has access to it or get a new Router.

FredM8 said:

In October my final Divorce papers come through.
William and I will have parted company.

In the mean time I have set up a new home with Linux, and things are going very well indeed.
(Ubuntu Cinnamon 24.04)

My suspicions are that William has left some back door keys available, that can put me online without me knowing it.

I am sure that in the past I have shut down my PC with the internet disabled, only to find myself online again when I restart ?

Is there anything that I can do that makes it impossible for my W10 drive to go online ?


Edition Windows 10 Pro
Version 2009
Installed on ‎07/‎10/‎2024
OS Build 19045.5737

Hi

You say you have set up Linux (Ubuntu) for your new home.
Then i wonder what do you mean with the, Windows 10 drive going online?

Do you mean that you using Linux and you just mount the windows 10 drive in linux to get access to the content?
Or..
Do you dualboot so you sometimes boot into windows to run windows programs?

Did you install Linux... or did your ex install Linux for you?



If the answer is:
You installed Linux.... and the win10 drive is just mounted in Linux to get access to the content saved on the disk.... Then you are safe

If you Dualboot so that your windows 10 drive is a windows machine that you run as an OS.. and you want to always block windows from having Internet access....

Then you can block the computer Mac address in the router from having internet access....... And then in Linux, you change the last number in the Mac address to :02 (if its something else then a :02 so to speak). .. If you have :02 at the end.... then change it to :03.... This is called to spoof the Mac address.

So that means if you have an Mac address of XX:XX:XX:XX:XX:01 on Windows
and then you have Mac address of XX:XX:XX:XX:XX:02 on Linux..
and in the router you have blocked the address XX:XX:XX:XX:XX:01 from having internet access.
Then every time you boot into Windows you will be blocked from having access to internet....... and then every time you boot into Linux, you will have internet access, as linux then have another Mac address that isn't blocked in the router.
(I do this on my old EOL Windows 7 computers that i doalboot with Linux, then i have internet with Linux and if i boot into windows it's blocked and safe)



As for the router..
If its a new router.... Then your ex don't know the passwords or have had the opportunity to set up remote VPN connection etc. and you are safe

if that is the old router you had together with your ex....... Then as previous have mention.. restore the router to factory settings and then set up new passwords.

FredM8 said:

In October my final Divorce papers come through.
William and I will have parted company.

That wouldn't be October 14, 2025 by any chance?

FredM8 said:

In the mean time I have set up a new home with Linux, and things are going very well indeed.
(Ubuntu Cinnamon 24.04)

My suspicions are that William has left some back door keys available, that can put me online without me knowing it.


I am sure that in the past I have shut down my PC with the internet disabled, only to find myself online again when I restart ?

Is there anything that I can do that makes it impossible for my W10 drive to go online ?

Linux is not the only fruit.

You could have started an illicit affair with a younger brother: Bypass Windows 11 System Requirements on Unsupported PC | Windows 11 Forum

...or an older one: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/li...rise-ltsc-2021

...or bribed William to stay around for another year: Windows 10 ESU support program for consumers available one-year option

But if you really want to keep the old William around, but unable to stray, then you could always have him castrated.

In Device Manager, disable the drivers for his Ethernet Controller and (if present) Wi-Fi adapter.





Edit--- My preference is for fresh young blood....