Windows 10 LTSC (Long-Term Servicing Channel) is a specialized version of Windows 10 that's all about reliability and stability. It’s tailored for specific use cases like medical devices, ATMs, industrial systems, and other environments where updates could mess with critical operations.

Key Points About Windows 10 LTSC: Minimal Updates: LTSC skips the frequent feature updates you see with regular Windows 10 and sticks to just security updates and critical fixes. Each version gets 10 years of support—5 years mainstream and 5 years extended. Stripped-Down Version: This version ditches all the extra stuff like Cortana, the Microsoft Store, Edge, and bundled games, making it lightweight and focused. Stability Above All: It’s designed to be rock-solid and isn’t about chasing the latest features. Release Schedule: New LTSC versions come out every 2-3 years, tied to specific Windows 10 feature updates (like Windows 10 LTSC 2021). Who It's For: It’s for specialized devices and setups where you can’t afford sudden changes. It’s not something you’d typically use on your daily home or work PC. How You Get It: LTSC is available through volume licensing and is really meant for businesses and enterprises. Misconceptions: It’s not for regular use, like avoiding updates or keeping things ultra-simple on a personal PC. It doesn’t support a lot of modern hardware and features, so unless you have a very specific need, you’re better off sticking with the regular versions of Windows 10.

If you’re thinking about LTSC, make sure it actually fits what you’re trying to do—its limitations could end up being a headache if you’re not using it in the right way.

And if you use IoT LTSC, its even more lean

As an experiment I revoked the certificate that is used for code verification on the executable responsible for the popups. So far the only thing I broke was the .net installer. But no more pop-ups. :D

I run a local account and toggled off all the telemetry stuff during installation nine years ago. Never saw one of those. Didn't even get toggled on with updates. Only problem I had was Copilot getting added a few weeks ago. By that time, Win10 had become the compatibility fallback for Linux, though.

So, create a local account, go into Settings, and toggle off everything that could maybe be telemetry related.

On my kinoite computer i just create a fedora distrobox container, install qemu on it, and boot my vms off that, works quite well, no fiddling with the filesystem or systemd services

Doesn't PC just mean personal computer though?

Yup, I go out of my way to call any personal computer a PC. For example:

• Macbook Pro PC running macOS for work
• Thinkpad PC running Linux at home
• desktop PC running Linux for gaming
• desktop PC running Linux as a NAS
• handheld PC running GrapheneOS for a phone
• handheld PC running SteamOS for gaming
• wearable PC running WearOS as a watch

They're all PCs, because I can run whatever I want on them. My Switch isn't a PC because I can't run whatever I want, but everything else in that list absolutely is. Yeah, I get weird looks sometimes, but I'm stubborn.

have ARM CPUs which means they aren't PCs

Why on earth would architecture have anything to do with it?

only support UEFI booting so aren't PC compatible.

Oh wow, I don't think anyone using the term "PC" this century was referring to "IBM PC-Compatible" like it's 1981. The only vestages of that is that the term excludes Mac even today.