Windows 10 LTSC (LTSB) is a special version of the Windows 10 operating system with long—term support, released for enterprises and organizations of small and medium-sized businesses. The abbreviation LTSB stands for Long Term Servicing Branch, which implies long-term stable operation of the system.
The official name of the operating system: Windows 10 Enterprise LTSB (Windows 10 Corporate with a long service life). This is a specific branch of Windows 10 designed for enterprise use.
Microsoft Corporation means that users of Windows 10 Enterprise LTSB (LTSC) will be organizations and enterprises for which the stability of the system is very important without additional functionality of Windows. The main thing is reliability in operation and long-term service life of this version of the operating system.
A new version has been released with the name Windows 10 LTSC, which translates as Long Term Servicing Channel. In fact, there was a renaming of the system version. Old versions of LTSB continue to be supported, and with a new installation on a PC, a version with the abbreviation LTSC is offered.
Features of Windows 10 LTSB (LTSC) version
The main differences between Windows 10 LTSB and other Windows 10 builds:
Only critical security updates are installed in Windows 10 LTSC;
only stable updates and fixes tested on other versions of Windows 10 are installed in the system;
the possibility of obtaining new functionality is disabled in the operating system, after the release of a new version of the OS;
Windows 10 LTSB removed the built-in applications installed by default in other editions of Windows 10: Store, Cortana, Edge, Xbox, Metro applications.
In general, stable updates are installed in Windows 10 Enterprise LTSB, tested on the preliminary versions (Windows 10 Insider Preview) and the usual standard builds of Windows 10, there are functional limitations in the system.
Windows 10 LTSB is a stripped-down version of Windows 10, due to specific requirements involving fault-tolerant operation, in demand in organizations and enterprises. The logic is simple: the operating system does not need the Microsoft Edge browser, if it does not update and get new features, Windows applications are practically not used in the corporate sector, unnecessary functions for business are removed from the system.
According to Microsoft, Windows 10 LTSB will receive security updates for 10 years, without adding new functionality. Major Windows 10 updates make major changes to the operation of the operating system, so they are disabled in the LTSB version, as changes can affect the stability of the computer.
If necessary, the user can independently install the necessary programs in Windows 10 Enterprise LTSB.
Installation and Russification of Windows 10 Enterprise LTSB (LTSC)
The Windows 10 LTSB ISO image must be burned to a DVD or created a bootable USB flash drive, for example, using the Rufus program. Then boot from the bootable USB flash drive or DVD to the computer. Next, the standard Windows 10 installation process will begin, which you can read more about here.
Although the installation of Windows 10 Enterprise LTSB takes place in English, it will not cause difficulties for those who have installed Windows 10 at least once. Everything is intuitive.
After the installation of the operating system is completed, Windows 10 LTSB will boot.
The Windows 10 LTSB operating system can be Russified like any other Windows operating system running in a foreign language. Read more about how to install Russian in Windows 10 Enterprise LTSB in this article on my website.
How to disable telemetry in Windows 10 LTSB (LTSC)
In the corporate version of Windows 10, you can disable telemetry, which regulates the amount of data about the operation of the system and equipment sent to Microsoft.
In the "Windows Search" field, enter the expression: "gpedit.msc" (without quotes). After that, the "Local Group Policy Editor" window will open.
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Go to the path: "Computer Configurations" => "Administrative Templates" => "Windows Components" => "Data Collection Assemblies and Pre-assemblies". Open "Allow Telemetry".
In the "Allow telemetry" window, activate the "Enabled" item, in the "Settings" setting, select the value "0 — Security [for enterprises only]". Then click on the "Apply" and "OK" buttons.
User Opinions about Windows 10 Enterprise LTSB (LTSC)
There are different opinions of users about whether it is worth using Windows 10 Enterprise LTSB on your computer. For some, it is an ideal operating system in which there is nothing superfluous. For others, Enterprise LTSB resembles Windows 10 Home in its functionality, so is it worth deliberately limiting the capabilities of Windows.
Although the Internet is full of enthusiastic responses, I would not use Windows 10 LTSC (LTSB) on my computer. Many arguments about the advantages of LTSB are greatly exaggerated.
Regarding the lack of unnecessary software, I think it's not serious. I don't see a problem with the presence of embedded applications in Windows 10. Currently unnecessary applications can simply be disabled. After all, who knows, maybe in a couple of years you will need, for example, a Windows Store, but it is not part of the OS, and it will not be.
Some are stressed out by fairly frequent serious updates to Windows 10. After them, the system changes, new features are added. It should also be borne in mind that all innovations and fixes in Windows 10 are pre-tested on the computers of a large number of members of the Windows 10 Insider Preview program, so problems due to updates are quite rare.
On the other hand, the use of Windows 10 LTSB is justified on an old computer, since this system consumes less resources. On the other hand, from the regular version of Windows 10, you can delete the built-in applications, change the privacy level, or disable system updates.
The user always has a choice: install a version of Windows 10 for ATMs or other industrial equipment on the computer, or install a system specifically designed for home use.
Conclusions of the article
The Windows 10 Enterprise LTSB (LTSC) operating system is designed to work in the corporate sector. In Windows 10 LTSC (LTSB), functionality has been reduced, unnecessary software has been removed, only stable and critical updates are installed in the system.
