I recently had to replace my PC so I'll be moving to Windows 10. I'm not thrilled about changing my OS after so many years, but it's necessary for work-related reasons.

Does anyone have any advice on using Windows 10? Does it still force updates for Microsoft's bloatware and corporate spyware?

Yup, it sure does. There are ways to disable some - but not all - of that stuff. Definitely watch out for Cortana, which is a key-logger disguised as a "personal assistant."

And also, Windows10 automatically reboots your system in order to install its forced updates. You can somewhat limit this rebooting to certain hours, a little a bit. But if you don't want it ever to reboot your system automatically at all, you can't stop that. Or if you do stop it, then Microsoft will just re-enable it shortly with its next forced update.

The only way 100% to avoid all of that crap is not to use Windows 10.

90% of negative things you'll hear about Win 10 is a bunch of idiots don't know better. The OS is excellent once it gets going. There is plenty of features to disable etc, but it's not as bad as ANYONE makes it out to be.

You can! But only if you're a special wizard that understands the arcane art of googling.

Uhh. Been using Win10 on this laptop for 2 years, and an update has never automatically rebooted the machine. It may say a reboot is required - every Windows version I've encountered also had required reboots - but not once has an update-required reboot occurred without me first initiating the process. Agree. My biggest gripe is that Settings has been dumbed-down a LOT, so by making things simpler they made some things more difficult or tougher to find. That said, a typical user will not often need to dig deep into Settings.

My Windows 10 laptop had an update that corrupted itself and I haven't been able to use it since.
And despite disabling it numerous times I still got advertisements on my home screen, and certain apps would continue to run on startup even though I disabled them. There were also some apps I uninstalled, but would find them reinstalled on the PC upon startup.

Press F8 after POST. Pick the relevant option to repair Windows.

Get classic shell.
Spend an hour or so disabling certain features, removing corana and such like.
Make sure you install all your apps/games etc. outside windows folders, i.e. create c:/mygames, c:/mydocs, c:/myapps.
Don't save any private info on the machine.
Use firefox or something and get it to remove cookies/history on close out.
Ensure you keep a backup of anything important, in duplicate, off the machine.
With those things you should be ok. Essentially don't trust windows at all, treat it with total suspicion and its fine. In fact the only thing which doesn't run for me so far is Call Of Juarez 1/2.

Advice on Windows 10: If you have no reason to keep it around, kick it out and install Linux.

if you're a gamer then your suck with windows atm, if not, escape, i dunno much about other OS and coding
even after disabling stuff windows update restore it without u knowing i hear from people

Looks like OP could use O&O ShutUp10: https://www.oo-software.com/en/shutup10

It's a tool which helps you disable lots of Windows 10 junk and privacy related settings, and may also help it work smoother in some situations too. I work in an IT repair and this tool has become a staple during system cleanups and optimizations.

It's bloaty as ever with new spyware and bot like habits I do not like. You need to keep a close eye on things. Don't be shy to tweak your own system for best performance.

You can turn off automatic updates in Windows 10 and I recommend it as manual updates allow for you to back up data first and can save you frustration if Windows decides to udpate right when you are working. Heavens knows it likes to ignore your wishes.

ALWAYS back up windows.old somewhere not on your hard drive as this is your "restore point" if something goes wrong after an update. Windows deletes these after a few days which can be bad if it took a week to find out something is broken.

You will need to turn these things off via the services menu or possibly by editing your registry. If you update your system, check again to assure they have not turned themselves back on. Some things need to be turned on for Updates to happen.

Edit: The O&O Shutup program looks good, too! Thanks Ganni1987

....to lower annoyances:
BITS: basically uses your system as a zombie in a botnet to deliver updates to others. Internet lag + data use.
Windows Push Notifications: Nags you to update (optional)
Cortana: It's Bing and I have heard it's spyware. It also can eat resources.
Superfetch: You don't need it. It just eats resources.

...and the stuff that allows Microsoft to push updates without your permission:
USO Client
Update Orchestrator Service
Windows Management Instrumentation
Windows Remote Management Service
Update Orchestrator Service
Windows Update <-- Tends to turn back on at RANDOM. Check it now and then.
Windows Update Properties

Also don't be shy to turn off things you don't need in general. Less open spaces mean less openings for hackers and less resources used. For example, Fax and Windows Perception Service may not be in use on all machines, so why leave them on?

Past that, Linux is a lot nicer these days. Windows 10 doesn't even support all the drivers that Windows 8 did. If you don't require Windows 10 in specific, not updating may be wise.

Here's some advice...
1) Install DirectX 9. It does not come with default Win 10.
2) Turn on DIrect Play. This is found in Control Panel under Legacy Components.

These two steps are essential to getting many older games to work in Win 10.

There's a lot of great advice in this thread. Thanks guys!

I've also been reading up on privacy guides and tweaks for windows 10 to help streamline the OS and make it more functional. I cant stand Cortana since, honestly, I just don't get the appeal of virtual assistants. I'd rather turn such features off to avoid giving Microsoft more of my personal information to sell to advertisers.

Please keep on posting such helpful advice!