Microsoft strips Store blocking from Windows 10 Pro

Microsoft last week confirmed that it has stopped letting business customers block the Windows Store in Windows 10 Pro, removing a feature that had been present in the operating system's initial summer 2015 release.

Instead, the ability to turn off the Store -- Microsoft's distribution channel for not only apps but also games, music and movies, and about as consumer-grade as a Windows component gets -- has been restricted to Windows Enterprise, the top-tier SKU (stock-keeping unit) available only to large customers.

IT administrators had been using Group Policy to block the Store within Windows 10 Pro, largely to keep workers from installing apps not on their company's approved software list. Some admins, however, had ditched the Store for other reasons, including bandwidth consumption as scores of apps frequently updated.

To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here