Recommended Posts

Hehehe...

Well yea, so far it IS still possible to disable all, or at least most of the annoyances. My worry is that if, or when win10 sees mass adoption, bit by bit we'll see less and less possibilities to eliminate the annoyances. That's why I speak up now. Because if you wait until it's too late....

Speak up against what, exactly? Forward thinking operating systems that aren't trying to cling to legacy?

Speak up against what, exactly? Forward thinking operating systems that aren't trying to cling to legacy?

~sigh~

Yes Dot, I realize that you are...(searching for terms that won't send me afoul)... an ardent supporter of all thing metro.

You do "get" tho, that not everybody shares your opinion, right..??

You do "get" that a majority most likely do not share your opinion, right..??

To myself, metro is NOT forward thinking, it represents the dumbing down of a formerly great operation system. Indeed, to my it represents everything that is wrong with society today.

Hehehe...

Well yea, so far it IS still possible to disable all, or at least most of the annoyances. My worry is that if, or when win10 sees mass adoption, bit by bit we'll see less and less possibilities to eliminate the annoyances. That's why I speak up now. Because if you wait until it's too late....

 

It isn't possible to disable all the annoyances. I can't remove that waste of space on the left side of the menu. An inline list belongs on a phone, not on a 23" monitor.

man im still stuck in my comfort zone of win 7 had 8.0 installed for like 2 days when back to win 7 now win 10 is coming out im way behind :$

 

Well I was a clinger to Windows 7 for a long time. But then I realized I could bring a lot of the things I was missing from 7 into 8 by using a third party skin, various workarounds to reinstate volume shadow services, Classic Shell, etc.

 

However I will say that the only thing in the foreseeable future you will miss out on by staying with 7 is DirectX 12 but not many games right now even use DirectX 11 (most are DX9 or 10 or OpenGL) and the games that do eventually use DX 12 will still work for DX 11. Plus only a couple generations of AMD DX11 cards will get an improvement from DX12 and all DX11 Nvidia cards -- but again ONLY for games that use DX12 APIs. Plus you'll need a DX 12 GPU to truly take advantage of all it has to offer. And there is no guarantee that many if any games will use DX12 besides Microsoft Studios titles. So I wouldn't sweat this issue too much. 

 

I'd say you got at least two years AFTER Windows 10 goes generally available/GA which is 2-3 months after RTM before you need be concerned about missing out on something - and that's only if you're a gamer. 

 

Pretty much everything else that was added benefits mobile users primarily and/or desktops with multitouch screens. 

 

8, 8.1, and 10 do have improvements under the hood, but nothing mindblowingly different that benefits a desktop user with a mouse and keyboard IMO. 

 

So don't feel bad about sticking with 7, as you're not really missing out on anything substantive for a few years IMO. And if you play a lot of older games that use DirectDraw they will actually be slower on 8 and above. 

 

I ended up using it because I like under the hood improvements - even small ones. But there's a lot I had to give up and still miss that 7 has: the beautiful Aero Glass primarily. 

 

Basically it comes down to this: You trade in a beautiful front-end with an aging core for an ugly front-end (UI/UX) with an improved core (IMO not drastically improved though). It all comes down to preference and what you value basically. 

Basically it comes down to this: You trade in a beautiful front-end with an aging core for an ugly front-end (UI/UX) with an improved core (IMO not drastically improved though). It all comes down to preference and what you value basically. 

Sounds like a fair trade.

~sigh~

Yes Dot, I realize that you are...(searching for terms that won't send me afoul)... an ardent supporter of all thing metro.

You do "get" tho, that not everybody shares your opinion, right..??

You do "get" that a majority most likely do not share your opinion, right..??

To myself, metro is NOT forward thinking, it represents the dumbing down of a formerly great operation system. Indeed, to my it represents everything that is wrong with society today.

 

I'm happy with the direction Wondows 10 is going. Dotmatrix seems to be of the impression that, if we don't toe the line as he does or says, we are somehow out of touch. Windows was ALWAYS a desktop OS. only with Win8/8.1 did they try to make it 80% modern UI. We saw what happened... that development team is gone! look where we're at now?  we have a desktop and modern UI based OS.

Windows was ALWAYS a desktop OS. only with Win8/8.1 did they try to make it 80% modern UI. We saw what happened...

Complaints about things such as the lack of a Start menu, and a complete disregard for the improvements that the Start screen introduced?

Complaints about things such as the lack of a Start menu, and a complete disregard for the improvements that the Start screen introduced?

 

let's not get into a debate. Windows 10TP is surely a drive in the right direction because even the 8/8.1 users win too.

Just tried 10041 and the experience was an absolute nightmare. First I tried an in-place upgrade but when I installed the latest nVidia graphics drivers it wrecked my install - when it rebooted the screen was rapidly flashing and I could do anything about it. There wasn't even a restore mode I could revert to. Deciding that a clean install was best I reinstalled it from scratch, only to find that my sound card isn't supported. Whenever sound is played it starts rapidly switching sample rates and makes a noise through the speakers. Earlier builds didn't have this issue. Tried various fixes, like compatibility mode, but to no avail.

 

This is the second time I've given Windows 10 a try and each time the experience has been appalling. I have no confidence that Microsoft will deliver with the final version, as at this point in development Vista, 7 and 8 were a lot more stable and usable.

  • Like 2

~sigh~

Yes Dot, I realize that you are...(searching for terms that won't send me afoul)... an ardent supporter of all thing metro.

You do "get" tho, that not everybody shares your opinion, right..??

You do "get" that a majority most likely do not share your opinion, right..??

To myself, metro is NOT forward thinking, it represents the dumbing down of a formerly great operation system. Indeed, to my it represents everything that is wrong with society today.

 Again, Windows 10 isn't dumbed down. Something tells me you don't even know what those words mean.

You would be wrong.

No, I'm not. Want to know why? People used to call the GUI as a whole dumbed down. I used to have a college professor who still to that day lamented the "dumbing down" of computing thanks to the GUI. Many "keyboard warriors" saw the CLI as an advanced way of computing, full of "advanced" features which allowed them to master their work, whereas the GUI was "dumbing down" that workflow with needless bloat, missing options, and the fact that they had to learn something new, therefore slowing them down in the process. But time moved on, and the GUI took over exclusively as the sole computing method because it was way easier to use (No need to remember a book's worth of commands), it opened the door to more possibilities, and attracted new segments of users. For the first time, Joe User was able to use a computer without the need for a B.A. in computing.

 

Does this sound familiar? It should. Moving to a modern UI in Windows 10 is nothing more than this same story told in a different light. Instead of moving people away from text-based terminals to GUI driven workstations, we're moving to a more open computing segment where PC, tablet, and smartphone all share a similar role. We're also moving to a segment where the term "Desktop" can mean one of many, many things (not just mouse driven), and to do that, a new way of interacting with these devices is needed. By streamlining and scaling the GUI, we can flawlessly move between these devices, and not lose our data, data integrity, or our workflow.

 

Just like moving away from the CLI to a GUI, features will deprecate, and fall out of use as the switch is made to a different environment. This isn't "dumbing down" anything. This is an evolution of workflow. So go ahead, and keep calling it "dumbed down", because It's not making what you say true.

  • Like 3

The only problem I have with Metro is the dumbing down of apps to a point where they only have the most basic of functionality. 
I totally get it that apps need to run on all devices, including those 7 people that brought a Windows Phone, but - what is stopping developers from scaling those metro apps so they are bare-bones on Phones and Tablets, and full fledged does everything a normal win32 app would do on Notebooks/Laptops/Desktops? 

Take Autodesk Sketchup for example with Metro. The difference between the Metro version and the full desktop version is heaps. Metro apps will continue to be crap in my view unless they scale like so. 
The design of the Metro UI is fine under Windows 10, its just those terrible terrible apps. :(

  • Like 2

The only problem I have with Metro is the dumbing down of apps to a point where they only have the most basic of functionality. 

I totally get it that apps need to run on all devices, including those 7 people that brought a Windows Phone, but - what is stopping developers from scaling those metro apps so they are bare-bones on Phones and Tablets, and full fledged does everything a normal win32 app would do on Notebooks/Laptops/Desktops? 

Take Autodesk Sketchup for example with Metro. The difference between the Metro version and the full desktop version is heaps. Metro apps will continue to be crap in my view unless they scale like so. 

The design of the Metro UI is fine under Windows 10, its just those terrible terrible apps. :(

Anarkii, what is stopping Win32 applications? I run them every day in 10041 (and every other build of 10, and 8.x before that). I even have a thread devoted specifically to software that (supposedly) doesn't work in the Windows 10 preview builds. Other than three games, the list of such compatibility failures is zero. (As in none - bupkis - the dodo egg.)

If you must have (or use) a Win32 (or Win64, for that matter) application or game, in ninety-nine out of one hundred cases, you won't have an issue. (The only OTHER versions of Windows - even in beta form - to rack up such utter cleanliness in terms of backward compatibility since the death of Windows ME - which didn't do it - are Windows 8 and 8.x. XP didn't do it, Vista didn't do it - even the much-preferred Windows 7 - before OR after Service Pack 1 - didn't do it.) Win32/64 is still available - even in Windows 10; on devices running BayTrail-T (such as tablets and even some phones and phablets) Win32/64 is an option even there! The ONLY reason I develop on Windows Server 2012R2 is because of Hyper-V (which I have made perfectly clear in the Windows Server and Virtualization threads). Win32/64 is still available - it has NOT been taken away.

No, I'm not. Want to know why?

Yes, you are wrong, and merely adding long winded rebuttals does not change that.

 

When you remove options, when you remove choice, when you limit flexibility, when you limit configurability, all of these things have a net result of dumbing down the entire operation. All of which may well be fine, on a phone, but it has not place on a desktop computer.

 

Another point I'd like to make, is that there is absolutely nothing you can ever do or say, that will ever change my point of view. That could only happen if microsoft were to change course, and restore logic to the desktop environment. My personal feeling, is that they will, in fact, get there. I see 10 as a last gasp attempt to appease both camps, with one hybrid system. I think it will ultimately fail, at least in it's present form. I believe that they will come to realize that the only way forward, is to allow for more choice right across the board, allowing the pro-touch/mobile community the ability to thrive in their metro universe, all the while accepting the basic fact that the desktop community, their largest single customer base, is a mature group who know exactly what they want, and will not be appeased by half measures.

 

I for one, am rooting for them to succeed.....

  • Like 2

I think it will ultimately fail, at least in it's present form. I believe that they will come to realize that the only way forward, is to allow for more choice right across the board, allowing the pro-touch/mobile community the ability to thrive in their metro universe, all the while accepting the basic fact that the desktop community, their largest single customer base, is a mature group who know exactly what they want, and will not be appeased by half measures.

 

Problem is, there is no one way to define a "desktop" anymore. This is why Metro is there to begin with. That's why Microsoft is unifying all these devices with one UI that scales. There is no more going back Pre-Windows 8 UIs. The mouse is only going to fall away from use as other technologies take over.

This topic is now closed to further replies.
  • Posts

    • Cloud Security Fundamentals eBook —was $131.95, now free to download by Steven Parker Claim your complimentary copy (worth $131.95) of "Cloud Security Fundamentals: Building the Foundations for Secure Cloud Platforms" for free, before the offer ends on July 1. Description In Cloud Security Fundamentals: Building the Foundations for Secure Cloud Platforms, cybersecurity leader and educator, Jason Edwards, delivers a comprehensive guide to safeguarding data, applications, and infrastructure in the cloud. The author offers a complete walkthrough of cloud security, moving from foundational concepts to advanced, forward-looking practices. The book is filled with practical examples, hands-on guidance, and lessons drawn from real-world cloud security incidents and breaches. It equips readers with the tools and knowledge they need to defend against threats in cloud environments and how to understand coming developments in cloud technology that will impact organizations in all industries. Inside the book: A thorough introduction to cloud-native and advanced security practices for contemporary firms A chapter on relevant cloud security certifications and professional growth advice Practical discussions of foundational concepts in cloud security, including IAM, Zero Trust, and DevSecOps Complete treatments of advanced cloud security themes, like leadership strategies, operational best practices, and techniques for dealing with common and emerging threats Perfect for cloud security professionals, IT managers, and DevOps professionals, Cloud Security Fundamentals will also benefit system administrators, compliance and risk officers, consultants, auditors, and technology students in a variety of fields who require a foundational understanding of cloud security concepts. How to download for free Please ensure you read the terms and conditions to claim this offer. Complete and verifiable information is required in order to receive this free offer. If you have previously made use of these offers, you will not need to re-register. Was $131.95, but is now FREE | Below link offer expires on July 1. Cloud Security Fundamentals: Building the Foundations for Secure Cloud Platforms The below offers are also available for free in exchange for your (work) email: The Vibe Coding Playbook: Building Your Tech Business with AI ($35 Value) FREE - Expires 6/23 The Persuasion Engine: How Any Business Can Use AI-Powered Neuromarketing to Understand and Win Customers ($28 Value) FREE - Expires 6/24 How to Do More with Less: Future-Proofing Yourself in an AI-driven Economy ($28 Value) FREE - Expires 6/30 Cloud Security Fundamentals: Building the Foundations for Secure Cloud Platforms ($131.95 Value) FREE - Expires 7/1 The Complete Free AI Learning: Master ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini & More ($21 Value) FREE How to Build an AI Design Workflow with Gamma ($21 Value) FREE The Ultimate Linux Newbie Guide – Featured Free content Python Notes for Professionals – Featured Free content Learn Linux in 5 Days – Featured Free content Quick Reference Guide for Cybersecurity – Featured Free content We post these because we earn commission on each lead so as not to rely solely on advertising, which many of our readers block. It all helps toward paying staff reporters, servers and hosting costs. Other ways to support Neowin The above deal not doing it for you, but still want to help? Check out the links below. Check out our partner software in the Neowin Store Buy a T-shirt at Neowin's Threadsquad Subscribe to Neowin - for $14 a year, or $28 a year for an ad-free experience Disclosure: An account at Neowin Deals is required to participate in any deals powered by our affiliate, StackCommerce. For a full description of StackCommerce's privacy guidelines, go here. Neowin benefits from shared revenue of each sale made through the branded deals site.
    • TerraMaster F4-425 Pro review: an octa-core Intel NAS that ships with AI (OpenClaw) by Steven Parker It has been a while since I reviewed a TerraMaster NAS, but the company reached out to me asking if I was willing to test the F4-425 Pro, which goes on sale today. It is an upgrade on the F4-425 Plus, which I reviewed back in October 2025 What you need to know is that it basically follows the design principles of the four-bay F4-425 series, with its all-metal exterior. Here are the most important specifications: TerraMaster F4-425 Pro CPU Intel Core N350 (8x E Cores/Threads, Max burst up to 3.9 GHz) Intel Core N305 (4x E Cores/Threads, Max burst up to 3.8 GHz) TDP: 7W / 9W (Base) Graphics Intel UHD Graphics 32 EUs (1.35 GHz) Intel UHD Graphics 24 EUs (1.25 GHz) Memory 1x slot 16 GB DDR5 4800MT/s non ECC SODIMM (Max 32 GB) 1x slot 8 GB DDR5 4800MT/s non ECC SODIMM (Max 32 GB) Disk Capacity 120 TB (30 TB x 4) Supported RAID Types TRAID, TRAID +, RAID0, RAID1, RAID5, RAID 6, RAID 10 Network 2x RJ-45 5 GbE Internal storage 3x M.2 2280 NVMe Slot (PCIe 3.0 x1) Bootloader 2Gbit 256 GB NAND Flash card (MX30LF2G28AD) USB port (internal) USB Ports 1x Type-C 3.2 Gen 2 (10Gbps) 3x Type-A 3.2 Gen 2 (10Gbps) HDMI 1x (HDMI) Hardware Transcoding Engine H.264, H.265, MPEG-4, VC-1 Maximum resolution: 4K (4096 x 2160); Maximum FPS: 60 Size (H/W/D) 219 x 181 x 150 mm Weight 2.9 kg System Fan 150 x181 x 219 mm Power 90W, 100V - 240V AC, 50/60 Hz, Single frequency Power consumption (HDDs) 45W (4x 4TB ST4000VN008 in read/write state) 14W (4x 4TB ST4000VN008 in hibernation) Noise Level: 20.9 dB(A) Using 4 SATA HDDs/SSDs in standby mode; Test environment noise: 17.3dB(A); Test distance: 1m Warranty 2 Years OS TOS 7.0.0706 (Beta) MSRP £639.99, $699.99, €739.99 / £739.99, $799.99, €839.99 As you can see above, there are two variants of the F4-425 Pro releasing today. The lesser variant has the slightly weaker N305 CPU and iGP, and 8 GB less RAM, although it also costs $100 less than the top variant we are testing today. In addition, these new F4-425 Pros are shipped with the as-yet-unreleased TOS 7 beta. So what is TOS 7 exactly? During the device initialization, you are warned not to use it in a production environment, which we'll get into later. My contact told me that TOS 7 exits beta today, June 23 with version 7.0.0746. The clear difference with the F4-425 Plus is that it contains the more powerful N350 Intel CPU released in the first quarter of 2025, with support for DisplayPort 1.4, HDMI 2.1, LPDDR5 (4800), DDR5 and DDR4, and a max TDP of just 7W. It also supports AV1 decoding, as well as H.264, VP8, VP9, H.265 (8 bit), and H.265 (10 bit). The different capabilities in the Alder Lake-N (and Twin Lake) series are listed below. Processor E-cores L3-cache Turbo clock GPU GPU-clock TDP Intel N355 8 6 MB 3.9 GHz 32 EUs 1.35 GHz 9 W Intel Core 3 N350 3.9 GHz 1.35 GHz 7 W Intel Core i3-N305 3.8 GHz 1.25 GHz 9 W Intel Core i3-N300 3.8 GHz 1.25 GHz Intel N250 4 3.8 GHz 1.25 GHz 6 W Intel Processor N200 3.7 GHz 0.75 GHz Intel N150 3.6 GHz 24 EUs 1 GHz Intel N97 1.2 GHz 12 W Intel Processor N100 3.4 GHz 0.75 GHz 6 W The CPU is part of the Alder Lake-N series that sits just below the top N355 offering, albeit with an impressive TDP (less than the N355 and N305) for the features it offers. It is designed for low- powered systems and entry-level laptops. As before, we are seeing another NAS with an acceptable, if not great, amount of RAM. It should be noted that the F4-425 Pro only has one SODIMM slot, so if you are planning to upgrade the already 16GB included in this NAS, it will have to be on one module of Single Rank DDR5. As a reminder, up until a couple of years ago, it was commonplace to only get 2 or 4GB max on a flagship Synology or QNAP home NAS. Ever since the likes of TerraMaster and more have entered the market with ample RAM sizes included in their NAS offerings, it has gone a long way in forcing the hands of the traditional makers to up their game a bit. Before we dive in, you can view the different SKUs released so far since the 2025 series launched for Home and SMB users, with the most important specifications listed along with the MSRP listed below: SKU CPU Cores Memory Link Price F2-425 Intel N5095 4 4 GB DDR4 2.5 GbE x1 $249.99 F4-425 Intel N5095 4 4 GB DDR4 2.5 GbE x1 $369.99 F2-425 Plus Intel Core N150 4 8 GB DDR5 5 GbE x 2 $399.99 F4-425 Plus Intel Core N150 4 16 GB DDR5 5 GbE x 2 $569.99 F4-425 Pro Intel Core N305 8 8 GB DDR5 5 GbE x 2 $699.99 F4-425 Pro Intel Core N350 8 16 GB DDR5 5 GbE x 2 $799.99 The F2 in the product name means two 3.5-inch HDD bays, where F4 is four 2.5-inch bays. First impressions Like with the F8 SSD Plus packaging, the F4-425 Pro is using the upgraded box materials, which certainly look better than a plain cream colored box with TERRAMASTER stamped on the sides. The box gives off a premium feel and certainly adds a positive vibe to first impressions. In the box F4-425 Pro TNAS device Power adapter LAN cable (CAT 6) Quick guide [full online guide] Limited warranty notice Screws (for HDD bays) Stickers 2x rubber feet (spares) Design As has become kind of common with TerraMaster, certainly in the last three years, the 2025 F2- and F4-series have received a makeover that really adds to the premium feel of the NAS. Gone are the plastic shells, now replaced with an aluminum outer shell, with the front and back retaining the textured black plastic we saw on the 2024 models. Some key differences from the 2024 series include placing the power button back on the front, along with the addition of a Type A USB port. It's not much bigger or heavier either; in fact, it weighs 500 grams less than the F4-424 Pro. It's slightly shorter in height and depth (length), but only by a few millimeters. The front and back do retain a similar style to the 2024 series. On the front, you just have your four bays along with LED indicators for the HDDs and power. The welcomed change is having a USB port on the front for quick access, should you need to back up a USB drive, for example. Around the back, from top to bottom, you have a reset pin hole, an HDMI port, two 5 GbE Ethernet ports, two USB 3.2 Gen 2 (10 Gbps) Type A ports with a Type-C port below them, and a connector for the barrel port power source. Again, there's no Kensington Security Slot present, which is a bit of a shame considering it's a data storage device. Left side Right side On the left and right of the F4-425 Plus, it is completely smooth aluminum with a TERRAMASTER logo printed on both sides. On the bottom, there are some holes to assist ventilation. Unlike with the F4-425 Plus, the rubber feet did come unstuck during the teardown, which was also an issue on the 2023 series. It seems like other customers have lodged complaints about them, as TerraMaster now includes two spare rubber feet in the box, in case any of the preinstalled ones are lost; however, this seems more like a papering over the cracks solution rather than actually fixing the issue with better quality rubber stand-offs. There are also four screws that must be removed in order to access the internals. Teardown Upon removing the four screws, you can slide the device out of its shell to reveal the three NVMe M.2 slots (PCIe 3.0 X1) and single SODIMM slot connector, which is populated with a single 16GB DDR5 4800MT/s module. I added a couple of MP44Q M.2 PCIe 4.0 SSDs (2 x 4TB) that can be availed on Amazon for $492.99 that TEAMGROUP supplied us with, along with a 250GB 970 Evo Plus that my colleague Chris White sent me by accident and let me keep a few years ago. As I have said in previous reviews, TerraMaster support staff actually encourage installing whatever you want on their devices, and happily, the USB port for the bootloader is now easily accessible should you want to use it for your own flavor of NAS OS, such as TrueNAS, Unraid, or maybe Xpenology. Yes, because TerraMaster has now switched to a 256 GB NAND Flash card (3rd photo above) for the TOS bootloader. This is also replaceable, but you can also simply add a USB bootloader, access the BIOS, and tell the F4-425 Pro to boot from that instead of the Flash card. Unlike earlier iterations of TerraMaster NAS, you don't have to tear this down any further than the four screws on the outer shell in order to be able to access and manage the memory, NVMe slots, and USB bootloader. However, if you need to access the NAND Flash card or CMOS battery, then eight more screws (four on each side) need to be removed in order to take off the rear panel with the 120mm fan, and then the motherboard can be lifted off and removed from the SATA connector PCB. There's also no risk of threading the screw holes, because the four that hold the shell in place are metal on metal, while the screws that hold the rear panel on do screw into plastic. Either way, like last time when I reviewed the F4-425 plus, I was just happier to see larger screws being used. Overall, it follows some great improvements in build quality from the 2024 series and earlier. Setup BIOS The F4-425 Pro includes an Aptio BIOS from American Megatrends [1, 2], and you can setup pretty much everything here including the boot order, which is locked to the UEFI OS, however above that choice you can enable or disable booting to the USB bootloader so this would still allow you to switch to a USB stick with an alternative bootloader and boot from it, or disable it to instead always start from the first disk with an OS installed on it. Initial Setup Setup is roughly the same as the F4-425 Plus, along with the new TOS 7 setup dialogs, so there will be no surprises here. Upon connecting to the LAN and booting up, the F4-425 Pro can be reached by navigating to http://tnas.local. If that doesn't work, you can use the local address assigned via DHCP, which you can find using the TNAS PC desktop application, which is essentially a TerraMaster NAS finder. The setup process is pretty straightforward, through a wizard, and in full below: TOS 7 Initialization As you can see, TOS 7 received a new coat of paint, and the initialization requires fewer interactions. Happily, TOS no longer decides to throw all disks into the same Storage Pool; 2.5-inch HDDs are allocated into Storage Pool 1. This is because two of the HDDs are allocated to hold system files. Previously (with TOS 5 and 6), if you pre-installed HDDs and SSDs, they were all placed into Storage Pool 1, even if you did not select the SSDs for inclusion during the onboarding. TOS 7 Setup On first boot, there is a tutorial and some steps to take to harden the TNAS (or not), which includes an immediate update from TOS 7.0.0616 to 7.0.0706, of which the changelog screenshot is also included in the above gallery. It must be noted that the Security Advisor still contains (in my opinion) a pretty major bug in that if you enable SPC and then do the required rebooting, the Security Advisor still says that SPC is disabled. TerraMaster provided the following statement about it: It is disappointing that TOS 7 has been in beta since December, and this OOBE issue is still there. Shutdown option has moved Instead of a Taskbar option to manage the NAS, all of these options have been moved to a "Start panel", initially I didn't see it and my contact had to show me how to power off the F4-425 Pro. To logout, reboot or power off you can find those controls at the top right of the Panel. It is also possible to power off through the TNAS mobile app beta. Storage setup Above, you can see the steps I took to create the Storage Pools and Volumes. I made a second Storage Pool using TRAID on two 4TB MP44Q SSDs (which, in this instance, is similar to RAID 5), and finally, I added the 250GB 970 Evo Plus drive as Hyper Cache on Storage Pool 1 in Balanced mode. Registering If you decide not to lock down the F4-425 Pro in Security Isolation Mode (blocking all external connections), then you could set up a TNAS device ID through the Remote Access setting in the Control Panel (which must be unique). This works in combination with an online TerraMaster account. TOS 7 TNAS Online Creating a TerraMaster account and linking the device online activates the warranty when you provide proof of purchase and the serial number, but it also gives you access through the TNAS mobile app, which allows you to complete certain operationsб including powering off and restarting the NAS remotely. A TNAS mobile update is required to gain access through TOS 7, and this is provided on the TerraMaster website, as it is not yet on Google Play. The app is evolving all the time and has made leaps and bounds since I first started reviewing TerraMaster devices almost three years ago. It is not quite there yet if you are comparing the likes of Synology, which, sadly, a lot of users online do all the time. OpenClaw setup One of the main selling points of the new F4-425 Pro is the inclusion of OpenClaw, with TerraMaster claiming that it is "powered by the world's first AI-native TOS 7 OS, supporting local-first smart workflows and independent data control." However, I immediately ran into problems trying to enable OpenClaw. After waiting 20 minutes at the "Enabling" message of the OpenClaw app following installation, I decided to do some searching online and discovered that it couldn't complete the installation process due to SPC being enabled, which is something TOS 7 immediately recommends to be enabled on first boot. SPC for NAS (TOS 7) is basically the same principle as UAC in Windows; it blocks executables from being launched by non-Super Users. After reaching out to my contact about these issues, I received the following response: Anyway, this only became clear when I closed the OpenClaw app screen and clicked on the OpenClaw icon in the taskbar; that is when I saw the message about disabling SPC. I think, due to the fact that this is a requirement, this should be a prompt during the installation process, not when closing the App Market and then trying to launch OpenClaw. There's also no 'Getting started' guide for people like me who have never used OpenClaw. I tried to add an LLM and discovered the tutorial led nowhere. That's when I started looking around the official TerraMaster forums, and I found a guide that helpfully explains that you won't get anywhere with OpenClaw unless you have a paid plan, which is disappointing because I imagined there would be an option to use a local LLM as I do in SubtitleEdit with Whisper-XXL. In addition, with the marketing imagery on the official site, it says that the OpenClaw feature is "all processed 100% locally for absolute privacy." which led me to believe that I could install a local LLM, not one that required paid tokens. In any case, TerraMaster does not provide guidance for this new feature, which was also a selling point of the F4-425 Pro! My contact also provided clarification about the above points I raised with TerraMaster Since it is not in the scope of the review to add paid services, I'll leave that to the people who are more qualified with OpenClaw. F4-425 Pro Surveillance App TOS also comes with a Surveillance app, which is not installed by default; it can be found in the App Market recommended section. In addition, after installing, it doesn't drop a shortcut on the Desktop or top taskbar, but you can "Send to Desktop" from the App Market listing for the app for a quick way to open it. Adding my Reolink POE doorbell camera was painless. TerraMaster doesn't appear to have a repository of preconfigured cameras; instead, the camera must be added using ONVIF or RTSP. No mobile Surveillance app TerraMaster still doesn't have a dedicated Surveillance app, although from searching online, Surveillance can be used and managed through the TNAS mobile app. I tried this with the updated TNAS mobile app beta in combination with TOS 7 and got a message that Surveillance was "Only accessible through web browser," so I reckon this must be limited to the stable versions of TOS 6 and the mobile app. More quirks In addition, whenever I minimized the Live View window in the browser Surveillance app, the feed appeared to switch to the Low-bandwidth stream, and there was no way to get the High-quality stream back. To get the High-quality stream back, I had to close Live View and then reopen it. Benchmarking A pretty cool feature of the TOS 7 is that it allows you to install directly to the NVMe M.2 SSD. In order to do that, you would have to leave out any HDDs during initialization, and even then, the system partitions are always written to two HDDs when they are eventually added. With three NVMe slots, this also gives an interesting scenario where you could build a TRAID storage Pool for installing all your apps and Docker on, and keep the third for SSD cache on the HDD pool. Limitless options! SATA PCIe 3.0 X1 A CrystalDiskMark test on a mapped network drive from within a Windows 11 25H2 PC (image above) connected over a 5 GbE hub was well within acceptable ranges. Although the read result on SATA was a little less than with the F4-425 Plus, for some reason, while writes were generally better. SATA PCIe 3.0 X1 I also ran the NAS Performance tester, which tests the link speed performance. As you can see, it pretty much maxes out the 5GbE connection. Of course, you can also opt to bond the two 5 GbE connections for a bit more umph, but I didn't do that. TOS 7, which, as of testing, is still in Beta, comes with an App Center that has a bunch of handy programs you can install right off the bat, such as Emby, Plex, Docker, as well as in-house Backup and Surveillance solutions. As you can imagine, any media streaming services you would want to host off the F4-425 Pro will work great, thanks to the Intel Core N350 CPU and its 16 GB of DDR5 memory. Accessing from mobile is only possible if Security Isolation Mode is disabled, which can put your NAS at risk from external sources, so there was no way to access it from the TNAS Mobile app. It's also quiet. I had this sat next to my computer on my work desk for the past week, and I did wonder if the noise I was accustomed to with NAS devices would annoy me, but all I could hear was a soft whirring of the rear fan (which was a little annoying) when the disks were not actively copying or reading data. Conclusion So what have I learned? Unfortunately, this release raises a few important questions and concerns that I feel haven't been adequately addressed. What I didn't like Our variant shipped with TOS 7 beta, and it's advised not to use it in a production environment. I feel that's a bit limiting on an $800 device. The mobile app is also still in beta and does not support some of the first-party apps, like Surveillance, and it still has quite a few bugs. I am a bit confused about the OpenClaw marketing along with the F4-425 Pro. I feel like that if it's going to be a main selling point, then offer official guidance on how to get started with it. TerraMaster recommends enabling SPC, but then markets the NAS for use with OpenClaw, which requires disabling SPC to be able to use it, opening up genuine security concerns for the NAS; and that's before you get into the security concerns of OpenClaw itself. Of course, the above issues won't be a problem if you decide to install something else on it, or even go back to the stable TOS 6. I wish TerraMaster had just given TOS 7 as opt-in rather than shipping with it. TOS 7 has been available as a preview since December 2025 (so well before my last TerraMaster review), and according to a thread on Reddit where a user shared a screenshot from the TerraMaster Facebook page, it is scheduled to launch today, June 23, but there's nothing about that in the TerraMaster news blog. My contact confirmed over email that TOS 7 exits beta today. The rubber feet also deserve a mention as they continue to be a problem, with them coming unstuck the moment you shift the F4-425 Pro anywhere on your desk. What I liked What it comes down to, though, aside from what I already mentioned, you are still getting a quality, affordable device here, so recommending it will depend on the individual's use case. If you're just looking for a relatively small NAS device to manage virtual machines on, backup your files, and take care of your home theater streaming, then it is a great device that will certainly futureproof you for some time. It provides good performance, takes up little space, and is, on the whole, very quiet. Four bays afford proper redundancy using TRAID or RAID 5, and you can even expand on storage capacity by adding the 2-bay D5, or 4-bay D8 Hybrid DAS over a USB 3.2 (10Gbps) link. Considering the 2024 releases were more about power, with the likes of an Intel Core i5-1235U high-end laptop CPU under the hood, I asked my contact last time if we could expect more of the same in higher-end models and was told: It makes a lot of sense to use Intel's N350 chip inside a NAS; it is more than capable of doing what the F4-425 Pro is intended for, media streaming and backup. The only downside is still the clear lack of community and even staff support on the official forums. In the past, I have had topics go unanswered for days, or there would be generic-type "we've noted this and passed it onto our developer team" type responses. Along with the other things I mentioned, it all ends up costing it a couple of points. If you are comfortable with the command line, Docker, and setting up TrueNAS or Unraid, you'll be fine. You can do great things with this hardware. In TOS, the apps are a bit lacking, and things don't always work as expected.\ AI NAS?! What has become clear to me this year is that we are going to start seeing all kinds of "AI NAS" come to market, and while that might be good for us consumers, be diligent and research these claims. Although the F4-425 Pro technically comes with AI, it is really using a cloud service that is externally sourced off-device through the third party OpenClaw app. My colleague did review a newcomer to the NAS space earlier this year, and it includes a local AI assistant inside the Zettlab D4 NAS, and they do not even use AI in the product name, check out Chris' review here. Where to buy and a discount coupon However, it does not change the fact that this is truly a great entry-level home media-class NAS that you can buy right now. TerraMaster is having a 20% off launch discount, plus you can also still apply our unique 10% off coupon on checkout, which only works on the official website. So here is a breakdown of the pricing that is only valid on the official TerraMaster website. TerraMaster F4-425 Pro (N350) + 20% discount + 10% coupon = $575.99 TerraMaster F4-425 Pro (N305) + 20% discount + 10% coupon = $503.99 TerraMaster F4-425 Pro (N350) + 20% discount + 10% coupon = £525.59 TerraMaster F4-425 Pro (N305) + 20% discount + 10% coupon = £460.79 Use NEOWIN coupon code during checkout for 10% discount Over on Amazon US and UK, the F4-425 Pro also gets a 20% launch discount, but here, the above 10% coupon cannot be applied. TerraMaster F4-425 Pro (N350) for $639.99 at Amazon US (was $799.99) TerraMaster F4-425 Pro (N305) for $559.99 at Amazon US (was $699.99) TerraMaster F4-425 Pro (N350) for £583.99 at Amazon UK (was £729.99) TerraMaster F4-425 Pro (N305) for £511.99 at Amazon UK (was £639.99) As an Amazon Associate, when you purchase through links on our site, we earn from qualifying purchases.
    • well you can add a GPU for around $500, that's still around the price of Steam Machine but overall significantly better in performance.
  • Recent Achievements

    • Rookie
      DaviKar went up a rank
      Rookie
    • Dedicated
      HidekoYamamoto94 earned a badge
      Dedicated
    • One Month Later
      timbobit earned a badge
      One Month Later
    • One Month Later
      nates earned a badge
      One Month Later
    • Week One Done
      Almohandis earned a badge
      Week One Done
  • Popular Contributors

    1. 1
      +primortal
      463
    2. 2
      +Edouard
      161
    3. 3
      PsYcHoKiLLa
      112
    4. 4
      Michael Scrip
      85
    5. 5
      Steven P.
      71
  • Tell a friend

    Love Neowin? Tell a friend!