Microsoft Auto-Scheduling Windows 10 Updates

[eriko]

<mod edit> MS, and Windows 10

<Watch your language>

In society - it is largely acceptable to swear, if a situation / person / action is so outrageous, that simple words do not suffice.

At least that is what I've learned in my 40+ years...

So leave him alone!

 

[SmallBizKilledby10]

Microsoft has effectively put me out of buisness with this criminal activity! I've repeatedly declined the Windows 10 prompts, and now Microsoft has initiated the upgrade on my main business computer WITHOUT permission. So what you may ask? Did it not occur to Microsoft that MANY business programs WILL NOT WORK with their forced upgrade? Leading to the lost and inaccessibility of business records and programs required to operate! I'm at a loss how they are allowed to do this without being thrown in jail... this undermines every bit of confidence I may have had in Windows as a business OS....

 

[nukemaster]

Microsoft has effectively put me out of buisness with this criminal activity! I've repeatedly declined the Windows 10 prompts, and now Microsoft has initiated the upgrade on my main business computer WITHOUT permission. So what you may ask? Did it not occur to Microsoft that MANY business programs WILL NOT WORK with their forced upgrade? Leading to the lost and inaccessibility of business records and programs required to operate! I'm at a loss how they are allowed to do this without being thrown in jail... this undermines every bit of confidence I may have had in Windows as a business OS....

At the very least you should try to roll back(within 30 days).

Before doing anything backup your files in case things do not work out. At least in that case you can reinstall 7 and turn off recommended/optional updates(so far this has kept GWX off my computers that I do not want it on.) to get as close to current(update wise) as you can. At this point use one of the mentioned programs like GWX control panel to stop Windows 10 from being able to install.

 

[Lyn Boxall]

It's been several months now that we created a simple and free tool which aim is to disable and uninstall "Upgrade to Windows 10" components from Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 computers.
The tool is super simple (only one button), free, and can be used to reverse the settings so that Windows 10 free upgrade be activated again for those who want it all the same.

The tool does not just change system and registry settings (including telemetry settings). It actually uninstalls the related components. This is because even with system settings set so that the upgrade is disabled (or telemetry is disabled), there are still some related tasks running in the background, slowing down the system with absolutely no reason if the user has opted-out the "free upgrade".

Where is this tool ?
Here: http://win10wiwi.com

What does it stand for. Win 10 When I Want It...

Is it safe? Well, it has been run more than 45,000 times and so far, no one complained...

What an unbelievablely pathetic response. I hope it was written by a computer. It addresses none of the points I made, which doesn't matter now that I'm no longer a Windows customer.

 

[Solandri]

There are no more "privacy concerns" using Windows 10 than there is using an Android phone or using Facebook, yet people have this blind nerd-rage hard-on for Microsoft for some reason.

Difference is Android and Facebook are free. You pay for Windows. (Even if you get the Win 10 update for free, you still had to pay for Win 7 or 8 to qualify for the update.)

This is a silly attempt to warp facts to fit a narrative. I had Windows 98. I paid to upgrade to Windows XP. I then (foolishly) paid to upgrade to Windows Vista, and again paid to upgrade to Windows 7, and again for Windows 8. Are you seeing how you are trying to alter history to fit your thinking?

No, I did not "pay" for Windows 10 by buying a previous OS when I paid for each previous version. I am paying for Windows 10 through their advertisement model. Same way I pay for Android updates, but I don't hear anyone on a witch hunt for Google.

*sigh* You're one of those people who thinks "buy one, get one free" means you're getting something for free, not just getting half price if you buy two.

No point arguing with you if you can't even wrap your head around the fact that a discounted price is still not free.

I will respond to your ad hominem. As JackNaylorPE pointed out, Microsoft's upgrade dialog is deceptive, and the damn thing keeps coming back even if you disable it. I used the various tools to hide the update as they became available, but it takes time (can't visit all my clients in one day). And each new Microsoft update seemed to come up with new tricks to bypass old workarounds. These "accidental" upgrades aren't due to incompetent IT support, it's due to Microsoft willfully doing whatever they can to subvert the choices its customers have made. Like the two-year old which keeps begging and crying for the lollipop, hoping you'll finally give in out of exasperation.

If you really do manage 10,000 Win 7 PCs, you're probably using Win 7 Enterprise, and thus haven't had to suffer Microsoft's ridiculous push to get everyone to adopt Win 10. Your experience is skewed by living in a bubble insulated from what the rest of us without Win 7/8 Enterprise have been going through. (If you're managing 10,000 Win 7 Pro PCs, not Enterprise, you're in no position to lecture others on their IT management skills if you can't even convince your company to get a volume license.)

 

[Endkraft]

Pretty much blew up my alienware laptop...

I left my laptop on one night and I came back in the morning and it auto updated. I don't remember seeing any auto update notifications. I was playing whack-a-mole with the upgrade now for free messages. So it slowed down my computer drastically and fried both my SSD and my GPU. Thanks microsoft for not giving me a choice and ruining laptop.

 

[synphul]

In a way it makes sense, forcing or strong arming updates. If they can 'nudge' everyone onto win10 then it will be easier moving forward rather than supporting older software. Although their support time frames for the older software is pretty well set to begin with, extended support, end of life and so on.

More importantly I think it's a move to try and reduce the embarrassment. Previous 'new' versions of windows were met with many users either not upgrading at all or upgrading and then reverting back to their older version. That doesn't bode well for the shiny new product release when so many jump ship.

Seems to me like aggressive preemptive damage control to save face rather than see things like 40% of users sticking with their old os and 60% of new users reverting back. With more users 'upgrading' (either lured by 'free' upgrade offers or strongarmed into it) to the new os it makes the statistics look as though win10 is an overwhelming success.

 

[JackNaylorPE]

Now, if you are done flailing, have any responses to my actual point, which was that this was an incredibly unethical display of journalism?

I made no comment on THGs article and as I am uninterested in their article, I am therefore uninterested in your claim associated therewith. Old news as Computerword, InforWorld, Forbes and many others have been reporting this for well over a year. What I took issue with are you blatantly false statements which exhibit a complete lack of knowledge for what is happening in **your** industry. You deny things are occurring, ask for citations, you get them and ignore them.

Here's WU at it again. Who's going to pay that $5 million bill ?

http://www.askwoody.com/

...he “important” security update for RPC and the Windows kernel, KB 3153171, released last Tuesday, is causing mayhem with large numbers of computers running EMET 5.5 EAF. Details are sketchy, but it looks like Windows 7 32-bit systems with EMET running get clobbered by KB 3153171, and return to sanity if the patch is uninstalled.

I guess my patch team should read reddit more often and we wouldn’t have had to fix approx 12k PCs that this happened too. 32bit sucks, can’t wait for all of the software we run to get certified for 64bit. UGHH… our help desk took 1200 calls in about 6 hours, people were down for 3 days, and for a bank, that’s not good. I can’t even begin to quantify the amount of money this cost the bank, probably 5+million which isn’t a lot, but enough for a mid level bank.

Your latest response includes more selective editing of posts, more edited references, more personal attacks in an attempt to hide the complete lack of a valid and documented counter-point . Whe a published definition is posted, you come back quoting a shortened and edited version of it or searching for a site with an abridged version. Your arguing whether Win 10 constitutes malware / spyware so why not use the citation previously provided where MS defines it ?

You've denied facts posted by several participants in this thread who have stated that this is what they are experiencing and asking for citations .. and once provided plainly and unequivocally refuting your statements ... oft using MS provided sources... you completely ignore them.

The best you could do when I was talking about commercials on HBO and Showtime, was ... not respond saying they don't occur but to say that GoT and PD are on different channels. And that was the best you could do.

Let's make it simple ... make your case for your 3 claims:

1. You argued that MS did not present an "Upgrade Now" or "Upgrade Later" choice .;.., you asked for a citation, it was given ... a picture of the screen was posted .... another user above is reported the same issue ... your still in denial, retreating to Trump Like bombasts to disguise the failure.

2. You said that KB 3035583 wasn't moved from an Optional to a Recommended install. You asked for a citation, it was given in the form of a direct quote from an MS official. Since that apparently again wasn't good enough ... let's go to a screenshot from this morning's encounters. There it is:

3. You argued that MS did not restore hidden updates. Yet here, in addition to numerous users saying that it does, we have a pic of KB 3035583 right back on the list for the 4th time, (after being previously hid 3 times) ...

- So argue with the previous picture showing the MS popup offering no other choice but to Upgrade Now or Upgrade at a later time.

- Argue with the picture that clearly shows KB 3035583 on the list of recommended as opposed to optional updates. Argue the the MS official who confirms this step.

- Argue with the picture that clearly shows KB 3035583 is reappearing after been hidden 3 times.

Oh, I'll add one more ... Argue w/ MS own published definition of malware / spyware (citation previously provided) ... which includes activities performed by Win 10.

 

[InvalidError]

With more users 'upgrading' (either lured by 'free' upgrade offers or strongarmed into it) to the new os it makes the statistics look as though win10 is an overwhelming success.

Sounds more like a resounding failure: when Apple releases an OS upgrade, 90% of eligible devices get voluntarily upgraded within a few months. Windows 10 has been out for over eight months with increasingly forceful upgrade pressure and less than 30% of computers eligible for the "free" upgrade have been upgraded.

As if that was not bad enough, Microsoft has to lump together XBox and phone/tablet OS upgrades in their Windows 10 figures to downplay how slow Windows 10 adoption on desktops and laptops has been.

After using Windows 10 for mere minutes on my mother's laptop, I immediately despised how much desktop space gets wasted to make controls more touch-friendly. I am not looking forward to having to move my mouse 3-5X further across my desk and have that much more screen real-estate wasted on UI bars to complete the same task due to icons being so much bigger and further apart.

 

[nukemaster]

After using Windows 10 for mere minutes on my mother's laptop, I immediately despised how much desktop space gets wasted to make controls more touch-friendly. I am not looking forward to having to move my mouse 3-5X further across my desk and have that much more screen real-estate wasted on UI bars to complete the same task due to icons being so much bigger and further apart.

I would love to see some examples of this? Desktop icons are about the same(when set to be).

Sure the tiles are bigger than icons on start, but since Vista, I have always just used search to open things. So start type what you want and hit enter(no mouse moving needed).

Start + 1-9(or maybe 0) will also open pinned programs on the taskbar, so this helps.

I was never a fan of the ribbon, but I am pretty sure it is here to stay.

 

[JackNaylorPE]

Sounds more like a resounding failure: when Apple releases an OS upgrade, 90% of eligible devices get voluntarily upgraded within a few months. Windows 10 has been out for over eight months with increasingly forceful upgrade pressure and less than 30% of computers eligible for the "free" upgrade have been upgraded.

The last reference i saw (within last week) showed that the upgrade % was far less. Looking quickly, latest I found was April 1st (includes as of march). Here it says, just 6 weeks ago, that market penetration on the desktop had not yet reached 15%. Now it must be remembered that a significant portion of that 15% includes new boxes that came with Win 10. So the number of those who upgraded must be significantly lower.

http://www.winbeta.org/news/windows-10-stats-march

This ones looks like "as of April"

http://www.netmarketshare.com/operating-system-market-share.aspx?qprid=10&qpcustomd=0&qpcustomb=
http://www.bidnessetc.com/68268-microsoft-dominates-pc-os-market-windows-10-growth-stalls/

So if we're talking 15% desktop market share .... for the sake of argument, lets assume an average "new pc' cycle of 3.5 years (42 months) ... 9 months into Win10, that would result 21% of that share being new boxes.

15% market share x (100% - 21%) , we get 11.85% of the market are Win 7 / 8 upgraders

11.85 / (48.8 W7 + 9.1 W8 + 11.85 W10), we get about 17% of Win 87/8 users as having upgraded.

Can you imagine any other product having such a low adoption rate when absolutely free ?

Free Upgrade from AutoCAD 2016 to 2017 ... and 17% take advantage ?
Free Upgrade for Witcher 3 DLCs (Harts of Stone / Blood and Wine) ... and 17% take advantage ?
Free Upgrade from GTX 980 to 980 Ti ... and 17% take advantage ?
Free Upgrade from 4790k to 6700k ... and 17% take advantage ?
Free Upgrade from 5 year old car to current model ... and 17% take advantage ?

Call it 17%, call it 30%, call it 50% .... no matter what you put there says "I don't want your free thing", what I have suits me better."

The reason that is so is because 1) OS upgrades on old hardware never made sense cause spending $100 for no gain is impossible to justify ... and 2) even free, Win10 not only asks for a significant time investment, it continues taking.

My wife, for reasons I don't understand, participates in on-line surveys where users indicate their preferences for various products ... she gets paid (free products, discount cards, gift cards, etc) for doing it.

I have no problem with MS offering a financial model where users get the OS for free; but why not give consumers a choice.... Free Windows 8 Home / $140 as always for Windows 10 Professional (OEM) ?



EDIT: Classic .... no MS definitely doesn't pop up a screen that offers you only "Upgrade Now" or "Start Download, Upgrade Later". Tell that to millions of viewers watching the weather report.

Even the weather lady says "Don't Do It"

https://youtu.be/VMPeTrHNX1U

 

[Grant_9]

I have been diligently closing out the upgrade pop-ups for months, laughing at each attempt to get me to upgrade. It becomes automatic; I close out the ad every time my PC boots.

A few minutes ago I was browsing when suddenly the black screen and white text appear.

They got me with the auto scheduled update.

I have been defeated.

 

[Virtual_Singularity]

Thanks to Thom's for the article. Like many others, I noticed some time ago how Microsoft utterly blurred the line between their "important" and "optional" updates.

Optional should include all that has to do with upgrading to Windows 10, iirc, it once did. Not long ago, MS simply changed what "important" updates are. Currently, there are many KB's MS defines as "important", that either get your machine ready to upgrade to 10, are related to it in some way, or import features that are nearly as intrusive as 10 itself.

When I chose the version of windows I use, I never agreed to anything saying I must upgrade to 10. Seeing the dishonesty MS now employs with their updates, it's obvious MS near term goal is forcing all non-enterprise users to switch to Win10.

It's gotten to the point there really isn't a choice allowing MS to automatically update for you; because MS is dishonest about what important updates are, one must check through them, and only include those that actually are "important". An increasingly tedious task, btw.

Many thanks to those who posted info re specific updates, and sites and tools that can be used in previous comments. If anyone can suggest any other trustworthy, reliable site(s) that gives accurate and up to date info about which Windows updates could/should be avoided, assuming such a site actually exists, it'd be much appreciated.

 

[Questors]

My question: How is this legal?

 

[JackNaylorPE]

When ya got a ton of money, everything gets legal

 

[popatim]

We' re are beyond needing a class action lawsuit against microsoft. Two actually, one for this forced update (again) and another for their forced data collection. Yes I am aware these can be turned off afterwards but thats the whole point, it should be agreed upon before turning it on; each and every type needs its own agreement.

 

[TE5LA]

For those who are running Win 10 and are concerned about all the privacy issues, download and install the free program Spybot Anti-Beacon https://www.safer-networking.org/spybot-anti-beacon/

Spybot is a trusted antivirus company and there is no advertising or nag screens at all in this program.

 

[TE5LA]

Why do I want to "upgrade" to 10? So I can have even more spying performed on me? So I can't elect whether or not to install updates (you're forced to install them in 10)? So I can't play some of my new games? I recently bought a new game that absolutely will not work under Windows 10 because that's what I had until I removed it. It works fine under 7 and 8.1. With 10, I was getting about 5 fps on low settings. There is hardly a game in existence that I can't get 100+ fps on max settings.

 

[dcwdcw]

Where are the EU bureaucrats when you need them? Look how they kicked up about Internet Explorer being built into Windows, yet not a peep out of them over this debarcle!

 

[Everdark81]

Like Blinken shared with the betanews link, use Never 10 from Steve Gibson. https://www.grc.com/never10.htm

 

[Martell1977]

We' re are beyond needing a class action lawsuit against microsoft. Two actually, one for this forced update (again) and another for their forced data collection. Yes I am aware these can be turned off afterwards but thats the whole point, it should be agreed upon before turning it on; each and every type needs its own agreement.

Sadly, the only people that really benefit from class action lawsuits are the lawyers.

I shut off all the data collection that they let me, but every time i get a significant update, I plan to check and make sure they didn't turn them back on. However, I haven't had a chance to locate all the settings for them yet...but haven't had any big updates either.

 

[dcwdcw]

Having failed to steal Apple's business model Microsoft is now stealing Google's! A plague on all your houses!

 

[JackNaylorPE]

For those who are running Win 10 and are concerned about all the privacy issues, download and install the free program Spybot Anti-Beacon https://www.safer-networking.org/spybot-anti-beacon/

Spybot is a trusted antivirus company and there is no advertising or nag screens at all in this program.

While absolutely true, it does not turn "everything off". Anti-Beacon solves the problem of MS hiding all these switches all over the place by putting them all in one place, it can not turn off those that have 'no switch".

http://mtanenbaum.us/microsoft-admits-home-users-cannot-stop-windows-10-from-phoning-home/

 

[fuckforcedupgrades]

I have many multiple reasons to not upgrade to 10, and 8 just does not work for me. I have programs that won't work with 10 whatsoever that I'm not willing to 'just give up', I don't want my data collected without my say-so (I even block some google scripts because of this), and I'm seriously doubting that even with my nice setup that it will all cross over well. I had to fight enough getting drivers for my radeon since I swapped this tower over from linux.

As long as my OS still fucking runs, I will not be 'upgrading' to 10 (it being an upgrade is debatable). I will not be TOLD what OS to run. Hell, I have an old laptop that runs on 95 and it still works without support, I think I can manage on 7.

 

[nukemaster]

If you have only important updates set, you will never have to see Windows 10. Windows 7 still has until Jan 14th 2020 for extended support.

Recommended, but still optional. Since most of the images have very few optional they must have Windows update set to install recommended updates automatically.

If you look at this image via the comment section that only shows a link, please had adblock on. These image hosts are very bad for junk.
http://i68.tinypic.com/dnlx8p.jpg