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How to avoid being "upgraded to Win 10" against your will:


dencorso

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I don't see anything disturbing among today's updates for Win 8.1.  There's even one that purports to disable the Metro/Modern mode of Internet Explorer.  Seems like a good trend if anything.

 

-Noel

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No success on getting the thingy on Windows 7 Home Premium. I wonder if the update that makes the notification behaves differently on other versions of Windows. For example, the people who have seen the Win10 thing, are they using Retail or System Builder installations?

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Hmmm I was under the impression that you could upgrade to the Preview using this GWX but this doesn't seem to be true. I did finally get the icon to show up... it takes a bit of time I guess. I reserved my copy of Windows 10, but I doubt this OS will remain intact by then.

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Having been through it and read all the screens, what do you feel you've accomplished by "reserving your copy", Tripredacus?  Just curious.

 

I'm having trouble reconciling the statement from Microsoft that we'll be eligible for a "free upgrade" for up to a year after RTM, and at the same time the statement "you may miss out" seen in at least one of the reservation screens.

 

The only thing I could derive from it as a guess is that "reserving" is tantamount to giving permission for them to install the upgrade on the first day.  The worrisome part of that is what it could do to your existing license.  I doubt they're going to make it easy to go back or allow people to continue to run the old version.

 

-Noel

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Having been through it and read all the screens, what do you feel you've accomplished by "reserving your copy", Tripredacus?  Just curious.

I only really wanted to get the process down. I will still need to test at GA how the upgrade process works, so that support can be ready for the calls that will come in.

Noel, note I rarely do any tech funstering using my actual work/home PCs. Most of my work is "throwaway" type that I do on actual hardware, rather than VMs. So the reservation for Win10 is not really one, as I'm likely to format that HDD within the day.

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The only thing I could derive from it as a guess is that "reserving" is tantamount to giving permission for them to install the upgrade on the first day.  The worrisome part of that is what it could do to your existing license.  I doubt they're going to make it easy to go back or allow people to continue to run the old version.

 

 

Another guess might be that since they need to deploy that awful amount of bloat (BTW how large will it be the "update", I believe something between 3 and 4 Gb :unsure:) to billions of machines they good MS guys will somehow need to plan a schedule to not clog their servers, if the data reported here:

http://www.msfn.org/board/topic/172826-windows-10-first-impressions/page-36#entry1100580

1.5 billion people using Windows today

is even approximately accurate, upgrading just the (source Wikipedia/Netstat April 2005):

Windows 7	 58.39%Windows XP	 15.93%Windows 8.1	 11.16%Mac OS X 10.10	 4.23%Windows 8	 3.50%Windows Vista	 1.95%Mac OS X (other) 1.60%Mac OS X 10.9	 1.53%Linux		 1.52%Windows (other)	 0.19%

 

roughly 15 % running Windows 8/8.1 (assuming that those that still run XP might at the most upgrade to 7 and that the ones running Vista are aficionados that won't upgrade anyway and that those on 7 won't be fighting to get the upgrade) it would mean 3.5*0.15*1,500,000,000=787,500,000 Gbytes to be "delivered" or "served" over a limited amount of time (hours, days, weeks? :unsure:).

So, the "reserving" might behave like a sort of "priority list", the ones that "reserved it" might be served earlier.

On the other hand it could provide some preventive data about the success (please read as failure) of the nagging upgrade campaign and it could be a very good promoting slogan.

Given that the release day is July 29th 2015, it would be of great effect a campaign (say one or two weeks before) on newspapers and TV going like:

  • More than 300 million[1] people already reserved their upgrade to the new Windows 10.
  • Windows 10 will be soon delivered to them, on the 29th of July.
  • What are you waiting for?
  • Microsoft will deliver the update to all current users of Windows Vista,[2] 7, 8 and 8.1 for free.
  • We are committed to further enhance the user experiences of all our customers.[3]
  • Technology has the power to unite us. it inspires us. Technology has taken us places we've only dreamed. It gives hope to the hopeless, and it has given voice to the voiceless.[4]
  • Microsoft
  • Windows 10
  • Empowering us all.

(of course without the footnotes ;))

 

jaclaz

 

[1] the actual number being of course completely independent from the actual number of "reservations" we received, this figure has just been totally faked by our marketing guys because it sounded good ....

[2] ... come on, you don't expect us to name that OS, really...

[3] ... but we are failing at it badly....

[4]... good technology of course, not the senseless crap we are now shoveling down your throat ...

Edited by jaclaz
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Noel, note I rarely do any tech funstering using my actual work/home PCs. Most of my work is "throwaway" type that I do on actual hardware, rather than VMs. So the reservation for Win10 is not really one, as I'm likely to format that HDD within the day.

 

 

What are you going to do if the license with which you've "reserved" (and downloaded, then later formatted) no longer works to activate your prior system - assuming you want to revert it?  I see it as a trap door that we can't possibly know if we want to step through yet.

 

Jaclaz, you make a good point about it likely being a Marketing aid.  It's no doubt multi-functional in helping Microsoft achieve its goals, which can no longer be achieved solely on the merit of the products.

 

-Noel

Edited by NoelC
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What are you going to do if the license with which you've "reserved" (and downloaded, then later formatted) no longer works to activate your prior system - assuming you want to revert it?

I don't understand what you are asking. :unsure:

Are you refering to the Windows 7 license?

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I certainly hope that doesn't happen, in case I want to roll back to 8.1, but they could argue that by accepting a free upgrade you have abnegated your previous licence.

:(

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Yes.  What happens if they invalidate the license you're upgrading from.

Well there are different types of licenses that I work with, and in the case of the Windows 7 Home Premium I used, I can't see how they could invalidate it as it doesn't phone home to an activation server. The other types it could be possible as activation servers are used, but I am not worried that such a thing will happen.

Suddenly I thought of a "possible" other way to avoid getting the update... I bet those GWX updates don't apply to Embedded SKUS... :whistle:

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Before the thought passes my mind, Windows 8 (in some versions only) provided downgrade rights (and if I recall correctly even some 7 versions).

 

A good question would be will there be downgrade rights in any version of Windows 10 (not in the next free forced - doesn't it sound strange BTW - update, once the new OS will be so-to-say on the shop shelves as full release) ? :unsure:

 

jaclaz

Edited by jaclaz
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So my HTPC has recieved the GWX update, like most things in the task bar I decided to hide the icon.

 

It will happily UN-hide itself next boot.

While I may be running Windows 10 on two other machines here , I do NOT plan to use it on the HTPC for any foreseeable time.

Now I have to stuff about trying to get rid of the nag ware. In the value equation, I don't see any benefit to 'upgrade'.

Windows 8.1.1 MCE with AeroGlass and Classic shell is a functional and STABLE system. We almost never see the MetroTard menu.

-Sean

Edited by ralcool
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I think to be completely honest, there is probably no reason why Windows 10 won't be as stable as the previous operatings system that have occupied this system since its inception

 

It originally ran XP MCE, then a retail Vista Home Premium , then a HDD crash (from over use probably lol),so a decided side grade to Windows 7- until the suspect 'license' expired.. so another retail Windows 8, a free upgrade to 8.1... and now Windows 10 wants to infect it.

 

Half the reason for upgrading was for the new visual eye candy.. Vista looked awesome on a big display. So did 7 mostly. 8 had (to me) actually useful ribbons in explorer- some hate it, but I'm sick of going through menus for simple view changes or whatever.. there was the value equation.

 

Windows 8 though made my eyeballs bleed until BigMuscle fixed the Aero. I ran The Windows 8 preview (with native glass) on the i7 until the 2hourly forced reboots gave me enough sh!ts to throw Win10 on it only just recently because it looked, and ran so well.

 

Until they can make the new Windows 10 look good... no,  AWESOME on a massive screen... We have 4 and even 5k pixel displays now in sizes over 50, yes fifty+ inches wide... I can't see myself installing it....why the hell is Microsoft making Windows look so primative, fugly. For some failing Tablet sales...really?...

 

Now they have ruined most of the audio and networking controls to these slow, and large boxes that have less functionality with wasted white space.

 

rant over, I could think of more.

 

-Sean

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