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


dencorso

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Thanks for the confirmation, VoodooPriest.  I had heard rumors of that elsewhere, but not seen a definite post where someone had to go through exactly what you did and was successfully able to reactivate.

 

I feel for you.  I have tested Win 10 in a VMware virtual machine environment, and made the judgment not to upgrade without having had to go through what you did.

 

At the moment, on my fully updated Win 8.1 system (on which I have NOT been offered Win 10), I have hidden these:

 

KB2976978

KB3035583

KB3046480

KB3068708

KB3075249

KB3080149

 

Edit:  I imagine some additional ones will show up after you get started installing them.

 

-Noel

Edited by NoelC
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Yeah, against my will. That's exactly what happened. Thankfully I'd imaged my drive before 10 reared it's ugly head and installed. Therefore, I was able to go back to 8.1, 10 and I had some big issues.

 

I've followed the suggestions here and elsewhere to uninstall the updates. Now it's waiting for me to reboot. The 2 options it gives are "update and restart" or "update and shutdown". In the Windows Update window it still shows "Your upgrade to Windows 10 is ready" and wants me to reboot so it can install 10. I also set Update to show which ones are available but not to download/install.

 

I found the GWX folder and renamed it. I searched for GWX on C, nowhere to be found. It doesn't show in Task Manager either.

 

Do I dare reboot? And if I do, will it stuff me 10 again?

 

TIA

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Do you have a hidden C:\$WINDOWS.~BT folder on your drive?

If so, trash it, as that's where all the Windows 10 installation files are.

You will need to take ownership.

Once you've done that, Windows 10 should not be able to install even if it tries after the reboot.

What state this will leave Windows Update in I don't know I'm afraid.

:)

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Here is a relevant set of scripts on github.  Haven't tried them, can't vouch for them. 

https://github.com/WindowsLies/BlockWindows

 

Found via slashdot

http://tech.slashdot.org/story/15/09/01/1951235/microsofts-telemetry-additions-to-windows-7-and-8-raise-privacy-concerns

 

The semi-manual method that alacran cross-linked is more straightforward.

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Oh and I just saw that our old buddy Claus has been compiling some relevant resources:

http://grandstreamdreams.blogspot.com/2015/09/windows-telemetry-and-tracking-linkpost.html

 

 

OK. I did warn you.

Martin Brinkmann’s post provides links and overviews to (currently) six maybe-ready for primetime utilities that can help Windows 10 users manage and take (some) control of privacy in Windows 10.

I highly recommend starting out there, and he has done a great job and a lot of work comparing the features and issues each of them present.

I’ve built a list below using Martin Brinkmann’s initial Windows 10 privacy utility list and have further supplemented it with additional script-based and/or utilities I’ve found.

  1. Destroy Windows 10 Spying
  2. Disable Win Tracking
  3. DoNotSpy 10
  4. Windows 10 Privacy and s***
  5. Windows 10 Privacy Fixer
  6. W10 Privacy
  7. O&O Shut Up 10 - Note that this app provides the ability to set a system restore point before applying settings. That’s a feature that isn’t offered in many of these tools and can be challenging for some users to first do manually themselves. (review #1, review #2)
  8. Spybot Anti-Beacon for Windows 10
  9. Windows 10 Enterprise LTSB - Mother of all tweak scripts - App Scripts - reboot.pro
  10. Ultimate Windows Tweaker 4 for Windows 10 - The Windows Club - this app contains a wide range of Windows 10 system tweaks, but specific to this post, includes a “Privacy” tab that addresses telemetry, biometric, advertising, search, Cortana, Windows Update sharing, feedback polls, password reveals, Steps Recorder, Inventory Collector and the Application Telemetry gathering. ghacks review
  11. WindowsLies/BlockWindows · GitHub or via Block Windows Spying Simple Script to Stop Spying - Windows batch (BAT) file script (and other stuff) to do a bunch of privacy settings and tweaks. What is nice about this approach is that you can review and modify/REM stuff you don’t want or need if you would like.

 

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Do you have a hidden C:\$WINDOWS.~BT folder on your drive?

If so, trash it, as that's where all the Windows 10 installation files are.

You will need to take ownership.

Once you've done that, Windows 10 should not be able to install even if it tries after the reboot.

What state this will leave Windows Update in I don't know I'm afraid.

:)

I have folder settings to show hidden folders/files. There is no BT folder. A file search of the Windows folder shows bth and other files. A lot of them in the amd 64 folders.

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Just a reminder, in case the overall thread message has been hidden:

 

Once you have thwarted the attempt to "upgrade", hide the specific updates listed at the start of this thread and it won't bother you again.

 

FYI, my philosophy up to now has been slightly less draconian - I have chosen to go ahead allow the newer Windows Update processes to be installed into older systems, on the general principle that Windows Update has been improved and it's possible the older versions will stop working. 

 

I'm starting to question my own approach, given that Microsoft is drop-loading more and more privacy invading stuff into the older systems. 

 

My trials and tribulations with developing firewall settings to increase my privacy with Win 8.1 as well as 10 have led me to better understand Microsoft's goals.  What I don't yet know is how intertwined their increased data gathering is with the newer update processes, which apparently is more complex, using a LOT more servers and content delivery networks.

 

-Noel

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NoelC said:  What I don't yet know is how intertwined their increased data gathering is with the newer update processes, which apparently is more complex, using a LOT more servers and content delivery networks.

 

I don't know how relevant to this thread this is but Noel's comment on "... a LOT more servers and content delivery networks." made me think of this article that I just read in which it states that once MS have Win10 installed on your(?) system they automatically sign you up to be a peer-to-peer seed for MS updates - it's called "Windows Update Delivery Optimization" (WUDO). Maybe this, in part, is what is responsible for the 'confusion' people are reporting over what in hell their(?) computer is doing connecting to addresses that seem to have nothing to do with MS. We are the Borg!

 

http://www.slate.com/articles/technology/bitwise/2015/08/windows_10_privacy_problems_here_s_how_bad_they_are_and_how_to_plug_them.html?

(The WUDO stuff is on page two of the article under the heading "Don’t Let Microsoft Steal Your Bandwidth".)

 

Personally, I'm happy with my decision to clean install Win7 and never update it - it's running fine. I pity others whose livelihood's might rely on them having the latest spyware installed from MS.

 

Now there are rumours going around that MS is starting to try and 'backport' some of the new 'features' in Win10 over to Win7 and Win8.x machines. Good God!

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2015/09/01/microsoft_backports_data_slurp_to_windows_78_via_patches/

 

I wonder if the prospect of moving to Linux is looking a bit more attractive to more and more people. I mean, how much will people take before they say enough it enough?

Edited by Radish
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I had to reboot, which I didn't. I hit the power button. Then turned it on again. Well, 10 did not install. However, in Windows Update it still shows that 10 is there and to reboot to install. I can't check for updates, it says I need to reboot.

 

Biggest reason I'm not wanting it to install is that it blows everything off the screen. Taskbar ends up being just a sliver. Icons at the edge of the screen are 1/3 off the screen. When my browser (Firefox) is maximized, the Menu bar is offscreen. As are the minimize, maximize and close buttons. I'm using a 32" LED TV as my monitor. Have no problem with it while using 8.1. With 10, it's a different story.

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I had to reboot, which I didn't. I hit the power button. Then turned it on again. Well, 10 did not install. However, in Windows Update it still shows that 10 is there and to reboot to install. I can't check for updates, it says I need to reboot.

 

 

This program might help: http://www.portableupdate.com/

 

You can use it to search for updates. If it finds any, you can then download them and install them manually.

 

Phil

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@Odos270

 

is it possible to delete the Windows Update folder? A long time ago back on XP I was having issues with some updates getting stuck. So i deleted a folder associated with Windows Update and it cleared my update history and I was able to move past my problem. 

 

sorry I can't give you more details it was a long time I go that I did that.

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@Odos270

 

is it possible to delete the Windows Update folder? A long time ago back on XP I was having issues with some updates getting stuck. So i deleted a folder associated with Windows Update and it cleared my update history and I was able to move past my problem. 

 

sorry I can't give you more details it was a long time I go that I did that.

 

I don't know if that's possible with 8.1, haven't researched it. As for XP, I miss it.

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