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

[Mathwiz]

Seems like most Windows 10 fans just say "use VLC" or some such.  It is surprising how much reduction in functionality people are willing to put up with.

 

I used Windows Media Center a while back, with a TV tuner card, but long since found that card unusable as our cable service in this area switched to fiber optic and IPTV, which is a closed system (except to their set-top boxes).

 

-Noel

Sounds like U-Verse. Totally locked down to AT&T's equipment. WMC would be pretty useless for anything like that.

 

Anyway, what I like about WMC is how it's such a good "all-in-one" video system, combining the functions of a DVR, DVD player-recorder, media player, and streamer into one application with an easy-to-use 10-foot interface. Sure, you can get good separate apps for each of those functions, but nothing that does it all, and does it from across the room, as well as WMC.

 

But, it's been obvious for some time that M$ has given up on it. So it really wasn't a surprise when they announced no WMC in the Windows 10 they're trying to push on everyone. But despite all that, I'm still holding on to WMC, so no Win 10 for me.

[helpdesk98]

@dencorso I am not sure how well that would go over with my Mac Mini! Not sure it supports it.

[ptd163]

KB3075249, KB3077715, KB3078667, KB3080149 were served by Windows 7 WU as optional updates yesterday. What's the verdict on them?

[ralcool]

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/3080351

 

 

A solution offered that is official.

 

Thanks to Tripredacus for the link to the thread that had a link to the solution.

[NoelC]

Well wouldya look at that.  Right there in the Group Policy settings.

 

I really wonder what went on behind the scenes to get them to publish that.

 

Still doesn't alleviate the need to vet every update and hide those trying to bring in new telemetry, etc.

 

-Noel

[dencorso]

KB3075249, KB3077715, KB3078667, KB3080149 were served by Windows 7 WU as optional updates yesterday. What's the verdict on them?

 

KB3075249 and KB3080149 are telemetry updates, hence no-no. Tho other two are OK.

[ralcool]

For those that are using a home edition (without group policy editor), the link also has a registry key.

 

HKLM\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WindowsUpdate

DWORD value: DisableOSUpgrade = 1

 

so,

 

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKLM\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WindowsUpdate]
"DisableOSUpgrade"=dword:00000001

 

could it be this simple

[Tripredacus]

could it be this simple

And hopefully some future update doesn't change it back!

[NoelC]

That Windows Updates are intrusively overriding user choices is REALLY disappointing - but as we know it's really happening. 

 

It's something that's not getting enough press.

 

-Noel

[alacran]

Simple batch to remove Windows 10 offer/spam and tracking from Win 7/8

 

Custom brute-force batch (paste code to notepad and save as cmd):

powershell get-hotfix -id kb2977759,kb2990214,kb2952664,kb3021917,kb3022345,kb3068708,kb3035583,kb3044374,kb2976978,kb3050265,kb3075249,kb3080149@ECHO offCOLOR 16ECHOECHO Removing Windows 10 Update offersECHO ver 08/20/2015start /wait wusa /uninstall /kb:2977759 /quiet /norestartstart /wait wusa /uninstall /kb:2990214 /quiet /norestartstart /wait wusa /uninstall /kb:2952664 /quiet /norestartstart /wait wusa /uninstall /kb:3021917 /quiet /norestartstart /wait wusa /uninstall /kb:3022345 /quiet /norestartstart /wait wusa /uninstall /kb:3068708 /quiet /norestartstart /wait wusa /uninstall /kb:3035583 /quiet /norestartstart /wait wusa /uninstall /kb:3044374 /quiet /norestartstart /wait wusa /uninstall /kb:2976978 /quiet /norestartstart /wait wusa /uninstall /kb:3050265 /quiet /norestartstart /wait wusa /uninstall /kb:3075249 /quiet /norestartstart /wait wusa /uninstall /kb:3080149 /quiet /norestartECHOECHO Spyware were sucessfully uninstalled!ECHO ===========================================ECHOECHO Don't forget disable these updates:ECHO Windows 7:ECHO ===========================================ECHO KB2977759, KB2990214, KB2952664, KB3021917,ECHO KB3022345, KB3068708, KB3035583, KB3075249ECHO and KB3080149ECHO Windows 8/8.1:ECHO ===========================================ECHO KB3022345, KB3068708, KB3035583, KB3044374ECHO KB2976978, KB3075249 and KB3080149ECHO ===========================================ECHOECHO Press any key to restart.ECHOPAUSEC:\Windows\System32\shutdown.exe /r /t 10 /c "This system will restart in 10 seconds"EXIT

Source: http://forums.mydigitallife.info/threads/62409-Suggestion-simple-batch-to-remove-Windows-10-offer-spam-and-tracking-from-Win-7-8

Edited August 23, 2015 by alacran

[jaclaz]

And, though these info need to be verified the above list is seemingly not exhaustive:

https://freedomhacker.net/latest-windows-7-8-81-update-spy-windows-10-4568/

 

Let us not fall in the same "philosophical" issue as in the Windows 10 thread, please :

http://www.msfn.org/board/topic/174295-oo-shutup10-free-antispy-tool-for-windows-10/#entry1106470

 

 

jaclaz

[NoelC]

It gets to be almost like work to keep a thread like this up to date with a complete list.

Philosophically, a blanket...

review every update BEFORE installing and hide any that purports to make Windows 7 / 8 more like 10

...guideline needs to be invoked.

I have chosen to hide both KB3075249 and KB3080149 on my Win 7 and 8.1 systems myself, as these appear to fall under the above guideline. I suggest others do the same.

-Noel

[TELVM]

I'll just leave this here (another epic quote from this McFluffy guy from the Pale Moon forum, he must be a relative of Mr. Spock, devastatingly logical):

 

"Totally absurd, how much time is it now necessary to spend on protecting Win7 from being infected by its developer?"

[NoelC]

I guess the effort drops off if one just stops accepting updates.

 

But ooh, but that's scary - what about zero day exploits for heretofore undiscovered bugs?  You know, those bugs that Microsoft left in?

 

-Noel

[Voodoo Priest]

First of all, sorry for not reading the entire thread, I stopped at page 5.

 

I'll be doing a full ISO backup first of course so I can hopefully roll back to 8.1 if necessary!

 

I wonder if Microsoft might make your 8.1 license no longer valid when you "upgrade"?

 

I think arguments of "they wouldn't dare do that" are all pretty much moot.

 

-Noel

 

 

 

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

 

I can confirm that the Windows 8.1 license is still valid after having upgraded to Windows 10 then having reverted to a clean install of Windows 8.1. That's what I've just done in the past 4 or 5 days (upgrading, screaming YUCK!!!, trying to use the embedded 'go back to my previous system' and being denied the fact, then reinstalling everything from scratch). Speak of a blissful week!

 

Also, I have learnt in the past days that once the upgrade to Windows 10 is done on a system during that one-year free upgrade period, and the system has been reverted to a previous version, it can later be upgraded again to Win 10. This is reportedly due to the product key system being replaced by an "entitlement" system.

 

That's a fact I've seen happen, too: not all of them are necessarily offered to every system. It seems that, by hiding some of 'em, other(s) are not even offered. And, of course, at this point in time we have no way, AFAIK, of proactively hiding an update before it's offered. One more reason we must keep eyes wide open.

This hints at the reason why I have performed a web search, and landed on this thread. After the clean install of Win 8.1 I have just done, I haven't installed a single WU update yet. I've only reinstalled the programs that I had been forced to install in Program Files (and not in a distinct folder on a separate drive). I now have 209 important updates (including MS Office) and 15 optional (not sure this is the exact term used in English versions - its written "facultatif" in my French system) ones.

 

Of all the items in the list that @dencorso provided in the opening post, I could only see KB2976978, KB3035583, KB3044374 (adhering to NoelC's stance, I'll let this one through), and KB3046480.

 

Side note: am I the only one to lament the fact that WU entries can't be filtered or searched? (In versions prior to Win 10 since that system no longer gives you any choice as to whether to install an update or not).

 

I can't see: KB3022345, KB3050267, KB3065988, KB3068708, KB3075249, KB3075851 and KB3080149. Is this normal? Because the problem with my case is that no WU installation has occurred yet. So the "hide one, some won't show up" hypothesis cannot apply.

Edited August 26, 2015 by Voodoo Priest