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


dencorso

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Yeah, and since I'm using a HOSTS file on my router like you, it's not even easy to unblock whatever it is that they're checking for.

 

That reminds me, I need to tidy up and share the tools I use to generate the blacklists I use (for hosts and for my DNS server, which are a little different).  I'm surprised at how actively managed the online lists are now.

 

For example, looking at the logs I see that just today many hundreds of domains were added.  Stuff like welllsfairgo.com, which sounds a lot like it must be a scam site. 

 

-Noel

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I have found that Forbes appears to do this for some articles and not for others, and from certain sites and not from others.  If you want to read the article, copy its URL to the clipboard, open a new tab, type "forbes.com" into the address bar, and press [Enter].  The Forbes homepage should load right up.  Then paste the address to the article into the address bar and hit [Enter].  The page should open right up despite the ad-blocking.

 

www.forbes.com/sites/gordonkelly/2016/02/05/free-windows-10-true-cost/

 

 

Yeah!  Even though the main forbes.com window opens up on the same "You're using an ad-blocker" page, this still works (with FireFox, but not IE).

 

In your eye, ad mavens!

 

-Noel

Edited by NoelC
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Well as I'm still using Opera 12 as my main browser, which is now abandoned and hasn't been updated for several years, I guess I am leaving myself a bit at risk, but it's still my favourite browser by a country mile!

:)

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... If you want to read the article, copy its URL to the clipboard, open a new tab, type "forbes.com" into the address bar, and press [Enter].  The Forbes homepage should load right up.  Then paste the address to the article into the address bar and hit [Enter].  The page should open right up despite the ad-blocking (at least that works for me in Firefox) ...

 

Thanks Techie, that trick worked for me in Pale Moon. respect-048.gif

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Woody's good, no doubts there, eh?

 

Maybe old news now...  He's warning against blindly accepting a new "Mystery Patch":  KB3123862

 

See:  http://www.infoworld.com/article/3030211/microsoft-windows/experts-recommend-dont-install-microsoft-patch-kb-3123862.html

 

I don't know about you, but stuff like this just makes me want to trust them implicitliy again, right?  I mean, they only have our best interests at heart, right?

 

LyingFingersCross_I_swear_4721.png

 

-Noel

Edited by NoelC
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^^ from Woody's post:
 

 

If you install the optional update, you find that KB 3123862 gives you brand-spanking-new copies of the following:

 
  • Explorer.exe, the Windows File Explorer, and ExplorerFrame.dll, which contains supporting files -- icons, menus, bitmaps -- for Explorer.exe
  • Shell32.dll, the heart of the Windows interface
  • Authui.dll, which controls logins

If that doesn't send a chill up your spine, you haven't been following along.

 

I hid that update as soon as I read the words "upgraded capabilities to upgrade Windows," but beyond that: why is it necessary to replace explorer.exe and shell32.dll in order to  "learn about Windows 10"??  :ph34r:  :thumbdown

 

The whole thing sounds fishy to me.

 

--JorgeA

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Just goes to prove that folks need to come to the decision to either accept ONLY security updates, or no updates at all.

 

"Security updates" are generally patches to bugs they have had in the system for a long time (and haven't hurt us up to now), and possibly even more importantly, are coded by the very same people who are trying to force software on us.  Terrible things can be done in the name of "security".

 

-Noel

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Just goes to prove that folks need to come to the decision to either accept ONLY security updates, or no updates at all.

 

"Security updates" are generally patches to bugs they have had in the system for a long time (and haven't hurt us up to now), and possibly even more importantly, are coded by the very same people who are trying to force software on us.  Terrible things can be done in the name of "security".

 

-Noel

 

What's your view of .NET Framework 4.6.1? It was offered to my Win7 system last week (have yet to download it).

 

--JorgeA

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What's your view of .NET Framework 4.6.1? It was offered to my Win7 system last week (have yet to download it).

 

God knows.  At one time I'd have said "go ahead and get it".  But this time is not that time.

 

I can only tell you my choices:

 

I'm not taking any more Win 7 or 8.1 updates myself without a hard reason to do so.

 

There's nothing keeping them from shoehorning stuff into an update that has nothing to do with the subject material.  All bets are off now. 

 

If I come up with some new piece of software that can't run because the system isn't providing something I'll re-evaluate whether to take an update.

 

Any more it's all about managing risk without knowing enough to be confident in your decisions.  I'm of the opinion there are a lot more risks we don't know about than those we do, so I plan for disaster (think backups, spares, etc.) as well as do all I can to avert it.

 

what-me-worry-715605.jpg

 

-Noel

 

 

 

 

P.S., Woody Leonhard thinks it's okay...

 

http://www.askwoody.com/2016/ms-defcon-3-patch-but-watch-out/

Edited by NoelC
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... "Security updates" ... ... are coded by the very same people who are trying to force software on us ...

^ Exactly.

Microborg, which on the one hand lacks the time or the will to update Windows 7 for Skylake and future CPUs, has however on the other hand the time and the will to produce all this malware to infect Se7en.

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