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

[OneSerendipity]

In Windows 6.1 & 6.3 OSes, I would avoid updating my system with updates after March 2015, due to getting those Win10 notifications in the clients by accident, and generally I get nothing extra to call really important from those right now. Systems updated up to that date shouldn't be missing on anything in security, provided they have an updated antivirus and firewall too.

[Techie007]

Not that I'm fond of Windows Updates at all - nor have I installed this one - but it does bring back up the discussion:

 

Will Microsoft continue to support updating via software that doesn't have a recently updated Windows Update client?  Or by hiding this update are you assuring an ultimate divorce from Microsoft's update process entirely?

 

People have been reporting really slow update performance and (Woody Leonhard I think it was) said that this update might fix that.  Maybe it's just a matter of putting up with a slower update if one doesn't take this one.

 

Just to be clear, I've pretty much decided on such a divorce voluntarily, and so far things are going fine.  But I know not everyone will want to be disconnected from security updates.

 

This is a case where we simply don't have enough information to make a well-informed decision.

 

    The answer to that question is a strong NO! they will not support these out of date systems.  They are already not supporting even slightly out of date Windows Vista and Windows 7 systems.  This started right about the time Windows 10 was released to the public.  I'm getting lots PCs (mostly laptops) in the shop all the time now that are running real slow.  What do I find?  PC is out of date by 4–24 months, and Windows Update is locked up, with TrustedInstaller.exe hogging all the CPU and all the RAM.

    After running for a couple of hours like this, it finally finds, downloads, and sets the updates to be installed on next shutdown/restart.  But when the user actually shuts down or restarts, the updates are not installed despite the indication on the Start Menu's Shut Down button!  Next time the user reboots, the entire process repeats. . . using most of the computer's resources to search for updates for a couple of hours. . . downloading all the updates again. . . and not installing them.  Manual checks for updates never complete (I haven't had the patience to wait over 24 hours).  AND. . . when the notification pops up that Windows Update has found and is installing updates, a visit to Windows Update still says "Checking for updates..."

    Clearing the update Download folder or even the Software Distribution folder doesn't help.  Even worse, this issue is happening on every single computer I reload with Vista SP2 or Windows 7 SP1.  Even on PCs with powerful CPUs, plenty of RAM, and a SSD.  I've seen numerous forum threads instructing users to manually download and install this or that update from the Microsoft website, but that has been hit-and-miss for me and a big waste of time.  The only reliable solution I've found is to use WSUS Offline Update to bring the PCs up to date, after which Windows Update starts working as expected, finding updates in less than 10 minutes.

    Even still, on some reloaded PCs I have to clear out the Software Distribution folder, reboot and check for updates a half dozen or more times before all the updates and drivers finally install without error (WSUS misses some updates, and doesn't install drivers).  Usually Windows Update returns some silly error about being unable to update files that are in use.  After a couple of reboots it finally updates them and then finds a couple more updates.  What a pain!

Edited March 4, 2016 by Techie007

[Bakuchris]

I thought it wasn't safe at all to install any update in newer versions of Windows?, I use a custom version of Windows 8.1 and I don't think updates will work, It will probably just break it since I removed most of the metro apps and services using winreducer.

[TELVM]

... This started right about the time Windows 10 was released to the public.  I'm getting lots PCs (mostly laptops) in the shop all the time now that are running real slow.  What do I find?  PC is out of date by 4–24 months, and Windows Update is locked up, with TrustedInstaller.exe hogging all the CPU and all the RAM ...

 

 

[NoelC]

Thanks for the info, Techie007.  I guess the moral of the story is to make sure you're covered well with backups if you're going to go it on your own with an older system.

I can imagine what the code looks like that just goes into a resource wasting loop if you don't have the system up to date.  Thank goodness that with the Windows Update service completely shut off I'm not seeing that problem happen.

-Noel

[pcalvert]

On 04/03/2016 at 8:13 PM, Techie007 said:

I'm getting lots PCs (mostly laptops) in the shop all the time now that are running real slow.  What do I find?  PC is out of date by 4–24 months, and Windows Update is locked up, with TrustedInstaller.exe hogging all the CPU and all the RAM.

    After running for a couple of hours like this, it finally finds, downloads, and sets the updates to be installed on next shutdown/restart.  But when the user actually shuts down or restarts, the updates are not installed despite the indication on the Start Menu's Shut Down button!  Next time the user reboots, the entire process repeats. . . using most of the computer's resources to search for updates for a couple of hours. . . downloading all the updates again. . . and not installing them.  Manual checks for updates never complete (I haven't had the patience to wait over 24 hours).  AND. . . when the notification pops up that Windows Update has found and is installing updates, a visit to Windows Update still says "Checking for updates..."

This program might save you a lot of aggravation: Portable Update. It's what I use. I never use Windows Update or automatic updates.

Here's another program that might be useful: ABC-Update. I haven't used that one yet, but I have at least one idea on how I might use it. Since it's a command-line utility, I was thinking of creating a batch file that uses ABC-Update to uninstall all of the suspect updates that are listed on the first page of this thread.

Phil

[TELVM]

Malware alert:

 

Windows patch KB 3139929: When a security update is not a security update

 

"Microsoft buried a Get Windows 10 ad generator inside this month's Internet Explorer security patch for Windows 7 and 8.1"

[NoelC]

Turns out my "tinfoil hat" is a Kevlar battle helmet after all.  Imagine that.

 

-Noel

[winxpi]

I must admit Windows 9x or XP are not my main OSes anymore. Use 7 and 8.1 at the moment very often, still having one windows 9x system around but offcourse we are speaking about the Windows 10 upgrading issue here. Just saying cause I've not been around a while.

And I just found out someting helpfull (don't know if you people read about it before).

Atleast it helps when you installed some of the IE Updates. Like I had on a Windows 7 client when I installed a cumulative Update for IE.

So the second thing is the issue that you get nagging "Upgrade to Windows 10" boxes on outlook.com (former hotmail).

I'll send you the code I used (but you should modify it regarding the IE browser version you are using).

Don't know if the "Windows Registry Editior Version 5.00 part still counts for Win8. But can say its been 5.00 since Windows 2000. Don't think its been changed much when you consider Windows 7 is actually 6.1 and 8 actually 6.2.

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\5.0\User Agent]@="Mozilla/5.0""Compatible"="compatible""Platform"="Windows NT 10.0""Version"="MSIE 11.0"

Well and the only thing it does is stopping to show you the blue box on outlook page after sign out in Internet Explorer.

Hope this may help somebody.

[TELVM]

Mutinous computer virus alert:

Warning: Windows 7 computers are being reported as automatically starting the Windows 10 upgrade without permission

Epic comments:

Quote

I'm >this< close to telling the techs to disable automatic updates completely for all business customers.

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I have disabled updates for all business customers until this bul***** is sorted out. I suggest you do the same before you're doing damage control.

Quote

They want people on their new "universal" app platform and locked in to the Windows Store.

The concept of locking all their users into a walled garden app store must have made all the Microsoft execs so tumescent their dicks exploded.

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They're trying so hard for three reasons, only one is justified.

1) The less they have to support older versions of Windows, the more secure everybody is and the less stressful/difficult it is for Microsoft to do so. (The justifiable reason.)

2) Microsoft really wants to push their app store, and more recently, the Windows Universal App platform which will lock gaming into their court. Not a fan of this. At least on Android I can sideload the HumbleBundle app, and apps installed from that are identical to the ones on the play store. With Windows, the versions are completely different. They maintain control.

3) The one everyone knows about yet for some reason gives zero shits about: the spying. The best part is if you shut down all the tracking by hand, there are still hidden kernel-level telemetries that will report back to Microsoft in an encrypted channel. No matter how hard you try, Windows 10 will always spy on you. They want that data so they can sell it to advertisers, which will in turn be used to push ads to you on your lock screen (and either sold or given to the government for god-knows-what™). Ain't that some shit?

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Watching Windows 10 implode on itself while whoring out its users with data mining, walled gardens, and advertised shit games is like witnessing the death of a giant star.

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Skynet is almost operational...

Edited March 13, 2016 by TELVM

[NoelC]

Confirmed by Woody Leonhard

And comes as no surprise here, of course.

Anyone caught by this after all the discussion about GWX has their head in the sand.

-Noel

[TELVM]

There is a very interesting link in the comments to the article by Leonhard:

Aegis for Windows 7/8.x

^ Scroll down to the list of malware, worth a look.

[NoelC]

Assuming you're referring to the fairly large list of questionable updates, what in particular catches your eye?  That there are a lot of them, going quite a ways back?

I guess one person's opinion as to what updates to keep and what ones to avoid will differ from another's.  I have completely telemetry-free, GWX-free, and stable systems yet I haven't hidden nearly that many updates. 
I have to admit, my systems aren't pushing up against the firewall because the telemetry software is respecting my settings choices (many made in the registry, without overt settings available).  Perhaps that Aegis list leads to a system that needs not to be reconfigured at all to STFU.

-Noel

[NoelC]

Wow, coincidentally...

I was checking my firewall logs, and I noticed my well-behaved Win 7 system that functions as a small business server pushed up against the firewall a few times early this morning...

6:03:22 - the Windows Activation Technologies service (watadminsvc.exe) tried to contact 23.14.84.162:80
6:03:33 - the Windows Activation Technologies service (watadminsvc.exe) tried to contact 23.14.84.163:80
6:03:33 - the Windows Activation Technologies service (watadminsvc.exe) tried to contact 23.14.84.171:80
6:03:38 - the Windows Activation Technologies service (watadminsvc.exe) tried to contact 23.14.184.154:80
6:03:43 - the Windows Activation Technologies service (watadminsvc.exe) tried to contact 23.62.165.99:80
6:03:48 - a service running under svchost with LOCAL SERVICE credentials tried to contact 23.14.84.162:80
6:03:48 - a service running under svchost with LOCAL SERVICE credentials tried to contact 23.14.84.163:80
10:39:53 - a service running under svchost with my logon credentials tried to contact 23.14.84.163:80

Keeping in mind this is a properly licensed machine that's permanently activated, I decided to look into why it would do this.

Apparently it's trying to check to see whether Microsoft has decided my license is no longer valid.  Specifically, the "Windows Activation Technologies" service was delivered by an old Windows Update:  KB971033

The funny coincidence is that this is the very first update that listed to be hidden/avoided on that Aegis page.

-Noel

[pcalvert]

Woody Leonhard recently pointed out that there are two new suspicious updates:

Quote

Apparently KB 3103709 is appearing on some Windows 8.1 machines. I don’t have a clue what that one does — there’s no KB article, and it isn’t included in the master Windows Update list. KB 3115224 doesn’t have a KB article either. Can’t think of any good reason to install either of them.

Source: MS-DEFCON 3: Get patches installed, except for a couple

I downloaded both of them. Here are the file names (and other info):

1150451 bytes  Mar 2 19:02

windows8.1-kb3103709-v2-x86_b99cdf57e8814c1a882ece313690c5431068847d.cab

11592414 bytes  Mar 2 19:16

windows8.1-kb3115224-v2-x86_55b4b6444674bcddcb9922b0dea12b0e7dd15ef9.cab

Obviously, those are for the 32-bit version of Windows 8.1 Notice that both updates have "v2" in their file names. I checked my collection of updates to see if I have earlier versions of these updates. I do not.

Phil