Windows 10 - Deeper Impressions

[JorgeA]

^^ That was incredible -- what a story!!!

--JorgeA

[JorgeA]

A strange Deeper Impression -- check out the screenshot below:

Windows 10 is reporting that there are no further updates, but at the same time the "Hide updates" tool is telling me that there are all these updates available to hide if I want. So I could hide the updates, but not install them.

Anybody have an insight into what's going on there?

--JorgeA

[NoelC]

I've seen that Silverlight update for a long time.  I always figured it for a "glitch".  Or maybe "other software" from the Windows Update perspective of "Give me updates for other Microsoft products when I update Windows".

Edit:  I've booted up my Win 10 VM and I have the "Give me updates for other Microsoft products when I update Windows" setting checked, so now I'm leaning toward "glitch".

As for the others...  I think I recall there's a setting somewhere that you can throw that prevents Windows Update from installing drivers...  Have you thrown it?  I don't recall where to find that setting, but I know there's one for Windows 8.x and earlier.  Maybe it's hidden deep in the Windows 10 Settings App somewhere.  Or maybe I saw it in O&O Shut Up 10 or W10Privacy.

-Noel

Edited April 25, 2016 by NoelC

[JorgeA]

3 hours ago, NoelC said:

As for the others...  I think I recall there's a setting somewhere that you can throw that prevents Windows Update from installing drivers...  Have you thrown it?  I don't recall where to find that setting, but I know there's one for Windows 8.x and earlier.  Maybe it's hidden deep in the Windows 10 Settings App somewhere.  Or maybe I saw it in O&O Shut Up 10 or W10Privacy.

Is this the setting that you're thinking of? (See the second, and long, reply to the question on that page -- the one that discusses the Group Policy Editor.) If so, all my settings there are currently "Not configured."

Another possibility is this one. But in there, I have that set to "Yes, do it automatically." Which begs the question as to why these drivers aren't getting installed. (Some of that hardware I can't even pinpoint in Device Manager.)

Shut Up 10 does have a setting to disable the automatic updating of drivers through WU, but I have that set to Off (i.e., I have not "enabled disabling" the driver updates).

We're still left with the mystery of why the Troubleshooter can find these driver updates but Windows Update itself can't.

--JorgeA

[NoelC]

It might be something you could ask on AskWoody.com (by eMailing Woody).  There's a concentration of update-savvy people there.

-Noel

[Dibya]

Windows 10 Upgrade Reportedly Starting Automatically on Windows 7 PCs

A post on reddit that has received quite a lot of attention in the last few hours reveals that “Windows 7 computers are being reported as automatically starting the Windows 10 upgrade without permission,” with several users confirming in the comment section that this is indeed the case.

And yet, there are several things to be taken into consideration when saying that the Windows 10 installer is kicked off without user permission.

First of all, starting this year Microsoft is offering Windows 10 as a recommended update, so when you install new patches, the new OS is by default selected too. Since this report comes only a couple of days after this month’s Patch Tuesday, the chances are that these users left the Windows 10 upgrade selected in the Windows Update list, so it’s not happening entirely without their permission.

Users will be “clearly prompted whether to continue or not”

What’s odd, however, is that even if Windows 10 is indeed marked as a recommended update, it should still prompt you to begin the install, so users are still supposed to be allowed to choose whether to deploy it or not. Terry Myerson, head of the OS group at Microsoft, warned in October that this could happen though.

“Depending upon your Windows Update settings, this may cause the upgrade process to automatically initiate on your device. Before the upgrade changes the OS of your device, you will be clearly prompted to choose whether or not to continue,” he said.

Despite all of these, however, all users who are upgraded to Windows 10, either optionally or automatically, have 30 days to downgrade to their previous version of the OS. So if you don’t like Windows 10 and don’t plan to stick with it, use this option and return to Windows 7 or 8.1 and remember to always check twice before installing new updates. You never know what’s in there.

How many peoples check and read update information Also who is having time to read those? Most of us simply keep Automatic update on.

Does microsoft wants to kill their customer or move them them to MAC or Linux?

[Dibya]

17 hours ago, JorgeA said:

A strange Deeper Impression -- check out the screenshot below:

Windows 10 is reporting that there are no further updates, but at the same time the "Hide updates" tool is telling me that there are all these updates available to hide if I want. So I could hide the updates, but not install them.

Anybody have an insight into what's going on there?

--JorgeA

i think a kind of bug in windows 10 update engine

[NoelC]

I'm sorry to say, but if, after all the aggressive and intrusive behavior Microsoft has exhibited, you still have automatic updates enabled, you might just deserve what you get.  It's akin to reading newspaper articles about home invasions in your neighborhood, seeing a perp actually trying to jimmy the lock on your front door, then just going to bed and hoping for the best.

If you really want to continue to use an older operating system - such as Windows 7 - you NEED to 1) change your Windows Update settings so that only YOU initiate the Windows Update process, and 2) be ready to become familiar with the various lists people publish about what updates to hide, and 3) be prepared to READ the descriptions of each and every update to determine if you want it.

Leave 'em on automatic, get Windows 10 - it's as simple as that.

For what it's worth, this is my personal "hide" list for Windows 7:

• KB2952664
• KB3021917
• KB3035583
• KB3123862
• KB971033

-Noel

Edited April 25, 2016 by NoelC

[jaclaz]

Dibya, when quoting something, like this article on Softpedia:

http://news.softpedia.com/news/windows-10-upgrade-reportedly-starting-automatically-on-windows-7-pcs-501651.shtml

It would be nice if you mentioned the source AND maintained the link to the original reference:
https://www.reddit.com/r/technology/comments/4a0asv/warning_windows_7_computers_are_being_reported_as/

Namely this is not "news", as it is more than one month old, that "wave" was mentioned at the time:
 

jaclaz
 

[JorgeA]

5 hours ago, NoelC said:

It might be something you could ask on AskWoody.com (by eMailing Woody).  There's a concentration of update-savvy people there.

-Noel

Maybe I'll do that. I might even link to the post with the screenshot above, perhaps some of the folks at Woody's will join the conversation here. 

--JorgeA

[JorgeA]

And speaking of Woody, he's reporting that Cortana is becoming 1) more intrusive and 2) harder to disable:
 

Quote

...She'll search your OneDrive files. She even sets herself up -- you don't need to enable her any more.

Creepy, isn't it?

Here's the flip side of the story. It's very hard to turn Cortana off. If you ask Cortana how to turn off Cortana, you get a nonsensical response that refers to icons no longer present. The Settings icon inside Cortana includes options for responding to "Hey Cortana," scanning email for flight and appointment information, and keeping app and setting history. There are also ancillary Web-based tools to clear Web search histories, as has always been the case with Cortana.

But in this build I can't find a way to turn her off. (Turning her off in build 1511 is easy -- click on the left of the Cortana search bar, choose the Notebook icon, then Settings.) If you have build 14328 Pro or Enterprise, you can use the Group Policy editor to turn off Web searches (Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Search), and thus keep Cortana from collecting your Web search history. In build 14328 Home, I don't see any such options.

How long before they set up Cortana, in HAL 9000 fashion, to destroy your files if you try to disable her? "I'm sorry Noel, I'm afraid I can't let you do that."

The world is looking more and more like a sci-fi movie.

--JorgeA

[mikedigitize]

13 hours ago, NoelC said:

I'm sorry to say, but if, after all the aggressive and intrusive behavior Microsoft has exhibited, you still have automatic updates enabled, you might just deserve what you get.  It's akin to reading newspaper articles about home invasions in your neighborhood, seeing a perp actually trying to jimmy the lock on your front door, then just going to bed and hoping for the best.

If you really want to continue to use an older operating system - such as Windows 7 - you NEED to 1) change your Windows Update settings so that only YOU initiate the Windows Update process, and 2) be ready to become familiar with the various lists people publish about what updates to hide, and 3) be prepared to READ the descriptions of each and every update to determine if you want it.

Leave 'em on automatic, get Windows 10 - it's as simple as that.

For what it's worth, this is my personal "hide" list for Windows 7:

• KB2952664
• KB3021917
• KB3035583
• KB3123862
• KB971033

-Noel

Ofc U right, but tell that to our elder friends / customers or even get them to understand the problem, until it's too late. Thats why this windows way is so wrong...

[NoelC]

While I don't disagree, the point is that if you "strike out on your own" and choose to do something that's not mainstream, you have to bring additional skills to the party.

If you were to choose to go live in the woods, you'll need skills for hunting and gathering and making shelter and dealing with injuries that you won't have developed living in a city.

That Microsoft no longer chooses to consider the use of older Windows versions "mainstream" isn't terribly surprising, though the real problem is that their insistence that everyone move to the cloud really needs to be backed up by a best-in-show software system, not a hodgepodge programmed by children.

Creating a well-designed system has never been Microsoft's model.  People sometimes pine for the past but the reality is they have ALWAYS thrown stuff together to see what sticks, then bugfix it for years in order to try to make it worth using.  That's why only the parts of Windows 10 that have been mostly untouched for years are worth using.  Actually DESIGNING software takes longer - but it does have one advantage:  It creates something that can be built upon, vs. thrown away or simply avoided by customers.

-Noel

[JorgeA]

Microsoft to host a free webinar aimed at convincing users to switch to the cloud

Quote

In a rather bizarre move, Microsoft is marketing this webinar as a kind of solution to a made-up state of mind or disorder they’re calling a, “trust gap”, which could be interpreted as suggesting that something is wrong with those who are not yet on-board with the cloud and that Microsoft will help them work through it. “Are you afraid moving to the cloud means losing control? Do you believe your data is safer on-premises than in the cloud? If so, you may be experiencing a “trust gap.” The good news: we can help you close it,” the official description reads.

This "trust gap" will disappear when Microsoft excises the following text from its Privacy Statement:
 

Quote

Finally, we will access, disclose and preserve personal data, including your content (such as the content of your emails in Outlook.com, or files in private folders on OneDrive), when we have a good faith belief that doing so is necessary[...]

One of the reasons stated for "accessing" users' data is "enforcing the terms governing the use of the services." These terms include:
 

Quote

i. Don’t do anything illegal.

iv. Don’t publicly display or use the Services to share any inappropriate Content or other material (involving, for example, nudity, bestiality, pornography, graphic violence or criminal activity).

vii. Don’t engage in activity that is harmful to you, the Services or others (e.g. transmitting viruses, stalking, communicating hate speech or advocating violence against others).

[emphasis added]

So basically Microsoft sets itself up as the speech police for anything you put on their servers:
 

Quote

...if you violate any of the obligations listed in section 3(a) above or otherwise materially violate these Terms, we may take action against you including (without limitation) stopping providing Services or closing your Microsoft account or Skype account immediately for good cause or blocking delivery of a communication (like email or instant message) to or from the Services. We also reserve the right to remove or block Your Content from the Services at any time if it is brought to our attention that it may violate applicable law or these Terms.

Regarding that "don't do anything illegal" clause, what's "illegal" varies from country to country and even from one municipality to another. Criticizing the president of Turkey is illegal there (and even in Germany a comedian is being prosecuted for doing that on German TV). So Microsoft pledges to assist the most intolerant governments in their suppression of ideas they disapprove of.

And yet they want us to "trust" their cloud services.

--JorgeA

[JorgeA]

Microsoft’s new Ink Workspace is less than you’d think from the headlines

Any of the following sound familiar? 

Quote

Microsoft loves to create great new tools and then, just when everyone falls in love with them, start over. The many iterations of photo galleries and Live tools are a perfect example. So is the new Screen Sketch. Microsoft’s Snip is already an excellent, well-behaved, free tool for capturing screens, windows, or areas of a screen. It has good annotation tools, and reasonable sharing and saving options. Simply binding a key (on the stylus or otherwise) to Snip (which is already pretty easy to access) would have been a lot more useful than inventing a new tool with hardly any features. Screen Sketch only works on an entire screen, doesn’t allow saving directly to disk, and requires learning a new interface.

--JorgeA