How Microsoft copied malware techniques to make Get Windows 10 the world's PC pest Microsoft uses techniques similar to aggressive malware to promote its “Get Windows 10” offer. As many readers have discovered, the persistent and constantly changing methods Microsoft uses to continually reintroduce its “Get Windows 10” tool, or GWX, onto computers means it’s extremely difficult to avoid. Windows users who …
My main PC and 10 year old HP laptop are now running Linux Mint 17.3 Cinnamon. What a breath of fresh air.
The last straw came when MS decided to start 'polluting' security updates with W10 nagware - plus it took nearly 4 hours to get 11 security updates for W7 on the laptop last week - 3 hours "checking for updates..." then another hour to download and install them. The main PC doesn't take anywhere near as long but the wait is still annoying.
Been putting up with that every month since the middle of last year. Does anyone still believe that the slow checking for updates for W7 - especially after a clean install - isn't deliberate 'sabotage' by MS? I suspected it when all the trouble started - right at the time W10 was released.
Linux Mint was installed, updated and running in almost no time at all by comparison. On the main PC and the laptop.
My main PC actually now has a W7/Mint dual boot - W7 is at SP1 level only - no further updates with NO Internet access allowed whatsoever. Just for programs that don't have a Linux equivalent at the moment. Now I can sit back, relax, and enjoy using my computers again (plus I'll occasionally grab a bag of popcorn and watch the Windows train wreck continue).
Try VMware or Virtualbox it is free. After that you can backup your W7 partition and restore it in a virtual environment and than you can also switch off Internet Access and just use the W7 programs you have and you don't need to reboot. You should have at least 4 GB memory and a Dual-Core processor.
What about the games? Those require close-to-metal performance and I recall most VMs don't virtualize graphics hardware very well, especially cutting edge games that use DX11 and eventually 12? And there have been companies that have been recorded as saying they won't develop on Linux (like Bethesda Softworks who make the Fallout series now).
Much as I'd love to switch to Linux, the Linux Steam collection is a pale imitation of the Windows one and there are no signs of this improving anytime soon.
There are so many things wrong that I am just going to stay right where I am on Windows 7.
If I let GWX upgrade my computer, it will brick it.
The offer only applies if you upgrade an existing install not a fresh install.
You surrender control of what updates install and when they are installed so I have no interest in becoming an unpaid beta tester.
There are also a few applications I still use that are a challenge just to install and run under Windows 7 much less run, they are a lost cause on Win8+
Thanks to your policy regarding the forced upgrade to Windows 10, I'll probably be driving my own Lamborghini Aventador by this time next year. Every one of your forced upgrades bags me quite a few bucks worth anything between 2 work hours and eight, depending on the damage your '"software" for lack of a better -but still polite- term inflicts on your own customers. The most requested service is to roll back to whatever version of Windows they were using before your hacking upgrade to Windows 10.
But as I've got a conscience, I always advise them to go Linux Mint, an option which many of them choose. For those who don't, I do my best to make sure your damn malware can't resurface, but also tell them to cross their fingers. At the very least they're are now aware of the issue.
And in the end, there is a small chance that a big Class Action Lawsuit will make you, dear M$, to pay my wages and those of other techies who are helping in the fight against your blightsoftware.
For all that, Thank you, Microsoft!
GWX Control Panel ( http://ultimateoutsider.com/downloads ) does some good things, but it hasn't kept up with the full list of KB updates that ought to be removed beyond just KB3035583, namely:
KB3035583
KB3022345
KB3068708
KB3075249
KB3080149
KB2990214
KB3044374
KB2952664
KB2976978
KB3021917
KB3112336
KB3112343
KB3083711
KB3083710
KB3123862
KB3012973
KB3146449
KB3139929
So I've made some easy-to-use tools to help put an end to this coerced Windows 10 installation nonsense. They can be downloaded from here and then unzipped:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B_hrA7ihzIPlVXpRUnJyc1AyNkU/view?usp=sharing
The three included tools uninstall the Windows 10 nagware and the Microsoft "telemetry" (spyware) "updates" from Windows 7 and Windows 8.x Operating Systems if they are installed, prevent the updates from being reinstalled, and remove the Windows 10 installer folder $WINDOWS.~BT if it is present.
These tools must be run from an account with Administrative privilege, which is the case (unfortunately) for most accounts. They can also be run from a non-Administrator account by right-clicking them and then left-clicking on "Run as Administrator".
The tools are most effective when run in the following order:
1. Run PreventW10InstallationUAC.exe to set Microsoft Update to "manual only" mode and modify a couple of registry variables that tell the OS to never allow a newer OS to be installed. This tool will run quickly unless you accept the optional request (recommended) to make a System Restore Point before the tool makes it changes, in which case the Restore Point will take a while to make.
Note that after this procedure finishes, no more Microsoft updates will be applied unless you manually request a check for updates and then decide which updates to accept, though making such decisions requires knowledge that the average user usually does not possess. However, for mature operating systems I personally believe that blindly accepting Microsoft updates at this juncture has more downsides than upsides.
(If you DO want to attempt to manually check for updates, you'll first have to change the Windows Update setting from "Never Check for Updates" to "Check for updates but let me choose whether to download and install them" before you click the "Check for updates" button.)
2. Run RemoveW10NagwareTool.exe to remove a set of Microsoft updates that relate to Windows 10 nagware ("white flag") popup, Microsoft spyware, and the Windows 10 installer itself if any of them have been installed. Detection and uninstallation can take a few minutes to complete.
If any of this set of updates is found, you'll need to reboot the system.
It might also be necessary to run this tool again after rebooting if the nagware update had previously been slated to be installed AGAIN, in which case after rebooting, you'll STILL see the Windows 10 ("white flag") nag. If that's the case, just run this tool again and reboot again, and then run PreventW10InstallationUAC.exe again.
3. Finally, after you're sure the Windows 10 nagware has been removed, run RemoveW10Folder.exe to detect and remove the Windows 10 install folder if it is found.
Seeing so many users taking of jumping to Mac or Linux, I thought I offer something possibly useful (for once in my meaningless, futile existence)
After getting fed up with all the FUD being pumped re: Linux, I created a demo video of Mint 17 KDE edition. It's nothing clever - just basic operation and the look and feel of Mint but it serves to put to bed a lot persistent clams that "Linux is hard to use", "You can only install software by compiling from source" etc, etc. I do cover video editing, mind.
Windows 8 and activation pushed me over the edge in 2012 and, boy, I don't regret dropping Microsoft and embracing open source at all!
Just to help people as they weigh up whether it's worth the jump for them and whether Mac is worth the money!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q8hDYiGprWs
I'm a gamer, and I don't use Windows.
I find it amusing that for years some folk claimed that you couldn't get any serious work done using Linux. Patently untrue, but still, that's what they claimed. Then, the next downside to Linux that was touted about was that you couldn't play games on it. Misleading, as you could, it's just that few, if any, software houses wrote games for Linux, and not many would run via Wine. Now about this time, I was claiming that all Windows was good for was playing games (also misleading, but hey, I was troll-baiting). Now we've good games that run natively in Linux, and more that will run via Wine and Steam (see Steam and GoG websites).
I'm a happy gamer and I don't use Windows. No game I've played on Linux has stopped working due to an OS update, not so far, anyway. And the situation with Windows is...?
Eventually those sticking with Windows just to play games will realise that they're just being endlessly milked to pay for games they won't be able to play in a few years time.
Windows - less of an OS, more of a drive-by-mugging.
OK, what headline games DO you play on Linux that work either natively on on WINE with little or no configuration, with little to no loss in performance vs. the Windows version? I can tell you Fallout 4 won't run natively, as Bethesda has gone on record against porting to Linux, citing conflicting environments and targets. I can also speak from firsthand experience that Valve's own Linux ports rarely match the Windows versions in real-world performance. I've tried, I've honestly tried, but Linux hasn't really work for me yet.
Windows 10 makes it hard to install VMware - so I installed Linux with VMware and Windows 10 in VMware. Many useful third party or free software packages are harder to install and I certainly won't buy stuff I already have to make it compliant with a W10 installation.
Question is - what is in the pipeline after W10 - MS can make the next version expensive or more invasive, finally W10 runs much faster that's good, but it also lacks support for older hardware like printer /scanner.
Been using W7 computers for a couple of years now connected to X-ray machines. Disabled updates since day one and have been working perfectly since then. Really dreading the day I have to move over to W10. Sure hate to have to deal with problems that are created by Microsoft. And hate to have my limited bandwidth chewed up by Windows stuff running secretly in the background.
That's it in a nutshell really. After all they can't very well 'force' you to take an upgrade and then demand money for it it........what a good idea! Lets call it ransomware (nah that's been done)
OR are we going to see the free upgrade period magically extended - for your convenience?
I do have a confession though - I actually took an old spinner, installed W7 and then immediately updated to W10 - do they actually expect people to PAY for this? OK, it works but it's a train crash. There are many adverse comments about UI design in Linux, but you have to work really hard to come up with something as schizophrenic as the mess of metro and classic as W10.
One of my neighbours allowed her tech savvy daughter to upgrade her laptop from 8.1 to 10.
Cost - one new printer/scanner as her 10 year old machine would not work with W10 full stop. Worked fine on my linux machine but no way with W10 - free upgrade??? Yeah - right.
As above, its likely they you'll have to pay after July, but they give you some free credit back to use in the App Store (to reel in the developers to a potential slush fund), which is what Microsoft should have done in the first place.
Given its 'Malware', I'm sure Microsoft will have theirs systems back up to pay in Bitcoins by then, to protect your Privacy (as its routed via their servers). The two come hand in hand normally.
I'm sure that's what will be announced at Build 2016, or something along those lines, things change though.
FWIW I get that most people don't give a stuff about software certification - but there are some businesses are required to be able to replicate the exact configuration that was "certified" at all times *and* keep their software up to date with patches...
For those sectors mutating patches are an epically shit idea because:
1) You can't establish a "known" good configuration because the configuration is changing without your knowledge.
2) You can't verify that a configuration is a "known good" config without doing a full binary diff of the entire box - and then painstakingly work out which differences you can ignore.
3) All that software that is certified to run on a certain configuration of Windows box is now invalidated - your warranties and support contracts are now junk simply because you can't *reliably* replicate the configuration that the software was certified against.
4) MS are mutating patches on older "stable" OSes, so those older stable OSes are now effectively junk (good bye 7, 8 & 8.1).
I suspect many businesses will simply pretend it's not an issue because it's too hard to fix, the diligent outfits will have no option but to ditch Windows or negotiate a waiver with the regulatory authorities if they are serious about compliance.
I have not thought of that angle with a rolling release type OS, what is the "good" or reference configuration. This might require much more detail about each update than Slurp traditionally releases.
With the Arch family of distros, all rolling release, all updates are package specific and information about each update is available - it might be tedious to work through ~150 separate package updates. What I have heard about Slurp's rather vague descriptions is that no one really knows what is being fixed or features added.
Just been fixing WiFi issues brought upon a client of mine by Windows 10 sneaking itself onto their PC as an "Important Security Update". The WiFi adapter could see the network but refused point blank to be joined to it. Windows 10 reported it as being a "hidden" network despite it appearing in the list of available networks. How the hell can it be a hidden and yet visible network? Tried 3 separate network adapters until we finally got it to join. 6 hours later we just ordered a new network adapter that worked from a neighbouring PC. Utter pain in the arse that just should not have happened.
Shouldn't Microsoft be getting sued under the computer misuse act for this kind of sabotage?
The fascist VPs at MS have had a major boner for Apples land grab of gate keeping all software sales for their platform.
They essentially want to become the middle man and reap profit from all software sales for that platform.
Compare the effort put into this against the effort to update Windows real security.
So far GWX CONTROL PANEL has kept Windows 10 nags off my three systems still running Windows 7.
3 of my systems are running happily with Windows 10 but the other three are for support of Windows Media Center. There would be a lot less push against Windows 10 if Microsoft had just carried WMC forward.
I just changed the NTFS permissions on "C:\Windows\System32\GWX" and that's stopped it cold on my Win7 Pro boxen. It blocks the GWX executable from starting *and* prevents new updates from being applied.
Set yourself as the Owner, disable inheritance, delete all existing permissions, explicitly set Deny All for SYSTEM and "Trusted Installer", and Deny All *except for* "Change Permissions" to yourself and the built-in Admin account so you can undo this later (should you so desire) but can't accidentally install one of the offending updates.
Plus it helps hit the advertising quota for the week.
Here's a sneak preview of the next end-of-the-week titillator - "suspicious occurrence of number 6 in Satya's birthdate demonstrate clear intentions for windows". Yawn... I'm off to read the National Enquirer.
Good choice of "unbiased sysadmin from the trenches" by the way. I couldn't name too many more rabid, anti-M$ supporters :-)
@AC Whine
You are obviously not a sys admin. Or, if you are, you aren't worth a damn. Nagging on consumer PCs ins one thing. Nagging on domain joined workstations in a tightly controlled enterprise environment is a huge deal. Most users are clueless idiots and will go into a panic when they see this message.
The verbiage on the page was intentionally crafted to put users into a state of uncertainty. It is a not so subtle way for MS to get corporate end users to start nagging their IT departments to upgrade to 10. There is no other reason for this to appear in a browser. None. It doesn't let you override domain or corporate policy to perform the update. It simply puts it on the radar of end users in a very negative way, pointing the finger at IT as if they are somehow doing the users a disservice by blocking the upgrade
I've already sent notification to my team that in no way will the root update be installed. Which sucks. There are legitimate security fixes in this update that will have to be skipped due to this extra bull shit that they package with it. It reminds me of politicians and riders on important bills.
In the mean time, I'll continue to grow my Linux chops on my personal Mint install and slowly shift my skill set in that direction. It's been a nice 15 years, Microsoft, but its time to move on and earn my living elsewhere.
I'm just a poor user now having retired from the IT world where I was spending too much time defeating people intent on separating me from my money.
Windows: We rubbed along without it seriously upsetting me (except for the licensing fracas which is a whole separate story) until now.
I use 7. I liked 7 right from the start. it has never BSOD'ed me or crashed leaving me free to do things other than just maintaining my computer in working order, That was a major plus.
Them came 8. I looked and decided that it wasn't for me. I want to use a computer for doing stuff with and fondling the OS does not figure in that. Seems I wasn't alone because 8.1 closely followed.
It seemed to be better but I didn't need the changes so I soldiered on with my 7.
Now - Surprise - they offer a spanking new 10 for free.
That rang warning bells in my head, That's exactly what all the scammers do, lure you in with a deal that is too good to be true and now they are using tried and tested scamware means to compel all but the IT savvy folk to give in and take the free sweeties on offer from that nice MS guy.
If they were offering that to my kids, I'd report them to plod for grooming, but as it's me I have to wonder why exactly are they so keen to get me to abandon my perfectly good 7
When something good is offered for free I worry, but when they get to INSIST that I take the goodies I rear up and say 'Whoa, something is up here.and I'm not gonna like it when it appears.'.
I don't know what, but my gut is telling me that it's gonna be 7 or Linux for me.
Somebody - please - tell me I'm wrong and (if possible) why.
There's no point in paying for an operating system that I'd immediately replace with Linux Mint.
So why would you? The commonly accepted belief that you are forced to purchase windows with hardware is complete bullshit. You don't really believe that corporates purchase their hardware with windows and then also purchase a volume licence for the same do you? Here's how to purchase a Dell without windows:
http://www.geek.com/chips/buying-a-dell-without-windows-is-not-easy-but-possible-1302452/
There are people who dispute that article. After all, there's the matter of the "Microsoft Tax," the discount Microsoft will ONLY apply if the reseller sells Windows AND ONLY Windows on their machines (and yes, this takes the volume license into consideration, they reduce the baseline price per laptop). I think the only reason Dell dares is because of counteroffers from the likes of Ubuntu allowing them to save either way.
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