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Microsoft Is Downloading Windows 10 Without Asking

Posted by timothy on from the just-to-get-ready dept.

New submitter christhedj writes with a story at The Inquirer, according to which: Microsoft, having learned nothing from Apple and the U2 album, have started downloading Windows 10 as part of Patch Tuesday for Windows 7 and 8 users. For people on a 32GB flash drive tablet, that's a big chunk of space taken up with something that they didn't ask for. Microsoft admits to doing this, but users are not happy. Way to look needy, Microsoft.

92 of 867 comments (clear)

  1. That was easy by Nidi62 · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I was still on the fence about whether to stick to Windows 7 or upgrade to Windows 10. This just made my decision for me. Looks like I'll probably make the jump to Linux in a few years depending on how well they've got games running on Linux( since that is the only thing keeping me on Windows anyway).

    --
    The only thing necessary for evil to triumph is for it to be pitted against a slightly greater evil
    1. Re:That was easy by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      and another empty threat. you'll be on windows 10 in a few years, you'll see.

    2. Re:That was easy by Nidi62 · · Score: 5, Insightful

      and another empty threat. you'll be on windows 10 in a few years, you'll see.

      Probably not. Like I said, I'm really only still on Windows because of games, and with me essentially "growing up" (married, work 8-4 M-F and 1 weekend a month, planning to have kids next year) chances are in a few years I will hardly be playing games anymore anyway. At that point there is nothing left tying me to Windows.

      --
      The only thing necessary for evil to triumph is for it to be pitted against a slightly greater evil
    3. Re:That was easy by I'm+New+Around+Here · · Score: 2

      and another empty threat. you'll be on windows 10 in a few years, you'll see.

      That's going to be Windows OS A 10.3 Leaping Panther.

      --
      If you think I voted for Trump because of this post, you're wrong. I voted for Dr. Jill Stein of the Green Party. Again.
    4. Re:That was easy by Nidi62 · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Valve is working on making "consoles" that are setup in a standard way, but the vast majority of PC gamers don't want a console in any form. Is it possible, sure, but it's not likely.

      Since most of my games are through Steam anyway, I am hoping that increased adoption of a Valve console would lead to something of a PC version. I have a work provided laptop for work, so my desktop is for pure entertainment anyway. And the newest game I've bought is ESO anyway. Hell, I only just bought Skyrim for PC earlier this year. All of my purchases at this point are Humble Bundles or Steam sales, most of which are usually a few years old. So I don't need to be able to play AAA titles on release day.

      --
      The only thing necessary for evil to triumph is for it to be pitted against a slightly greater evil
    5. Re:That was easy by jandrese · · Score: 5, Interesting

      You might be surprised at how healthy gaming is becoming on Linux. The Linux Steam client is helping a lot. I've been playing through Torchlight II and Bioshock Infinite (my backlog is kind of long at this point) on Linux and they just work. No mess no fuss just launch them from Steam and play. In my Steam catalog maybe half of the games are playable on the Linux side, and admittedly the Linux list is heavily weighted towards indie titles, but Steambox has been convincing some of the big name publishers to put in the relatively minimal amount of effort necessary for Linux support.

      A lot of it comes down to the engines too. If you build on Unity then Linux support is a no brainer. If you build on Unreal then you probably won't have Linux support, but even that is changing as engine developers are adding Linux build options now.

      That said, some big name titles are not getting native Linux versions in the foreseeable future. If you want to play GTAV you need a Windows machine, or really a console because the PC port was so halfassed to begin with. Generally if the Windows version of a game is barely functional they won't have a Linux version either. An exception is apparently Arkham Knight, which had a terribad PC port but somehow is still going to make it to Linux this fall apparently.

      --

      I read the internet for the articles.
    6. Re:That was easy by jandrese · · Score: 5, Informative

      You buy games, not versions of games on Steam. So if there is a Linux or Mac install of a game you bought on Windows, it automatically appears in your list on the other platforms. Surprisingly, Steam's cloud saves generally work cross platform as well, so you can start a game on Windows and then finish it on Linux, or play a round on the Mac and then go back to your Linux box.

      --

      I read the internet for the articles.
    7. Re:That was easy by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Informative

      Am currently running a dual boot Win10 and Linux system. No problems so far. Even have my Dropbox folder shared between the two.

    8. Re: That was easy by mattcoz · · Score: 3, Funny

      You're sticking with Windows 7 because Windows 7 is downloading something without you asking?

    9. Re: That was easy by guruevi · · Score: 3, Informative

      Depends on which Unreal engine. Older games on older engines could run on Linux even without official support, usually simply copying and renaming the binary.

      If the Unreal engine were compiled for Linux, replacing the launchers would be relatively simple.

      It eventually comes down to choice of rendering language. If you stuck to Directx for some reason, you'll be stuck with Windows (or Wine). The growing iOS, Android, Mac and Linux markets can't be reached. If you chose OpenGL, porting is simple.

      --
      Custom electronics and digital signage for your business: www.evcircuits.com
    10. Re:That was easy by CastrTroy · · Score: 2

      Let's look at it this way. The Windows Phone market share is larger than the Linux Desktop market share, and the games/apps for phones are considerably less complex than those of their desktop counterparts, for the most part. You still don't see app/game developers latching on to Windows Phone. It will take quite a few more people moving over to Linux for it to really gain any traction.

      --

      Anthropic principle: We see the universe the way it is because if it were different we would not be here to see it.
    11. Re:That was easy by Penguinisto · · Score: 2, Insightful

      and another empty threat. you'll be on windows 10 in a few years, you'll see.

      HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAaaaa!

      (...typed on my MacBook Pro at work while waiting for a build to complete. My MacBook Pro at home says you're full of it too, as well as my Linux home machinery...)

      In all honesty, transitioning away form Windows was once a long, drawn-out process. I kept a Windows box around for years because of gaming, and CG applications (3DS Max specifically) that only worked on Windows. However, bit-by-bit, I was able to move my CG tools and gaming habits over to either Linux or OSX (or in the case of CG, I found better that worked on OSX, so I re-worked how I did things to adapt) - with each change, the Windows box became less and less used. It went from a dedicated Windows box, to a dual-boot rig, and eventually, I dumped the Windows partition entirely.

      Fast forward to today, where the one and only Windows machine in my possession is an Windows 7 VM sitting on my MacBook. I might start it up once every 8 months or so to fire up an old CG application or tool, but usually I only do it to convert a really old/archived CG file into something I can use in OSX.

      In my wife's case, the transition was almost instant: Two years ago, she took one look at Windows 8, and went with a new iPad instead. Eventually she discovered that sometimes she needed a laptop, but I have one loaded with Linux Mint for her that she uses just fine, and has actually come to prefer using it over Windows.

      TL;DR - sometimes it's drop-easy to convert (especially for ordinary users who don't do much with a computer), sometimes it takes time (for us crazy people who do a lot of stuff on one.)

      --
      Quo usque tandem abutere, Nimbus, patientia nostra?
    12. Re:That was easy by tepples · · Score: 4, Insightful

      At that point there is nothing left tying me to Windows.

      Other than Linux failing to suspend and resume correctly on a laptop.

    13. Re:That was easy by shaitand · · Score: 2

      "Windows OS A 10.3 Leaping Panther"

      Leaping Panther is definitely an Apple thing. More likely it will be something like "Data Defender" which streams all your data directly over unencrypted broadcast radio, installs itself and accepts it's own EULA as a "feature."

      I mean... if they are going to jump naming convention why not go with the congressional approach?

    14. Re:That was easy by HyperQuantum · · Score: 2

      That's going to be Windows OS A 10.3 Leaping Panther.

      You mean more like Windows OS A 10.3 Screaming Monkey...

      "Update me! Update me!"

      --
      I am not really here right now.
    15. Re: That was easy by jd2112 · · Score: 2

      No, Ballmer isn't at Microsoft anymore.

      --
      Any insufficiently advanced magic is indistinguishable from technology.
    16. Re:That was easy by circletimessquare · · Score: 2, Insightful

      this entire thread sounds like a repost from 1998. not much has changed on this topic in 15-20 years

      personally, i think google *may* find some way to kill off windows in 5-10 years

      i'm not talking about chromebooks, i'm talking about how android has destroyed windows in the phone market. google is leveraging and will continue to leverage phone dependence to make desktops and tablets something you want the same interaction with, content sharing with, seamless switching, etc.

      i'm not saying exactly what that compelling need is, but obviously microsoft can't leverage the desktop to compel people to put windows on their phone. so google *might* be able to do the opposite with some must-have need or want

      ps: i'm purposefully ignoring apple. i never owned an apple product in my life. too pricey. we're talking about the masses here, not the middle class of rich countries and the upper middle class of everywhere else. apple is just a luxury brand walled garden, an outlier

      --
      intellectual property law is philosophically incoherent. it is your moral duty to ignore it or sabotage it
    17. Re:That was easy by LVSlushdat · · Score: 4, Informative

      When you have an SSD that boots Linux in less than 20 seconds, who the hell *cares* if it doesn't hibernate correctly.. I run Kubuntu 14.04 on a Dell Precision M4400 and haven't EVER hibernated it, as a cold boot is fast enough to not give a shit if hibernation works or doesn't work...

      --
      THANK YOU, Edward Snowden!! Americans owe you a debt of gratitude (whether they know it or not..)
    18. Re:That was easy by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

      At least I fucking hate restarting applications and getting them to the point I want.

    19. Re:That was easy by argStyopa · · Score: 2

      I appreciate your optimism, but trust me: having kids is stressful, and I found that having games as a (less frequent, but still occasional) escape was even more important.

      --
      -Styopa
    20. Re:That was easy by rnturn · · Score: 2

      ``Other than Linux failing to suspend and resume correctly on a laptop.''

      Both "Sleep" and "Hibernate" options work like a charm once I upgraded from openSUSE 12.2 to 13.2. Granted, it was hit or (mostly) miss prior to the upgrade but it hasn't failed once since I took the time to update the OS. I have nothing to tie my personal computer use to Windows. Left that atrocity of an OS behind ten years ago.

      --
      CUR ALLOC 20195.....5804M
    21. Re:That was easy by Idarubicin · · Score: 5, Insightful

      When you have an SSD that boots Linux in less than 20 seconds, who the hell *cares* if it doesn't hibernate correctly.

      Presumably people working on multiple documents and/or in multiple applications who don't want to have to restart those applications, reopen their files, and rearrange their windows every time they go from home to office. (Or office to train. Or living room to desk. Or whatever.)

      --
      ~Idarubicin
    22. Re:That was easy by TheGratefulNet · · Score: 5, Insightful

      yeah, 'saving state' is such an old and outdated concept. I mean, why would we want to checkpoint the status of lots of open files, open browser windows, edits that are not ready to be commited or saved but you don't want to close the file, either. even the cursor position is important to be saved; its all part of 'state'.

      but go ahead an argue that saving your status is worthless. in fact, maybe you like to just be forced to logoff and reboot every few hours? hmmm? sound good to you?

      --

      --
      "It is now safe to switch off your computer."
    23. Re:That was easy by mnooning · · Score: 4, Interesting

      You will be much better off waiting a year till the Windows 10 bugs are worked out.

      I upgraded to Windows 10 five days ago on one of my Dell GX960 Core 2 Duo machines. Windows 10 will *NOT* drive the HP LP2475w monitor that was working fine with Windows 7 at the recommended native resolution. The lowered resolution it will drive it at is distorted. I had to replace the machine with a different Windows 7 machine. I do not have any monitors smaller than 24 inch, and I do not have any Windows 7 disks, so I sat the trial GX960 on a shelf for now.

    24. Re:That was easy by greenfruitsalad · · Score: 2

      on my previous thinkpad (t61), in windows, hibernate only worked for the first couple of months. at some point after an update it failed completely (suspend worked 75% of time). my favourite windows feature was automagically switching from suspend to hibernate inside my backpack and failing. I'd sometimes come home open a bag and find my computer screaming for cold air. good times.

      fortunately, i only kept windows on it for sentimental porpoises (and other sea mammals). In Ubuntu/Debian, I never had the problem. But then again, i almost never used hibernate, only suspend.

    25. Re:That was easy by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

      What about the time spent relaunching all programs, windows, etc back to where before? Sometimes you want to turn it off without interrupting your workspace.

    26. Re:That was easy by squiggleslash · · Score: 3, Informative

      Just a data point, but my Ubuntu laptop suspends and resumes just fine. But my Windows laptop doesn't and frequently has to be rebooted when that happens.

      IIRC my Powerbook used to have similar issues, I think it's just a hard problem for operating designers - who start with operating systems that don't support the feature - to retrofit onto existing systems. I'm kinda surprised Ubuntu does it without problems, but it does.

      --
      You are not alone. This is not normal. None of this is normal.
    27. Re:That was easy by squiggleslash · · Score: 5, Interesting

      Probably worth noting that Windows 10 seems to have apps "disappear" and need restarting on an hourly basis, and that's with light load. "Mail" seems to be the worst.

      Also - automatic reboots. If there's one thing worse than having to shut down your power-compromised laptop, and then restart it when you're ready to use it again, it's having the device reboot all by itself and lose much of what you've done in the process.

      --
      You are not alone. This is not normal. None of this is normal.
    28. Re:That was easy by Chris+Johnson · · Score: 2

      Hey, it's a luxury brand walled garden but it's also not Microsoft. I'm using it and I'm quite happy with it as a rule. Spent a lot of largely trouble-free years on Apple stuff.

      My brother's a rightwing corporate programmer and he has recently bailed on Microsoft and is trying much harder than ever before to get into Linux. He's been MS guy for decades. it's interesting to see (encouraging, even). I can't imagine he'll react sympathetically to this news that MS is basically force-updating Windows 10 to people.

    29. Re:That was easy by Al+Al+Cool+J · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Other than Linux failing to suspend and resume correctly on a laptop.

      YMMV, but I recently switched my Windows netbook to Linux and I can't believe how lightning fast it suspends/awakes now. I spent several days just showing it off to friends and co-workers. Suspend - awake - suspend - awake. It's like magic compared to how it used to be under Windows. This is a machine that under the light edition of Win7 had become so slow, I couldn't even use it to browse Twitter from a fresh reboot. Now it's finally a fully functional computer and not just a toy.

    30. Re:That was easy by chipschap · · Score: 4, Informative

      I know this has been a problem with Linux on some laptops. I've experienced it, too. But I've been able to get it working on three different laptops (the number of laptops I've owned in my lifetime) with some effort. Yes, you may say, it should "just work" --- and that's right.

      (Does it "just work" on Windows? I honestly don't know, I haven't tried.)

      But it is not a fatal failing and can be made to work. Linux offers more than one method of hibernation, and actually, the biggest problem for me has been difficulty recovering the wireless networking after hibernation. But I've been able to work around that, too.

    31. Re:That was easy by iONiUM · · Score: 2

      It's not just that (this happens to me too though). If you read my comments, you'll see I had a very had time installing Linux Mint on my HP laptop. It would have been impossible for most users.

      However, last week I booted into Linux Mint 16 again, and tried to run updates, and guess what? THEY ALL FAILED, with error '404' no less. Now, as a developer I know what that means, and I googled and found that basically the ubuntu servers had moved the files for updates because they're too old. Really? Linux Mint 16, and it's dependencies are too old? What the fuck. How does anyone think this is okay?

      In the end I had to 'upgrade' to 17, which means you should wipe everything and re-install (this is also totally unacceptable). Instead I followed a guide to update which involved using sed -i on the command line (again, what the fuck?) and then doing apt-get upgrade and update. This mostly worked, except that Cinnamon no longer worked until I uninstalled and re-installed fglrx.

      Now, really think about what I just wrote. A new Linux distribution gave me that much shit to install, then update, then upgrade. Does anyone honestly believe it's ready for the 'general' user?

      I'm not talking about the fact that it has bugs / errors either, I'm talking about how it handles them. It never once gave me any indication on how to fix things, or try to fix them itself. It always came down to me googling and using technical tools to fix things. Does nobody else think this is unacceptable?

    32. Re:That was easy by Grishnakh · · Score: 2

      Now, really think about what I just wrote. A new Linux distribution gave me that much shit to install, then update, then upgrade. Does anyone honestly believe it's ready for the 'general' user?

      I don't think any OS is ready for the general user. Have you tried using Windows 8(.1) lately? That sure as hell isn't ready for the general user. Its UI is a complete mess, you have to switch between two totally different paradigms and looks-and-feels just to go configure something in the control panel, and even then you'll find there's not one but two control panels, the Metro one with almost nothing in it and then the regular one which is hidden away and has to be found with a search.

      If I stuck Windows 8.1 on my wife's computer, I can only imagine the ranting she'd spew out when she finds out she can't figure out how to do anything. Right now, she's using Linux Mint KDE and the only time I need to provide her any tech support is when the cat sits on the keyboard (usually this just requires typing F11 or F12 to get out of the mode in Firefox the cat managed to get into with its butt). And after this happening several times now, she probably already knows how to do this herself as she hasn't called me to fix anything on her computer in quite a while now, cat-butt-related or otherwise.

      Granted, I do tend to keep her computer somewhat up-to-date (she's running Mint 17 now, not 17.1 or 17.2). I did have to upgrade it because of the repos not working in 16 any more. I didn't bother doing a back-door upgrade, I just reinstalled. It's not a big deal; I always put /home on a separate partition on any computer I set up, so switching distros is easy. I don't know why every distro doesn't make this default in their install program.

    33. Re:That was easy by cyberchondriac · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Weelll, you say that now. I stopped playing games for years, and thought I was done with them. Then my son grew older, and discovered Skyrim. So then, I discovered Skyrim. The next thing I know I'm replacing the graphics card and the power supply to support it in my computer. Since then I've bought Doom3 and Rage, older era stuff my card can support (I bought the latest GPU my mobo could support). I'm trying to quit again, it's too much unproductive (but fun!) time spent.

      --

      Look back up at my post, now look back down, you're on the Internet. Now look back up. I'm a signature.
    34. Re:That was easy by Ol+Olsoc · · Score: 2

      Other than Linux failing to suspend and resume correctly on a laptop.

      YMMV, but I recently switched my Windows netbook to Linux and I can't believe how lightning fast it suspends/awakes now.

      The suspend issue is really old news by now. I haven't had it in years. But some folks are still really pissed off about FDR yet.

      --
      The shepherds did so well protecting the flock that the sheep no longer believed that wolves existed.
  2. Arrogance? by Intrepid+imaginaut · · Score: 5, Insightful

    This is way beyond arrogance, this is tantamount to installing malware on my computer. So now I have to go through all my windows machines checking and uninstalling "patches" for... ever?

    1. Re:Arrogance? by red+crab · · Score: 5, Funny

      That's just tantamount to installing an upgraded version of malware that is already running on your system. Not that bad.

    2. Re:Arrogance? by gstoddart · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Good luck figuring out which ones are safe to install.

      Microsoft has promoted them to the point where they show as "Important" and claim to be for the stability of the OS. Unless you literally check every patch on the web to figure out if it isn't related to Windows 10 it's almost impossible.

      They're going to shove this turd up people's asses no matter what it takes.

      Apparently this is how Microsoft envisions the future ... sending a big "fuck you" to their customers and telling them they don't have a choice in how Microsoft runs things, and are re-defining who actually owns the machine.

      --
      Lost at C:>. Found at C.
    3. Re:Arrogance? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

      Can you tell me how much the Microsoft astroturf team is paying per post these days?

    4. Re:Arrogance? by Cro+Magnon · · Score: 3, Insightful

      What about the people with full hard drives? I don't want to get warning messages about HD space, just because MS DLd a big OS on my old and rather full HD without my permission.

      --
      Slow down, cowboy! It has been 4 hours since you last posted. You must wait another few hours.
    5. Re:Arrogance? by LVSlushdat · · Score: 5, Interesting

      If you're already using 7 or 8/8.1, you're getting the same "telemetry" crap shoved down your throat, unless you take the time to research and remove those "updates" doing this bullshit, and THEN you have to trust MS to NOT put them back despite your removal/hiding them.. "Trust" and "Microsoft" are two words that have NO business together.. And if you think *this* is "way beyond arrogance" wait till you actually RUN Windows 10.. To defang/castrate it from all of the spyware "features", you have to visit regedit, gpedit.msc, to disable/remove this sewage.. Even after alledgedly disabling some of the worst of the lot, namely Cortana, you *still* have a Cortana process running, that cannot be killed... I'm a retired Windows support tech/network admin who retired in 2010, and moved all of my home systems to Linux in 2011. I've installed/tested Windows 10 on a spare "burner" machine simply to be familiar with it when friends/neighbors ask me about it or want me to help them with it, when it inevitably pukes its guts.. I used/supported Windows from Windows 3.11 (1991) to XP/Windows 7 (2010) and I'm DONE with any Microsoft product and thats my advice to anyone who asks.. Those who continue to use Windows are now members of the largest botnet in history. sending ALL of your business to Microsoft... I might as well go ahead and say it "FUCK YOU MICROSOFT!"

      --
      THANK YOU, Edward Snowden!! Americans owe you a debt of gratitude (whether they know it or not..)
    6. Re:Arrogance? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting

      It's worse than that. Microsoft has also decided that they're going to stop posting details about patches. Check out the patch notes for Windows 10 updates (like KB3081452) and all you'll get, and I'm quoting verbatim for that update, is:

      August 27, 2015, compatibility update for upgrading to Windows 10

      Summary
      This update makes improvements to ease the upgrade experience to Windows 10.

      What does that mean? Not a clue. But that's the entirety of the upgrade notes. Everything else is instructions on installing the patch. What does it fix? Does it add new "telemetrics?" Does it fix any bugs? Microsoft won't say!

      Windows 10 is without a doubt the worst version of Windows since Windows ME. If you thought Windows 8 was bad, just wait until you try Windows 10! Explorer locks up constantly, breaking the Start menu and the desktop. The Nvidia drivers are the most unstable thing ever, and have only recently been fixed to the point where they just get restarted constantly rather than hard-locking the OS constantly. The Start menu search is now broken and finds a random subset of the installed programs. Cortana search will "find" documents on your computer ... but then not provide any way to open them. Windows 10 "tablet" mode provides no method of opening the software keyboard while "desktop" mode does.

      Windows 10 is just completely, hilariously broken, to the point that Windows 8 seems amazing by comparison.

    7. Re:Arrogance? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

      You joke, but people actually found out about this because Windows Defender quarrantined the download as malware. :D

    8. Re:Arrogance? by ericloewe · · Score: 2

      Funny how nobody complains if a tablet, phone or console demands an OS update to continue functioning (unless significant features are removed), but if it's Windows, it's "malware"...

      You want to complain about the automatic download? Fine, that is stupid. I was also surprised by the aggressiveness with which Windows 10 was pushed - I ended up accidentally upgrading sooner than I wanted when I thought I was just "reserving" the update.

    9. Re:Arrogance? by sconeu · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Nope. I ALWAYS disable that customer experience crap, and I got offered two of the three telemetry updates last time I ran Windows Update.

      Fortunately, I knew enough to not accept them, and to mark them as "hidden".

      --
      General Relativity: Space-time tells matter where to go; Matter tells space-time what shape to be.
  3. You *will* upgrade! by GeekWithAKnife · · Score: 2, Funny


    These are not the upgrades you were looking for.

    Nothing to see here.

    Move along.

    --
    A 'singular oddity' is an event that cannot be explained and only happens when you are alone.
  4. Waiting for it to update without prompting by mark-t · · Score: 5, Insightful

    If this is running as part of regular Windows Update, I'm curious to know whether or not this is going to just start installing the update to windows 10 without asking the user at some point.

    That will be *VERY* interesting....

    --
    File under 'M' for 'Manic ranting'
    1. Re:Waiting for it to update without prompting by denis-The-menace · · Score: 3, Insightful

      They've installed stealth updates before.
      They are arrogant enough.
      Why not?

      --
      Obama's legacy: (N)othing (S)ecure (A)nywhere and (T)error (S)imulation (A)dministration
    2. Re:Waiting for it to update without prompting by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Or maybe Microsoft is going to prompt to update, but they want the update to be instantaneous. They hope that users will click "yes" by mistake, and if the update is prefetched there's no opportunity for users to click "cancel" on the progress bar.

    3. Re:Waiting for it to update without prompting by Barsteward · · Score: 2

      Every time there was an update, the Window 10 update was also automatically ticked. I've been unticking before the installs take place but now i cannot remove the tick so i log off and close the lid so it doesn't update. I wonder when they'll stop me doing that.

      --
      "The hands that help are better far than lips that pray." - Robert Ingersoll (1833-1899)
    4. Re:Waiting for it to update without prompting by houghi · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Why not? Because they will be punished. Oh, wait. They won't. Fined? Nope. Loosing more customers than they gain? Nope.

      In fact what would be the reason from their point of view for NOT doing it compared to doing it. They gain more by doing it and so they do it. Simple.

      --
      Don't fight for your country, if your country does not fight for you.
  5. Data Plan Blew Up by coop247 · · Score: 5, Interesting

    My in-laws live in middle of nowhere Pennsylvania and had tried HughesNet for a few years but didn't like it. I told them to get one of the little wireless routers from Verizon, and they easily keep under their 2Gb limit.

    Last month she's calling me wondering how in the world she could have gone over her limit, and how they are going to charge her $30 and this and that. After some investigation, turns out it was Win10 downloading.

    Yeah, thats some shit right there.

    --
    //TODO: Insert catchy phrase
    1. Re:Data Plan Blew Up by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Same thing happened to me. I don't game or stream and am just a poor college dude, so I just tether my laptop to my phone for internet. I blew over my cap because of this. If I had known about it or had the option to delay, I would have gone to a wifi hotspot for the update. Microsoft really must have their head so far up their collective asses to not consider there might be any reason to give users a choice on if and when they download Windows 10. It just goes to show how Microsoft is out of touch with how people are actually using computers... "gee I have high speed internet at home so everyone else must have it too!".

    2. Re:Data Plan Blew Up by halivar · · Score: 2, Insightful

      In this particular case, the villain is the greedy asshole ISP with the arbitrary data cap.

    3. Re:Data Plan Blew Up by coop247 · · Score: 2

      Shows with their Xbox idiocy too. They wanted "always on" this generation and are already talking digital only games for the next one. Not everyone has a 1GB fiber pipe you idiots.

      --
      //TODO: Insert catchy phrase
    4. Re:Data Plan Blew Up by willworkforbeer · · Score: 2

      ...Verizon, and they easily keep under their 2Gb limit. ... [now] have gone over her limit, and how they are going to charge her $30 and this and that. After some investigation, turns out it was Win10 downloading.

      And now M Night Shyamalan has optioned the movie version of Windows 10: The Bandwidth Rapist.

      --
      Pretending this is my office full of bitter coworkers..
    5. Re:Data Plan Blew Up by tepples · · Score: 3, Insightful

      A lot of these ISPs don't offer unlimited, and these users had no advance notice that unlimited would be preferable with their present usage pattern.

  6. Metered connections ? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    What about when you are on a metered connection (such as mobile broadband) ?

    This could cost you a fortune. Any chance Microsoft could be held liable for their customers communication costs ?

    1. Re:Metered connections ? by thewolfkin · · Score: 2

      What about when you are on a metered connection (such as mobile broadband) ?

      This could cost you a fortune. Any chance Microsoft could be held liable for their customers communication costs ?

      Yep, that happened. Let's see if coop247 tries to take them to court.

      --
      Just another second banana
  7. Analyse this paragraph, please by I'm+New+Around+Here · · Score: 2

    Read these two paragraphs from near the end of the article.

    Whether you believe it's to avoid fragmentation or to spy on you depends on how much pot you smoked in college,
    but it now appears to have gone from 'over keen' to 'needy' and you have to wonder why and whether it's going to
    blow up in the company's face.

    It should be enough of a clue that over 10 percent of Windows machines are still on XP and Vista,
    while there's over 40 percent more of the market on 7 than on 8, to be able to tell that people don't like to assume.

    What does the second paragraph actually say?

    Even if we take out the middle, it's strange.

    It should be enough of a clue to be able to tell that people don't like to assume.

    Please help me become enlightened.

    Respectually,

    The New Guy.

    --
    If you think I voted for Trump because of this post, you're wrong. I voted for Dr. Jill Stein of the Green Party. Again.
  8. Abandon those anachronistic founding father ideas! by Impy+the+Impiuos+Imp · · Score: 2

    "Well, we're just gonna install all the spyware Windows 10 has onto your 7 or 8 systems, anyway, which the NSA can invade our computers for without a warrant, so no rational reason is stopping you from upgrading to 10 now!"

    --
    (-1: Post disagrees with my already-settled worldview) is not a valid mod option.
  9. Windows update forcing me to 10 by areusche · · Score: 2

    I spent the last few days battling with Windows Update which was forcing me to Windows 10. I have no desire to install the updated OS. Courtesy of the folks at Sevenforums I found that uninstalling these updates KB3075851, KB2952664, KB3021917, KB3035583, KB3068708 and deleting the $Windows.~BT (and / or) $Windows.~WS was able to remove the forced update. Windows update refused to search for any other updates requiring me to run the Windows 10 updater.

    Rant mode: fuck these forced updates, cryptic KB updates that don't really tell what they're doing, CHANGING KB numbers after I block the other bad updates, and any OS that hasn't been out for over a year. I am NOT your lab monkey.

    1. Re:Windows update forcing me to 10 by RavenLrD20k · · Score: 3, Interesting

      I think at this point MS has finally made it where the risks of running Windows Update and getting files and features I don't want have outweighed the supposed benefits of keeping my system secure through Windows Update. No more updates, and Windows 7 is the last MS-OS I allow in the house.

  10. We'll be here to help by raymorris · · Score: 5, Interesting

    > Looks like I'll probably make the jump to Linux in a few years

    Those of us who have been Microsoft-free for decades will be here to help whenever you're ready. Only if you're a Windows expert, they'll be a little bit of a learning a learning curve. For example, if you edit the registry manually on a regular basis, there's no registry on Linux. If you DON'T delve into the internals of the OS, you may hardly notice the difference, other than that you don't have to worry about software license keys anymore.

    My main tip to make transitioning simple:
    Don't ask "how do I run [brand name of software] on Linux?"
    Instead I ask, "How do I [accomplish task] on Linux?"
    As an example, it's much easier to do basic and moderate photo editing in Gimp than it is to buy Photoshop and get it running on Linux.

    1. Re:We'll be here to help by gstoddart · · Score: 2

      Yeah? And my existing iTunes library? My tax software? The software to keep my GPS up to date? The home design software I used when I needed to file a building permit?

      I've used Linux off and on since Slackware 0.99 in 1993 ... and there still remain gaps in some places where you find it's not possible to ditch Windows because there's still pieces you need.

      There just always seems to be a couple of things you still need, and for which the open source alternatives are either non-existent or absolutely terrible. At a certain point, building something which almost works from a kit ceases to be enjoyable.

      And it's those places which put me back to having a Windows machine as my main machine.

      --
      Lost at C:>. Found at C.
    2. Re:We'll be here to help by tepples · · Score: 2

      And my existing iTunes library?

      Because iTunes Store dropped FairPlay digital restrictions management for music in 2009, your existing iTunes music library works in any AAC player for X11/Linux.

      My tax software?

      Individual tax returns can be prepared on HRBlock.com, and you have to re-buy the software annually anyway to account for annual changes to the tax code, so you can just buy the one that works best in Wine.

      The software to keep my GPS up to date?

      A GPS application for a phone can be updated within the phone, and a standalone GPS ought to be able to be updated by copying a file to it through USB mass storage or MTP.

    3. Re:We'll be here to help by Calydor · · Score: 2

      Sigh.

      Slashdot, that wasn't HTML code.

      Was supposed to say "it can't do [task] like Windows can!"

      --
      -=This sig has nothing to do with my comment. Move along now=-
    4. Re:We'll be here to help by FlyHelicopters · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Once you have switched to Linux, you won't "buy more music on iTunes" anymore. Use Amazon.

      And that, right there, shows the backwards thinking of Linux users...

      Change your life to cater to the OS, rather than the OS cater to your life.

      Perhaps the user doesn't want to leave iTunes, perhaps they are happy with their iPhone/iPad/iPod.

  11. Assholes .. by gstoddart · · Score: 3, Insightful

    I'm so damned glad I've not allowed automatic updates. I'm seriously contemplating never applying a damned update to my Windows 8.1 desktop ever again.

    Microsoft seems to have simply decided that the user has no choice in the matter, and that Microsoft is going to manage your computer for you.

    Throw in all of the telemetry and other shitware they've been putting into the OS and Windows is rapidly becoming very hostile to the people who actually own the computers.

    They're really acting like a bunch of assholes in how they're handling this damned update, and making it harder and harder to tell what is a "real" update and what is just shit they've put in for their own purposes.

    What part of "this is my Windows 8.1 machine, I am not interested in Windows 10, fuck off and go away" is so hard to understand? Don't keep sneaking it in via stealthy means ... because if you have to do this shit behind people's backs, you should take that as a sign nobody wants it.

    --
    Lost at C:>. Found at C.
  12. Been doing this for few weeks now by X.25 · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I had to travel recently, so I took a laptop with clean Windows 8.1 Pro install.

    At my destination, I've purchased a SIM (they only had 1GB data packages) and put it into the 3G/wifi router I carry.

    I powered the laptop, connected to Internet via said router, checked few things, then went away for few hours.

    When I got back to apartment, my data package (and Internet connectivity) was killed because Microsoft idiots decided to start downloading Windows 10 even though I have explicitly closed/rejected all the 'offers'.

    Those retards did not take into account the possibility that not everyone running Windows is on unlimited broadband data package. Great planning there.

    At home I did a plain install of 8.1 on another computer, and same thing happened - even though I explicitly rejected everything related to Windows 10, idiots made it so download starts anyway. I had to 'hide' the Windows 10 in Windows Update in order to stop it from being downloaded.

    1. Re:Been doing this for few weeks now by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

      You're "supposed" to set the connection as "metered" which will prevent Windows from downloading any updates at all. (Or at least it's supposed to. It wouldn't surprise me in the slightest if it turns out that it doesn't.)

      Not surprisingly, while marking a connection as "metered" in Windows 8 is trivial (right click on the network and choose "set as metered"), it's nearly impossible to do it under Windows 10. You have to go to Settings, Network Connections, Advanced Options, and then there's a "metered" option hiding somewhere in those options.

      Of course, if you're using Windows 7, you're screwed. The "metered" setting is a new Windows 8 feature, and can't be done in Windows 7.

    2. Re: Been doing this for few weeks now by tepples · · Score: 2

      I think the ability to mark connections as metered was new in Windows 8.

    3. Re:Been doing this for few weeks now by Espectr0 · · Score: 2

      If you use plain old ethernet cat cable you can't set a metered connection

      --
      Open Source Java Web Forum with LDAP authentication
  13. 1-800-sue-em by ThatsNotPudding · · Score: 5, Insightful

    She will be a perfect, unassailable test case in the airtight class action lawsuit Data Cap Victims v Microsoft Corporation.

  14. We need to publicly call out Microsoft by acoustix · · Score: 3, Insightful

    I think the most effective way to approach this is to take to social media and call out Microsoft. What gives them the right to push an unwanted upgrade to my computer without my consent? You're planning to upgrade my computer, without any knowledge of how it will affect my software and hardware that has specific requirements.

    Can you imagine what will happen to small business running specialty software and hardware that isn't support on Windows 10 yet? What about the data plans of it's customers? We're talking about potentially millions of dollars that consumers will be charged in data overages.

    I have already taken to Twitter to start my bitching. And I don't tweet very often. We need to make this painful for Microsoft.

    --
    "A plan fiendishly clever in its intricacies"- Homer Simpson
  15. Re:Where should I send MS my ISP overage bill? by gstoddart · · Score: 2

    Oooh ... a class action lawsuit ... know what you'll get? A fucking voucher for a copy of Windows 10.

    Besides, the EULA probably says you have to agree to arbitration. It probably also says you can't do that either.

    Ain't it grand?

    --
    Lost at C:>. Found at C.
  16. Re: Why do they need to? by monkeyzoo · · Score: 4, Informative

    2 of the 4 KBs are not be displayed :P so it is impossible to uninstall them...

    Can anyone provide more info on this?
    Is it true? The list of KBs I know to avoid are:

    KB3022345 - Created a new Windows service called the Diagnostics Tracking service. (RETRACTED)
    KB3068708 - Update to 3022345.
    KB3075249 - Enhanced the User Account Control (UAC) feature to enable it to collect more information from the elevation prompts.
    KB3080149 - Update to 3022345/3068708.

    But it's true I tried to uninstall them and only saw 2 to uninstall and hide. I thought however that it was because some were updates/replacements of previous ones.

  17. Re: Why do they need to? by monkeyzoo · · Score: 2

    Correction: It seems I did manage to uninstall and hide 3 of the above, except KB3022345, which was "retracted," so maybe that's why?

  18. Linux users bid higher for Humble Bundles by tepples · · Score: 2

    The probably is that your average Linux gamer is a cheapskate

    If this is true, then in the pay-what-you-want Humble Bundles, why have X11/Linux gamers paid more on average per person?

    1. Re:Linux users bid higher for Humble Bundles by moronoxyd · · Score: 3, Informative

      The data set is pretty much every Humble Bundle that contains games for Windows and Linux (which is most game bundles).

      Let's have a look at one currently running bundle: https://www.humblebundle.com/w...
      Average purchase: $2.82
      Average Windows: $2.71
      Average Mac: $3.25
      Average Linux:$3.89

      So Linux users are willing to pay 40% more than Windows users on a pay what you want scheme.

    2. Re:Linux users bid higher for Humble Bundles by argnn · · Score: 2

      So Linux users are willing to pay 40% more than Windows users on a pay what you want scheme.

      Linux users that purchase games publicly are willing to pay more. That's because they're actively trying to make a point, it doesn't represent the average.

  19. Re:Do the users have the license for this? by SkunkPussy · · Score: 3, Informative

    As I understand it you get a free licence locked to 1 machine. But the windows 7 licence I bought is for any machine (but I can only install/run one copy). So that would be a retrograde step.

    --
    SURELY NOT!!!!!
  20. Xbox One port by tepples · · Score: 2

    If you stuck to Directx for some reason, you'll be stuck with Windows (or Wine).

    A DirectX game will run on Windows, Windows Phone, and Xbox One. (In fact, DirectX is where the X in Xbox came from.) If your game is designed for use with a gamepad, especially multiple gamepads, you might see more sales on Xbox One than on iOS, Android, OS X, and X11/Linux combined.

  21. Why I never accept security updates by frovingslosh · · Score: 4, Informative

    One time, years ago, I got a new laptop and deferred accepting the "security update" for over a month while I learned the details of my new laptop and new Win XP OS. When I did accept the security update I could no longer access the Internet from Linux. This was particularly strange since I was running Linux from a Knoppix Live CD, and I even confirmed that the CD had not changed (both by checking the md5 and by making another CD). What I eventually tracked down was that the "security update" had changed the EEPROM on my built-in NIC so that it wouldn't work properly under Linux any more (all modern NICs use EEPROM to store information including the MAC address). Windows bypassed what was done and it could still access the Internet.

    As Windows is that only malware that successfully has been able to do damage to any of my computers that I couldn't undo, I no longer allow Windows to do the automatic updates. Some say that I'm foolish. This article indicates otherwise.

    --
    I'm an American. I love this country and the freedoms that we used to have.
  22. Laptop gone poof by scsirob · · Score: 3, Informative

    Our housekeeper had a Win7 laptop which ran so-so. Win10 downloaded automatically and nagged for install every boot. She finally clicked OK. Laptop thrundled for an hour, rebooted, screen went black, never came back. Each attempt to boot turns the screen black. No recovery, no backup.

    She got a Chromebook and couldn't be happier. Thank you Microsoft.

    --
    To Terminate, or not to Terminate, that's the question - SCSIROB
  23. Session restore by tepples · · Score: 2

    When you have an SSD that boots Linux in less than 20 seconds, who the hell *cares* if it doesn't hibernate correctly

    People who want their sessions to be restored correctly. Or which web browser will correctly reopen pages that had been opened in tabs, even if the machine is offline when the user logs back in?

  24. Manual says Suspend/Resume: Not yet working 0/10 by tepples · · Score: 2

    Which manual should I read: the manual for the laptop, which gives only the instructions for Windows, or the manual for the Linux distribution, which says Suspend/Resume: Not yet working 0/10?

  25. Seeing this "$Windows.~BT" hidden folder now by TheDarkener · · Score: 3, Informative

    I usually install "Optional" Windows updates as part of my preventive maintenance routine with my clients. I was taken off guard when I saw this suspicious looking folder. After a second of research I found it was the Windows 10 install files, which I never asked for (my clients always defer things like that to me).

    Along with some other questionable optional Win7 updates as of late (like the one that tracks you akin to Win10), I'm wondering whether I need to research each individual update now before installing it. Fuck, Microsoft. Why do you have to make my job even more time consuming than it already is just keeping your damn OS running correctly?

    --
    It is pitch black. You are likely to be eaten by a grue.
  26. Re:usps.gov, Mono, same testing by tepples · · Score: 2

    I print my mailing labels directly from ups.com and usps.gov.

    So how do you automatically paste package weights from your scale and shipping addresses and declared values from your order manager into ups.com and usps.gov, how do you specify that labels shall be printed on a label printer instead of the computer's primary plain-paper inkjet or laser printer, and how do you automatically copy the tracking number and postage amount back out into your order manager? That's what it would take to get several packages per minute out the door. Our current application communicates with Endicia DAZzle and UPS WorldShip through XML files.

    You can of course test your Mono/.Net software on any Linux.

    Will an application tested on Mono for Linux necessarily work on .NET Framework on Windows? I thought there were subtle implementation differences that could break an application if a developer inadvertently relies on unspecified or undefined behavior.

    virtual machines make sense for testing on six different versions of Windows.

    And all these six different versions of Windows need six different licenses and will try to download five different copies of Windows 10 without asking (except for the one that's already Windows 10).

  27. Microsoft Has to do this.. by Striikerr · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Microsoft has to do this in order to boost figures which they spread around via marketing. Look how many times Windows 10 has been downloaded by users! Have a look at THIS headline as proof..
    The Appeal of Free: 75 Million Users Download Windows 10 in First Month

    Obviously the intent here is to inflate their numbers and make the deployment look better than it really is. While I have no doubt that many are taking advantage of the free upgrade option (which apparently expires in a year or so), not all who download are going to install (shoveling the upgrade onto systems) or stick with it.

  28. Restoring Firefox session while offline by tepples · · Score: 2

    When Firefox starts: Show my windows and tabs from last time

    This saves only the URL in each tab, not the contents of the page in each tab. If I restart the computer, log in, and launch Firefox while offline, all the tabs will say "Problem loading page".

  29. Re:Then which non-dud 10" laptop? by Grishnakh · · Score: 2

    Then get a used one. It's not like computers are getting significantly faster any more. Why would you want some POS laptop made of plastic anyway, when you can have one with a magnesium frame? There's a reason business-class laptops cost more: they're made a lot better, and don't fall apart in a year with regular handling. My Dell E64xx laptops all work great with Linux, are made of magnesium and aluminum, can handle rough treatment, and look much nicer and have far better keyboards than that consumer-level crap. Consumer laptops are completely unusable because the keyboards are so bad; only Thinkpads and Dell Latitudes have usable keyboards.