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Microsoft Will Resume Pushing Windows 10 To Machines With Win7, 8.1 (computerworld.com)

Posted by Soulskill on from the ready-or-not-here-they-come dept.

LichtSpektren writes: After previously apologizing on October 16th for forcing Windows 10 on some users of Windows 7 and 8.1 via the Windows Update mechanism, Microsoft disabled the default update option for Windows 10, so that users eligible for the new OS would have to opt in manually. Gregg Keizer at ComputerWorld reports today that Microsoft will soon switch the default option back to "on" again, possibly as early as tomorrow's "Patch Tuesday" update. Users who do not want Windows 10 are strongly advised to turn off automatic updating to avoid accidentally installing the OS.

14 of 665 comments (clear)

  1. Disable the Update by hand. by ArcadeNut · · Score: 5, Informative

    Add this to your registry and the Windows 10 update will go away...

    Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

    [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Gwx]
    "DisableGwx"=dword:00000001

    --
    Visit the Arcade Restoration Workshop @ http://www.arcaderestoration.com
  2. Re:Is there a downside to upgrading to 10? by dunkelfalke · · Score: 5, Informative

    If you have older hardware, you might have difficulties getting the drivers to work. Half of my Thinkpad X200's hardware wasn't working with Windows 10. Also Windows 10 is fugly compared to 7 and still feels like an early beta.

    --
    "It's such a fine line between stupid and clever" -- David St. Hubbins, Spinal Tap
  3. Re:Is there a downside to upgrading to 10? by Kargan · · Score: 5, Informative

    A few....

    http://www.cbc.ca/news/technol...

    http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/windo...

    --
    Palaces, barricades, threats, meet promises
  4. Re:I understand the consternation by LichtSpektren · · Score: 4, Informative

    Many users reported that they had no way to interrupt the installation, only to reschedule it or hard reboot.

  5. Re:I understand the consternation by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

    Not true, I actually watched it automatically download and then attempt to install itself with no user interaction.

  6. Re:Let's be clear by Bigbutt · · Score: 4, Informative

    Yep. That's where I was. I simply let it go and then tested my apps. Everything seems to still work but there wasn't a clean way to prevent the upgrade. I'm still checking some of the third tier apps I use (don't run very often but want to check) and can just reinstall Windows 7 if I find something horribly bad (yes, I have regular backups as well).

    [John]

    --
    Shit better not happen!
  7. Re:Let's be clear by LichtSpektren · · Score: 3, Informative

    You're mistaken. My coworker came back from the weekend (this was in September I think) and found her Windows 7 Pro machine to have Windows 10 on it.

  8. Re:APK APK APK by LichtSpektren · · Score: 5, Informative

    No, you can't. Windows bypasses its hosts file when contacting Microsoft domains hardcoded into the OS. You have to block the domains from the router (or maybe a third-party firewall would do the trick).

  9. Re:I understand the consternation by LichtSpektren · · Score: 5, Informative

    Removing the telemetry in Windows 7 and 8.1 is possible if you know what you're doing (unlike Windows 10, at least so far). See here: https://gist.github.com/xvital...

  10. Re:I understand the consternation by Maxo-Texas · · Score: 5, Informative

    Except Microsoft has already installed the windows 10 update without user input at least once. It could happen again any time.

    http://arstechnica.com/informa...

    "over the last couple of days, the situation seems to have become a little more aggressive. We've received a number of reports that people's systems are not merely downloading the installer but actually starting it up. Our own testing shows that, yes, the optional update is getting chosen by default, and that's not supposed to happen to optional updates."

    --
    She was like chocolate when she drank... semi-sweet at first and then increasingly bitter.
  11. Re:Linux time! by sydsavage · · Score: 1, Informative

    You may want to take a look at Elementary OS. It's ubuntu 14.04 based, and has a very nice looking interface. You can try it out before installing from cd or thumbdrive. It's pretty lightweight, so runs well on older hardware. They've admittedly taken some design cues from Apple, but it's not what I'd call an OS X clone.

    Also note there's a good chance that the current versions of Chrome may not work on your Pentium 4 if it lacks the LAHF instruction set. Chromium from the ubuntu repos is still working for now.

  12. Re:Is there a downside to upgrading to 10? by dunkelfalke · · Score: 3, Informative

    Flat borders, ugly flat icons, tiles in the start menu.

    --
    "It's such a fine line between stupid and clever" -- David St. Hubbins, Spinal Tap
  13. Re:Not acceptable. by Tharkkun · · Score: 4, Informative

    None [of my Win 7 PCs] have forced it on to me. I just have to click decline every week or so

    So the default is the upgrade and you must decline repeatedly to avoid it? And you find that perfectly acceptable ? It is a pity that in being modded down as Troll (as you will be) you will slide down out of sight of many readers. It is a pity because to see an attitude like yours is itself an education in the strangeness of human nature. Unless of course you are trying to be funny.

    You can also download a blocker from Microsoft.

  14. Re:Not acceptable. by Darinbob · · Score: 3, Informative

    My smartphone most certainly does not auto-update anything.