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'Get Windows 10' Turns Itself On and Nags Win 7 and 8.1 Users Twice a Day (infoworld.com)
LichtSpektren writes: As you may recall, Microsoft has delivered KB3035583 as a 'recommended update' to users of Windows 7 and 8.1. What this update does is install GWX ("Get Windows 10"), a program which diagnoses the system to see if it is eligible for a free upgrade to Windows 10, and if so, asks the user if they would like to upgrade (though recently, the option to decline has been removed). Some users have gotten around this by editing Windows Registry values for "AllowOSUpgrade", "DisableOSUpgrade", "DisableGWX", and "ReservationsAllowed" in order to disable the prompt altogether. This advice was endorsed by Microsoft on their support forums.
According to a report by Woody Leonhard at InfoWorld, the newest version of the KB3035583 update includes a background process which scans the system's Windows Registry twice a day to see if the values for the four aforementioned registry inputs were manually edited to disable the upgrade prompt. If they were, the process will alter the values, silently re-download the Windows 10 installation files (about 6 GB in total), and prompt the user to upgrade.
According to a report by Woody Leonhard at InfoWorld, the newest version of the KB3035583 update includes a background process which scans the system's Windows Registry twice a day to see if the values for the four aforementioned registry inputs were manually edited to disable the upgrade prompt. If they were, the process will alter the values, silently re-download the Windows 10 installation files (about 6 GB in total), and prompt the user to upgrade.
I use Windows 10 on a professional and personal level. I don't see a problem with adapting at all. If anything moving to 10 was something I hesitated to do and once I did all computers HAD to be moved over. I have yet to complain about anything but Edge.
I use Enterprise, which doesn't do any of this crap.
The Windows OS that runs on your machine is not yours. It's Microsoft's, that's the point of a License. Furthermore the lack of not updating is a major security risk for the entirety of everyone else. Microsoft *will* stop updating Windows 7. It's already transitioned out of Mainstream support. The upgrade is free. There is literally no reason to not upgrade (outside of maybe hardware upgrades). The philosophy for this comes from a security focused mentality. IT security isn't like immunization...there is no herd mentality. There is, however, the potential for an unsecured machine to negatively impact other users on a network. To put it in an analogy, it's sort of like the flu shot. You might have gotten the vaccine, but your coworker didn't and now your boss is telling you to pickup the slack. While you might be protected, there is the potential for other impacts (DDOS, spam email generation, easier point of entry into a secured network).
The days of allowing people to ignore updating their system should be over. Everyone should be updated with at least the security patches. If you have software that breaks...tough luck. We all have a hand in the pot, especially if you're hooked up to the internet. And Microsoft is removing your choice, because you only own a license (permission) to use their OS...you don't actually own it. At least that's the argument they've used in the past.