Micro$oft up to its old tricks again...

[Blackbird686]

Found this article on WND, apparently the threat of a forcible, unauthorized take-over of your computer by Windows 10 is lurking once again. For those that have Win10 and like it... that's fine but for those of us who don't want it... read and weep!

http://mobile.wnd.com/2016/05/bill-gates-of-hell-windows-10-hijacks-computers/?cat_orig=us


BB686

[Terry]

Just set your firewall to block MS.

[hubbabubba]

I'm under W7 on all my main PC and have no intention of letting M$ infect... sorry... "upgrade" me to Win 10, but this is turning into a constant fight. I had to turn down the automatic updating and watch carefully what was proposed, strangely ranging from important to optional depending on the machine. The now (in)famous KB3035583 has tried to get installed four times despite being duly masked. Other, like KB3150513, do try to go by with the good-old-lame-and-anonymous "Windows Update for XYZ" that says nothing.

I'm really feeling like that guy in California that was spraying right and left, perched on his roof, with his garden hose, trying to stop the raging flames of the incoming forest fire from getting a foothold.

I think he finally succeeded, I'm not sure I will.

[glh]

I recently bought an refurbed Dell SFF desktop with Win7 Pro "upgraded" by the seller to Windows 10.

It has yet to arrive but I saw this thread and google'd "Controlling Windows 10 Updates". I shall be reading these before I go online with it. Some of you might find it helpful.

https://www.google.com/?gws_rd=ssl#q=Controlling+Windows+10+updates

[Tom Clayton]

I must be the "odd man out" on this - my laptop has never even hinted at any sort of upgrade.

[aeromed202]

When I clicked on the 'mobile.com...' link, a blank page loaded but nothing else. Is this similar to what you are talking about, it's dated May 24, 2016.

https://www.thurrott.com/windows/win...ing-windows-10

I'm thinking of trying this sites suggested anti-10 tool "never10". Has anyone ever used this?

[Blackbird686]

I use the "GWX Control Panel" by John Mayfield. It has worked magnificently so far.

BB686

[Daveroo]

i dont understand all of this,i now have two desktops with win 10,both update,and both run fine,none of my software has been corrupted or anything.what is the big deal?..why the fear?..i just dont get it....not trying to start a flame war or anything...i just dont get it?.

[coolguy3]

I use the "GWX Control Panel" by John Mayfield. It has worked magnificently so far.

BB686

This excellent tool has worked great for me, too....gotta keep an eye on the blue square with the white 10 in it on the task bar's notification area....when it flashes red with a white exclamation point, you have to open GWX and reset the buttons to block Win10 "upgrades", then reboot - worked like a charm so far.

[n4gix]

i dont understand all of this,i now have two desktops with win 10,both update,and both run fine,none of my software has been corrupted or anything.what is the big deal?..why the fear?..i just dont get it....not trying to start a flame war or anything...i just dont get it?.

Dave, a lot of the software I use simply will not run under Win10. For that matter some won't even run under Win7 either. I have to keep a WinXP machine running for certain older Kenwood and Motorola radio programming suites.

So yeah, for me it's a Very Big Deal.

[hubbabubba]

When I clicked on the 'mobile.com...' link, a blank page loaded but nothing else. Is this similar to what you are talking about, it's dated May 24, 2016.(...)

I had the same issue. Try this link; http://mobile.wnd.com/2016/05/bill-g...s/?cat_orig=us

The original link was for an email newsletter and need that app to open. This one was "resolved" to its http:// original address.

[joe bob]

I can't believe people aren't more up in arms over this mess.

[WarHorse47]

I use the "GWX Control Panel" by John Mayfield. It has worked magnificently so far.

BB686

Same here on my Win 8.1 and the wife's 7.0 computer. Works great.

[aeromed202]

Well Dave for me it's just too far, this unwanted hijacking approach, not so much the product itself. My wife has 10 on her laptop and seems to work fine but she sticks with standard software. I did have to make some adjustments to stop annoying crapware but my guess is that MS bet on big advertising returns and behind the firewall tracking to provide those returns to account for the "FREE" installs. It may be that people like me were too many and the bet may be coming up short, hence the second wave of bigger guns.

And BTW I seem to lucky so far because today KB3035583 (memorized with KB2952664, and KB3021917) showed up again and again was hidden.

[gman5250]

I don't think it's fear so much Dave, as it is an exercising of caution.

The Win10 EULA is very clear about what will be done with your data and how it will be utilized by MS. It's important to realize that every new trade treaty gives corporations the right to decide how and when they will extract your private data. Lawful protections are entirely disregarded because you accepted the "contract".

The first iteration of Win10 was friendly and nice, as they were utilizing the platform as a public beta. I bit on the offer and highly regret having done so.

Here is what happens on my system. I'm not saying this will happen to everyone, but with no protections you are wide open. Initially I was able to code out the invasive Win10 snoop programs that I didn't want on my system. After a few months Win10 suddenly started showing an "update and shut down" option...well it's not an option actually because you can't shut down without accepting the terms, which is actually accepting the terms of the updated contract and OS changes.

So...here is an example. A month ago I had a Win10 update which resulted in widespread anomalies in P3D and peripherals. It was so bad I had to completely re-install P3D which usually takes a few days by the time I dial in all of my peripherals and add ons. I got everything smoothed out and the system was running flawlessly.

Then...I went out of state for a week. When I came back and fired the computer, Win10 booted and immediately began acting funny...turned out it was updating without my approval. I let the OS go through it's process and re-booted my system. I got the message that Windows is installing updates...don't turn off computer.

OK...so that all took a few minutes. When I booted into P3D...guess what??? EZDok went into cardiac arrest and it eventually took me three days to sort to the root of the problem.

My point is, I'm not fearful but I'm frickin' outraged over the hundreds of hours that I have had to invest in fixing, then re-fixing things that aren't broken until Win10 re-prioritizes my system with it's endless updates. What pisses me off the most is that MS has now openly dropped the hammer and bullies their users into accepting the deal...or else.

Now the tin foil bit.
When you do the deep research, as I do, you come to realize that the contracts that are part of utilizing today's technology are designed to prioritize that technology to the use it's creator, not the end user. If you end up with damage, which I have on many occasions over the years, the corporation is not held responsible for your lost data.

In my case that has amounted to many thousands of hours of lost data and the energy that it took to create it.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again here. Windows 10 is singularly nefarious in it's intent to maximize your data for profit. If they devastate your database in the process it's just too bad, in fact your options to choose another platform simply do not exist. The option to run an older system will simply be eliminated by accelerating the obsolescence of those systems. Once the old system wears out you will accept the new one...or be left behind.

Unfortunately, the last time I posted up a call for help on this website, I was told to sacrifice a chicken and get a witch doctor. In light of the fact that I had just donated over 1000 hours of my time in the form of the F7F Tigercat, I did not find any humor in the suggestion. The project had been severely crippled by the Win10 update, but I honor my commitments and finished the release.

For the people here who are having no problems with Win10, and are not concerned with the contract, I'm genuinely happy for you. But be advised, MS is quite clear with their intentions and it would be prudent to watch one's six.

I'm in the camp of those who have had quite enough of these intrusions and want to be able to utilize my OS without a frickin' crowd in the room.
My purpose in posting is to share my experience so that others may benefit, not to simply whinge about MS.

IMHO

[TuFun]

How about this...
Microsoft: Skylake owners must upgrade to Windows 10 within 18 months, future CPUs will require it.

and this...

Future hardware will be Windows 10-only.

If you have older, pre-Skylake hardware, you’re free to continue using Windows 7 or 8.1 for as long as you like — but don’t count on ever upgrading your hardware if you want to keep your operating system. Again, here’s Myerson:

"Going forward, as new silicon generations are introduced, they will require the latest Windows platform at that time for support. This enables us to focus on deep integration between Windows and the silicon, while maintaining maximum reliability and compatibility with previous generations of platform and silicon. For example, Windows 10 will be the only supported Windows platform on Intel’s upcoming “Kaby Lake” silicon, Qualcomm’s upcoming “8996” silicon, and AMD’s upcoming “Bristol Ridge” silicon."


How about video cards...

"If, for example, Intel and AMD don’t release Windows 7 / 8.1-compatible video drivers for their next-generation SoCs, users who buy those parts wouldn’t be able to use them with older operating systems."

Source: http://www.extremetech.com/extreme/2...rating-systems

Now that's crazy!

[Tom Clayton]

That's fine for new hardware - you generally get matched hardware/OS when you buy from a reputable source. It's trying to upgrade an OS onto hardware that might not be able to handle it that brings up so many issues.

[lownslo]

Use to be, I'd do my weekly (manual) MS updates on our Win 7 computers to keep the systems secure. But since last summer and the release of Win10 I now check updates to prevent MS from uploading malware to my systems. Their Updates are no longer allowed here, and I have learned to carefully check each Security Update. They have charted this course, and the consumer will respond in kind.

Screw 'em!!

Greg

[lownslo]

My point is, I'm not fearful but I'm frickin' outraged over the hundreds of hours that I have had to invest in fixing, then re-fixing things that aren't broken until Win10 re-prioritizes my system with it's endless updates. What pisses me off the most is that MS has now openly dropped the hammer and bullies their users into accepting the deal...or else.IMHO

Gordon,

I have great respect for you given the work you have done for this community... but i have to ask. Why in the world would you trust any of your work to a MS operating system? I'm in manufacturing, and my two primary software are SolidWorks and SmartCam... there is no way I'd let a collection of dishonest, sleezy creeps like MS (in this past year) effect my business!

In the past, "Tech" was viewed with at least some level of respect... now "Tech" is nothing more than a small step above the FBI's definition of "sleezy, low-life hacker".

MS has lowered themselves to a criminal level... and I completely agree with joebob. The only truly valuable question is: when will the consumer bring a class action lawsuit against the crooks?

Greg

[PRB]

For the past few months I have been conducting a "science experiment". The question? Can Linux be a practical alternative to Windows? Practical means 1) is it easy to install? 2) Is it reliable? 3) Can I keep it up to date easily? 4) Can I figure out how to use it? And 5) Is software available for it that will allow me to do the things I do with a computer?

So far the answer to all those questions is 1:yes, 2:yes, 3:yes, 4:yes, and 5:mostly. If it wasn't for software I need for work, and Flight Sim, 5 would be yes as well. And there are so many versions of Linux out there to choose from it's amazing. The screenshot here is my desktop, currently running Linux Mint 17.3. This is my favorite so far. Installation is simple. Download the iso image, burn it to a disk, stick it in your computer, and boot it. Answer a couple simple questions and that's it. Windows is pretty easy to install. This is easier. And after it's done installing you have Libre Office, Firefox, VLC media player, Gimp, music management programs, and more. All free, and not Microsoft.

So now I have a flight sim box running Win7, with GWX Control Panel (shields up), a Windows 10 laptop, and this one, running Linux Mint. With this being a flight sim web site, I realize that this may not be an option for everyone, but it's relevant to this thread. For me, the time is fast approaching when I won't need a Windows box anymore...

[henrystreet]

X-plane runs on Linux.

http://www.x-plane.com/?article=linux-installation-walkthrough

[lownslo]

For me, the time is fast approaching when I won't need a Windows box anymore...

That sounds like a nice option... except...

My wife is a Special Education teacher (think: legal liability), and I'm a businessman whose clients include the U.S. and state governments... there is absolutely no way either of us would trust MS and their current business practices, and yet we have few choices... Geez, these are the sleeziest creeps in the world. Surely, they are limited intellects to follow this business philosophy, but one can only wonder why the tech industry is populated by so many stupid, useless individuals?

Greg

[gman5250]

Gordon,

I have great respect for you given the work you have done for this community... but i have to ask. Why in the world would you trust any of your work to a MS operating system?

Thanks Greg.

To be honest, trust has nothing to do with it. lol

My situation exemplifies the point I was making in my post above. At this point and time flight simulation is fundamentally run by proprietary software that has been rooted in the MS operating systems. Unfortunately, to work within that environment it is most efficient to work with MS...er...uh...tools. Hopefully there will be some fundamental changes in the near future, but until then I more or less dance with the Devil.

I'll develop my point with a story from my previous business life. In 1999 I built a company that printed vehicle graphics for OEM and aftermarket applications. For the OEM side, I developed a system that used automotive toners to print on vinyl. I did this in collaboration with 3M and General Motors. To print the graphics I had a Xeikon digital printer purpose built for the task. 3M had developed the toners and I had been involved in the R&D.

My design studio utilized Mac exclusively. We had five or six G4 boxes which were pretty hot stuff back then. The design side was strictly Photoshop bitmap driven, so the Mac setup was perfect.

The Xeikon printer...a $700,000.00 investment...was strictly PC based. We also had a Zund table top plotter...again $150,000.00 that was also PC driven.
I built the website in Macromedia and ran that interface through a mess of code I wrote to convert internet based designs from the front end consumer into commands that the printer and plotter could interpret.

I ran the whole production system on Windows95. For the record, I never had a glitch with 95 and we were running some demanding integrated software packages. Of course, this was before Mr. Gates sold out entirely and the OS was still fairly benign. The whole thing went TU when 3M shut down the lab that supplied my toners. A painful lesson in corporate busine$$.

I've still got all of that infrastructure intact on about 100 CDs, but I would need a Win95 operations center and 15 year old hardware to reproduce the whole thing. All of that work was rendered obsolete by marketing tactics that build in designed obsolescence.

The trend now is to lock you in to software that you don't actually own, but subscribe to. The contracts are between you and multinational entities who write the treaties that dictate if and when you will be able to access your subscription.


Anyway, the point is we had to pick our poison even back then. Same holds true now, but the poison is much more deadly and post 1913 global economics have become co-opted by sociopaths.

I do my best to back up my work...in depth, but I have had some pretty serious catastrophes in the past.

The simple answer to your question....I take things day by day. If I can negotiate the pitfalls of the "global village" without selling my soul...I'll be launching the new company this year. If not...I'll find a nice quiet piece of dirt and grow my own food.

[lownslo]

The simple answer to your question....I take things day by day. If I can negotiate the pitfalls of the "global village" without selling my soul...I'll be launching the new company this year. If not...I'll find a nice quiet piece of dirt and grow my own food. lol

OMG, it feels so much easier now that I know I don't have to be the only one on the only network... to broadcast to the world that MS is nothing more than a bunch of low-life scanks...

[zswobbie1]

Not sure if I'm getting all this anti Microsoft drama..
I'm sure Google knows a lot more about us, Gmail, search, Facebook, etc. I'm sure that those Android users amongst us also just allow updates to happen. Our GPS tracks wherever we are, our mobiles do as well.

So, I'm actually quite happy having the latest software that is optimized for modern hardware. Works for me.