Dirty pool: Microsoft’s changing rules for forced Windows 10 upgrades

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The rules have changed at least twice over the weekend. Who knows what’ll happen next. Important takeaway: If you got upgraded to Windows 10 in the pa
[See the full post at: Dirty pool: Microsoft’s changing rules for forced Windows 10 upgrades]

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Woody
With all the games that Microsoft is playing. Do you think it is safe to run the Windows Malicious software removal t00lx64 KB890830 that came with the last black Tues updates.
I still haven’t run it. I usually run that right away and wait for you to give the go ahead on the rest of the updates before I run them.
This is on a Windows 7 laptop.
Thanks
Sam

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MSRT is always OK to run, as are Windows Defender updates.

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@Woody,

“MSRT is always OK to run, as are Windows Defender updates.”

And MS will never put ad generators in a Security Update.

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“MSRT is always OK to run, as are Windows Defender updates.”

Ahem… cough-cough! You’re really stretching things saying it’s “always OK” Woody. Once upon a time it was always OK to install the IE-CU’s too. Have you forgotten with whom you’re dealing with?

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Still that trustful? After all what has happened…?

Better don’t bet money on your answer, Woody. Too much has happened already. EVERYTHING IS POSSIBLE.

I swear I got GWX related updates last November with Windows Update completely disabled already and just background service connections to MS still active. They did not come through the door or balcony, windows or basement – they came through the chimney.

Don’t take anything as safe anymore. It isn’t.

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On February 12, 2016 I got KB3134814 as a “Security Update for Microsoft Windows” and it was installed.

On March 12, 2016 KB3134814 came back anyway, this time it was a “Cumulative Security Update for Internet Explorer 11 for Windows 7 for x64-based Systems”

KB3134814 returned after I refused and hid KB3139929 which was offered on March 11, 2016 and was said to put unwanted ads for Windows 10 on IE11.

The repeat KB3134814 is also said to put Windows 10 nags on IE11 per google search.

Do you know if either of these, KB3139929 or repeat KB3134814, are safe or will they push Windows 10 on IE11?

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Thank Woody. Appreciate the info.

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We’re living in a time when a lot of rules are being broken and new strategies are being tested in commerce, politics, and war. Microsoft’s mounting assault on customer rights is now obvious, but perhaps something more subtle is going on too.

By analogy, consider how Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine, sending his troops forward with masks over their faces and uniforms stripped of insignia, actions that would have gotten them shot as spies in World War II. No one seriously believed that these soldiers weren’t Russian, but the tactic forced the media coverage to spend precious air time pursuing outlandish explanations as to who else they might be, gave Putin deniability, and spawned enough confusion to prevent European leaders from coalescing in opposition to the invasion.

The same might not have been true if the soldiers were filmed wearing Russian uniforms. In other words, Putin’s strategy successfully managed the optics–I hate that word–allowing him time and space to take a large chunk of Ukraine.

Confusion to the enemy! Is that what Microsoft is doing here? Indecision and incompetence represent a more likely answer, certainly, but a to foment chaos and confusion, thus preventing the media and public from identifying what is going on, should not be discounted.

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Thanks for all your research and advice on this Woody. I just hope that someone at Microsoft is reading all the complaints, although it sounds as if things may have changed at their end given your different experiences between Friday and Sunday.

They certainly ought to give a press release to explain what happened. If it was intentional then heads ought to roll. You just can’t take over people’s computers let alone change the operating system they are using without their explicit knowledge and consent.

I also hope all the MVPs are lobbying Microsoft hard on this, it really is time people were given two simple choices – whether to upgrade or not, and whether to be asked again or not. Whatever the decisions, the user’s wishes should be honored.

I’ve read a lot of rubbish about class action lawsuits being suggested on the slightest whim in the past, but if ever there was a case for one this would seem to be it.

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Believe me, the MVPs are up in arms.

Microsoft’s changing the MVP program, so it may mean even less than it used to.

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I haven’t seen any evidence of IE updates pushing Win10.

Yet.

Microsoft claimed that an update of IE would generate “Get Windows 10” ads on new blank pages. That’s the extent of the IE problem.

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Alright, lemme put it this way.

I’ve been following and writing about Windows Updates since the WU project was started in the XP era. I coined the phrase “Automatic Update is for chumps” more than a decade ago. I’ve railed against specific Windows updates till I’m blue in the face. Many of them.

In all that time, I’ve never seen an MSRT or Windows Defender update that broke anything.

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Although, recent upgrades to Widnows defender have begun to remove software Microsoft doesn’t like, such as system cleaners and hardware listing tools.

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And some sources say that this ad banner can be removed just likee any browser ad-on, through the add-ons manager in IE. Don’t know if that’s true, but I have read this.

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Thank you. Guess I’ll unhide and install them. I mostly use Chrome anyway. But still want to be safe; some sites actually only work with IE so I still use it once in a great while.

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I work for an MSP, and manage our remote management/monitoring software.

As of the past month, I have added the following changes:

-Created a script to hide GWX on all clients
-Created a script to uninstall all Windows 10 nagware KBs
-Created a script to change Windows Update to ensure “Get recommended updates the way I receive important updates” is off

I have applied these across all of our clients Windows 7/8 workstations. It’s become very tiresome that Microsoft seems to feel it knows better than its own userbase. I won’t stop clients who want Windows 10 from getting it, but I am going to stop it from happening on accident, or because Microsoft wants to force it down their throats. I don’t remember seeing this kind of heavy-handed behavior since some of the Windows 9x days, if even then.

Seff: I believe Microsoft hears the complaints. Just know that hearing and listening are two different things.

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Don’t install anything yet. It’s much too early to know if there are other problems.

Watch the MS-DEFCON rating. That’s what it’s there for.

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I’ve read it, too, and can’t find the switch!

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Point well taken.

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At this point I only use Win 7 for some Powerpoints and for an audio recording program. Given the current situation, I have decided not to install any further updates at all. I don’t trust even security updates. As far as I am concerned, Microsoft is a hostile adversary.

Thanks Woody for all the info and work. Maybe it is time to go to Defcon 1? Have you ever been there before?

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Yep, I’ve been there, but I don’t think the current situation warrants it. The patches themselves this month don’t look insurmountable. It’s the way they’re being applied.

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It is not this month’s patches I am concerned about. It is the company. As I have said before, they are both untrustworthy and incompetent. And I could add Orwellian and condescending. They think we need them, so they can do anything. We don’t. There are other paths.

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If you Have Windows 7 Professional or Above, you can enable a Group Policy setting to prevent the upgrade (unless they subvert that too)! – Windows 7 Home Premium do not have this option.

How to manage Windows 10 notification and upgrade options

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/3080351

I wonder if Windows 7 User Agreement/EULA covers all of these forced upgrades, or if it is a violation of their own agreement. That would be ironic.

I also never install MSRT updates, and Automatic updates are turned off here.

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Hi Woody,
Again tell the people to look at their “TERMS With M.S.”.They have changed! And what they want to do! As my husband said years ago ” If you want to shut down the world, Shut down the electricity”
Now it’s becoming true! ” Have Control, Shut Down the Web” ( Microsoft Or Else),Were Stuck! ONE switch, is all that it needs!”Industry,Corps,People have become too dependent on M.S.” If we can “STOP FOLLOWING THE SHEEP”! Everyone should think for themselves and what’s to come
Thank’s Woody L.
I am still dealing with this and making progress!
Darcia.J

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Yep, the gpedit approach flips some bits in the registry. You get the same effect by running GWX Control Panel.

So far, that setting has been held sacrosanct. We’re all keeping our fingers crossed that MS doesn’t suddenly change its mind.

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I had 2 clients bit by this over the weekend. The first, a home user. The upgrade didn’t complete properly and would only boot to a black desktop with a cursor. Had to boot from a Win10 DVD to roll back to 7.

The second was a business client on a PC hosting a QuickBooks share on a workgroup, share was offline after the upgrade. It successfully rolled back to 7 but completely hosed the backup. It was backing up to an ioSafe using Windows backup, a disk image every 2 days. After the rollback Windows backup was off entirely and the partition on the ioSafe was accessible, but the data couldn’t be accessed, nor could the partition be formatted or deleted in Disk Management.

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OUCH.

Too bad you can’t send MS the bill…

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Dave:

I have two old Vista machines that run Windows 10, and after the Fall Update (FUD), the machines booted into a blank screen like your first issue. The upgrade worked; I just couldn’t tell. I used a bootable DVD to repair the install enough to see the GUI.

I had to turn off Fastboot for these machines, which now do not boot as fast, but the machines display Windows 10.

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An accountant told me on Sunday that his Win 7 Pro laptop was doing automatic updates again. I know fer sure that it was locked down with “check and let me choose” last month after the Feb security patches.

He was nervous because there are IRS deadlines this week for some types of filings.

So I set it back to “check and let me choose.” After reboot it *automatically* changed the settings to “install updates automatically.” Installed GWX Control Panel and cleared out the Win 10 stuff.

Doesn’t matter. Whatever setting is chosen for WU by GWX Control Panel or through the control panel, the WU setting only persists until the laptop is re-started. Then back to “automatic updates.” Scratching my head, but don’t have much access to the machine until tax season slows down.

The accountant was mad as snakes! Wish I had screenshots for any doubters.

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I’ve never heard of that happening. I wonder if there’s something – maybe a security program – that runs on boot and flips Auto Update?

Any chance you can email me a copy of c:windowswindowsupdate.log? If it’s sensitive, don’t bother, but it may help us figure out what’s happening.

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I’ll try to get it.

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An item for you to see Woody :

Users seethe as Windows 10 arrives while their backs are turned

http://www.computerworld.com/article/3044518/microsoft-windows/users-seethe-as-windows-10-arrives-while-their-backs-are-turned.html

KEEP UP THE FIGHT !

WITH YOU 100000 %, Mate

Rick in Sunny Australia

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Yep, I saw Gregg’s article. Quite the indictment.

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