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Microsoft Operating Systems Upgrades Windows IT

Microsoft Will Resume Pushing Windows 10 To Machines With Win7, 8.1 (computerworld.com) 665

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.
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Microsoft Will Resume Pushing Windows 10 To Machines With Win7, 8.1

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  • But I'm glad Microsoft is shedding legacy so aggressively. There's no way the OS will install itself automatically. It'll merely be downloaded to your machine (or machines). Install it if you want to, or don't, you still have choice.

  • Looks like Bill gates finally took Steve Jobs' advice and dropped some acid...

  • by NotDrWho ( 3543773 ) on Monday December 07, 2015 @11:57AM (#51073535)

    I was contemplating upgrading recently. And I don't see any reason NOT to. System requirements are the same as 7 and 8.1.

    Any reason I should stop MS from upgrading me?

  • So is Microsoft watching everything I type, listening in on everything, and recording every web site even if on Chrome or Chrome incognito?

  • by ArcadeNut ( 85398 ) on Monday December 07, 2015 @12:00PM (#51073559) Homepage

    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

  • by Revek ( 133289 ) on Monday December 07, 2015 @12:02PM (#51073569)

    They are hocking their latest fair onto machines that are better off with the older operating system. Windows 10 doesn't offer any more functionality than windows 7 or 8.1. I don't need some crappy talking clippy to search for things for me. I don't need it, period.

    • It's legal because of the ToS you accepted when you installed the operating system and accepted automatic updates from Microsoft. Therefore you did it to yourself. [thenewamerican.com]

      My suggestion is to dump automatic updates and go to something like Autopatcher [wikipedia.org] which avoids accepting things blindly on your behalf.

  • by GameboyRMH ( 1153867 ) <gameboyrmh AT gmail DOT com> on Monday December 07, 2015 @12:03PM (#51073585) Journal

    "Accidentally installing the OS." Now there's a computer problem that nobody would've predicted!

  • by LichtSpektren ( 4201985 ) on Monday December 07, 2015 @12:10PM (#51073657)
    My coworker left automatic updates on her computer (Windows 7 Professional). She left for the weekend Friday. Came back Monday and Windows 10 was installed.

    I have also read some comments on Ars Technica's article that some users could not find any way to interrupt the installation, only hard reboot, or wait for the full installation to finish and then regress back to 7.
  • Linux time! (Score:2, Interesting)

    by kheldan ( 1460303 )
    I have an old Dell Pentium 4 laptop that's currently running Windows XP that I don't have anything important on; suggestions for a decent distro to put on it? Should also be good for a multi-core desktop, later on I need to build a replacement for the 10+ year old AMD Athlon 64-based desktop I have that's also still running XP.
    • Ubuntu MATE
      • OK, not the first time I've heard that.. and the lovely part of this is I can try as many distros I want, the laptop in question is rarely used for anything.

        Know much about WINE? There is one piece of Windows-only software that is absolutely necessary for me: http://powertap.com/product/po... [powertap.com] Think it'll run OK? I believe it's written in Java (yah yah I know, but there really isn't any other software I can use in this case).
        • Just put your preferred distro on a live USB and test it. Alternatively, put your Windows 7 partition in a virtual machine, disconnect it from the Internet, and use it solely for your necessary software and Linux for everything else.
  • It's a simple enough question, and one for which I haven't yet seen any answer. Why? What is it in Windows 10 that makes it so desirable for _Microsoft_ to _give away_?

    Remember, if you are not paying for a service, it is because you are the _product_.

    • They're making money from the 100+ domains that they use your computer to phone home to. Plus the integrated ads in the start menu, and the app store (which they swindle some tech unsavvy people to buy DVD codecs and Solitaire from, unfortunately).
    • Re:Why? (Score:5, Insightful)

      by Akili ( 1497645 ) on Monday December 07, 2015 @12:30PM (#51073919)
      I actually have an idea about this. This is purely opinion, but I think it's all about Microsoft's App store.

      Apple is making buckets of money from their App store. Microsoft sees this, concludes it is unacceptable, and wants to get that money for itself, or at least as much of it as possible.

      Now, Windows 8 and 8.1 had the App store, but 8 - while perhaps not a marketing disaster like Vista - still doesn't sit well with people. Windows 7 is well-liked, but there's no App store. Therefore: Upgrade everyone to Windows 10 for free, and wait for money to start rolling in via app purchases, in-menu advertisements, and other benefits. Maybe they can even sell telemetry data to marketing firms, depending on how much they wash it and how close they want to toe a legal line about turning over such information to third parties.

      I've yet to hear any better explanation.
    • The same thing everybody makes money from these days: ads, analytics, access to your data, and the attempt to further lock you into their platform.

      Microsoft have decided that your computer is now their computer, and that they will decide what happens to it.

      Windows 10 is the point at which Microsoft decides to openly state they don't give a crap what their "customers" want.

      Welcome to the future, where corporate interests means they have more control over the products you buy than you do.

      I figure Microsoft i

  • by xxxJonBoyxxx ( 565205 ) on Monday December 07, 2015 @12:25PM (#51073853)

    NOW can we put the "Bill as Borg" icon back for Microsoft, Dice?

  • by williamyf ( 227051 ) on Monday December 07, 2015 @01:25PM (#51074477)

    While I am Sold to the Win10 new ways* , I understand why some other people (minority or not, but VERY vocal) are opposed to it. So it is NOT NICE from Microsoft to push so hard for Win10.

    Had they had a gentler touch from the beginning, we wouldn't see all this pushback, and all this cottage industry of tips and tricks and apps to disable the upgrade...

    You harvest the tempests you sowed...

    *full disclosure, my main machines are macs, some legacy win laptops and all my bootcamp partitions are going to Win10*

  • by Opportunist ( 166417 ) on Monday December 07, 2015 @01:27PM (#51074497)

    It's the old "how to disable cookies in Firefox (was it, I think?)" trick again.

    MS tries to create a folder called C:\$windows.~BT to download its installer files into. Create a file by that name and, well, no way to create a folder by that name or dump the files somewhere. Installer croaks, aborts download, bullet dodged.

    Of course MS will eventually catch on and close that loophole, but it should be good to let us survive another patch day.

  • by watermark ( 913726 ) on Monday December 07, 2015 @02:13PM (#51074927)

    Button said, "Download now and install later". What they meant was "Download now and install when it's done downloading".

After a number of decimal places, nobody gives a damn.

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