Chiff and Fipple Forums

I've learned, now that my w8 PC involuntarily updated me to w10, that I can't prevent windows update from having it's way with my computer, whatever I feel about it. There's now no longer any way to disable auto update. If MS thinks that changing something about my computer will help them to sell me something else, they can force my computer to roll over and play dead.

I can't stop it. MS has allowed itself to assume my consent if I go on using my computer afterwards. But not if I explicitly refuse consent, asap. Then, I'm bound by no licensing laws, and they need to get me back to the last time I did consent - assumed or otherwise - or lose control of their OS. The uninstall routine throws all kinds of FUD at me, but they're blowing smoke. If you mean to have control of your own PC, persist.

SO: if your windows has been hijacked by MS, and you don't like it, wait for it to restart, then go to settings/update & security/recovery and then revert to your last OS version. The documentation says you have 30 days to do this, but I have found that to be a lie. Roll back as soon as you notice. Even a few hours/days of active use might be enough for MS to decide that you've consented and to delete your backups, making it irreversible.

s1m0n,

Thank you for posting this.

The arrogance+presumption on the part of M$ . . . is . . . scary . . .

Especially the part about deleting the backups.

A while ago I installed a free piece of software called "Never 10", so I continue on W8 and I'm perfectly happy with that. So far. It's only a matter of time before I won't be able to, I suspect.

I'd installed a MS patch that promised to do the same. It worked for a while, but then MS broke that promise and 'upgraded' me to w10 anyway. By the time I got annoyed enough to go looking for the revert routine, it had already overwritten my backups, making that change permanent. Now I revert immediately.

s1m0n wrote:I'd installed a MS patch that promised to do the same. It worked for a while, but then MS broke that promise and 'upgraded' me to w10 anyway. By the time I got annoyed enough to go looking for the revert routine, it had already overwritten my backups, making that change permanent. Now I revert immediately.

Yeah, I saw the MS patch. I didn't trust it - rightly, as it turns out. The software I used was not from Microsoft. It's worked so far.

s1m0n wrote:Even a few hours/days of active use might be enough for MS to decide that you've consented and to delete your backups, making it irreversible.

Maybe I am missing something (am still on Windows 7 and staying there) but if you get one of these backup tools that will make an image of you whole system disk you can just go back to when you last did that and then watch more carefully next time it updates. Extracting your data before you revert to the old image, so you can copy it back again, is a hassle but is doable, especially if you already know where all your data is so that you can do normal backups. I agree it shouldn't be necessary. How important is it?

s1m0n wrote:Even a few hours/days of active use might be enough for MS to decide that you've consented and to delete your backups, making it irreversible.

Maybe I am missing something (am still on Windows 7 and staying there) but if you get one of these backup tools that will make an image of your whole system disk you can just go back to when you last did that and then watch more carefully next time it updates. Extracting your data before you revert to the old image, so you can copy it back again, is a hassle but is doable, especially if you already know where all your data is so that you can do normal backups. I agree it shouldn't be necessary. How important is it?


Edit - well guess what. Five minutes later the banner add is for just such a product.

benhall.1 wrote:A while ago I installed a free piece of software called "Never 10", so I continue on W8 and I'm perfectly happy with that. So far. It's only a matter of time before I won't be able to, I suspect.

Good old Steve Gibson, developer of SpinRite:

NEVER 10
Easily Control Automatic and Unwanted
Windows 7 & 8.1 Upgrading to Windows 10

https://www.grc.com/never10.htm

When I upgraded to Windows 10, it turned my laptop into a paperweight. (The install did not verify that there was room for the install, and it got stuck in an eternal loop of restarting.) I then transitioned to using a MacBook Pro.

I don't know what types of things you guys use your computers for, but in my opinion transitioning to a Mac is something worth considering. Yes, there is a bit of a learning curve and it does function different than Windows in a lot of ways, but I have found it amazingly less frustrating than Windows. So much so that I try to avoid using my Windows computer at work and just bring my own MacBook.

I thought this was worth mentioning because staying on older versions of Windows does become a security issue over time. Maybe that is a concern for you, maybe not. All of this really depends on what you use your computer for and how important the data that you keep on your computer is. If you use it just for checking email and reading Chiff&Fipple, it will probably last a while and is Windows 7 & 8 will likely continue to be able to use new browsers for a short-while. However, if you use your computers for a lot of other things, such as running a business, it is worth considering changing Operating Systems so that other things you use, or may want to use, will continue being compatible and that you can keep up with security updates.

david_h wrote:Maybe I am missing something (am still on Windows 7 and staying there) but if you get one of these backup tools that will make an image of your whole system disk you can just go back to when you last did that...

Yes, that would have worked, if I'd done it. Who does, tho?

s1m0n wrote:

david_h wrote:Maybe I am missing something (am still on Windows 7 and staying there) but if you get one of these backup tools that will make an image of your whole system disk you can just go back to when you last did that...

Yes, that would have worked, if I'd done it. Who does, tho?

Me. Regularly.

It`s prolly an urban myth, but did I ever tell you that the first chinese translation of "microsoft" chose kanji that literally meant "tiny" and "flacid"?

kkrell wrote:

s1m0n wrote:

david_h wrote:Maybe I am missing something (am still on Windows 7 and staying there) but if you get one of these backup tools that will make an image of your whole system disk you can just go back to when you last did that...

Yes, that would have worked, if I'd done it. Who does, tho?

Me. Regularly.

Me. Irregularly but often enough for peace of mind. In the last 10 years I have done one restore after a hard disk failure, one after wierd and worrying behaviour, one to have a fresh start on Windows updates, and several to be sure a laptop had what I wanted on it and nothing else before travelling or was how I left it after other people had been using it.

I've never had a hard drive failure that wasn't caused by MS in the first place. Oh, a few computers aged out and had their HDs fry, but the cost of a new hard drive and a new windows license was always comparable to the cost of a new computer. Yes, having a comprehensive backup might have saved me a few files, but what, besides another HD, do you back a 1/4 terrabyte disk to?

s1m0n wrote:what, besides another HD, do you back a 1/4 terrabyte disk to?

1 or 2 terabyte external hard drives are pretty easy to come by these days. Plug in to a USB port.