Is it safe to turn Windows Updates back on?

[Zorba]

Now that we are past the free period for Windows 10. Is it safe to turn automatic updates back on, on Windows 7/8.1, without it downloading a ton of adware for Windows 10?

 

[tidy]

.

 

[Zorba]

Thanks, GWX is what I was referring to.

 

[ServerSolutions]

adware????? I never had that happen!!!

 

[xgsound]

YMMV. I would vote no.
Of course, do what you want with your PC.
Understand I'm not very adventuresome with my web surfing. I've had my auto updates off since 2006 and manually update only when a need arises or I have time to correct any problems that may come up. This has served me well especially back when Microsoft used updates to make MSE quit working for XP and supply a big red X.
I service about 10 PCs in the family and all had updates disabled so they experienced no problem. They also never got GWX in Win7 SP1.

Jim

 

[MongGrel]

adware????? I never had that happen!!!

That is a lot of lurking for a first post, I'll just bite my tongue on other things.

 

[Zorba]

adware????? I never had that happen!!!

Then you either 1) aren't running windows update on a system with 7 or 8 installed, or 2) you don't pay enough attention to know that it has installed adware. The little stupid "Upgrade to windows 10" is the definition of adware.

YMMV. I would vote no.
Of course, do what you want with your PC.
Understand I'm not very adventuresome with my web surfing. I've had my auto updates off since 2006 and manually update only when a need arises or I have time to correct any problems that may come up. This has served me well especially back when Microsoft used updates to make MSE quit working for XP and supply a big red X.
I service about 10 PCs in the family and all had updates disabled so they experienced no problem. They also never got GWX in Win7 SP1.

Jim

Yeah, in general I do the same thing. One of my desktops has started giving me issues with some newer software though because I didn't have certain updates installed, so I was hoping I could just wholesale install everything. I checked the list, and most of the known bad updates were not there, so hopefully MS is pulling it back now.

 

[Ketchup]

IIRC the only updates that were legitimately questionable in that respect were optional, and I wouldn't have even considered avoiding a year's worth of security updates because somebody told somebody on a forum that one of the security updates told MS what his preferred language is.

 

[Zorba]

IIRC the only updates that were legitimately questionable in that respect were optional, and I wouldn't have even considered avoiding a year's worth of security updates because somebody told somebody on a forum that one of the security updates told MS what his preferred language is.

Not true, the upgrade to Windows 10 crap was pushed into important updates and would install automatically. I did install security updates, just turned off automatic updates and avoided the majority of "windows updates."

 

[lupi]

As a trial on the first two machines I installed 10 on and then reinstalled 8 Ieft one unmodified and the other had get 10 blocked. Was hoping that since the key for that computer was used already it wouldn't bother me, but it came right up with the upgrade stuff.

 

[TheRyuu]

There have been group policy and/or registry options to disable these services and updates[1]. If you've properly set them then you can safely install all of these updates. These options have existed for the entirety of the Windows 10 free upgrade lifetime.

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

 

[JEDIYoda]

Zorba just admit when you turn on your computer you are already in over your head.....



Please keep your threadcrapping out of the technical forums.

Anandtech Administrator
KeithTalent

 

[escrow4]

Now that we are past the free period for Windows 10. Is it safe to turn automatic updates back on, on Windows 7/8.1, without it downloading a ton of adware for Windows 10?

What adware? The NSA already knows everything about you anyway and can knock you down near anywhere with a Hellfire missile from a drone.

 

[Zorba]

Zorba just admit when you turn on your computer you are already in over your head.....

Yeah, because I am the only person in the world that didn't want Microsoft installing adware, bordering on ransomware, on to my computer.

 

[sweenish]

That's some strong hyperbole game you got there.

 

[Ketchup]

Ransomware? Really? I don't know what you have been reading to get that idea, but I would urge you to cancel that subscription, because the idea is absurd.

 

[bigi]

No. I'd also look https://gist.github.com/xvitaly/eafa75ed2cb79b3bd4e9 there to deal with telemetry updates and such.

 

[Zorba]

Ransomware? Really? I don't know what you have been reading to get that idea, but I would urge you to cancel that subscription, because the idea is absurd.

It isn't reading, I experienced it. They installed the "Get Windows 10" program against people's will. This program is the definition of AdWare. It is installed against the will of the user, specifically to deliver advertisements. The only way a normal user could get rid of it was too install what it was pushing, making it ransomware. Yes, people that know what they were doing could uninstall all the updates or do a registry hack, but the average user was screwed with upgrade or be annoyed, or maybe be upgraded against your wishes.

The telemetry is a different issue, not what I was taking about in this thread. But anyway you cut it, if the Get Windows 10 program was pushed onto computers from any one but Microsoft everyone would consider it malware. At least normal viruses will be removed malware bytes.

At the end of the day, it made me and a lot of other people distrust Microsoft in general and Windows Update specifically.

Please do explain how this update was not at least adware.

 

[TheRyuu]

Please do explain how this update was not at least adware.

Perhaps it was an ad for Windows 10 but what you're implying is that it was malicious.

As I've mentioned earlier there are very simple ways to disable the Windows 10 upgrade without having to block any updates[1]. People who disabled the upgrade the right way don't have any issues with it.

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