Dear Microsoft: GAH GAH GAH GAH and, furthermore, GAH

I spotted this a few days ago and raised an eyebrow at it. If you're paranoid about it, the process for it is GWX.exe and it takes up like 3 MB. So far, I'm not seeing any reason to upgrade to 10. Anyone know any advantages for it so far, other than maybe Hololens?

originally posted by: Hefficide
You scared a LOT of people yesterday. I know this because all of those frightened people messaged me, in a sheer panic, wanting to know if they had a virus or not. Surely MICROSOFT would never create an invasive app that parks itself RIGHT IN THE TASKBAR and demands to be seen, dealt with, and replied to... and then stays there - haunting the user.

You'd never do that? Right?

Then why the HELL am I staring at that invasive little white flag right now? Huh? WHY are my FB and email inboxes getting hammered with messages from freaked out friends and relatives over it?

I'm going to assume, since my desktop is it's normal, quiet self, that there was an update of some sort?

That's why, for more than a decade whenever I install windows on any computer, the first thing I do is...

Completely disable the windows update service!

It is not your friend. It is not necessary. In all that time, I've never found a legitimate reason to update windows - and I'm a hardcore gamer. As long as my nvidia drivers are up to date, windows can sit and spin.

Windows 10 drops in mid-July. This is just a chance to reserve your spot to get it.

JT

P.S. I am a Systems Administrator and HATE 8.1

Yeah - microsoft sucks. Initially I was apprehensive when I switched to linux many years ago - but after getting my bearings, I never looked back. I don't even have a windows partition on my computer. I suppose the gaming thing is one reason many peeps are scared of linux, but more so are not even willing to try it. Whatevz. Why don't you come back to us, Heff? - Linux community, that is.

originally posted by: Hefficide
[...]
Surely MICROSOFT would never create an invasive app that parks itself RIGHT IN THE TASKBAR and demands to be seen, dealt with, and replied to... and then stays there - haunting the user.

You'd never do that? Right?
[...]

You forgot about the windows updates thing, where it pops up at random and takes focus, so if you're typing and hit spacebar before realizing it's asking a question, you agree to shut down everything you're doing and reboot for an update.

Also, clippy...

Been here since the beginning- and it's the same #, just a new decade.

originally posted by: Septimus
I spotted this a few days ago and raised an eyebrow at it. If you're paranoid about it, the process for it is GWX.exe and it takes up like 3 MB. So far, I'm not seeing any reason to upgrade to 10. Anyone know any advantages for it so far, other than maybe Hololens?

If you're not using 8.1 yet, there are lots of reasons not to go to 10.

namely, they completely ruined the UI.


It's like trying to use an iphone now- completely incapable of multitasking.

Took a nap, got replies! Cool.

Rather than sit here copy and pasting each individual name to respond to, I'm just going to wing it.

1) It's not me who is freaking out. It's everyone around me. I am just the poor shlub who got labeled "free tech support" for most of the folks in his real world. Folks who all had zero clue about what was happening to their computers - almost all thought they'd caught a virus and were in a panic.

2) I honestly do not dislike Windows 8.1 at all - amazingly. I think I might be the only human on Earth who thinks it works as a good DE. Then again I was also one of the Linux users who liked the Gnome 3 branch - which is something of a heresy in that community as well. Linux purists seem to go one of two ways - either they love KDE or they dismiss anyone who uses any sort of modern DE at all - preferring terminal only interfaces. At any rate - Windows 8.1 has, so far, been the most stable O/S I've run in a very long time - Linux included. I have not had a single program crash yet. Not a single system issue.

When I bought this new computer, nearly three months ago, it came with Win 8.1 and my plan was to dual boot with LInux... which I did for about a week. Then I realized that I was no longer spending any time in my Linux environment and all of my time on Steam in Windows. So... Linux got downgraded from having it's own partition, to being on an external drive, and then, ultimately, to being on a 64 gig USB... where is sits right now, dusty, and probably only to be used as a rescue medium should Windows ever flake out on me.

3) This rant actually has more to it. That nagware Win 10 thing happened to hit my sisters computer a few hours before either it, or she triggered a root kit on her system. She has Windows 7 ( It is on my laptop, but I've barely touched it. My laptop ran Mint Cinnamon for most of it's life ). This preempted my sister to ask me for help. She has a six year old Dell Inspiron 560 and she has never done any upkeep on it at all. In fact her estranged husband ( a self professed "expert" ) had her install Mcaffee, Avast, AVG, and Bitdefender... all running at once.

Long story short. Nightmare. Conflicts everywhere, system riddled with malware and a triggered issue that froze the mouse and keyboard somehow. Oh, added bonus, it refused to let the system boot into safe mode.

So... after getting the mouse and keyboard to work, and a TWO HOUR session with Malwarebytes I was finally in a position to be able to wipe her hard drive, hard format it ( twice ) flash her BIOS and begin a reinstall of Windows 7. Immediately update problems kicked in. Her restore disc was a very early version of Win 7 and the "update" was all jacked up. I finally had to download a stand-alone update program to get things squared away.

This left me not very impressed with Windows 7. And with my sister being the worst of the worst fallout from the Microsoft nagware.

4) Personally I am looking forward to Win 10 - the last numbered version of Windows. There's a LOT of misinformation floating around about it ( like that it's only good for one year or that it's subscription based ). But the reviews I've read on tech blogs have all been positive. So I'm ready to take the dive - with the knowledge I can always reinstall 8.1 if it leaves me wanting.

5) I don't really have a number five, just had an urge to keep typing.

I'm a little confused as to why you'd so fervently complain about Windows offering you a FREE upgrade to Windows 10.

Windows 10 will take the best of 7 and 8, and combine them in a magical way. Don't believe me? Install the Insider's Preview as a virtual machine and fall in love all over again.

I have been studying Linux extensively for the past two years, and will soon be taking a variety of Linux Admin certifications. Linux is fantastic - but it's not even MEANT to be competitive with Windows. Linux and Windows exist to fulfill different needs.

The notification came with this update and can be uninstalled. Personally, I jumped at the chance to get a full version of Windows 10 for free. I think you should do the same. =]

Windows 8 SUCKS! Server 2012 is ok though.

a reply to: Hefficide

I am also the IT Professional for my entire family.. Both my grandmother (within a week of me building her an AMD APU box because her ancient store-brand POS wasn't worth resurrecting) and my MIL fell victim to that "Microsoft Support" scam where they get their victims to install TV and allow remote access, at which point they install some pretty nasty malware that promises that for the low price of $400 can be removed.. just click here.

I understand your pain. Tell your family members to reserve their copies. If you like Windows 7 and you like Windows 8 (I say it sucks but it's quite system-lite and runs like a pro) I assure you that you will love Windows 10.

a reply to: TinkerHaus

Not complaining at all about Windows 10.... Complaining about yesterdays Windows update that created nagware in the taskbar - prompting current Win 7 and up users to "reserve" their download of Win 10.

This left a LOT of people - at least in my real life world - totally confused and thinking their systems were compromised or infected.

Thus my angst. Not at Win 10 - but at their marketing gimmick.

a reply to: Hefficide

Gotcha - I was typing my reply as you were doing the same.

If you start breaking the PCs of family and friends, I bet they stop coming to you with their problems..

Also - in a way I agree with you. I was initially annoyed about a week ago when I noticed a new notification and found that Windows had violated my desktop in an attempt to get me to purchase something.. Then I realized they didn't want me to purchase anything, that Microsoft would be giving a limited amount of free upgrades to Windows 10 and if I reserved a copy I would obtain Windows 10 for free.

It is absolutely a marketing gimmick, but it's also the only really effective way to make people aware that they can obtain a free copy of Windows 10.

Also a warning - if some of you are using illegitimate copies of Windows 7 (Windows Loader people, ahem) I would be wary of accepting your free upgrade. You may be forced to pay for a license.

a reply to: Hefficide

I have 8 on my HP lap top and a clunky old Gateway Vista sitting on my desk. I'll go to my Vista every time. I want to say I've never had any trouble with it, but I'm afraid I'll jinx myself, LOL I have noticed though that everything seems to run better on the Gateways. I've had 2 of each& would pick the Gateway every time.
Lovely rant, by the way. If only we could all rant with such eloquence.

originally posted by: eeyipes
DH got the notification, but not me.

So, has anyone actually tried out Win 10 yet?

Yeah, I like most things in Win 10. Better than 8.1 but still buggy at present. Spartan closes spontaneously Cortana doesn't work at all for my region. Updates got broken for a while, forcing me to download the latest .iso and update from flash (in place updates from the system HDD also failed).

a reply to: Hefficide

lol, Win7 is actually quite good. 8 is utter rubbish, in my opinion.

originally posted by: Caver78
Cut bait and take a bite of the Apple......LOLOLOL!!!
You'll never go back.

(Isn't this where I post a Medusa-like image + one of Eve seducing Adam?)

Heff....Windows will never do anything but break your heart and leave you bloody & battered at the curb, Come on over to the Darkside, we have umbrella drinks and bandwidth!

Really? I used a MacBook for a while and was constantly frustrated at its poor performance, incompatibilities and cost-a-fortune everything. Running Windows 7 & then 8.1 in BootCamp became my primary operating environment (although I dallied with Ubuntu for a bit).

Tried OSX upgrades through Maverics and Yosemite, neither impressed me much and the way they are trying to tie everything to iTunes and the Apple "must pay through the nose for everything" model left me feeling ripped off.

I also use an Android smartphone, which is superior to IOS. I'm just not cut out to be a fanboi.

a reply to: Hefficide

After XP which i learned on i just could not get into Vista or windows 8 , i tried Linux but found it way to buggy for a novice like myself to deal with , i only recently put my all in one with XP away but i loved it and how easy 1 gig of ram was and fast , this Vista i am on now has 2 gig and is slow as hell and forever needing attention

originally posted by: Daedalus
a reply to: Hefficide

lol, Win7 is actually quite good. 8 is utter rubbish, in my opinion.

Nearly every alternate MS OS release has been a dud.

To me, 8 felt like Vista in many ways, especially performance.

8.1 was the fix (like SP1 for Win 7, which was not that great prior to the SP).

I think, though that Win 10 will be a great OS.

I started out as a DOS programmer, even wrote my own multi-tasking, GUI library for an obscure language called FORCE. Worked from Assembly, C, Xbase, Basic, Pascal to Visual Basic. Now a days, it is Javascript (JScript) and HTML. All along I've loved Windows...but not always Microsoft. Started in Windows 2 for a few months before Windows 3.0 came out. Each and every upgrade always worked fine for me...even Vista. 8 was the first time I hesitated but still installed it and used it solely in desktop mode. Windows 10 looks like the ultimate to me and I can't wait for my FREE upgrade.

Linux, MAC, XWindows, and so many other OSes just never did everything as well as Windows and that is still the rule today. Linux...yeah...give THAT to your Mother and let her recompile a driver. MAC...if you are 100% happy with what they give you and nothing else...go for it. Windows may get the brunt of the insults but it is usually because the OS you are using sucks and that makes you unhappy.

Microsoft on the other hand has made many horrible mistakes. I'm sure they will again. But Windows is the God of operating systems...like it or not. It will be around for a very long time to come and you can continue hating it, running your open-source OS or your completely-owned-by-Apple-closed-as-closed-can-be-source MAC.

a reply to: WeAreAWAKE

I have mentioned, a few times that I might well be the only living person who actually likes Windows 8.1! So no Windows hate nor is this a Linux fanboi thread.

BUT... as for your discussion of using Linux - it's come a LONG way since the days of recompiling. In some ways it truly does outperform Windows apples to apples. Resource usage for example - much, much lower in a high end Linux desktop environment that is just as pretty and complex as Windows. Controlling updates is also much more straightforward and simple.

I'd argue that Mint 17 is as stable and intuitive as anything Windows can offer. The only drawback, in my experience, is access to major release games. And even that is changing now that Steam has their own Linux O/S.

In short, I'm not underselling Windows, but don't wish to see Linux undersold either. As for Apple? I've never owned an Apple anything. I never could see the logic in paying a TON of money for something that could be outperformed at a much lower price point.

I think you have the dreaded System32 virus. You may want to hurry up and locate it where its hidden itself, in your Windows folder. Located on your local disc.

Just kidding. Please do not follow my advice lest you wish to reformat your computer.

I loved XP as well. But then had to make the move to Vista. Which I didn't like too much but grew to accept. There was some cool little features I took advantage of, such as the Snipping tool. Now I'm running on Windows 7. I won't make any changes unless forced to, or a wad of cash somehow falls into my lap allowing me to build a new machine.

I've used both Apple machines and Microsoft machines. Honestly I like them both. Can't say if one is actually better or not. Though it was pounded into my head when I worked at an Apple call center that they were superior.