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posted by on Friday March 10 2017, @03:28PM   Printer-friendly
from the malware-or-spyware,-you-decide dept.

Submitted via IRC for TheMightyBuzzard

Windows Update came roaring back today [Mar 7] after more than a month in a semi-comatose state, and the chute filled up quickly this morning. Windows Update seems to be working well -- even more reason to check your Win7 and 8.1 systems and make sure it's turned off

[...] More disconcerting are the re-re-releases of KB 2952664 (Win7) and KB 2976978 (Win8.1). As I explained last month, those two patches have, in the past, triggered a new Windows task called DoScheduledTelemetryRun.

Even proponents of installing all Win7 and 8.1 patches balk at those patches, which were born in the crucible of the Get Windows 10 (GWX) marched upgrade madness. The series was renumbered, with no explanation: KB 2852664 was renumbered from revision 25 on Oct. 4, 2016, to revision 12 today. Microsoft states:

This update performs diagnostics on the Windows systems that participate in the Windows Customer Experience Improvement Program. The diagnostics evaluate the compatibility status of the Windows ecosystem, and help Microsoft to ensure application and device compatibility for all updates to Windows. There is no GWX or upgrade functionality contained in this update.

Yet it appears as if the scheduled task runs whether CEIP is enabled or not. If there's a reason for installing the patches, other than increased telemetry, I haven't heard about it.

Source: http://www.infoworld.com/article/3177812/microsoft-windows/windows-snooping-patches-kb-2952664-kb-2976978-are-back-again.html


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  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday March 10 2017, @04:57PM (2 children)

    by Anonymous Coward on Friday March 10 2017, @04:57PM (#477414)

    Unlearning long established workflows (which any migration to a different system involves), is just as time consuming if not more.

  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday March 11 2017, @03:42AM

    by Anonymous Coward on Saturday March 11 2017, @03:42AM (#477656)

    Well, in the long run, you might save money because you won't be completely dependent upon your proprietary overlords.

    And it's not just about cost; freedom is the largest reason to switch.

  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday March 11 2017, @08:57PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Saturday March 11 2017, @08:57PM (#477856)

    Hyperbole.
    I used DOS, then Windoze, and now Linux.
    Each time, I've learned new stuff.
    No sweat. In fact, things tend to improve each time.
    Your hand waving is excessive.

    ...and if you just can't adapt to a FOSS-only paradigm [google.com] and you absolutely can't break away from old apps, there are ways to accommodate that (compatibility layers, VMs)--while improving system hardening against badware by ditching The Malware Magnet(tm) as your outer-facing wall.

    The really smart producers of apps, who want to become the industry standard, make it easy--and have done so for over a decade. [google.com]

    ...and how does it affect your workflow when MICROS~1 decides to grab away control of "your" system for a significant portion of an hour in order to do a "critical" "update", which then requires a reboot?

    -- OriginalOwner_ [soylentnews.org]