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.
(Score: 2) by bob_super on Friday March 10 2017, @05:12PM
Come one, dear geeks ...
What's the actual percentage of users who go out of their way to disable telemetry? I'm guessing single digits, and not the big ones...
Many people who did it the first time, because we warned them, will miss this one. The remaining few who fight every time (outside of gamers, the highest value ones have move to linux) are not a big loss to the giant database of easily-monetized data.
And this shit has been baked into W10 from the start. If they did the patch thing every month this year, I'm not sure the people leaving would register above the noise.