+1

Not sure if this is related to the Win 10 issues but since Tuesday have received 72 updates. Since GWX control panel installed before those updates, I'm now getting the security updates failing while all others installed.

Like Cliff, I keep all data on a seperate drive, should M$ bypass GWX CP next February & install 10 on my computer without my authorisation, it will be Mint on all my machines.

More of a warning: http://www.infoworld.com/article/3030211/microsoft-windows/experts-recommend-dont-install-microsoft-patch-kb-3123862.html

On Wednesday Microsoft released another mystery patch, KB 3123862, which appears as an optional, unchecked patch in Windows Update and closely parallels last year's reviled Get Windows 10 patch, KB 3035583 -- a patch we're still fighting.
The patch itself seems innocuous. According to the KB article it delivers "Updated capabilities to upgrade Windows 8.1 and Windows 7." The entire description for the patch consists of exactly one sentence:

The update adds capabilities to some computers that lets users easily learn about Windows 10 or start an upgrade to Windows 10.

There's no indication which computers, what the upgrade cycle looks like, or how systems will be modified to let users easily learn about Windows 10. I suppose there's an itinerant sheep herder on the Mongolian steppe who hasn't learned about Windows 10 -- come to think of it, probably not.

If you install the optional update, you find that KB 3123862 gives you brand-spanking-new copies of the following:
* Explorer.exe, the Windows File Explorer, and ExplorerFrame.dll, which contains supporting files -- icons, menus, bitmaps -- for Explorer.exe
* Shell32.dll, the heart of the Windows interface
* Authui.dll, which controls logins

If that doesn't send a chill up your spine, you haven't been following along.

The parallels to KB 3035583 are uncanny -- and disquieting. The original Get Windows 10 patch appeared in Windows Update on Mar. 27, 2015, without explanation, as an unchecked optional patch. The title was "Update enables additional capabilities for Windows Update notifications in Windows 8.1 and Windows 7 SP1," and the entire description was:

This update enables additional capabilities for Windows Update notifications when new updates are available to the user. It applies to a computer that is running Windows 8.1 or Windows 7 Service Pack 1 (SP1).

We didn't discover the true nature of the patch until a week later, when Gerard Himmelein at heise.de uncovered a nascent subsystem called GWX that was installed and set in motion by KB 3035583. Since that time, an entire industry has evolved to deal with the ramifications of the GWX infection, with GWX Control Panel leading the charge.

This new patch doesn't install anything in the GWX folder, nor does it flip any of the registry settings users have been using to block the forced march to Windows 10. As a matter of fact, at this point nobody seems to have any idea what it does.

How does the old Scotty saying go? "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me."

---

Slightly off topic.

I never got round to upgrading this machine to win 7, tried win 8 but after an unrepairable crash gave up with that.

I am now running into problems accessing some web sites, IE9 is getting too long in the tooth and Chrome has started giving warnings that it will no longer be supported in vista.

So it may not be to much longer before I have to upgrade to Linux.

---

Kevin

Slightly off topic.

I never got round to upgrading this machine to win 7, tried win 8 but after an unrepairable crash gave up with that.

I am now running into problems accessing some web sites, IE9 is getting too long in the tooth and Chrome has started giving warnings that it will no longer be supported in vista.

So it may not be to much longer before I have to upgrade to Linux.

Could try Firefox. That's all I'm running these days, on XP, 7 and 10. I missed Vista by luck, but had put it on a Vista box for a friend a while back and it performed well there.

---

Slightly off topic.

I never got round to upgrading this machine to win 7, tried win 8 but after an unrepairable crash gave up with that.

I am now running into problems accessing some web sites, IE9 is getting too long in the tooth and Chrome has started giving warnings that it will no longer be supported in vista.

So it may not be to much longer before I have to upgrade to Linux.

Could try Firefox. That's all I'm running these days, on XP, 7 and 10. I missed Vista by luck, but had put it on a Vista box for a friend a while back and it performed well there.

I am using Seamonkey as my primary browser on my 7 daily driver.
I do have an older version of Firefox loaded as well, which I very rarely have to use for an occasional website compatibility issue.

---

"Time is simply the mechanism that keeps everything from happening all at once."

Chrome has started giving warnings that it will no longer be supported in vista.

There are other Chromium based browsers - I use Slimjet and SRWare Iron (Portable versions - No installation, all Preferences/Bookmarks/Extensions... are written in unpack directory)
http://www.slimjet.com/en/

https://www.srware.net/en/software_srware_iron_download.php
https://www.srware.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=18&t=8855

They have more Settings
(e.g. to:
Disable WebRTC
choose Minimum SSL Version
Custom cache size
Automatically optimize memory usage
Confirm when closing browser window with multiple tabs
Automatically check newer version [Never]
...)
They do Not update automatically as Chrome do (the auto-update was the main reason I stopped using Google Chrome years ago)


I still use the ones based on Chromium 35 & 40 (with disabled "Check for updates")
Older versions are here:
http://www.slimjet.com/release/archive/

https://www.srware.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=18&t=8004
http://download1.srware.net/old/iron/win/portable/


Maybe I will try the newest IronPortable 48.0.2550.0 (on Windows XP)
 

---

 


- ALF - "Find out what you don't do well ..... then don't do it!" :)
 

They do Not update automatically as Chrome do (the auto-update was the main reason I stopped using Google Chrome years ago)

Although I don't often use Google Chrome, I do keep it on my system for those rare occasions when I run into a problem with Firefox on a particular web page. However, I have the Chrome update function disabled through the Task Scheduler. There seem to be two Goggle tasks in the Task Scheduler Library, "GoogleUpdateTaskMachineCore" and "GoogleUpdateTaskMachineUA". I've got both disabled.

---

I’ve been reading this thread regularly. I am not surprised by any action perpetrated by M$. It’s almost 15 yrs to the day, and it would appear that some things, appallingly, do not change. I followed this case closely, and the U.S. government had an excellent chance of winning. Alas, if Penfield Jackson hadn’t behaved in a reckless manner, Bill Gates would not have been victorious and M$ would have been split in two. All we are left with are his refreshingly poignant quotes on the defendant and its chief conspirators.

Years ago, I remember reading a tech news site article that translated an article from a German tech site which discovered something unnerving about the (then) shiny and new OS known as WinXP. They discovered that whenever Windows Media Player (or Center) was used to play a DVD, XP would contact Redmond and inform them of what was being played.

To wit, I offer this. When does paranoia turn into pragmatism? When the truth is revealed.

A shout out to Cosmic_Ocean for updating ’the list.’

---

Years ago, I remember reading a tech news site article that translated an article from a German tech site which discovered something unnerving about the (then) shiny and new OS known as WinXP. They discovered that whenever Windows Media Player (or Center) was used to play a DVD, XP would contact Redmond and inform them of what was being played.

I remember that. You could put a random CD into the PC drive, and after a few seconds it would identify the artist, track titles, and even display the cover artwork. I thought it was a dead cool feature at the time.

Years ago, I remember reading a tech news site article that translated an article from a German tech site which discovered something unnerving about the (then) shiny and new OS known as WinXP. They discovered that whenever Windows Media Player (or Center) was used to play a DVD, XP would contact Redmond and inform them of what was being played.

I remember that. You could put a random CD into the PC drive, and after a few seconds it would identify the artist, track titles, and even display the cover artwork. I thought it was a dead cool feature at the time.

I still use Windows Media Player. With ALL Privacy Features turned off of course. I also use Soundspectrums Gforce visualization. It works just as it did with XP or Win 7. I wouldn't trade it for another media player, at least as far as music is concerned.

---

I remember that. You could put a random CD into the PC drive, and after a few seconds it would identify the artist, track titles, and even display the cover artwork. I thought it was a dead cool feature at the time.

Glad to know that I my memory is intact.

That feature, when implemented like this, is cool. However, when implemented a la WinXP, the term used back then was "spyware." Today it’s called "Telemetry."

---

They do Not update automatically as Chrome do (the auto-update was the main reason I stopped using Google Chrome years ago)

Although I don't often use Google Chrome, I do keep it on my system for those rare occasions when I run into a problem with Firefox on a particular web page. However, I have the Chrome update function disabled through the Task Scheduler. There seem to be two Goggle tasks in the Task Scheduler Library, "GoogleUpdateTaskMachineCore" and "GoogleUpdateTaskMachineUA". I've got both disabled.

Google Chrome still sits here on version 7 :)

It was not that simple to stop its desire to update (at any time, not asking for permission, even if not started for months)

It have 3-4 ways to start the Updater:
From "Run" in Registry (when the user logs-in)
By "Scheduled Tasks" - 2 tasks with multiple triggers
By Services
(?) When you start Google Chrome (not sure about that, was long ago) or looking in "About Google Chrome" (was window, not tab, if you remember)

If you forget to Disable one of them - the Updater is started and it "fixes" all places to re-enable again

I used Autoruns to Disable all


P.S.
Google Chrome was the first program I know of that intentionally circumvents the Microsoft protection of "Program Files" in Vista - only to be able to Update without UAC prompt.

The installation directory (chrome.exe, chrome.dll, ...) is:
E:\Users\A n L\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\Application\7.0.517.44\

The "User Data" (Bookmarks, Extensions, History, ...) is:
E:\Users\A n L\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default\

They may think they do good - to not bother the user lets do the Update in the background and he will not notice.
But it was very noticeable on 1 core CPU + 1 GB RAM for Vista - they installed new >100 MB package every 1-2 weeks - no matter what the user do at the moment - and the computer was almost unusable for 10-15 minutes because of HDD swaps/paging.

(now also µTorrent installs to %AppData% since ~year ago - but it is small and do not automatically update - there is a Setting as should be)


P.P.S.
!!! Just noticed: Sysinternals seem to intentionally ban Windows XP now!
New minor versions released which claim on site "Client: Windows Vista and higher"
https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/processexplorer

e.g. I have:
Autoruns 13.5 (October 26, 2015) (Windows XP and higher)
Autoruns 13.51 (January 4, 2016) (Windows Vista and higher)

Process Explorer 16.05 - 2015.03.09 - I use it on Windows XP
Process Explorer 16.1 - 2016.01.02 (Is it still for Windows XP and higher?)
Process Explorer 16.12 - February 2, 2016 (Windows Vista and higher)
 

---

 


- ALF - "Find out what you don't do well ..... then don't do it!" :)
 

I still use Windows Media Player... I wouldn't trade it for another media player, at least as far as music is concerned.

Do they still use Ctrl+P for Pause and [Space] do nothing? (as is on XP)
I use Media Player Classic (K-Lite_Codec_Pack_710_Mega - 2011), VLC media player, Daum Potplayer (for video/movies) and Winamp 5.51 2007 for MP3

---

 


- ALF - "Find out what you don't do well ..... then don't do it!" :)
 

Google Chrome still sits here on version 7 :)

It was not that simple to stop its desire to update (at any time, not asking for permission, even if not started for months)

It have 3-4 ways to start the Updater:
From "Run" in Registry (when the user logs-in)
By "Scheduled Tasks" - 2 tasks with multiple triggers
By Services
(?) When you start Google Chrome (not sure about that, was long ago) or looking in "About Google Chrome" (was window, not tab, if you remember)

If you forget to Disable one of them - the Updater is started and it "fixes" all places to re-enable again

I used Autoruns to Disable all

You're right about the "Run" entry, but I found that I already had that disabled, too. I couldn't find a "Services" entry.

FWIW, I actually just updated Chrome about 10 days ago (for the first time since 2011) because when I tried to use it (due to some Firefox issue I was having on a particular web page) I discovered that the version I had was so old that it wouldn't work right, either.

I suppose I should update my Autoruns, too, since I'm still using v9.02, from 2008. On the other hand, if it ain't broke, I don't usually try to fix it! :^)

Well, it looks like 3123862 has been upgraded to a recommended update, instead of an optional one.

---

Linux laptop:
record uptime: 1511d 20h 19m (ended due to the power brick giving-up)

After months of complaints, Microsoft has finally opened a Windows 10 Update History web site that will document the changes it makes to its flagship OS.

“After listening to feedback regarding the level of disclosure for Windows 10 updates, we decided to implement a new system for communicating updates to the operating system,” a Microsoft representative said. “Today we are rolling out the Windows 10 update history site, a hub for the release notes that will accompany each update and serve as a historical record of prior release notes.”
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-10/update-history-windows-10

There is also a page with Windows 10 release information.

Patch Tuesday information for all related Windows versions: https://technet.microsoft.com/library/security/ms16-feb

---

Fine, but where is the list for other windows versions that shows, which update just "pushes" towards Windows 10?
Now, that's just smoke grenades to me...

---

Aloha, Uli

Fine, but where is the list for other windows versions that shows, which update just "pushes" towards Windows 10?
Now, that's just smoke grenades to me...

I would also like to add:

That's great that MS is finally telling people what the updates in 10 actually do, but it would still be nice if people could choose which updates they do and don't get if they would like that option.

And a "historical record" is an amusing way to put it, because we've seen with the individual KB numbers for updates so far, that the description of what they do changes over time, as more months progress and more people start to figure out what exactly some of these updates actually do.

All of the updates from "updates to avoid" have had that happen to them, specifically all the ones older than 308xxx. At first, they started off very vague, then they got pretty specific, and then they went back to being vague...but not the same topic that they were at first. Those descriptions change over time for some reason.

---

Linux laptop:
record uptime: 1511d 20h 19m (ended due to the power brick giving-up)

After months of complaints, Microsoft has finally opened a Windows 10 Update History web site that will document the changes it makes to its flagship OS.

“After listening to feedback regarding the level of disclosure for Windows 10 updates, we decided to implement a new system for communicating updates to the operating system,” a Microsoft representative said. “Today we are rolling out the Windows 10 update history site, a hub for the release notes that will accompany each update and serve as a historical record of prior release notes.”
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-10/update-history-windows-10

There is also a page with Windows 10 release information.

Patch Tuesday information for all related Windows versions: https://technet.microsoft.com/library/security/ms16-feb

Greetings Jord,

Wow! First thing I see when I go to that site is a blue line at the bottom stating that that page is for Window$ 10 and that I have a previous version and to click a link to learn how to upgrade to Window$ 10.

Pushy aren't they? ;)

Keep on BOINCing...! :)

[edit]Also, so I guess that the "history" of Window$ 10 updates only goes back to yesterday, Feb 9th. What about all the "history" going back to July 2015 Micro$oft?[/edit]

---

CAPT Siran d'Vel'nahr - L L & P _\\//
Winders 11 OS? "What a piece of junk!" - L. Skywalker
"Logic is the cement of our civilization with which we ascend from chaos using reason as our guide." - T'Plana-hath

Greetings,

Ok, now this is weird!!!

I was looking at the Window$ 10 Servicing Options page and saw the following at the bottom of it:

DRAGONSAT512CLARYMESQUITETEXASMPSSGESTAPOMARTIALLAWS
DANGER GLASSHOUSES LIVING WITH ENEMIES WILLIAM ANTONY KWASNICA HOSTAGE FULLY BRAINDEAD AB[SATSMAMUERTEOPUSDEINECROMANCY]

Does anyone have a clue as to what it is or means?

Keep on BOINCing...! :)

---

CAPT Siran d'Vel'nahr - L L & P _\\//
Winders 11 OS? "What a piece of junk!" - L. Skywalker
"Logic is the cement of our civilization with which we ascend from chaos using reason as our guide." - T'Plana-hath