Microsoft is testing a Green Screen of Death for Windows 10, with even less information about the problem, just that they are collecting information and that you can reboot.

Gotta wonder what information is being collected, how and where that's sent to and for how long it's being kept there. Does that include personal information as who was on the computer, what site(s) were they on, screenshots of the site(s), login information, etc. etc.?

And the other question is when a malware developer will use the new screen to make it their own restart message so the nasty (ransom-)malware can do their job?

The Green screen has all the information as the Blue screen. It's simply a color change on Insider Preview builds, so that when testers post the screens online, MS can recognize them as coming from a preview (and not a release) build.

http://www.theverge.com/2016/12/29/14111584/microsoft-windows-10-green-screen-of-death

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Creator's Edition of W10 Warning
I just wanted to remind you that MS installs their bare NVidia drivers...........You must download and install NVidia drivers from their site to continue to crunch on your NVidia card(s).
This is because it acts as a new install which means my bank will no longer recognize the computer, nor does my server. I had to reconfigure the server to recognize the HDs and will expect a call from my bank when I first access my account there.

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SETI@home classic workunits 4,019
SETI@home classic CPU time 34,348 hours

Creator's Edition of W10 Warning
I just wanted to remind you that MS installs their bare NVidia drivers...........You must download and install NVidia drivers from their site to continue to crunch on your NVidia card(s).
This is because it acts as a new install which means my bank will no longer recognize the computer, nor does my server. I had to reconfigure the server to recognize the HDs and will expect a call from my bank when I first access my account there.

Saw that also, early. Late.y, not so much. The drivers M$ is loading now seem to be OK. Issue before was the lack of OpenCL support.
Having said that, never a bad idea to get the drivers direct, but just keep in mind that the moment NV sends a new driver to M$, you'll get whether you want it or not. If you fall back, you'll get it again. and again ... and again ... YMMV

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Creator's Edition of W10 Warning
I just wanted to remind you that MS installs their bare NVidia drivers...........You must download and install NVidia drivers from their site to continue to crunch on your NVidia card(s).
This is because it acts as a new install which means my bank will no longer recognize the computer, nor does my server. I had to reconfigure the server to recognize the HDs and will expect a call from my bank when I first access my account there.

Saw that also, early. Late.y, not so much. The drivers M$ is loading now seem to be OK. Issue before was the lack of OpenCL support.
Having said that, never a bad idea to get the drivers direct, but just keep in mind that the moment NV sends a new driver to M$, you'll get whether you want it or not. If you fall back, you'll get it again. and again ... and again ... YMMV

I just installed the Creator Edition and the OpenCL support was not there on two computers that were not running the Insiders version.

I think what you were seeing (assuming you were running the Insider version) was that the last updates were just updates and not what essentially is a clean install. I did not have to update the drivers in any of the recent updates to the Insider versions that I am running - and they still are running insider versions with a higher build number than the Creator Edition.

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SETI@home classic workunits 4,019
SETI@home classic CPU time 34,348 hours

Creator's Edition of W10 Warning
I just wanted to remind you that MS installs their bare NVidia drivers...........You must download and install NVidia drivers from their site to continue to crunch on your NVidia card(s).
This is because it acts as a new install which means my bank will no longer recognize the computer, nor does my server. I had to reconfigure the server to recognize the HDs and will expect a call from my bank when I first access my account there.

I had denied device installation prior to the update and when I did the CU update the setting stayed in place. Checking the programs & features and the BOINC event log showed no change in the GPU driver version, but I did re-install the driver just to be on the safe side.

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I don't buy computers, I build them!!

I just wanted to remind you that MS installs their bare NVidia drivers...........You must download and install NVidia drivers from their site to continue to crunch on your NVidia card(s).

Exactly why I won't accept any more monthly roll ups from M$.

Creators Edition (once the bugs are sorted) will allow you to stop such updates for all versions other than the Basic/Home version without the need for registry hacks or using the Group Policy Editor.

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Grant
Darwin NT

BE WARY OF NEW WIN 10 AUTO BACK-UP TO A USB STICK !!

M$ strikes again! "May the force be with you, Obiwan", in trying to FIX it.

This feature is VERY useful IF you get it set-up and running, BUT BUT it has one VERY BAD point. I will explain below, near the end.

THE GOOD PART

First, you can access this option by clicking 'This PC/System' and 'Security/Save backup copies of your files with File History.' This brings up a 'Keep a history of your files' screen. If you want, click 'Turn on' to start it with a large USB stick plugged in.

Another option, or entry point, is to click, in the lower left, 'Windows/Settiings/Update & security/Backup.' Look for 'Automatically backup my files,' Click the 'Options' button and click 'Back up now,' if you wish.

I apologize if the 2 paragraphs above are out of order. I've been struggling with this new Win 10 update since I first got it a few days ago, and my memory may be foggy. :( Plz fergive? If not, deal with it! :)

Now, this IS a GOOD feature, but it comes with one SERIOUS, IMHO problem.

THE BAD PART

When you access the backup USB stick to see your backed up files, you will see a 'FileHistory' file. You will then have to 'drill down' thru about 7 layers to actually FIND your data. This is annoying.

BUT BUT, here is the VERY BAD part !!

When you drill down, and finally see your data files, you will find that MOST, if not ALL, of your file names have been corrupted, IMHO.

In what way, you ask?

Say you have a file in a folder named "Rent.txt" and it is a simple Notepad text file. You will find that this file has been renamed. The new name for "Rent.txt" MAY be either "Rent (2017_04_14 14_22_14 UTC).txt" OR maybe "Rent (2017_03_22_ 23_35_49 UTC) (2017_04_14 14_22_14 UTC).txt"

In the above I used dates I saw; yours, of course, will be different.

YOIKS !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I have seen BOTH variations. At first, and trying to think logically, I assumed that a NEW file would have the 'short' date, (today, the creation date), and an OLD file would have a LONG date, (the file creation date and the current date)? But, in looking at hundreds of my files, this does NOT seem to be the case. I see OLD files, from last month with a SHORT date and NOT the expected LONG date. There seems to be no logical rhyme or reason for the dating added to file names? It seems arbitrary. :(

BUT, BUT, here is the HORRIBLE up-shot of this 'file re-naming.' If you go to recover a lost file, or folder, guess what? YOU get the file or folder WITH all these 'UTC' dates ADDED! It is awful.

Now, there are roughly THREE things you can choose from on your recovered file or folder, you can manually edit each file and remove the 'UTC date,' use a code snippit to do it, or search the web for a fix. There are many links.

NOTE:

I'm including the BELOW for your info. I will send you a copy, with instructions, to your e-mail. It was written by a good friend, Claudiafiora Campese, a GOOD python programmer, BUT only if she ALLOWS me, OK? I need to get her permission first. However, it is a .py file. I am unsure if such a file can be sent via e-mail by my Mozilla Thunderbird e-mail client w/o it being corrupted? I know in years past I could send a .exe file BUT I had to change the 3-letter file extention to something the mailer 'liked.' :) However, I can ASSUME NO RESPONSIBILITY for its use. I would suggest you test it on a folder copy, NOT the original 'back-up' one. See how it works, and if your fears are resolved?

I do HAVE a 'code snippit,' the one mentioned above, that repairs most file names, BUT it is written using python code, and you need to have the free python app. I use 'python-2.7.2.amd64' app on my Win 10 Home 64-bit PC. ANY 2.0+ version EXCEPT 3.0, or above, should work if you can't find this exact one. You may find that a few files have not had the UTC removed; this is because the prog won't touch a file it is unsure of and leaves you to decide what to do with it. In my use of this code, it seems to either fix ALL or 90% of the re-named files. Extreme care must be used when running this prog; you really only want to use it for fixing desktop files or folders, and NEVER inside ANY system folder!

Enjoy your NEW Win 10! Hahaha. Thank you M$, huh?

River Song (aka Linda Latte)

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River Song (aka Linda Latte on planet Earth)
"Happy I-Phone girl on the GO GO GO"

Friend of mine linked me to this one today.

User-made patch lets owners of next-gen CPUs install updates on windows 7 and 8.1 wrote:

GitHub user Zeffy has created a patch that removes a limitation that Microsoft imposed on users of 7th generation processors, a limit that prevents users from receiving Windows updates if they still use Windows 7 and 8.1.

This limitation was delivered through Windows Update KB4012218 (March 2017 Patch Tuesday) and has made many owners of Intel Kaby Lake and AMD Bristol Ridge CPUs very angry last week, as they weren't able to install any Windows updates.
...
His scripts worked as intended by patching Windows DLL files, skipping the CPU version check, and delivering updates to Windows 7 and 8.1 computers running 7th generation CPUs.
...
By running a simple diff operation on these files, he was able to discover two new functions "IsCPUSupported(void)" and "IsDeviceServiceable(void)" inside the March 2017 version of wuaueng.dll, delivered through KB4012218.

Zeffy's scripts patch this DLL file and make the two functions output "1", which translates to "supported CPU." This, in turn, starts the update procedure, delivering new security updates to users Microsoft wanted to block.

I still suspect getting updates from my WSUS setup will work without needing workarounds--my WSUS database doesn't have new update clients, nor any of the stuff to avoid from the GWX debacle, nor a lot of the "convenience rollups" since I don't inherently trust most of what's in those anyway. YMMV.

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

Batten down the hatches, Ransomware infections reported worldwide.
A massive ransomware campaign appears to have infected a number of organisations around the world.

Computers in thousands of locations have apparently been locked by a program that demands $300 (£230) in Bitcoin.

There have been reports of infections in as many as 74 countries, including the UK, US, China, Russia, Spain, Italy and Taiwan.

Update your Windows people. Get at least MS17-010.

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Windows XP to receive a security update after last night's WannaCry attack: https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/msrc/2017/05/12/customer-guidance-for-wannacrypt-attacks/

We also know that some of our customers are running versions of Windows that no longer receive mainstream support. That means those customers will not have received the above mentioned Security Update released in March. Given the potential impact to customers and their businesses, we made the decision to make the Security Update for platforms in custom support only, Windows XP, Windows 8, and Windows Server 2003, broadly available for download (see links below).

Download security updates for: Windows Server 2003 SP2 x64, Windows Server 2003 SP2 x86, Windows XP SP2 x64, Windows XP SP3 x86, Windows XP Embedded SP3 x86, Windows 8 x86, Windows 8 x64

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Windows XP to receive a security update after last night's WannaCry attack:

Shut the barn door LONG after the horse has bolted , like this will do much to help the NHS who have been royaly screwed by this .
And with the NHS it ain't as " simple " as update the o/s for several reasons that are easity found on the net if you spend a bit of time looking

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Life is what you make of it :-)

When i'm good i'm very good , but when i'm bad i'm shi#eloads better ;-) In't I " buttercups " p.m.s.l at authoritie !!;-)

NO RANSOMWARE PROBLEMS !!

Thanks to the very latest Win 10 update the day before the malware hit, AND the Malwarebytes Premium up-date the same day !!
YAY!

Stay here on Earth. It's the only planet with DARK CHOCOLATE !!

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River Song (aka Linda Latte on planet Earth)
"Happy I-Phone girl on the GO GO GO"

Creator's Edition of W10 Warning
I just wanted to remind you that MS installs their bare NVidia drivers...........You must download and install NVidia drivers from their site to continue to crunch on your NVidia card(s).

Saw that also, early. Late.y, not so much.

I just installed the Creator Edition and the OpenCL support was not there on two computers that were not running the Insiders version.

Ditto. Thanks to the email update bug didn't get this thread telling me, either. Oh well ...

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Microsoft updates Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 8, and Windows Server 2003 which fix three remaining vulnerabilities built by the National Security Agency, which the company previously said it would not fix.. Available via here or Windows Update.

Or read the ZDNet article.

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BOINC SCREENSAVER "FIXED" BY M$ BUT NOW BUSTED AGAIN...

See my post below in another Message Board and read on UP above it for the whole story...

Message 1871861 - Posted: 9 Jun 2017, 2:42:55 UTC - in response to Message 1871808.
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Months back I posted here about the BOINC Screen Saver not working after the up-date to the "latest and greatest" M$ offering was forced down my throat by them, w/o my wanting it.

The post referenced above, in Message 1871861, details all the goings on with BOINC if you're interested.

I'm posting this info here as I think most here are in the "upper echelon" in regard the "inner workings" of Win 10 & seem to care more about it than some in a few other groups. :)

My second reason for posting this info here, in this group of high-level SETI supporters, is because I was dismayed to learn, back when, that few use the BOINC Screen Saver? I have found, over the years, that visitors to my home marvel when they see BOINC on my screen, and ask what it is and how to get it? They especially like what I call the "noise box," the image seemingly showing an actual scan for "E.T." signals. Of course I know, and YOU know, it is a phony, but it looks nice. :) I wish more in this "senior level" group would use it for the same reason I do, and that is to promote SETI. :) Please forgive. No offense intended if you don't. Just this girl's 2 cents worth. :)

Stay here on Earth. It's the only planet with DARK CHOCOLATE !!

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River Song (aka Linda Latte on planet Earth)
"Happy I-Phone girl on the GO GO GO"

BOINC SCREENSAVER "FIXED" BY M$ BUT NOW BUSTED AGAIN...

I had the same problem and have determined in the case of my machine I need to reboot the system(minimum 'Restart', preferred 'Cold Start'), daily. This machine is also the primary 'viewer' for my external security cameras so it requires a daily reboot of that system at the same time, after which the Boinc Screensaver worked.

Also check if you have M$ updates waiting for download or install(which usually requires a restart), this was also the case on my machine.

As each machine is unique in environment and configuration this may or may not work for you.

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"Sour Grapes make a bitter Whine." <(0)>

BOINC SCREENSAVER "FIXED" BY M$ BUT NOW BUSTED AGAIN...

I had the same problem and have determined in the case of my machine I need to reboot the system(minimum 'Restart', preferred 'Cold Start'), daily. This machine is also the primary 'viewer' for my external security cameras so it requires a daily reboot of that system at the same time, after which the Boinc Screensaver worked.

Also check if you have M$ updates waiting for download or install(which usually requires a restart), this was also the case on my machine.

As each machine is unique in environment and configuration this may or may not work for you.

THANK YOU for your post!

I've tried a re-boot several times and all update are current. There is nothing waiting to be installed. :(

If I go thru the screen saver startup procedure, and hit 'Preview' sometimes the "noise box" pops up, and other times all I get is "screensaver loading." if I DO get the "noise box" on 'Preview' the screensaver will usually work, but only for a short time. :(

NUTZ! TOTAL NUTZ!

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River Song (aka Linda Latte on planet Earth)
"Happy I-Phone girl on the GO GO GO"

Quick note re: my experience with "Creators" update. It downgraded my NVidia drivers during the upgrade, and of course the M$ versions still do not contain OpenCL, taking those crunchers out of service. What are they smoking in Redmond these days?

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Quick note re: my experience with "Creators" update. It downgraded my NVidia drivers during the upgrade, and of course the M$ versions still do not contain OpenCL, taking those crunchers out of service. What are they smoking in Redmond these days?

Now that you have the Creators update it should be possible to stop those video driver updates from occurring in future upgrades.

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Grant
Darwin NT

Quick note re: my experience with "Creators" update. It downgraded my NVidia drivers during the upgrade, and of course the M$ versions still do not contain OpenCL, taking those crunchers out of service. What are they smoking in Redmond these days?

Now that you have the Creators update it should be possible to stop those video driver updates from occurring in future upgrades.

I was looking for that, but so far if so I can't see where ...

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