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Woman wins $10k judgment against Microsoft for forced Windows 10 upgrade

extremetech.com

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Re: Woman wins $10k judgment against Microsoft for forced Windows 10 upgrade

#171

Post by Shorel »

dgritsko wrote: post #20
JoeAltmaier wrote: post #10

There are many helpful things about Windows 10 - security, update, performance. Then there's the new screwed-up interface. If they'd staged these two, or offered them separately, there'd be less resistance.

What do you mean by "screwed-up interface"? After using 10 (upgraded from 7) for the last few months, I can only say that the interface is better. Any changes that I've noticed have been improvements, so I'm genuinely curious as to what you're referring to.

I feel Windows 10 still has an inferior interface when compared to Ubuntu, when it comes to Virtual Desktops support and the CLI. Also, some minor details like volume control, Wi-Fi network selection and USB devices are noticeable superior in Ubuntu.

However, I like the tablet oriented interface, as I have a convertible laptop, and it makes for a truly fantastic comic reader.

Re: Woman wins $10k judgment against Microsoft for forced Windows 10 upgrade

#172

Post by snerbles »

Fordrus wrote: post #161
snerbles wrote: post #97

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It was either not fully thought out, or Microsoft's analysis figured that it would cost less to do it this way. Anecdote: When I worked dispatch, the local Network Operations Center pushed out an update that forcibly rebooted all of our Windows workstations...including the machine that ran inbound emergency calls. The admins at the NOC didn't think that anyone would dial 911 at three in the morning. No malfeasance, b…

See, this is a GREAT comparison, because thinking, "No one will call 911 at 3am" EASILY falls into the realm of destructive negligence. Like "I didn't realize these cars could be hit from the side!" or, "I didn't realize how much worse I drive when I am drunk, officer!" In the 3am 911 case, those admins could EASILY have cost LIVES with their decision. If that inbound call handler's machine had updates waiting, or mo…

> and if those admins didn't get into DEEP TROUBLE, they're either very lucky or your administrative discipline system is VERY broken

Our commander talked to their commander, I'm sure at least one finger was wagged at them in disapproval.

Re: Woman wins $10k judgment against Microsoft for forced Windows 10 upgrade

#173

Post by apozem »

Microsoft's dishonest and manipulative tricks to force Windows 10 upgrades are terrible for regular users or people who just aren't ready to make the jump.

I have a non-techie friend who works in a veterinary clinic who recently texted me that the computers in her office had gone down after being forcibly upgraded to Windows 10. No computers meant having a hell of a time looking up records for the dogs and what medicine they were supposed to get.

Not only is this forced upgrade business unethical, it's potentially dangerous. Some Windows systems haven't been upgraded because they're too important to tinker with.

Re: Woman wins $10k judgment against Microsoft for forced Windows 10 upgrade

#174

Post by johansch »

cm2187 wrote: post #100

What I find surprising is that I see tech journalists reporting the issues, I see people complaining about these forced upgrades and the privacy invasion in windows 10 on forums or around me, but I do not see the press confronting Microsoft on any of this. Has anyone seen any interview where Nadella is pressed with questions on why they think it's OK to treat customer this way? All the interviews I have seen of Micro…

"These aren't real journalists, Richard. They're tech journalists.”

Re: Woman wins $10k judgment against Microsoft for forced Windows 10 upgrade

#176

Post by jboles »

Someone1234 wrote: post #59
Filligree wrote: post #33

I had about three GB free on my root partition. Windows 10 was automatically installed. Well, partially. You can probably guess what happened; if this had happened to anyone else in the family, their computer would have been effectively bricked. I used to spend most of my time in Linux anyway, but now I'm justifiably scared of booting Windows.

Windows 10 won't attempt to install unless it has enough space to complete, and they look for 16 GB. So what I suspect actually occurred is that your hypervisor was set up to misreport how much space as available to Windows, so Windows 10 tried to install on the space it thought it had, only to hit the wall on the "real" filesystem below. It is unlikely this ever would have occurred to anyone else in your family, unl…

Sounds like the case. I'm guessing it was on an expanding virtual machine disk image, in which case the problem is user error rather than Windows.

Re: Woman wins $10k judgment against Microsoft for forced Windows 10 upgrade

#177

Post by 794CD01 »

FussyZeus wrote: post #101
794CD01 wrote: post #91

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Where have they refused to be up front about any of this? As far as I'm aware, they have detailed all of those things except how exactly they anonymize the data, which I haven't seen anyone specifically ask them about.

There's no way to turn it off. It says it's turned off, and it's still sending shit to Redmond. That's unacceptable and deceptive. I do not use software that lies to me, period, paragraph.

You can turn it off via group policy if you have windows enterprise. If you just want to complain that the cheaper version doesn't have the feature you want, and you don't want to pay the higher price for the version that does have it, that's your right, but I don't have much sympathy for that.

Re: Woman wins $10k judgment against Microsoft for forced Windows 10 upgrade

#178

Post by Jordrok »

anowlcalledjosh wrote: post #102
SixSigma wrote: post #50

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In 32 days it won't be free any more (July 29)

Thank God for that. I'll finally be able to boot my Windows partition again without worrying if it's going to nuke my Linux install.

You're giving them a lot of credit. Would anyone be surprised at this point if that was just the date where the malware evolves into ransomware? How easy it would be for MS to automatically "upgrade" people to Windows 10 but then lock them out of their system until they buy a verified key.

Re: Woman wins $10k judgment against Microsoft for forced Windows 10 upgrade

#179

Post by jerf »

lfowles wrote: post #99
JoeAltmaier wrote: post #77

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Huh? I upgraded a 32-bit version of Win10 without any problem. So they exist. Maybe not for every platform?

I was unable to upgrade my wife's old 32bit computer, but I think it was some other bit of CPU capability that was the stopper. Edit: It was NX bit support.

Heh. Whatever capability it is that would be required, this would be the netbook that didn't have it. It's not a high quality machine.

We/she keep buying cheapos for her... we're to the point now where I would have been better off buying a Real Machine up in the ~$400 price point instead, which would probably have outlasted any three of the cheapos by now. I really ought to have known better. Ah well, live and learn, learn, learn again.

Re: Woman wins $10k judgment against Microsoft for forced Windows 10 upgrade

#180

Post by cordite »

givinguflac wrote: post #49
themartorana wrote: post #42

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have mixed feelings about this. I'm with you 100% on having the explicit opportunity to opt out of updates like this. That said, a large swath of Windows users are not nearly as technically literate as you and your mother are, and automatically helping people forward (if for nothing else, security fixes and ongoing support) is a Good Thing in my book (so long as it's free, and it is). There is no doubt there are co…

Support it if you want, but you seriously think it's OK for the PC to restart in the middle of a call? What if the user is doing something mission critical; it's acceptable to just wait an hour (or more likely several) to get back to work because "MS knows best"?? There is nothing to stop it from just doing it all over again either. I will never use Windows again because of this behavior.

Restarting and installing a new OS without intent during a call is definitely bad.

Also, restarting to install updates while in the middle of a presentation at work was disrupting and humiliating. Happened to me.

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