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Don't tell people to turn off Windows Update

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Re: Don't tell people to turn off Windows Update

#201

Post by MikusR »

CydeWeys wrote: post #4

I love the way he's compared the people who tell you to turn off auto-updates with anti-vaxxers; it's quite an apt analogy. Microsoft shares part of the blame here for pushing features that the user clearly doesn't want through updates (especially to the major OS version). Look at the recent ads in Windows file explorer for one example. A lot of the advice to turn Windows Update off is a misguided response to Microso…

Ads in explorer in a sense as Ads in Firefox. If you navigate to Onedrive in explorer you get information that it's a service you can get more storage for.

Re: Don't tell people to turn off Windows Update

#202

Post by bcoates »

flohofwoe wrote: post #136
nugget wrote: post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The cleverest move was to integrate Cortana with local file and application search, which many users likely use as a universal command line/shortcut (hit windows key and just start typing). I find that when I disable Cortana, local search becomes severely degraded. If anyone has any tips on how to fix this, I'd appreciate them.

This works just as well in Windows7 (which doesn't have Cortana). Just hit the Windows key and start typing.

It's gone downhill since. Windows 8/10 search is virtually useless compared to Windows 7.

Re: Don't tell people to turn off Windows Update

#203

Post by Fifer82 »

madiathomas wrote: post #51
Fifer82 wrote: post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Is Satellite an option, that sounds pretty expensive.

Satellite isn't an option. Satellite here is used for digital TV only.

Sorry to hear that man, I used to have this problem and I used to hate feeling so limited. Was stressed out if I could download X file without it costing another limb. It is an outrageous business model which doesn't work for cases where connectivity is limited.

Re: Don't tell people to turn off Windows Update

#204

Post by vocatus_gate »

sumanthvepa wrote: post #174
vocatus_gate wrote: post #154

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I worked in Antarctica last year, a "winter-over" contract as combination Network Engineer/Glacier Search and Rescue (GSAR) team member, at one of the very small U.S. research stations. In the atmospheric/climatology lab there are a number of computers running very specific versions of Windows (down to specific patches) tailored to really obscure science research software packages, some industry standard, most custom…

Out of curiosity, would it not have been a better idea to build your experiments/software on Linux or a BSD variant? Was it a lack of software drivers for your equipment? Given the precise control you can get over the operating environment on these OSes, you can pretty much ensure that the environment your programs run under will never change.

They weren't "my" experiments - I was the station network engineer with double-duty as helpdesk/IT person.

Imagine this: you're a broke grad student and you're given $xx grant money to conduct a certain experiment in N months. What are you going to spend your VERY limited time+money on? Finding a good Linux hardware developer to roll some custom solution that no one can understand or support? Or just throw together some hacky Python or .net MVP that will run on Windows which practically anyone in the world can troubleshoot with basic knowledge?

Linux is great and all (runs on all my systems except one), but it is NOT the best option when there are heavy time constraints and the system is going somewhere very remote where there will be one, MAYBE two people with basic IT knowledge to troubleshoot.

Re: Don't tell people to turn off Windows Update

#205

Post by creshal »

appleflaxen wrote: post #172

This article is incomplete without calling out microsoft at the same time. Not many technophiles would object to a stream of pure security patches; the problem is that there isn't one. By doing MS auto-update, you could have your entire OS upgraded wholesale. If your only alternative is to manually manage updates... I guess I can see why some people opt out.

Oh, there is: Windows 10 Enterprise LTSB. What, you don't want to pay $350 on top of your Windows 10 Pro license? Too bad! Here's some mobile games for you to play.

Re: Don't tell people to turn off Windows Update

#206

Post by setq »

bigbugbag wrote: post #195
madiathomas wrote: post #81

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In my case, it is simply too expensive to download updates. I live in a country which is notorious for expensive data prices. I don't mind interruptions. That's a good problem to have. The choice for me is between spending a week's worth of groceries to download updates periodically or spending that money to buy food and risk getting my PC infected.

You have a few possible alternative: switch to a different kind of OS, use sneakernet to share updates with people around you. etc

Talking of which: http://download.wsusoffline.net/

Re: Don't tell people to turn off Windows Update

#207

Post by tmsldd »

vocatus_gate wrote: post #163
ZoFreX wrote: post #148

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> No mention that disabling Microsoft update trend is a logical answer No, it isn't. Disabling update isn't a logical answer to _anything_ except "what's the best way to get malware". If you don't want Microsoft's "spyware" don't install their OS. There is no coherent logic to simultaneously not trusting Microsoft, and running their code - any version of it.

No. In THEORY you're more vulnerable to exploits in the wild by disabling Windows Update. In REALITY you're statistically FAR more likely to be harassed and have your software/apps/OS break due to Microsoft's "very similar to malware-style" forced updates. I disabled Win10 updates over 1.5 years ago with zero issue. Security people love to claim the sky is falling, but it's all about risk/reward. Risk of issue due to…

In theory we are less vulnerable by disabling Windows and installing other OS... but I guess .. just in theory..

Re: Don't tell people to turn off Windows Update

#208

Post by vocatus_gate »

majewsky wrote: post #190
vocatus_gate wrote: post #154

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I worked in Antarctica last year, a "winter-over" contract as combination Network Engineer/Glacier Search and Rescue (GSAR) team member, at one of the very small U.S. research stations. In the atmospheric/climatology lab there are a number of computers running very specific versions of Windows (down to specific patches) tailored to really obscure science research software packages, some industry standard, most custom…

Serious question: Can you sue them for damages, or did they put the right weasel words into the EULA?

I'd imagine with the resources at Microsoft's disposal their legal team has every possibility covered.

Re: Don't tell people to turn off Windows Update

#209

Post by oneeyedpigeon »

ams6110 wrote: post #170
oneeyedpigeon wrote: post #137

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It also gives you the option of re-trying the update "tonight" which takes up WAY too much of my cognitive load. "Tonight" doesn't appear to be configurable, or even well-defined, although an obscure knowledge-base article tells me it's between "2:00 and 5:00 a.m", which is nothing like my expectation of what "tonight" means. Does that run if my laptop is sleeping? What about if it needs to reboot? I really should kn…

Pretty sure that "tonight" just dismisses the prompt until "tonight" at which point you'll see it again, it doesn't irrevocably schedule the update for "tonight."

I think you're probably right which, given that "tonight" means between 02:00 and 05:00, explains why I never get around to applying those updates.

Re: Don't tell people to turn off Windows Update

#210

Post by Freak_NL »

vocatus_gate wrote: post #154
retox wrote: post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I believe at one point the windows 10 complete installer was downloaded to everyone, 'just incase' they decided to install. Really narrow-minded behaviour.

I worked in Antarctica last year, a "winter-over" contract as combination Network Engineer/Glacier Search and Rescue (GSAR) team member, at one of the very small U.S. research stations. In the atmospheric/climatology lab there are a number of computers running very specific versions of Windows (down to specific patches) tailored to really obscure science research software packages, some industry standard, most custom…

> Of course Microsoft blasts Win10 installer files down our very expensive, very slow satellite link […]

The lesson there is that you should always quarantine computers that need to be pinned on very specific versions of an OS, especially in such a precarious setting! Those computers should not have been able to communicate over the internet at all, except for those cases where communication is part of their purpose (e.g., monitoring the experiments), and that should happen via a dedicated VPN allowing only the traffic necessary.

I'm surprised this isn't the standard operating procedure for this kind of case.

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