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Anomalous CPU utilization on Windows build node caused by ads

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Re: Anomalous CPU utilization on Windows build node caused by ads

#241

Post by jchw »

withinrafael wrote: post #239
jchw wrote: post #156

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Because its buried far down and I can’t edit my post, I want to hijack this post to point out that it turns out in newer builds MS has actually removed the Candy Crush auto installation. https://mspoweruser.com/rejoice-windows-users-candy-crush-is... I didn’t notice because my Windows 10 image is out of date, presumably getting the latest ISO would fix the problem.

Nope. This feature bootstraps from the web and it's still in the latest update post-fresh install. This article is incorrect.

I will investigate, but if you have a solid source for that it would save me the trouble. Thanks anyways. I’d really like for MS to stop doing this if they haven’t, I have a personal ban on running Windows outside of VMs until its over.

UPDATE:

Sigh... you are correct. Fresh install, Win10 Pro, same garbage.

https://i.imgur.com/zDWo4Hb.png

Re: Anomalous CPU utilization on Windows build node caused by ads

#242

Post by userbinator »

umvi wrote: post #8
jchw wrote: post #2

The duality of modern Microsoft is absolutely astounding. How they can simultaneously do incredible things for Github, and open source Windows components, while continuing to not fix the most user hostile Windows ever produced, is completely bonkers. My litmus test for whether Windows is finally fixed is whether of not it’s possible to install it without Candy Crush, but unfortunately without killing the network and…

> The duality of modern Microsoft is absolutely astounding. See: http://bonkersworld.net/organizational-charts I don't work there, but I've heard Microsoft is more like a federation of organizations than one giant consistent, cohesive team.

I've talked to some Microsoft employees who use the Server edition of Windows on their primary development machines, especially instead of Windows 10, since they can legally do that easily. Apparently it's somewhat popular to do that. I think it's quite telling when its own employees avoid Win10.

Re: Anomalous CPU utilization on Windows build node caused by ads

#243

Post by jchw »

jchw wrote: post #148
zarathustraa wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> My litmus test for whether Windows is finally fixed is whether of not it’s possible to install it without Candy Crush https://mspoweruser.com/rejoice-windows-users-candy-crush-is... What's you new litmus test?

Thank you. I installed Windows as early as last month (in a VM) and still got Candy Crush. This is probably because my ISO image was not fully up to date. I was not aware of this change but it is greatly appreciated. I can no longer modify the parent comment but if dang or anyone else with permission wants to please feel free. No need for a new litmus test, though solving the problem of Edge opening MSN ads after upd…

Correction: It still happens with a completely fresh install, just like withinrafael claims.

https://i.imgur.com/zDWo4Hb.png

Very sad.

Re: Anomalous CPU utilization on Windows build node caused by ads

#244

Post by throwaway808080 »

jtdev wrote: post #6

A related observation: I have between 4-8 *nix, MacOS, iOS, machines running on my home network at any given time. I’m using piHole (with base config) to block ad traffic. My blocked percentage hovers around ~10%... until I boot up my one Windows 10 machine, which spikes the blocked ad traffic to ~25% and remains that high -with zero applications running mind you - until I shutdown the machine, after which it quickly…

I was in the Windows org for a bit and this is one of the reasons why I quit Microsoft. I couldn’t live with myself that I am working on something that frustrates users by shoving ads in their face.

Every time our tests ran the windows menu showed ads. Edge default home page showed ads. An OS was supposed to be on the users side and Windows wasn’t.

I quit and have been much happier. Although I work for a tracking company so may be I am a hypocrite. But my current employer has strong ethics when it comes to GDPR, DNT cookie, No cross domain tracking Yada yada.

Re: Anomalous CPU utilization on Windows build node caused by ads

#245

Post by panpanna »

FullMetalBitch wrote: post #210
jtdev wrote: post #191

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Did you customize the allow domains?

What do you mean the allow domains? It seems windows pro receives less ads than home so it may be that. Anyway there have been times where I was doing heavy browsing where I got over 20% and some times over 25%. I also block everything from facebook. My top blocked domains today are: self.events.data.microsoft.com, activity.windows.com, watson.telemetry.microsoft.com and reddit.map.fastly.com

These don't even sound as ad site:

self.events.data.microsoft.com, activity.windows.com.

Maybe you are blocking some legitimate traffic, forcing it to retry many times?

Re: Anomalous CPU utilization on Windows build node caused by ads

#246

Post by panpanna »

agumonkey wrote: post #38
umvi wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> The duality of modern Microsoft is absolutely astounding. See: http://bonkersworld.net/organizational-charts I don't work there, but I've heard Microsoft is more like a federation of organizations than one giant consistent, cohesive team.

So are most big corps methinks. Here about Nokia death caused by internal tension between depts ? Sony sub-units more or less completely independent (selling cd and cd-burners).

Sony is NOT like that.

For example their phones have extremely complicated DRM that makes everything slower (and reserves tons of memory and even affects things like camera) because of their movie and music business.

Re: Anomalous CPU utilization on Windows build node caused by ads

#248

Post by gmueckl »

la_barba wrote: post #215
gmueckl wrote: post #142

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How can WINE ever be as good as Windows when it is forever doomed to play catchup with a vast team of developers and decades of secret compatibility hacks that make Windows behave differently for different applications on purpose? I know that the hacks exist in a special shim layer and Windows has a database of applications that require certain sets of shims enabled. But details like an actual documentation of the in…

Well the WINE folks have their heart in the right place, but its not really a good idea to re-implement a proprietary API for the purposes of binary compatibility. In any case, it makes sense for Windows Version N+1 to ensure compatibility with buggy applications that worked in Windows Version N. From an end-user standpoint I would hope all operating systems invest resources in ensuring application compatibility.

That shim layer makes sense. The real problem here is the lack of documentation. You can either reverse engineer aplication behaviour one application at a time to create your own layer or you can try to reverse engineer the database of hacks, which is skirting reverse engineering restrictions in the Windows EULA. Either one is time consuming.

Re: Anomalous CPU utilization on Windows build node caused by ads

#249

Post by whereistimbo »

jchw wrote: post #241
withinrafael wrote: post #239

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Nope. This feature bootstraps from the web and it's still in the latest update post-fresh install. This article is incorrect.

I will investigate, but if you have a solid source for that it would save me the trouble. Thanks anyways. I’d really like for MS to stop doing this if they haven’t, I have a personal ban on running Windows outside of VMs until its over. UPDATE: Sigh... you are correct. Fresh install, Win10 Pro, same garbage. https://i.imgur.com/zDWo4Hb.png

Are you signed into Microsoft account or using local account?

I've heard that Microsoft account sync the start menu layout, so it might come from your previous install.

I'm using Win10 1903 fresh install (local account) and I haven't get candy crush tile ever.

Re: Anomalous CPU utilization on Windows build node caused by ads

#250

Post by Razengan »

4bpp wrote: post #225
semi-extrinsic wrote: post #82

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Between Gimp, Inkscape and Krita, what are the things not covered in this domain?

GIMP: My understanding is that at some point the UI design brahmins at GNOME decided that GTK+ must not support MDI (as in the UI paradigm where you have a container window with subwindows floating around inside it), and moreover the same kind of user interface should be implemented at the top level because a good window manager should be able of keeping an application's windows together. Well, no such window manager…

> GNOME decided that GTK+ must not support MDI (as in the UI paradigm where you have a container window with subwindows floating around inside it), and moreover the same kind of user interface should be implemented at the top level because a good window manager should be able of keeping an application's windows together.

This is what macOS does, and does it well. Aqua/Quartz (is it still called that?) doesn't support (or at least doesn't encourage) MDI either, but unlike Windows it's app-centric instead of document-centric, which can annoy some Windows users when ALL of an app's windows come to front when they click on its icon in the dock.

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