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The new Windows update made me think I'd installed malware

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Re: The new Windows update made me think I'd installed malware

#31
post #2

I wish Microsoft (and others) would understand that "no" means "no", not "keep assaulting me with the same question later under different pretexts".

Tech companies sure love to run the domestic abuser's playbook:

* I want to know everything about you and who you talk to (privacy violations)

* I can change deals unilaterally and do whatever I want without your say-so (disrespecting user agency)

* You can't leave me (vendor lock-in)

Re: The new Windows update made me think I'd installed malware

#32
post #23

After every Windows update I tend to open Everything search, look for certain "msedge.exe", "bing", "teams", "onedrive", and "outlook" files that may have creeped into my computer. I've learned which to delete, and which files I should leave alone. I use "EMCO UnLock IT" to get rid of the locked files. Rarely I also hunt down garbage in the registry, and that also took experience to learn what to leave alone.

That is sooo much hassle just to install a plain update. At what point does it become enough of a distraction for people to abandon windows?

Based on the sheer number of users, never.

Let's apply a bit of logic similar to the Drake Equation. In the total number of Windows installs, how many of them have users that are even aware of any of this? of that number, how many of them are technically savvy enough to care? of that number, how many of them take the time to do anything about? of that number, how many of them do not read this forum?

Re: The new Windows update made me think I'd installed malware

#33
post #7
post #2

I wish Microsoft (and others) would understand that "no" means "no", not "keep assaulting me with the same question later under different pretexts".

The problem with updates. For me at least. Is that I'm never sure if I really hate them because they're worse, or if I hate them because I've gotten used to how things are. Windows XP was peak os for me, but I think it's better now overall, I just preferred/learned XP.

Well, the question is do you think something gets better occasionally?

Windows XP was good for its time. Vista was a disaster but I understand its necessity. Windows 7 was actively good. Windows 8 was a disaster. Windows 10 has been just okay. Windows 11 is an unmitigated disaster.

Windows is now such a disaster that it is permanent VM bait, and I never see that changing ever again.

Re: The new Windows update made me think I'd installed malware

#34
post #23

After every Windows update I tend to open Everything search, look for certain "msedge.exe", "bing", "teams", "onedrive", and "outlook" files that may have creeped into my computer. I've learned which to delete, and which files I should leave alone. I use "EMCO UnLock IT" to get rid of the locked files. Rarely I also hunt down garbage in the registry, and that also took experience to learn what to leave alone.

That is sooo much hassle just to install a plain update. At what point does it become enough of a distraction for people to abandon windows?

> That is sooo much hassle just to install a plain update. At what point does it become enough of a distraction for people to abandon windows?

Or, alternatively, at what point does it become enough of a distraction for people to abandon automatic updates, or updating software in general? After all, if you don't update, you won't have to suffer any of these distractions (or, at least, any new distractions).

For us, it might be easy to say "just switch to an alternate operating system", but keeping the same operating system and blocking all updates can be less hassle for a lot of people.

Re: The new Windows update made me think I'd installed malware

#35
post #2

I wish Microsoft (and others) would understand that "no" means "no", not "keep assaulting me with the same question later under different pretexts".

The self-advertising pop-ups always have responses like "I obey" or "remind me later". Never "go away forever".

CHOOSE A REASON TO QUIT ONEDRIVE

Re: The new Windows update made me think I'd installed malware

#38
I guess Microsoft realised that most users would install "third-party" adware anyway, and decided to get in on the action.

Fortunately these days computers have gotten to the point where you can run an old OS from them, like 98/2K in the browser[1][2], or make a little VM and install it, so you can remind yourself that MS wasn't always like that.

IMHO the messages coming with updates started becoming intensely creepy around Windows 10, the first time the unskippable "all your files are exactly where you left them" ominous ransomware-like screen appeared:

https://www.reddit.com/r/windows/comments/3x88yj/all_your_fi...

[1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15763418

[2] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38376731

Re: The new Windows update made me think I'd installed malware

#39
post #28

How is this not literally the same kind of monopolistic behavior (abusing dominance in one platform to gain an advantage in another) that Microsoft has gotten in trouble over in the past? Between injecting "hey edge is a perfectly good browser" when trying to download Chrome [0, 1], repeatedly clobbering default browser settings across OS updates [2], ignoring the default browser settings [3], and now injecting promp…

This is worse, much worse. In the past they got in trouble over simply including IE with the OS, where it was just present, and they were not even pestering you to use it.

Re: The new Windows update made me think I'd installed malware

#40
post #2

I wish Microsoft (and others) would understand that "no" means "no", not "keep assaulting me with the same question later under different pretexts".

Tech companies sure love to run the domestic abuser's playbook: * I want to know everything about you and who you talk to (privacy violations) * I can change deals unilaterally and do whatever I want without your say-so (disrespecting user agency) * You can't leave me (vendor lock-in)

“I am altering the deal. Pray I don’t alter it any further.”
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