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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

#171

Post by BlackFly »

bigbugbag wrote: post #129
kristianc wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The article points out that you can set hours when Windows will update.

The article fails to mention that rebooting is interpreted as a free "you can update my computer now" card.

The article also fails to mention that shutting down your computer and turning it back on will not install updates (by default). So if you regularly turn off your computer instead of rebooting it, the updates never get installed.

Then one day windows realizes, holy smokes, we have to install those updates now! And proceeds to restart your computer regardless of your update preferences, typically right in the middle of your business day.

Changing the updates to install on shutdown is slightly more challenging than disabling updates (it is hidden in an option about power settings on boot). So guess what people do?

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

#172

Post by appleflaxen »

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.

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

#173

Post by ams6110 »

UK-AL wrote: post #108
chrischen wrote: post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

MacOS handles this perfectly. It clearly notifies you when an update will be installed if you restart.

Windows also tells you it will perform an update on restart. It says "Update and restart" rather than just restart.

But it doesn't have a "restart and defer update" option. If you need to restart for some other reason, you're forced to take the update.

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

#174

Post by sumanthvepa »

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…

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.

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

#175

Post by majewsky »

yorwba wrote: post #82
noja wrote: post #49

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> 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. This is a good analogy, but does it work in different circumstances? (Apologies for the derail) Over on Android , the apps have got so big (and the storage was until recently so small) that automatic updates _cannot_ be installed - the new apps are too big, the phone is full. What do we do the…

In my case, buy a large SD card to put the apps on, then find out that only the primary storage can hold apps. I think this limitation has been lifted in more recent Android versions, but - of course - I can't upgrade. Moving all my photos and ebook .pdfs off did alleviate the burden somewhat, but hasn't completely solved it. My current workaround for very large apps is to uninstall, redownload, install. Apparently,…

Alternatively, buy an SD card, then notice that your phone does not have an SD card slot.

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

#176

Post by viraptor »

noja wrote: post #49
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…

> 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. This is a good analogy, but does it work in different circumstances? (Apologies for the derail) Over on Android , the apps have got so big (and the storage was until recently so small) that automatic updates _cannot_ be installed - the new apps are too big, the phone is full. What do we do the…

You're generalising over a whole bunch of devices with different specs. Sure, there was a problem with updates on the 8gb devices. But that was few hardware cycles ago, around 2.3. Now, those devices are around 1% usage, mostly have dead batteries and other components and it's hard to find a new Android device which lacks space for upgrades.

What to do? Upgrade the hardware. It's not supported anyway. Modern Android devices which have updates published do not have this problem anymore.

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

#177

Post by keldaris »

orf wrote: post #132
keldaris wrote: post #91

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Personally, I run a single Win10 desktop (all of my laptops are Linux-only) that I update roughly annually, by allocating an entire day for going through the updates one by one and getting rid of any Microsoft malware along the way. I am far more concerned about Microsoft's own malware than any ransomware floating around the Internet. Of course, I've also had SMBv1 disabled for many years (there's no reason to retain…

> I am far more concerned about Microsoft's own malware than any ransomware floating around the Internet. Then you are dangerously incompetent IMO.

If you're going to insult people on HN, the least you could do is substantiate your reasoning so the post has at least some content.

And while I'm sure there are many definitions by which I could be called "incompetent" (as could you or anyone else), I'm especially intrigued to know how the rather isolated setup I described would present a danger to anyone.

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

#178

Post by rhodysurf »

JorgeGT wrote: post #165
rhodysurf wrote: post #95

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This still isnt always useful. I work in an office that creates and runs CFD software. It often takes days, or weeks to run and the recent windows "feature" of rebooting when it wants to update with no way to shut it off has killed so many peoples work in progress. Its insane there is no ability to only update manually.

If your CFD software isn't saving at least the last converged timestep in order to restart the calculation if there's an unplanned interrupt maybe you should implement such a feature! It's been a lifesaver for me many times.

Yeah we have some way of saving state but its unreliable as of right now unfortunately. Definitely gunna use this an opportunity to push it back into priority though thanks!

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

#179

Post by rhodysurf »

masklinn wrote: post #105
rhodysurf wrote: post #95

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This still isnt always useful. I work in an office that creates and runs CFD software. It often takes days, or weeks to run and the recent windows "feature" of rebooting when it wants to update with no way to shut it off has killed so many peoples work in progress. Its insane there is no ability to only update manually.

> Its insane there is no ability to only update manually. There is.

How? Ive tried group policies and the like and nothing seems to stick.

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

#180

Post by thro1111111 »

capitalF wrote: post #145
eiji wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Taskbar > Context menu > Cortana > ( Hidden / Show icon / Show search box )

A better option is to open "gpedit.msc", then open "Local Computer Policy -> Computer Configuration -> Administrative Templates -> Windows Components" Then spend an afternoon going through each option, setting enabled/disabled for everything you don't want or don't recognize. You can easily disable entire subsystems like Cortana, tips, telemetry, camera, biometrics, error reporting, games, Homegroup, Defender, Window…

Do they stay deactivated even after updates?
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