get rid of windows 10 upgrade

[nikos]

if you are on windows 7 and you are going mad with microsoft trying to push windows 10 on you, you must uninstall KB3035583 that puts GWX.EXE on your task notification and then add the "no update" DisableOSUpgrade registry key as explained in KB3080351

microsoft must be run by mad eejits

[Kilmatead]

It's even more fun if you're looking to replace/upgrade your old computer equipment as MS is withdrawing support (compatibility updates): Skylake-Users Given-18-months to Upgrade-to Windows 10.

It's already quite difficult to install Win7 on some new boards, as the Win7 install discs don't include USB3 drivers and so you can't use a non-PS/2 keyboard (i.e., any kind of USB) or mouse during the install process, nor can you install from anything other than a SATA-connected (non-USB) optical drive, which virtually rules out all new laptops.

If Win10 wasn't suspicious enough, there's something a little dodgy about being so heavy-handed in general. Why would anyone want to move to an OS which gives you zero control over receiving updates, especially after MS fired its QA Dep?

[Kilmatead]

As of Feb 1st, they aren't just pushing it as a mild reminder anymore, they are now forcing it down the throat of the unwary updater.

[nikos]

i haven't seen any more hassle after setting the "disable upgrade" registry bit above.

[Tuxman]

2014: "Get rid of Microsoft! They are pure capitalism and evil! Leen0x gives you free upgrades for a lifetime!"

2016: "Get rid of Microsoft! They give you free upgrades for a lifetime! Boooo!"

[Kilmatead]

2016: "Get rid of Microsoft! They give you free upgrades for a lifetime! Boooo!"

Leaving aside the question of whether Win10 (née Win8.2) is actually an upgrade or not, there is no such thing as a "free" upgrade with MS - everyone will pay, eventually - why else do you think updates can't be disabled, Office 365 has adopted the service-paradigm, and UEFI Secureboot verification requires an MS signature (to the obvious detriment of Linux)? These vectors have not come about by accident, and it is not one of arbitrary munificence towards the end-user (though obviously it's being "sold" as such).

At the moment, all of those things can be bypassed or simply avoided (or even ignored and shrugged-off by the languid masses), but not for much longer, since it's not just an OS branding question, but one of hardware-manufacturers leaving behind their independence and changing the playing field from within and not in a way beneficial to the consumer.

As headless, legless and haphazard as the Linux community is (on desktops), it's probably the only rational way forward, if essentially a hopeless (though spirited) one. It's too late now to ever become anything other than a co-opted has-been living on the noble mis-remembered history of its progenitors, but at least it will go down fighting, unlike everyone else.

Towards MS's heavy-handed approach to convincing users to "upgrade" - well, there is a very good reason that the only bit of wisdom which nature imparts to young women is the innate ability to recognise when the lusty-ardour and lies of young men should be rebuffed. Yet, as is the way of the world, when that ardour (be it of boys or corporations) fails in its obviousness, it more than makes up for it through more subtle forms of coercive violence. And that violence (as any women will attest) always comes with a heavy pricetag attached.

9 years ago, what was little more than a quaint reactionist cry of "XP or die" was easily (and rightfully) dismissed as an overreaction - today, for those who care to look deeper into the mouth of the gifthorse, appears an altogether more pernicious scenario for the future.

Enjoy, for now, your "free" upgrade.

[Tuxman]

Win10 (née Win8.2)

Could you bring some evidence here?

everyone will pay, eventually - why else do you think updates can't be disabled (...)

That basically applies to any software out there. There is always something that will be deprecated soon enough if you stay reluctant to "update" it.

UEFI Secureboot verification requires an MS signature (to the obvious detriment of Linux)

I'm positive that Linux would not have a better quality or general standing on the desktop without Secure Boot. The latest number (from yesterday) was 0.95 percent - and that was in a tech blog.

As headless, legless and haphazard as the Linux community is (on desktops), it's probably the only rational way forward

Assuming there were only two desktop operating systems available, this would be a great discussion subject.
In reality, it is irrational propaganda. Again, bring some evidence please - you always talk too much , why not this time?

Enjoy, for now, your "free" upgrade.

I admit that I was happier with Windows 8.1; but maybe, just maybe, things will improve over the next few months.
Maybe in Windows 10.1-94b Spock or whatever it will be called.

[Kilmatead]

You never wondered why the 8.2 SP was "delayed" and then cancelled, all to pander to the ridiculous "public beta involvement" propaganda phase of Win10? I don't care about OS "features" which have nothing to do with actual OS architectures, once you scrape away the superficial nonsense they sell to the public, it's just 8.2 with another name. This time, they simply didn't bother to beat the dead horse in public, and so appealed to the public to actually beat it for them. A remarkable feat of social engineering, really, but what else is to be expected of an internet-generation who always buy into the shiny and the free?

And I agree, Linux would not have a better standing now without secureboot - but I'm not talking about the contemporary, I'm talking about how in the future (except for the few Linux flavours who pander to include the MS license) there will be no way for regular users to even try it, never mind adopt it. Like I said, such pernicious UEFI "features" can be bypassed now quite easily, but they will not be tomorrow. And if a user is physically prevented from dual-booting, that's the ballgame, as they say. Don't take the hardware freedoms you have today for granted; they are being stripped from future-architectures at this very moment, and that's inarguable (unless you just happen to know how to write and inject your own BIOS handoffs - but I imagine few can).

One could argue that outside of the developer-circle, the desktop paradigm for OS's (of any description) is dead, so comparing them becomes somewhat moot, since the development platform is abstracted away from the common-user on purpose. And, for simplicity, when I say "Linux" I mean that in the widest sense, as in Low-fat Unix, which includes the negligible share of Apple, as well. By suggesting a duality, I do not propose the dominance of any two current systems, but the larger sphere of paid-vs-beer. In that sense it's hardly irrational propaganda, its the much simpler game of "wait and see". Beer always gets the loudest cheers, but paid-for is more oft left standing at the end of the day. There is nothing propagandistic about history - except, of course, history itself from the perspective of the young.

[Tuxman]

You never wondered why the 8.2 SP was "delayed" and then cancelled, all to pander to the ridiculous "public beta involvement" propaganda phase of Win10?

I did not even know there was one. I spent too much time with web development over the past few years, returning to real development by the end of 2015; web development does rarely require reading the OS news.

I don't care about OS "features" which have nothing to do with actual OS architectures

You should care about security features though, having Windows stand out in a number of ways.

what else is to be expected of an internet-generation who always buy into the shiny and the free?

The "internet generation" only needs a crippled input area and cat videos. I doubt that it was worth the effort anymore.

I'm talking about how in the future (...) there will be no way for regular users to even try it, never mind adopt it.

Seeing the current development of the Linux userland and kernel, I guess the point in even trying Linux is already becoming more and more irrelevant. They should have stopped Lennart Poettering from doing anything with computers many years ago. Now Linux is fucked up "beyond all repair". (Currently in the news: Poettering's systemd allows "bricking" your EFI-powered device by mounting the EFI block writeable.) Sorry, it's too late. But it's fun to watch it burning.

Time for good old BSD to arise from the dust.

One could argue that outside of the developer-circle, the desktop paradigm for OS's (of any description) is dead

"The developer circle" - at least in those circles I consider myself to be a part of - never really used the desktop (I prefer "wimp", it is fitting in so many ways) paradigm, efficiency can't be reached with your mouse cursor. (Hooray for i3, awesome wm et cetera.) Maybe that's why Plan9 never gained much traction.

By suggesting a duality, I do not propose the dominance of any two current systems, but the larger sphere of paid-vs-beer.

You still suggest that beer wins because it's not paid. But who brews the beer then?

[Kilmatead]

You should care about security features though, having Windows stand out in a number of ways.

I've gotten so jaded at reading that over-used scare-mongering phrase about "executing arbitrary code" over every little out-place-bit that I'm beginning to think there's more fun and freedom to be had wearing the black hat.

Now Linux is fucked up "beyond all repair".

Elucidate, please! (I am not, regrettably, au fait with the current trends in the Linux world - all I know is that it looks like a mess - but I know not the why of it.)

"The developer circle" - at least in those circles I consider myself to be a part of - never really used the desktop

And when you show me VS running on a tablet or a phone, wake me up and stick the stake through my heart and be done with the illusion. Until then, let me munch on my garlic rolls and laugh at the muggles in their ivory towers.

You still suggest that beer wins because it's not paid. But who brews the beer then?

It doesn't get cheers because it's not paid (that would be simplistic), it gets cheers because it has (an intellectual) élan about it. Corporations may hoover up the intellectual backwash of nerd-dom, but they can never convince them to wear the t-shirts in public.

And who brews the beer? Home-brew, dude, the bastion of every desperately impoverished university student. It always tastes like shite, but that's what pride has always tasted like throughout history. Still gets you schnozzled though.

[Tuxman]

I've gotten so jaded at reading that over-used scare-mongering phrase about "executing arbitrary code" over every little out-place-bit that I'm beginning to think there's more fun and freedom to be had wearing the black hat.

It surely is, but you probably don't want to be exploited by even blacker hats.

Elucidate, please!

Leaving various security accidents aside, Linus Torvalds said Linux was "unmaintainable" because it becomes more and more bloated - in 2011. One of my favorite Linus quotes ...

And when you show me VS running on a tablet or a phone, wake me up and stick the stake through my heart and be done with the illusion.

Why would the usual consumers want to do actual work on such a device? That said, you can run Windows XP on an iPhone, so I guess you can even install VS on it. But I doubt that would be fun. On the other hand, nor is VS most of the time.

it gets cheers because it has (an intellectual) élan about it.

Welcome to the 80s when free software was a thing.

And who brews the beer? Home-brew, dude, the bastion of every desperately impoverished university student.

Even as a student I preferred commercial software. It just works better.

[amaya007]

if you are on windows 7 and you are going mad with microsoft trying to push windows 10 on you, you must uninstall KB3035583 that puts GWX.EXE on your task.

You should care about security features though, having Windows stand out in a number of ways.

http://www.muslimvashikaranmantra.com/q ... ka-tariqa/

[Tuxman]

Religious spammers. That's new.

[Kilmatead]

"New" is kind of a relative thing when it comes to religious spamming - technically speaking when Pope Urban launched the first crusade (never mind the murky motivations), it could be interpreted by modern kids as a right serious DDOS attack of epic proportions on Jerusalem.

In this instance, it's rather ironic that it links to Islam, which is respectfully against such spurious proselytising... there's a reason Al-Baqara verse 256 ("there is no compulsion in religion") is so bloody famous, even outside of Qu'anic circles. But then, so few modern kids read books anymore.

That said, the site linked to (aside from being written in questionable English) does advertise (in the top banner) "Witchcraft Spells... Evil Eye", which, to be honest, sounds kinda cool to me. I mean, if you can't say "Evil eye" in an over-the-top mock-New Orleans accent, then you're just not trying hard enough. Hey, if Brad Pitt can have fun doing a crazy mad patois, then anything is possible.

[Tuxman]

The more interesting part for me was "Vashikaran mantra", suggesting that we're dealing with a Muslim Hindu here; a Muslim Hindu who happens to perform black magic in contradiction to some of his own religious rules.

I have read that it is generally considered to be rude to give away wall clocks in China, so (as Max Goldt proposed) Chinese punks probably don't ask for money, they give away wall clocks instead. Could it be that "amaya007" - obviously even an agent with the license to kill - is one of the greatest punks of our time, basically protesting against multiple religions at the same time?