So, I'm on win 7 home prof.  How do I stop this 'maintenance' sleezeware from MS from getting on my PC?  I don't want their firmware of drivers on my PC. 

Elana ...ignore hear-say from the paranoid.

When they say "I don't know how true this is" it means even the paranoid don't believe it.....

For anyone interested I have kept an updated list of crap MS tries sneaking in on Windows 7 users. I always check this list against any updates I get.

KB2506928
KB2545698 (IE9)
KB2592687
KB2876229 SKYPE
KB2976978
KB2977728
KB2978092
KB2923545 RDP
KB2970228
KB2990214
KB2994023
KB2660075
KB2952664 x2
KB2726535
KB3021917
KB3022345 Replaced by KB3068708 Telemetry (Caused false sfc result)
KB3035583
KB3044374
KB3050265
KB3065987
KB3068708 Telemetry
KB3075249
KB3080149
KB3095649
KB3102810

KB 2952664 - Labeled a compatibility upgrade for upgrading Windows 7, its purpose is to "make improvements to the current operating system in order to ease the upgrade experience to the latest version of Windows".

KB 2976978 - A compatibility update for Windows 8.1 and Windows 8 which "performs diagnostics on the Windows system [..] to determine whether compatibility issues may be encountered when the latest Windows operating system is installed.

KB 2990214 . Does the same as KB 3044374 but on Windows 7.

KB 3021917 - Does the same as KB 2976978 but on Windows 7.

KB 3035583 - According to Microsoft, this update enables "additional capabilities for Windows Update notifications when new updates are available".
    
KB 3044374 - This update for Windows 8.1 enables systems to upgrade from the current operating system to a later version of Windows.
   

Quoting starkers,

reply 31

Damned 'page reset' double posting again.  GRRRRR!!

 

And now both of 'em are gone since editing.  GRRRRR!!!!!

 Anyway, so I'm not going all over it again, what I wrote can be seen by clicking on 'see editied content' below.

edit says '... updated lust..."   ummmm  now I know its really starkers.  

Thanks, WebGizmos and Starkers. 

More like Microsoft lost direction when it followed Apple's business model and began to inflict everything [bad] to everyone with a phone home "cop it sweet" OS.

I had a bad feeling about Windows 10 even before it was officially released, and recent events have proven that feeling to be correct.  Even when in 'beta', several tech journalists were already decrying some of the 'features' contained in Win 10... notably that of the 'phone home' ability and the data collectinf/transmitting apps.  Now, with Microsoft aggressively forcing Win 10 down peoples throats to gain near total control of the PC market - they won't get Linux users - I am convinced there is more going on that we don't know about... YET!!!   I believe a Windows subscription model will eventually be introduced, most likely when MS believes it has a near 100% captive market and the alternatives are far and few between.  Most will not switch to Linux, and the rest will find it too easy to remain with Win 10 and MS control.

In a way, the public asked for this, blindly trusting the OS and that MS wouldn't do anything untoward, then embracing a 'spying' OS and not questioning why certain 'odd' things are happening... like unwelcome ads on the start menu, etc, etc.  Well I'm not one who's gonnal swallow MS' bullshit and deceit... nor the damned 'in OS' ads.  I neither trust or respect MS after this series of despicable actions.

Quoting WebGizmos,

reply 37

MS hasn't lost direction...still trying to get as much money as possible as always.

Yep, that'll always be true... money, money and more money.... and in the near future, when they think that not enough money is coming in, they'll switch to a Windows subscription model and royally screw everyone over.  However, MS has lost direction with regard to customer wants, needs and satisfaction.  This 'free' OS that is Windows 10 is probably the least free item in their software inventory.... and I'm not just speaking of the cost in dollars forked over for apps and etc..  There are other caveates that make Win 10 costly to users... such as data mining apps; phone home apps that return targeted ads to users; a core phone home device that transmits user data to MS and cannot be turned off. 

Then of course there's the enforced updates that can bork one's system... and when Windows Update is disabled by 3rd party programs to prevent unwanted and/or undesirable updates, MS uses 'Scheduled Maintenance to deliver them regardless of user wishes.  I have Windows Update disabled, and every so often I get a popup to notify me that I need to 'fix' this to install 'important' updates.   I ignore these popups, yet in the next day or so I find those very same updates I rejected have actually been installed overnight. I have a Logitech keyboard and mouse combo, so I don't want or need MS' Keyboard and Mouse Center, yet it keeps being downloaded and installed regardless of how many times I uninstalled and blocked it.  Each time it is downloaded overnight and installed during Scheduled Maintenance, which cannot be disabled.

For mine, Windows 10 is the worst edition ever

Yeah, I check constantly for MS' originated PUPS, and uninstall it whenever I find it... and yes, they are persistent bastards.   I've uninstalled several things that I later found had slipped through under the guise of something else.... or on the coat tails of something else.... eg, Sceduled Mainenance, App updates, etc.

For mine, MS should be sharged with multipe counts of PC rape.  if you or I or any other male installed our procreational parts in places unwelcomed, we'd be charged with rape, yet MS installs its bits n' pieces in peoples PCs unwelcomed and gets a fechen way with it.

Wintel doesn't see it that way. They have a different philosophy:

1 It's not your computer (UEFI, Secure Boot etc.)

2 It's not your OS (they control updates, installation and uninstallation of programs and drivers)

3 It's not your data (Win 10 has the same level of privacy as a Chromebook)

I don't think Windows will go away anytime soon. It would be nice if you could have your cake and eat it too. What is needed is a clear separation between your data/your filesystem and Windows 10. My main computer is not powerful enough for proper virtualization, but I was inspired by reading a post (see below) on another forum. I don't see a reason why WindowBlinds wouldn't work in a VM (Virtual Machine). But there are several factors involved like your gfx drivers in your host OS and how you set up the VM. You need good hardware for sure if you want a "native" experience. Mac owners can use Parallels. Unfortunately I don't like OSX and I will explain why in another post.

What you will gain by running Win 10 in a VM:

Privacy: Win 10 is sandboxed from your filesystem.

Security: If you get virus or ransomware you can use a snapshot to fully restore your Windows VM to an earlier state.

Less uncertainty: If a new build borks your system, once again use snapshot to restore it. Of course your host OS can break, but rolling releases are more likely to break. I never use rolling Linux releases for the same reason. This is the main reason I have been dual-booting. I have never had two OSes fail at the same time.

What you will lose by running Win 10 in a VM:

Performance: It's not native. You shouldn't try gaming or heavy video editing in a VM.

Time: You need to set up the VM. But when Windows is installing updates/rebooting you can continue working or browsing the web.

Money: You still need a valid Windows license for a VM.

Customization? Why shouldn't WB work in a VM? Does someone have experience with this? I can see a need for skinners to set up Win 7, Win 8.1 and Win 10 VMs.

To be honest I was never a fan of virtualization, but advances in hardware tech and the need for Win 10 sandboxing made me think twice.

This is the post that gave me this idea (someone was asking about virtualization):

---------------------------------------------

I'm not sure on all your answers. But I work for an IT company that requires me to use Windows all day long. I run Windows 10 pro in Virtualbox and use it full screen as a desktop pretty often. I gave it 6g Ram and 256m Video memory. I can do pretty much all my work stuff without realizing i'm in a VM.. I run Labtech, MS Office(multiple open windows), a browser, connectwise CRM, Skype, and a couple various other tools.

As far as my system.. System76 GalagoUltraPro - i7, 16g ram, 1tb ssd with intel iris graphics..

I also test distros in VM's ...There are a couple a really like to play with but aren't production ready enough for me to use full time. Again, same results in usage..pretty much hard to tell they are VM's when full screen.

An add is in Virtual box you can drag and drop across host and guest, and create shared folders...

I babbled a bit, but I hope it can give you an Idea of what a VM can handle.

Note...I don't play games in the VM's..

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