My friend says Microsoft is forcing Windows 10 on us (details inside). Is this correct?

I am not sure, but I received on Goole Chrome a messege that Google chrome
will NOT be able to update as it does not recognize Micro soft word nor
Vista anymore.
Basically..update or not get updates on Chrome.
I have not done anything yet.
I do not mind NOT getting Goolge Chrome updates.

We just had the problem at work, that, because the windows 10 upgrade is now flagged as a recommended update, and you have your windows update set to automatically download and install updates, windows 10 will be automatically installed on your next reboot.
Completely unacceptable in a production evironment.

@ragingloli
Can one select not too automatic updates?

yes, you can configure windows update to not automatically install updates.

@ragingloli Where do do you do that?

Found it and changed it to “Check for updates and notify me but let me decide whether to download.”

Should be good now, right?

In the control panel:
“You can also try adjusting the Windows Update settings (set Windows Update to “Check for updates but let me choose whether to download and install them” and uncheck the box marked “Give me recommended updates the same way I receive important updates”)”

Cool. Have done so.

Yeah, they are. Win 7 was a stable platform and there really was zero reason to “upgrade” to a newer, less stable OS AKA Win 8. Making 10 free for those with win 7 or 8 makes sense. It forces business to move into the new OS when they could use win 7 for like another decade.

Technically no, but effectively yes. Preventing the update requires what some would consider “dark magic”, and not all people have the skills to truly shut down the process. There’s a bit more to it than clearing a check-box.

Personally, I let it happen and am now stuck being unable to apply the major patch known as The November Update” because my system wasn’t set up for UEFI, nor will it ever be if I have any say in the matter.

@jerv What’s UEFI?

I’ve strongly suspected this for the past year. I’m putting Ubuntu on my old laptop and am going to give Linux a shot. The versuon I’ve decided upon looks like a mirror image of the WIndows 7 environment to me. It doesn’t look like much of a challenge to convert and I like all the apps that are available. LibreOffice is no stretch to adapt to either and from what I understand it can read and convert any word program out there seamlessly—which MSWord cannot do. So, this new laptop came with Windows 10, which I’m not crazy about, and that’s why I’m puttting Ubuntu on the old laptop as insurance. If Ubuntu doesn’t work out, I guess I’ll just have to surrender to W10, because I am increasingly having trouble with 7 and I believe it’s the updates and lack of support – it’s going the way of Xp, only a lot faster.

But none of this is voluntary, and that’s my bitch right there: None Of This Is Voluntary. As a customer, I feel I’m being given the shaft every time MicroSoft pull one of these deals. It’s my money, goddammit. I should be calling the shots.

@2davidc8

“UEFI (Unified Extensible Firmware Interface) is a standard firmware interface for PCs, designed to replace BIOS (basic input/output system)”.

@Espiritus_Corvus I’d look at Mint instead. There are reason that Ubuntu lost the top spot, and Mint is one of them.

Well, this is strange and annoying!
I went into the Win 7 Control Panel / System and Security / Windows Update and clicked “Show all available updates”. This shows 2 tabs: “Important” and “Optional”. In the Optional tab, I found: Upgrade to Windows 10 Home, with a checkbox next to it already checked. I unchecked it. I also applied the other suggestions of @ragingloli above.
I closed the Control Panel.
Just out of curiosity, I returned to the Control Panel to see if all the settings were the same as I had left them. But I found that the Upgrade to Windows 10 checkbox was checked again! So it’s impossible to uncheck this box. What gives?

@jerv Yes, it is MInt. I thought Mint was just a version of Ubuntu. Mint is the mirror image of Window 7 I was referring to above. If you have any pertinent info on Mint, or things I should watch out for, please PM me. Thanks.

Since no one else seems ready to explore the mentality behind Microsoft’s move to do this, I will:

As of this stunt, any one that still doesn’t believe that Windows is like a tyrannical regime or an oppressed nation one isn’t allowed to leave is in full denial mode.

Yeah, I read about this a few days ago. I wasn’t at all surprised.

Logic dictates the following:

If you make a desirable, quality product, you won’t have to FORCE people to use it.

In recent report Windows 10 has surpassed Windows XP as Top Most installed Windows OS. Might be because of the tricks Microsoft is playing I guess..

@2davidc8 I told you is wasn’t quite as easy as unchecking a few boxes.

@SecondHandStoke That may be the logic behind this. No hard-sell, no coercion, just an alternative and why it’s seen as not only viable, but actually desirable.

@Espiritus_Corvus I can’t really think of anything. Mint is pretty straight-forward. The big difference is that the default Mint install uses Cinnamon, a desktop similar to Win7, rather than Unity, which may be suitable for small children but requires anyone who ever used a computer before to unlearn enough to have made Ubuntu lose popularity among those who know the difference between a microchip and a potato chip.

In a sense, the only honest OS then is Linux, because while MS uses coercion, Apple uses deceit. Everytime someone says that macs are immune to viruses, I cringe.

I’m unable to install Widows 10 because my PC is in audit mode (whatever that is). Anyway I am quite happy with Windows 7.

Well, before long there won’t be any updates or support for 10. I installed it and it’s all good. Just had to relearn how to get around in my files, but it didn’t take long

Has anyone tried the GWX Control Panel Utility that I linked?

@jerv Alternatives are always a good thing. Be it computing, government or healthcare, the public is best served with as many choices as possible.

@ragingloli I don’t know about anyone else but I have never claimed that Apple products were immune to viruses. It’s just been that for a long time Apple has been a far less popular target.

More importantly I’ve never heard or read Apple themselves make such a claim.

Tell me Loli. Have you ever used an OS or iOS virus? You can tell me. It can be our secret.

Microsoft does seem to be aggressively pushing Windows 10… Not to mention you can’t turn off the windows updates anymore.

@SecondHandStoke Actually, Apple themselves did make that claim during the Mac vs PC advertising campaign :P

^ Such adverts suggested that Apple products were less likely to be compromised than PCs.

Apple never categorically stated their product was completely virus proof.

That said. I saw the actor that played PC in the spots in Central Park. I happened to be on the phone with my dad at the time. I said “PC” to loudly. The actor turned to me and scowled

@SecondHandStoke Well, after the Flashback botnet in 2012, they got in a bit of trouble for that claim and backed off a bit. Source 1 (of many)

@2davidc8 I haven’t. I let Win10 onto my desktop (after doing a little research on how to neuter the worst of it), and my laptop is no longer running Windows, period.