Tag Archives: windows 10 upgrade

Microsoft Admits Downloading W10 Files sans Consent

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Windows 10

Upgrading to Windows 10 seemed to be a matter of choice, until an Inquirer reader noticed that Microsoft had downloaded the staging files necessary for the upgrade without even asking for permission.

The procedure typically implied the users reserving the upgrade from Windows 7 or 8.1 to Windows 10, upon which Microsoft would proceed to pushing the files necessary for the transition. Said files are located in the ~BT folder on the partition hosting the Windows installation. The Inquirer reader who prompted the publication about the incident claimed that the folder had been created and the files had been downloading without him even reserving the upgrade, which raises a few questions. While I don’t see any reasons why anyone would refuse a free upgrade to this OS version, I still think that the Redmond giant should respect its users’ decision to stay on whichever version they prefer. Why is Microsoft doing this, in the first place? And on the other hand, is it aware that some users have metered Internet connection and a multi-gigabyte download such as the staging files for Win10 could mean the doom of their wallets? The company has come forward to answer at least the first question, and to clear the fog, but it remains to be seen how users will react.

The Inquirer reader stated that “The symptoms are repeated failed ‘Upgrade to Windows 10′ in the WU update history and a huge 3.5GB to 6GB hidden folder labeled ‘$Windows.~BT’. I thought Microsoft [said] this ‘upgrade’ was optional. If so, why is it being pushed out to so many computers where it wasn’t reserved, and why does it try to install over and over again? I know of two instances where people on metered connections went over their data cap for August because of this unwanted download. My own internet (slow DSL) was crawling for a week or so until I discovered this problem. In fact, that’s what led me to it. Not only does it download, it tries to install every time the computer is booted.”

A Microsoft spokesperson told Inquirer that “For individuals who have chosen to receive automatic updates through Windows Update, we help upgradable devices get ready for Windows 10 by downloading the files they’ll need if they decide to upgrade. When the upgrade is ready, the customer will be prompted to install Windows 10 on the device.”

This whole “courtesy” can be held under control, as Redditor /u/facestabber (cool username, btw) has written a guide on /r/technology on how to prevent the forced upgrade to Win10.

Be social! Follow Walyou on Facebook and Twitter, and read more related stories about the Microsoft Edge Web browser, or Cortana’s jokes about Siri’s size in Microsoft’s latest ad.

Via: Geek | The Inquirer

Microsoft Admits Downloading W10 Files sans Consent

Posted on by
Windows 10

Upgrading to Windows 10 seemed to be a matter of choice, until an Inquirer reader noticed that Microsoft had downloaded the staging files necessary for the upgrade without even asking for permission.

The procedure typically implied the users reserving the upgrade from Windows 7 or 8.1 to Windows 10, upon which Microsoft would proceed to pushing the files necessary for the transition. Said files are located in the ~BT folder on the partition hosting the Windows installation. The Inquirer reader who prompted the publication about the incident claimed that the folder had been created and the files had been downloading without him even reserving the upgrade, which raises a few questions. While I don’t see any reasons why anyone would refuse a free upgrade to this OS version, I still think that the Redmond giant should respect its users’ decision to stay on whichever version they prefer. Why is Microsoft doing this, in the first place? And on the other hand, is it aware that some users have metered Internet connection and a multi-gigabyte download such as the staging files for Win10 could mean the doom of their wallets? The company has come forward to answer at least the first question, and to clear the fog, but it remains to be seen how users will react.

The Inquirer reader stated that “The symptoms are repeated failed ‘Upgrade to Windows 10′ in the WU update history and a huge 3.5GB to 6GB hidden folder labeled ‘$Windows.~BT’. I thought Microsoft [said] this ‘upgrade’ was optional. If so, why is it being pushed out to so many computers where it wasn’t reserved, and why does it try to install over and over again? I know of two instances where people on metered connections went over their data cap for August because of this unwanted download. My own internet (slow DSL) was crawling for a week or so until I discovered this problem. In fact, that’s what led me to it. Not only does it download, it tries to install every time the computer is booted.”

A Microsoft spokesperson told Inquirer that “For individuals who have chosen to receive automatic updates through Windows Update, we help upgradable devices get ready for Windows 10 by downloading the files they’ll need if they decide to upgrade. When the upgrade is ready, the customer will be prompted to install Windows 10 on the device.”

This whole “courtesy” can be held under control, as Redditor /u/facestabber (cool username, btw) has written a guide on /r/technology on how to prevent the forced upgrade to Win10.

Be social! Follow Walyou on Facebook and Twitter, and read more related stories about the Microsoft Edge Web browser, or Cortana’s jokes about Siri’s size in Microsoft’s latest ad.

Via: Geek | The Inquirer

Microsoft to allow pirates upgrade to Windows 10

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Windows 10 Upgrade 1

We have been talking quite a bit about Windows 10 as of late, and the last news claim even pirates will be able to upgrade to this new OS.

Tech giant Microsoft has gone on record explaining that they will allow users who pirated copies of Windows 7 and 8 to upgrade to Windows 10. Yet, it is unclear as of now what exactly they mean by that, because they obviously are still hoping to get them to pay. In declarations with The Verge the company explained that users with pirate copies and versions of Windows will still be labeled as pirates by the OS itself, but can update to the most recent version without any issues. Furthermore, if they desire to go legal, they can do exactly that by purchasing Windows 10 from the Windows Store, effectively providing a way to authenticate their copy of Windows.

Initially, it was said that pirates would be able to upgrade “for free”, which caused some confusion in the tech community of whether Windows 10 was going the way of LInux, or what exactly they meant to do. Microsoft have not exactly clarified what they meant, but it sounds like non-official copies of Windows 10 will be missing some features – and no one knows exactly what those are. While there has to be some kind of incentive to go legal, being stuck with a crippled OS doesn’t sound like such a generous offer.

As of now, users running pirate versions of Windows get all updates except the optional ones (the security suite, for example), and have a notification show up every once in a while clarifying it’s a pirate copy. Some versions even go black after a timer finishes, which is a bit extreme, but sure does punish pirates.

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Windows 10 Will Be a Free Upgrade for Windows 8 Users

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Microsoft Windows presentation

With Windows 10 now confirmed, one Microsoft exec says that it will be offered as a free upgrade to Windows 8 users.

Hurray! Hurrah! Yippee! Windows 8 will soon be a thing of the past as Windows 10 was recently announced by Microsoft, killing off all of the Windows 8 features that we hated and bringing with it the things we’ve been asking for for years. For most people Windows 8 was an operating system that we put up with and Windows 10 is clearly the better option; a bit like having a crush on someone at school only to discover that their older sibling is better looking, with a fast car and hair that swishes just right in the breeze. Alas, Windows 10 is very exciting but further still, for all of those that were scorned by its predecessor, Microsoft’s next operating system is set to be a free upgrade for Windows 8 users.

That info comes form Indonesian publication Detik who explained that whilst speaking at an event taking place at the Hotel Mulia in Jakarta, the President of Microsoft, Indonesia Andreas Diantoro, confirmed the upgrade plans. In a quote from their site (Google translated) “Easy, when the OS (Windows 9) was launched later, users who have been using Windows 8 just need to do the update via his device. It will be installed automatically.” While there’s little reason to doubt the words, it’s unclear whether or not “(Windows 9)” is something that Diantoro said or if it’s something the site itself included. Presuming that people haven’t suddenly started saying the words ‘open and closed brackets’ in conversation without me knowing it, it seems more likely that Diantoro generally referred to Microsoft’s ‘next operating system’ which we now know to be called Windows 10, and not Windows 9.

However, the reasons to believe the Microsoft Indonesia President are in the statistics. So many people were turned off by Windows 8′s removal of the Start button and its uncomfortable, touchscreen-friendly layout that the majority just continued to use Windows 7, never making that upgrade. As a result, Windows 8 is found on just 13.4% of PCs despite being released almost two years ago, so if Microsoft wants to make good with those who bought Windows 8 machines and didn’t like it, a free upgrade would certainly be the way to do it.

Source: Detik

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