Don’t want Windows 10 because of its
excessive privacy invasions? Well those reasons
have now disappeared but only because
Microsoft is trying to bring them to Windows 7
and Windows 8 – for a second time…
Yes, in a quite bizarre move Infoworld spotted
Microsoft has simultaneously reissued no less
than four controversial user tracking patches for
Windows 7 and Windows 8. Stranger still in an
attempt to get them onto more computers,
Microsoft has even reclassified one as
‘Important’ so it will now install automatically
on any PCs and laptops running default
Windows Update settings (read: the vast
majority).
The four patches are:
1. KB 2952664 - a secret snooping patch first
pushed to Windows 7 back in April. Officially
described as merely a “compatibility update for
upgrading Windows 7″, Infoworld discovered it
actually adds a program to the Windows Task
Scheduler called ‘DoScheduledTelemetryRun’
which sends usage information to Microsoft
even for those who have specifically opted out of
the Microsoft Customer Experience Improvement
Program (CEIP).
2. KB 2976978 – last issued in June, it is a
scanner which sends diagnostics to Microsoft
from CEIP participants. But the sneaky bit: if you
let it scan it automatically signs you up to the
CEIP program, which then gives Microsoft full
usage tracking rights over your computer.
3. KB 2977759 – another diagnostic scanner, this
one analyses computers to see whether their
hardware is compatible for upgrades to
Windows 10 and sends the data to Microsoft.
Which leads us nicely onto…
4. KB 3035583 – this patch contains the infamous
‘Get Windows 10’ nagware pop-up which anyone
who hasn’t upgraded to Windows 10 will likely
have disabled by now. Well Microsoft thinks you
need reminding, because now it has been
reclassified as ‘Important’ and will therefore
install automatically. So prepare for those Get
Windows 10 pop-ups to start appearing again.
For those who don’t know Microsoft has a habit
of reissuing patches it deems important now and
again, but to push out a flurry of hardware
analysis, Windows 10 upgrade compatibility and
Windows 10 upgrade prompt patches
simultaneously is far from subtle.
Windows 10 Upgrade Pressure Is Excessive
In fact these four re-releases come just one
month after Microsoft formally admitted it has
started automatically downloading the full
Windows 10 upgrade (over 3GB) onto all
Windows 7 and Windows 8 computers – even for
users who specifically stated they do not want to
upgrade.
“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,” justified the company in an
official statement at the time.
excessive privacy invasions? Well those reasons
have now disappeared but only because
Microsoft is trying to bring them to Windows 7
and Windows 8 – for a second time…
Yes, in a quite bizarre move Infoworld spotted
Microsoft has simultaneously reissued no less
than four controversial user tracking patches for
Windows 7 and Windows 8. Stranger still in an
attempt to get them onto more computers,
Microsoft has even reclassified one as
‘Important’ so it will now install automatically
on any PCs and laptops running default
Windows Update settings (read: the vast
majority).
The four patches are:
1. KB 2952664 - a secret snooping patch first
pushed to Windows 7 back in April. Officially
described as merely a “compatibility update for
upgrading Windows 7″, Infoworld discovered it
actually adds a program to the Windows Task
Scheduler called ‘DoScheduledTelemetryRun’
which sends usage information to Microsoft
even for those who have specifically opted out of
the Microsoft Customer Experience Improvement
Program (CEIP).
2. KB 2976978 – last issued in June, it is a
scanner which sends diagnostics to Microsoft
from CEIP participants. But the sneaky bit: if you
let it scan it automatically signs you up to the
CEIP program, which then gives Microsoft full
usage tracking rights over your computer.
3. KB 2977759 – another diagnostic scanner, this
one analyses computers to see whether their
hardware is compatible for upgrades to
Windows 10 and sends the data to Microsoft.
Which leads us nicely onto…
4. KB 3035583 – this patch contains the infamous
‘Get Windows 10’ nagware pop-up which anyone
who hasn’t upgraded to Windows 10 will likely
have disabled by now. Well Microsoft thinks you
need reminding, because now it has been
reclassified as ‘Important’ and will therefore
install automatically. So prepare for those Get
Windows 10 pop-ups to start appearing again.
For those who don’t know Microsoft has a habit
of reissuing patches it deems important now and
again, but to push out a flurry of hardware
analysis, Windows 10 upgrade compatibility and
Windows 10 upgrade prompt patches
simultaneously is far from subtle.
Windows 10 Upgrade Pressure Is Excessive
In fact these four re-releases come just one
month after Microsoft formally admitted it has
started automatically downloading the full
Windows 10 upgrade (over 3GB) onto all
Windows 7 and Windows 8 computers – even for
users who specifically stated they do not want to
upgrade.
“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,” justified the company in an
official statement at the time.
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