Posted on 04/04/2019 2:22:53 PM PDT by dayglored
Microsoft has a major announcement today: Windows 10 will no longer automatically install those big feature updates every six months. Home users can pause smaller updates, too. In fact, Windows will even let you pause updates after checking for them!
This is huge. It’s Microsoft’s biggest change in Windows strategy since the company released Windows 10. Microsoft is giving up on “Windows as a service” that is automatically updated outside of your control.
[Here's the announcement from Microsoft]
https://blogs.windows.com/windowsexperience/2019/04/04/improving-the-windows-10-update-experience-with-control-quality-and-transparency/
(Excerpt) Read more at howtogeek.com ...
Really? I have a Win 10 Pro computer that has been asking me to install updates for well over 2 months, and I keep telling it to “remind me tomorrow”... and it does.
I had to buy a new ‘puter because the tax software I use refuses to run on Vista as of January this year.
Color me not impressed
headline and story are bullshit: updates can only be “paused” and for only seven days at a time and only for five times before they’re auto-installed ...
remember: friends don’t let friends update their windows ...
You have a computer running Vista? How quaint. :-)
The software company I'm a System Admin for discontinued support for Vista a year ago. The Vista user base for our software had dried up to nothing. We put out a note to all our customers two releases ago: "Next release we're dropping support for Vista. If this is a problem for you contact us right away." Crickets. The next release we had heard not one thing, so we dropped support for Vista. Still have yet to hear anything about Vista.
You couldn't upgrade your old computer to, say, Windows 7? The system requirements are identical to Vista, maybe even less.
There are still a lot of important programs that are/were written specifically and only to run on Windows. Some folks don't have a choice, other than to make very expensive changes to how they do things, like run their business. It's less expensive to deal with the Windows hassles than to change everything else.
Proprietary platform lock-in is a terrible thing at times.
I have a maybe simple-minded question: If one never does updates to win7, does it help to have one the the better virus protection programs ?
Yes, but I should get to decide when my computer gets updated.
I’ve found the large 3rd party programs from McAfee, Symantec, and the like are much more troublesome, but YMMV.
Most important is to be careful when out on the internet. Web surfing is a potentially dangerous activity if one is unprotected.
Not really. I have a Windows 8 computer that says "Most recent check for updates: Never Updates were installed: Never". The reason my computer is safer than avereage is I installed a few selected security patches (for potential remote compromise flaws). And nothing else. No new software containing new flaws.
I still think they blew it when they stopped supporting Windows XP. (Sigh)
p
[I was thinking, oh yeah]
oops
“I have a maybe simple-minded question: If one never does updates to win7, does it help to have one the the better virus protection programs ?”
not really.
you’re best bet is turn off updates and make a new administrator login and convert your current login to “limited user”, and then use the new admin account only for system maintenance like add/remove/update software and hardware like printers and do your regular work on your converted limited user account ...
Before issuing official updates they should have their employees and some assorted non-employee users test them out. It is amazing how much software gets issued that is broken and has to be fixed.
I just had an iPad update after which the iPad kept forgetting how to find the cell service. Two weeks later a new update came out to fix some bugs and things. Problem went away. But, how does software like that get issued in the first place.
I saw your completely unexpected headline just after spending 90 minutes installing - and repairing - 8 updates from Dell.
I’m not sure if Dell updates are mandatory or not.
They started a couple years ago, which was a shock, since I’ve used Dell for 25 years and never received an update before.
Mostly, they are Dell hardware security patches, but today they included driver updates for at least three Dell vendors.
Anyway, the Dell updates crashed my Microsoft Outlook email program. I was just about to call MSFT Support when I finally realized that somehow my Outlook had been reset into “Safe Mode,” which I fixed quickly.
I will still install all the MSFT updates - optional or not.
I have used Dell and Microsoft since my first computer and have never had a serious issue.
Of course there’s an asterisk..
In corporate and other environments, the IT Team pushes the update it wants to push, when it wants to push them, and to the devices it wants to push them...for government agencies, the updates are also checked against other system criticality aspects and may be dismissed or modified before pushing....
They can’t charge you for a new version if they keep updating the current one.
heads up here re: 1903 - nice write up
I've found Dell hardware to be excellent over the years. Tended many Dell servers, and have had a few of their laptops. D@mn near bulletproof.
Glad to hear you've had good experience with them and with Microsoft. I've worked with (and often on) Microsoft software since 8K BASIC in the late 1970's, every version of MSDOS, and every version of Windows except 1.0. It's been quite an... adventure. :-)
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.