[Bloody Sam Roberts]

The day when Microsoft let you make the decisions about what gets installed on your computer have come and gone.

How many PCs do you have running Windows? And how long have you been a Windows user?

I have never had anything MS foisted on me without my express knowledge or consent.
I'm not saying your sentiment is incorrect, just the statement that MS has taken the decision making process out of the user's hands.

[TChris]

How many PCs do you have running Windows? And how long have you been a Windows user?

Here at work, I'm responsible for 130 PCs and 15 servers, all running Windows 2000 or 2003. I currently have... umm... four at home, running ME (Probably downgrade to 98 soon), Win2K Pro, XP Home and HP Pro, respectively. I have been running Windows since MS-DOS 5.0 and Windows 3.1, with DOS 3.3 before it. That would be since around 1988 or so.

I'm an MCSE (the kind WITH experience) and CompTIA certified.

You?

I have never had anything MS foisted on me without my express knowledge or consent.

Sure you have! You just might not have known it. They hide stuff in "critical updates", as IE7 was. They also tie stuff together so Application A won't work without Application B or O/S version C, etc. True, it isn't outright FORCE per se, but coercion and arm-twisting are what Microsoft do best.

[Keeper of the Turf]

I'm not saying your sentiment is incorrect, just the statement that MS has taken the decision making process out of the user's hands.

His statement IS incorrect. All one has to do is turn off Automatic Updates.