What? I've been on Windows 8.1 for several years now, and I've never once seen or heard of this behavior myself or from anyone else. My system is joined to my lab domain and is updated using WSUS. Automatic updates are disabled. I have zero problems. If you have a serious issue, I suggest you post to TechNet or any of the myriad tech sites, because the behavior you describe is more like a virus or malware than legitimate operating system behavior.
I have to chuckle when people post this sort of crap to FR threads. I've been a Microsoft Certified Professional for a while now, and it never ceases to amaze me how people immediately point to Microsoft as the root of a problem.
Hint to ya, if you search any of the common search engines on the web and come across problems similar to yours universally, then it might be an OS issue. Since Microsoft (or Apple or Google for that matter) can't possibly account for the crap you're going to install on your machine, to blame the OS out of the box for your problems is like blaming auto manufacturers for your car troubles after you dump sugar in your gas tank.
I actually prefer a Windows/Linux dual-boot configuration, but have to suffer with the travails of my main user base.
I have to chuckle when people post this sort of crap to FR threads.
Now, now - read my private mail, and all [most?] will be revealed. :)
If you have a serious issue, I suggest you post to TechNet or any of the myriad tech sites, because the behavior you describe is more like a virus or malware than legitimate operating system behavior.
If I have a serious issue, I'll ask myself. It's more of an annoyance, and it's not scumware, nor a virus. It's just something I noticed, as an individual with training.
Since Microsoft (or Apple or Google for that matter) can't possibly account for the crap you're going to install on your machine, to blame the OS out of the box for your problems is like blaming auto manufacturers for your car troubles after you dump sugar in your gas tank.
I minimize the footprint of foreign software on my main machine by spreading other software that I desire across my 5 other machines. :)
kiryandil wrote: It appears as though they download the new OS patches to your box, and then the system will start "acting up" [if you don't have "update automatically". I desire the actual update process to be under my control, so I'm one of these users.].
In my response to your post, I clarified my actual updates setting (I was posting from memory in my post #3, because it's such a pain to navigate a "normal settings" Win 8.1 installation like mine. I didn't bother to go into the control panel to look, because I didn't want to waste 5 minutes doing it. I guess I had to, anyway, in the event. LOL!)
I thought that I had the system set for "Download updates but let me choose whether to install them", but I actually have it set for "Install updates automatically (recommended)". I remembered that I had it set this way for two reasons - one, to suffer with my users, and two, because I didn't want to bother trying to sift through the updates MS thinks I need.
I will typically blow off the system warning for a day or two when it starts agitating to complete its auto update. HOWEVER - I've noticed the behavior I described even without the system agitating for "action".
MS forced the Win 8.1 update on users. Opting out required manual modification of the registry to turn off the update notice. Many users had problems after being forced to accept the update to 8.1. This is all documented at MS community forums and elsewhere.