Like It Or Not, Microsoft Silently Downloads Windows 10, Grabbing Valuable Disk Space

Just when we thought that all the hoopla surrounding privacy in Windows 10 and questionable disclosure practices was starting to die down, Microsoft has to go and stir the pot once again with another seemingly overzealous move. It’s not enough that Windows 10 is installed on over 75 million PCs and counting; Microsoft is aiming for one billion installs within the next two to three years.

And to get to that one billion figure, Microsoft wants to entice customers to upgrade their Windows 7 and Windows 8 machines to Windows 10. Making the upgrade free during the first year of availability is a big factor in getting people to make the upgrade, but Microsoft is also wanting the upgrade process to proceed smoothly, minimizing any installation glitches and cutting down on download/install times for the operating system.

No need for this prompt, Microsoft will download Windows 10 without user intervention

It’s that last point that has Microsoft facing enormous heat this morning — even from diehard Microsoft supporters. As it stands now, customers are given the choice to install Windows 10 if they wish. Microsoft has a little pop-up that appears for Windows 7 and Windows 8 users that allows them to reserve their copy of Windows 10 and install at their leisure. If you choose to proceed with installing Windows 10, you enter in your email address and wait patiently for the download to proceed. It was assumed that if you didn’t want to install Windows 10, you could just ignore the prompt and go about your business without any further intrusion from Microsoft.

That isn’t the case, however, says The Inquirer. One of the publication’s observant readers discovered a massive $Windows.~BT folder on his machine despite the fact that he never gave Microsoft the “go ahead” to initiate the Windows 10 download/installation process.

The symptoms are repeated failed 'Upgrade to Windows 10' in the WU update history and a huge 3.5GB to 6GB hidden folder labelled '$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.

Not cool, Microsoft, not cool at all. If this is true, sneakily downloading a multi-gigabyte operating system in the background without the customer’s express consent is rather bold, especially in an age when some customers may be on metered connections or simply don’t have the disk space to spare to accommodate a 6GB install. Microsoft has already come under fire for forced automatic updates in Windows 10, which have hit those with metered connections hard.

With that being said, what’s Microsoft position on all of this? How could the company possibly explain why it is forcing Windows 10 installation files on to customers’ computers without permission? Surely the company has a reasonable explanation for its actions? In a statement to The Register, a Microsoft spokesperson wrote:

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.

In Microsoft’s eyes, if you have agreed to automatic updates in Windows, it’s fair game to send Windows 10 down the pipe. Making Windows 10 freely available to a large portion of the Windows install base should be reason enough to get many customers to upgrade. The awesome new features in Windows 10 like Continuum, the return of the Start Menu, and even Xbox One game streaming are great reasons to upgrade to Windows 10. But let the customers choose when he or she is ready to commit to downloading a massive ISO — don’t make the choice for them on the chance that they might want to upgrade in the future.

I admit I’m a Microsoft certified engineer, but even still, this isn’t rocket science. Microsoft isn’t exactly hiding their opt-out stuff. Someone with even a little curiosity could very easily go into the Control Panel and find the options to remove any monitoring or unauthorized changes.

This is media scare tactics at work, IMO. My guess is that this isn’t happening to a plurality of users.

I'm a developer with twenty years experience programming Windows apps in C++. Although I'm not a "Microsoft Certified" anything, I'm fairly tuned in to Windows.

Although it may be the case that " Microsoft isn’t exactly hiding their opt-out stuff," they certainly didn't give any hint whatsoever that those who are running Windows 7 would see repeated signs that their computers were being prepared for Windows 10 installation without their knowledge, or that attempts would be made by Microsoft to install Windows 10 without permission.

Why do I say "attempts would be made by Microsoft to install Windows 10 without permission?"

Because I can see them in my "Update History."

I see entries labeled "Update to Windows 10 Pro" with Status equal to "Failed" on the following dates: August 3, 4, 5 (two separate attempts), 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, and 12, followed by further attempts on August 13 (two separate attempts), 14 (two attempts), 15, 16, 17, 18, and 19 (two attempts).

Further attempts were made on August 20 (two attempts), 21, 22, 23, 24, 25 (two attempts), 26, 27, 28, 29, 30 (two attempts), and 31. Additional attempts were made on September 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 (two attempts) and 6.

Continued attempts were made on September 7, 8 (two attempts), and finally on September 9.

This is a total of 47 attempts (by my count) to install an operating system upgrade that I didn't ask for and do not want.

Because I trusted Microsoft, I enabled automatic updates. I have disabled that option, and will never trust Microsoft to manage my operating system updates again.

I am never among the first to upgrade my Microsoft software. I always wait at least a year or so before I do so. Why? Because Microsoft releases so much software before it is properly debugged, and I don't want to be a beta test site for their debug process. I depend on my computer to earn my livelihood, and am not guaranteed a fat paycheck by Microsoft as are people who work for them.

For this reason I resent their attempts to overrule my practices.

I didn't realize that I had to "opt out" of having my Windows 7 installation shit-canned without my permission. It never occurred to me that Microsoft would decide that they know more about how I should manage my user experience than I do. Again, I won't make that mistake again.

I’ll also check with those already installed and delete it if I find it.

(I've been meaning to post something like this. Thanks for the excuse.)

You might as well let Windows do the searching and uninstalling. The below is for Windows 7.

Start an administrator command prompt (right-click Command prompt and select "Run as administrator") and enter:

wusa /uninstall /kb:3035583 /norestart

If the update is installed, it will be uninstalled. If the update is not installed, Windows will tell you.

Here are some other reported Windows 10-related updates. They can be uninstalled the same way:

KB3022345, KB3068708, KB3075249, KB3080149

After uninstalling the updates, you are not done. Windows may reinstall the updates automatically unless you take the next step.

In Control Panel > Windows Update, click "Change Settings." Select "Check for updates but let me choose whether or download and install them." Click OK. Then, if you are online, click "Check for updates."

After the list of updates arrives, look in the list of optional updates. If you see KB3035583 or any of the others, right-click each update and select "Hide update." That should block future attempts by Microsoft to install the update.

If you had to uninstall any of the above updates, reboot.

That should do it, though you will still have to ignore occasional prompts to unhide your hidden updates. With the "let me choose" Windows update setting, you will be responsible for downloading and installing your Windows updates on Patch Tuesday (the second Tuesday of every month) or whenever they appear.

Here's more info about these "spy" updates and Microsoft's oddly named "Customer Experience Improvement Program." The article downplays the threat posed by the updates, but does not address auto-downloading of Win 10.

http://www.infoworld.com/article/2981947/microsoft-windows/the-truth-about-windows-7-and-81-spy-patches-kb-3068708-3022345-3075249-and-3080149.html

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