Microsoft Is About To Start Automatically Downloading Windows 10 Onto PCs

BI ^ | 2-3-2016 | Max Slater-Robins

[blam]

Max Slater-Robins
January 3, 2016

Microsoft has made Windows 10, the newest version of the operating system, a "recommended update," meaning that it will automatically download onto PCs, according to The Verge.

PCs that are are running Windows 7 or 8.1, the two versions that preceded 10, will download the newest version of the operating system automatically, unless the user opts out of the update.

Microsoft announced in October last year that Windows 10 would download automatically onto PCs, and has now started the process.

Anyone who has a metered internet connection, with a data limit, will have to switch off the automatic update manually, as it will use up around six gigabytes of storage.

(snip)

[zeugma]

If you have 3rd party programs that you use...you could set up things the way I have...one Windows and one Linux. It's a pretty big project and you need room for an additional PC. Total cost would be about $150 for the PC and the switching system.

A VM using VirtualBox or VMWare would be better than a separate PC. That's what I do, and it works great. I keep about 8 different VMs around for different purposes.

[Still Thinking]

I don’t want to go through the hassle of wiping windows off, installing Linux, and reinstalling windows in a VM because I have many many many tweaks and customizations in windows so that it now operates and looks the way I want it to- I’d have to redo all of those and there are many dozens of them

What you need is VMWare Converter. It's a free download from VMWare and it will image a physical machine as a VMWare VM. I've virtualized several physical machines with it, often laptops, and it works great. VMWare host software is available for Linux, and I seriously doubt if it matters what OS the host will be running on. I don't see how it COULD matter, given that the host and guest OS are very frequently different even when the guest is installed from scratch.

[Lazamataz]

I shall work this tonight.

[matthew fuller]

Thanks for this info- I think that something has changed on my computer, I seem to have lost control of the windows setting options- It is currently set correctly as I previously set them, (option 2, chk for updates, but let me decide whether to install them) but the dropdown menus no longer function, says something about requiring “supervisor” mode or something...Does not show choices when I click the down arrow. Maybe your script program will restore my control.

[Still Thinking]

That means you’re trying to make the settings from a user or non-admin account. Either you’re trying to make the changes while logged into a different account than you were in before, or somehow Windows has converted your account from an admin to a user.

[matthew fuller]

That sounds correct. I had a problem recently that required a trip my repair shop, and it might have happened there. I’m going to give them a call.

[Chickensoup]

I shut it off months ago and I still just looked and now have windows 10. I wanted nothing but Win 7 machines and cannot figure out how it got on.

[Salamander]

Thanks but I finally got it turned off in the regular control panel settings.

:)

[Bob434]

I justy tried that and it stalled at 1% and wouldn’t work- (fortunately I have rollbackRX wich allowed me to roll back my system because I couldn’t even stop the converter job- there was no way to even stop it- I hit the “X” and it looked like it stopped, but it didn’t- the ‘job’ was still; running- Anyway- did a rollback to before I installed it- and back up and going again now)

I looked online for the % stall- but didn’t find anything (well anything that I could understand- they had one site with an instruction process- but my converter didn’t even have the features that they used I n their instructions-)

I’m gonna give paragon hard disk manager a try IF tey ever send me al ink to try the demo- They have never sent me a download link in my email- not sure hwat’s up with that-

[Still Thinking]

That’s weird — I can’t recall ever having Converter fail.

The one problem you might have doing the virtualizing with something other than a utility from a VM company is that when you first boot the VM, it will see different hardware than it’s used to and the copy protection may kick in and make you re-authenticate. I doubt MicroShaft will still authenticate W7, given how much effort they’re expending to drag us all, kicking and screaming, to WX. If you virtualize with a utility from a VM company, they seem to handle all that in transparently. I’ve never seen it be a problem, anyway, where I have for example, trying to run virtual disks built under Virtual PC and used to Virtual PC’s virtualized hardware, under VMWare. You MIGHT get around that by running Sysprep before virtualizing, if that’s still around.

[Bob434]

yeah I may have to go with a new copy of winows 7- (my computer came with windos already sintaleld, and no disk- perhaps I can find an .iso and purchase a key- I dunno- too much to think of right now) but I don’;t wanna if I don’t have to- but I will if forced to- I’m giving paragon hard disk a try right now- We’ll see how it goes- I’ll report back here-

[matthew fuller]

Talked to my computer maintenance guy this afternoon, and he walked me thru finding out that I really am the admin on my computer. He said that my inability to change my windows download settings is a somewhat frequent thing in windows 7, and since my settings are where I want them, don’t worry unless anything else comes up.

[rarestia]

If it says that some settings are controlled by your administrator, it sounds like you’re on a domain network. If this is a standard or home edition, that’s not normal to see.

[Bob434]

Bah I tried the paragon program too and it wouldn’t allow me to select which partitions - - I have been trying to get l inux up and running- had to install it aobut 6 times now in just a few days- Everythgin would be going great- gettign all the tweaks done that i like, email on etc- then wham- outta nowhere firefox won’t run and email stops working- can’t find info on line to fix them- so i reinstall linux again- Then i tried mint’s backup utility- thinking ‘well at l east if something goes wrong, I’ve got a restore point- NOPE! didn’t work-

Linux is god, when it’;s not broken that is- I’ve attempted to run it twice last and this year- once about 8 months ago (ran them in VM’s then)

It’s like going back to windows 95 where I spend hours and horus and hours trying to fix some wacky issue- only with linux, the help forums are uber-geek-speak and i can’t follow what they’re saying-

I wanna like Linux- but it’s just not letting me-

[musicman]

BFLR

[musicman]

BFLR

[McGruff]

I ran that GWX Control Panel program on 3 PCs and haven’t seen a Windows 10 nag since. I’d recommend it.

http://blog.ultimateoutsider.com/2015/08/using-gwx-stopper-to-permanently-remove.html

[Qiviut]

My elderly aunt is getting the Win 10 nag now, too. I need to go over there & put it on her computer - it’s certainly stopped the ‘nag’ on the two laptops in our house AND gotten rid of all the files Microsoft downloaded on my laptop after I foolishly reserved for Win 10 & then changed my mind. Glad it’s worked for you! :-)