KB3035583 Installing Windows 10 using Windows Update?

I have written this on this forum numerous times.  There is only one way to take back control.......

I have advised my clients to do what I have dreaded doing for years -- turn off Automatic Windows Update. 

The problem is compounded by an incessant drive by Microsoft to install Windows 10 on your computer without your permission.  They keep re-installing KB3035583 (that is the enabler) on your computer, even if you uninstall it.  The result is the huge download and then constant nags without an apparent way to say no.

So I have advised my clients to shut down WU.  Once a month on the 2nd Tuesday, they will get an email from me advising to manually start WU and then to reject specific updates like KB3035583.  Then update.  WU remains on NEVER.

Some may scoff at this idea.  Well they are incorrect.  Never means you are never giving Microsoft a chance to decide what you download and install.  It does NOT mean you will never update.  The difference is that now you take on the responsibility of updating.

Some may believe that Microsoft would not do such a stupid thing.  You must read Woody Leonhard (one of the most respected writers in the trade)  http://www.infoworld.com/article/2983777/microsoft-windows/how-to-clean-the-windows-10-crapware-off-your-windows-7-or-81-pc.html?nsdr=true Woody calls the Windows 10 download “crapware.”

If you see the Windows flag on the bottom right of your screen, chances are pretty high, your computer already has the Win10 file. Even if you do not, it may be on your computer by now anyway.  Here are instructions on how to rid yourself of it:

If you are using windows 7, and have not installed win10 and do not want it, here is a procedure that I have used many times and it works. 

1. Take Windows Update off automatic -- Never check
2. Task Manager, processes, find and end GWX.exe
3. Windows Update, Installed updates, WAIT a long time till you see the green bar complete its long trip to the right
4. Now, search for KB3035583, uninstall it
5. If there are others you want to uninstall, click Later
6. Then, clear the search box and after a brief wait, enter another KB number.
7. Restart the PC
8. Disk cleanup, do the 2nd step for System -- this takes a while
9. You should find a Temporary Installation file there that is anywhere from 4 to 8 Gigabytes.  It is the Win10 downloaded file. Put a check mark on that item.
10. OK, Delete Files
11. Restart
12. The startup will take a long time while it finishes cleanup

Alternatively, you will find a solution in a Woody Leonhard article:

http://www.infoworld.com/article/2979572/microsoft-windows/gwx-stopper-an-easy-way-to-permanently-delete-get-windows-10-nagware-in-windows-7-and-81.html

If you choose “check for updates, but let me choose whether to download and install them”****, Microsoft will download an "important" update KB3035583 to your computer.  It will be pre-checked -- selected.  Unless you check WU and discover this BEFORE you shut down, it will install it during the shut-down process.   Hiding accomplishes nothing.

If you are going to take control of your computer and prevent Microsoft from downloading and installing their malware, you have to lock them out altogether.

  

I am dredging up this old post to remind everyone that if you set Windows Update to "check for updates, but let me choose whether to download and install them," you put yourself at risk that Microsoft will repeat their little trick of pre-checking some updates.  Perhaps they will even bury them in the Optional Updates like they did last fall.

Since there is no real downside to putting the computer on Never--no downside in terms of security, so long as you check for updates periodically, and no downside in terms of workflow--I fail to see why anyone would choose a higher risk option.

After reading ALL the posts in this thread, I must say that I'm amazed at the amount of nit picking that is going on. It started out as an INFORMATION thread on how to AVOID being FORCED to install Win 10. It has turned into nothing but a rant of BICKERING and belittling each other. GROW UP ! ! ! Get your heads out of your posteriors and behave like the adults you are claiming to be.

Since this is no longer an informative thread, I'll no longer be following it.

Dave

Legacy2000,

Thanks for the clarification on two "let me choose" options. I completely forgot about the "Download but let me choose" option.

In my previous post, all references to "Let me choose" refer to the "Check for updates but let me choose whether to download and install them" setting.

Some confusion may have been caused by there being two "let me choose" options:

Download updates but let me choose whether to install them

Check for updates but let me choose whether to download and install them

My previous comment was referring to the former.

Agreed that there is little difference between the latter and Never check for updates in terms of what is downloaded or installed, as the user decides in either case. There may be usage and performance issues, depending on the user's internet connection (i.e. unlimited/measured) and system, as the Check for... option still uses bandwidth and resources while checking, although this probably affects relatively few users now. For most, it really is just a matter of personal preference.

FYI, the Never... setting does not have to be changed to manually check for updates - "never" in this case doesn't mean "absolutely never" so much as "never unless I specifically tell you to..." With that setting, when I open Windows Update it looks like:


I can click either the button or the link on the left and WU will do its thing.

I have to say that I don't see much difference between never and let me choose. If the users of never check the accummulated updates regularly, it amounts to the same thing as let me choose.

I agree with ManInEasternEurope ....  "Never check for updates" and "Let me choose" are similar (not the same).

If one has set Windows Update to "Never Check For Updates" ... then what does the user do when they want to install selected updates (such as the current security updates). I assume the user changes their setting to "Let Me Choose", clicks "Check for updates" (to get the most current list) ... then selects the updates they want and installs them. After the updates are installed, the user puts their setting back to "Never". I assume that's the workflow for those who use "Never" (please correct me if a different workflow is used). My point here is that it appears  the user must switch settings (from Never to Let Me Choose and back to Never) in order to get the selected updates they want.

With Windows Update set to "Let Me Choose" ... no updates are downloaded until the user selects (checkmark) updates and clicks install. There may be a misconception that with "Let Me Choose", updates are downloaded to the PC before one makes a choice. My understanding is that with "Let Me Choose", only the update title is shown in Windows Update's lists of Important and Optional updates ... but the corresponding update file(s) are not yet downloaded. Once the user selects (checkmark) updates they want, and clicks the Install button, then (and only then) are the selected update file(s) downloaded. This pertains to the "Let me choose" setting .... of course with the  "Install updates automatically" setting, all updates are downloaded (and installed) .... and that is why most everyone posting in this thread recommends that "Install updates automatically" not be selected. So, the "Let me choose" setting is safe for those with limited/metered Internet connections.

I have Windows Update set to "Let me choose" and I have unchecke d the option that says "Give me recommended updates the same way I receive important updates". I have never had any updates installed without permission (i.e., without me selecting and installing them). However, I have seen numerous occasions where a previously hidden update was unhidden by Microsoft. I am not sure there is any setting that can be used to stop this undesirable and coercive behavior by Microsoft.

I'm not opposed to using the "Never" setting ... but in my case I have not needed to do so. Whether one uses the "Never" setting or the "Let me choose" setting, if you do not want to install Windows 10 (and/or do not want to be nagged by Microsoft, do not want allow your copy of Windows 7 or 8 to send telemetry/personal data back to Microsoft, etc., then it is important to review every update and only select the ones you want to be installed. Yes, this is a huge effort every month and Microsoft is probably depending on users eventually just giving up and allowing all updates to go through.

For those who do not want to expend the time each month (examining every update), or those who feel they do not have the expertise to do so, the following generic suggestions might help ...

1. Only select and install windows security updates (updates labeled "Security update for Windows 7")
2. Do not select and install Windows regular updates (updates labeled "Update for Windows 7" without the word "Security") ... unless you have thoroughly reviewed them.

Install (and run) the free utility called GWX Control Panel which can help prevent Microsoft's coercive attempts to get Windows 10 installed.

EDIT:  all references in this post to the "let me choose" setting refer to the "Check for updates but let me choose whether to download and install them" setting.