KB3035583 Installing Windows 10 using Windows Update?

The following statement by Microsoft is interesting.

http://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2015/10/windows-10-upgrade-installing-automatically-on-some-windows-7-8-systems/

I am skeptical about their claim that pre-checking the Win 10 upgrade was a mistake.  Was the "Get Windows 10" dialog box also a mistake?  This was the dialog box that made it appear that in order to download any of the updates, you had to click Yes to a Windows 10 download.  When I finally noticed that one optional update--Windows 10--was checked and unchecked it, the "Get Windows 10" dialog box disappeared and I was able to download several security updates normally.  So the pre-checked Win 10 download and the "Get Windows 10" dialog box were related.

My guess is that this combination represented the latest method to "induce" users to upgrade, now that Josh Mayfield's GWX Control Panel is available.  However, it looks like someone decided that this was too blatant.  All the talk about maintaining trust in Windows Update rings pretty hollow in view of what has been happening the last few weeks, but the fact that Microsoft needs to say anything at all is a little bit of progress.

Woody,

Thanks for the reminder to disable the Diagnostics and Telemetry tracking service.

In addition to doing that, and turning off CEIP in Office 2010, I also disabled several CEIP tasks in the Task Scheduler (I'm running Windows 7 Pro):

1. In the Task Scheduler (Local) pane of the Task Scheduler dialog box, expand the Task Scheduler Library > Microsoft > Windows nodes and open the Application Experience folder.

Disable the AITAgent and ProgramDataUpdater tasks.

2. In the Task Scheduler (Local) pane of the Task Scheduler dialog box, expand the Task Scheduler Library > Microsoft > Windows nodes and open the Customer Experience Improvement Program folder.

Disable the Consolidator, KernelCEIPTask, and Use CEIP tasks.

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Once CEIP and the Diagnostics and Telemetry tracking service have been disabled, I'm not sure if disabling the above tasks are necessary, but I've done so anyway.

I appreciate your blog .... very valuable information there .... thanks!

Unfortunately, turning off CEIP no longer zaps all communication between Win7/8.1 and Microsoft. One additional program that we know about is the "Diagnostics and Telemetry tracking service" which is installed by recent updates to Win7 and 8.1.

Microsoft's trickery becomes ever more extreme.

Microsoft becomes EXTREMELY DANGEROUS!!!

AN OPEN LETTER TO SYMANTEC

Dear Symantec:

You could double your revenue from this customer by expanding your anti-spyware offerings to include, perhaps optionally, a constantly-updated list of Windows updates that exist so Microsoft can spy on the user or nag or trick him or her into buying the company's latest products.

I have spent too much time this afternoon manually uninstalling various updates, running Windows Update, and then unchecking and hiding the same updates there--this on two computers.  After comparing the updates to a little blacklist I have gleaned from this and another forum, I ended up unchecking and hiding all except the "security" updates and the Malicious Software Removal Tool.

Hiding updates is increasingly pointless, as Microsoft has adopted the tactic of reissuing multiple new versions.  Here is your opportunity, Symantec!  You have already invested the resources to detect the latest spyware, including programs that trick users into clicking on them, the way Microsoft now does.  Why should millions of customers assemble blacklists and manually inspect the updates recommended by Windows Updates, when you can do this so much more efficiently?

Seriously.  Increased revenue through real innovation.  Do some good for the world, at the same time.

This letter should be sent to Avast, NOD32 & other companies who produce antivirus / antispyware applications.