WaasMedic Agent Exe stopping me from working

On Wednesday after booting and working for a while without obstruction, things became bogged down. Response to UI controls (mouse clicks, text box entry) started to take up to 30 secs to respond. Disk activity 100% active time with high I/O numbers driven almost exclusively by "TiWorker.exe". That lasted for over 40 minutes before an alert popped up saying I needed to reboot in order to finish an update. It was not outside "Active Hours" and I had never seen that type of behavior for a Windows Update before. But I did the restart (which took over 20 minutes) to find I was now at Version 20H2, bld 19042.1083 whereupon I had to endure another 90 minutes of 100% disk active time at very high I/O values (both read and write) with, of course "System" PID 4 being responsible for almost all of it. Now my morning boot to usable UI/ reaction times is up to 19 minutes (from the previous 'normal' of 13 minutes) with the heavy disk I/O and internet traffic.

I believe this indicates the following for Windows 11:

1. Hardware requirement that at least the SYS drive will have to be solid state.
2. Going "offline" will disable key features of the OS since MS wants you connected to their servers (spy AIs) at all times, to capture every keystroke and every bit of info from cameras, mics, gyros, temp sensors etc. that your system might incorporate. Things like "Search" - even for / of "local" content will require online connection to MS. That is why Edge is no longer removable / disable-able and is now the module that is used when you use the Windows Search Bar. All searches and results WILL BE REQUIRED to be logged on MS servers so you will not be able to use that feature of the OS unless you are connected to MS.
3. MS will continue the trend stated with Windows 2000 of removing more user controlability and customizing options from Control Panel in favor of the dumbed down "Settings" to give a more "we know better than you what you want to do" like Apple IOS. Further, the online connection requirement will allow MS to more quickly observe user "work-arounds" and registry hacks to gain back control, so they can more quickly push patches to defeat those workarounds a la SECDRV and WaasMedicAgent.
4. Constant connection to the Internet (i.e. MS servers constant real-time presence on your device) will be required for DRM checking for OS boot-up and use, MS and 3rd party product and media use; MS intends to be THE sole source for real-time DRM for music, print, photographic, video, software, and all other "objects" that anyone can monetize through "cloud-based real-time DRM and enforcement". Someone send you a copy of a song you didn't pay for? MS won't allow it to play and MS will forward your info to BMI etc. for prosecution. I.e. they will have warrantless search rights to your computer because you agreed to the Windows 11 license when you update to it and all its 'necessary components for ehnaced cloud-base user experience".

It is probably time to start looking at how many of your key applications will run on Linux or for which you can find a Linux-compatible replacement. We have until 2025.

YEAH, I'M IN A BAD MOOD!!!

If true, this is a new requirement, though not surprising. I had to do a fresh install of Windows 10 in 2018 after one of their "updates" disable Office 2007 Pro by stubbing in Office 360. There was no way to undo it, and no way to access all my office documents, most importantly an Access 2007 DB I have to maintain for a long-time client. (I learned several other users of older Office solutions were also impacted by the attempt to block access to Office documents if not using the subscription based Office 360.) So a clean install of Windows seemed to be the only way to go since neither MS or MS certified support techs knew how to undo the update so Office 2007 would run again.

I used MediaCreator to make an install DVD for the version of Windows 10 that was current at the time. I then powered down the machine, my router and cable modem so there would be no connection to the internet. I installed using the option for a local account an NO MS account. After completing the fresh install (which included reformatting and partitioning the SYS drive) I installed Office 2007 and all its updates I had saved over the years, as well as a few other key apps from saved install files before shutting down, re-powering the modem and router. After three weeks of rebuilding the system with fresh installs of all the 3rd party applications - some requiring lengthy exchanges with vendors for activation issues - I was back running and the only account on the machine was my local account.

Then in Oct 2020 every time I cold-booted I got notification that there was "... a problem with your Microsoft account" as in incorrect password or login ID!?!? ****!?!? Yes, I do have an MS account, but this machine had no knowledge of it and I had NOT used this machine to log into it after the clean install - I was afraid if I did, they would disable Office 2007 again.

So how did MS know that I, as user of this "clean" machine had an MS account IF THEY DID NOT RIFFLE THROUGH MY PERSONAL INFORMATION ON THIS MACHINE IN VIOLATION OF PRIVACY POLICY/LAWS IN ORDER TO FIND OUT IT WAS BEING USED BY A PERSON WITH THE SAME EMAIL ADDRESS AS AN MS ACCOUNT HOLDER?!?! BTW, I don't use Outlook (not installed with Office 2007 apps) or any other MS email client / app. I don't use MS browser for any web activity (until MS forced Edge on us and installed it as the MS Search agent when you use the search bar or WinKey+S feature).

If in fact there was no option other than using an MS account to clean-install the OS with current versions of Windows, then rest assured, the monthly subscription fees and connection to Internet and MS account for cold-boot validation before use will be coming soon. The legalized ransomware approach to emptying your pockets, pioneered by Adobe, appears bound for your OS. That means, no monthly fee, no access to any of your personal files or data while MS will continue to hold, peruse, use, and sell all such data it has hoovered up from your Windows devices.

For the record I don't sleep my computers at night or when I'm not going to use them for awhile. I do a shut down then turn the power to them off whether it's just a power strip or a UPS battery backup. "Shut Down" doesn't actually do a full shut down. Only a Restart does a full shut down before restarting.

Why choose Sunday Microsoft, should you not be at Church? Hold on a minute, the DEVIL would not go to Church!. I occasionally see wsappx running but for short periods - running process being waasmedic agent for the 6 minute odd Sunday Run. Just seen Barsey's posting after composing this. There have been rumours about for a while, that new computers with Windows 11 pre-installed will be on a subscription basis. Once they have you, they can then up the price as and when they wish. Who would then buy a computer with Windows 11, have MS not thought this through?