Updates - so pushy!!

[scorpioninblue]

Hi all!

Has anyone noticed how pushy Microsoft has become with their endless updates in 7? I mean every other day they want you to download something and even when you choose to apply the updates yourself, they'll take control when you sign out of your pc and apply them whether you want them or not! It wasn't this bad with XP! They've really assumed a "great lord and master" attitude with Windows 7! I'm tempted to put a stop to all of it soon, I don't want updates for Microsoft Word when I don't have it on my machine, nor for Explorer, which I avoid like the plague! Let me know if anyone else is getting 'prodded' so hard!

 

[pparks1]

I just go with all of the updates and I don't worry about them. It's very rare that one has ever caused me issue. Are they more frequent than they were with Windows XP? Yes... Is Windows 7 more secure and is the world a more dangerous place now than it used to be? Yes. Seems like these 2 go hand in hand.

And I want updates for things like IE...because you never really know when third party apps might make calls or use functionality from IE. Just because you might not double click on IE and surf the web...doesn't mean that the components aren't being used on your system.

 

[CarlTR6]

Hi all!

Has anyone noticed how pushy Microsoft has become with their endless updates in 7? I mean every other day they want you to download something and even when you choose to apply the updates yourself, they'll take control when you sign out of your pc and apply them whether you want them or not! It wasn't this bad with XP! They've really assumed a "great lord and master" attitude with Windows 7! I'm tempted to put a stop to all of it soon, I don't want updates for Microsoft Word when I don't have it on my machine, nor for Explorer, which I avoid like the plague! Let me know if anyone else is getting 'prodded' so hard!

You can hide the updates that you do not want.

That said, pparks is right. As long as you have IE on your system, you should keep it updated for your protection whether or not you are using it as your browser. I do not allow automatic updates; I pick and choose and hide what I do not wish to install.

 

[Desslok]

I have been letting Windows update autoupdate for many many years, and never had a problem. If there is a problem it is super easy to google for it. Just put in the text of the error you get and you will find forum matches, usually with what patch, and you can back it out. Are there more patches now? I imagine so because people used to complain that Windows wasn;t secure, and Mac was more secure. Now some people are complaining because it's too secure. THey can't win, either way people will complain. Honestly I can't tell if there are more patches, because they are applied while I'm sleeping, I just wake up with a more secure PC.

 

[Bill2]

Carl is right about the security part. But if you dislike automatic updates so much, just turn them off. You can manually select and download the updates you want.

Microsoft Update Catalog

 

[scorpioninblue]

I can see the point about Explorer, but I don't want them pushing Word updates on me! Since I've had this desktop for just a few months I've been very compliant with the updating, what made me mad is that one day they were telling me that I had 10 updates ready, I naturally wanted to review them first because what's the point in having updates for programs that are not on your p.c.! Well when I started the shut down process, lo and behold, there was a window telling me that 10 updates were going to be applied and not to do anything to interfere! Of course I didn't, but because there were so many I got a failure notice when I booted back up! I just want to do 4 at the maximum.....I specifically have the options to only download what I approve....... so you can imagine how I felt when I saw that they had overridden my decisions!

 

[CarlTR6]

I can see the point about Explorer, but I don't want them pushing Word updates on me! Since I've had this desktop for just a few months I've been very compliant with the updating, what made me mad is that one day they were telling me that I had 10 updates ready, I naturally wanted to review them first because what's the point in having updates for programs that are not on your p.c.! Well when I started the shut down process, lo and behold, there was a window telling me that 10 updates were going to be applied and not to do anything to interfere! Of course I didn't, but because there were so many I got a failure notice when I booted back up! I just want to do 4 at the maximum.....I specifically have the options to only download what I approve....... so you can imagine how I felt when I saw that they had overridden my decisions!

I have not had that happen to me; but others have posted here saying it has happened.

When you get the update notification, uncheck everyone of them, then review them, and check the ones you want to download and install. Of course, you have to have automatic updates turned off.

 

[CarlTR6]

I have been letting Windows update autoupdate for many many years, and never had a problem. If there is a problem it is super easy to google for it. Just put in the text of the error you get and you will find forum matches, usually with what patch, and you can back it out. Are there more patches now? I imagine so because people used to complain that Windows wasn;t secure, and Mac was more secure. Now some people are complaining because it's too secure. THey can't win, either way people will complain. Honestly I can't tell if there are more patches, because they are applied while I'm sleeping, I just wake up with a more secure PC.

Twice with Windows 7, I have had problems triggered by an update. The first time I had installed a whole batch of them. I used the restore point to roll back. I installed the updates one by one until I found the culprit. I used the restore point to roll back and I hid that one. Recently another update caused a problem. Because I was installing one at a time, I knew which one did it. I uninstalled that one and all was well. I will not use automatic updates - on anything.

 

[scorpioninblue]

I've done exactly that, unchecked the ones I don't want......however I didn't know you have to turn off auto updates first, maybe because I didnt do that before I unchecked them still caused them to be downloaded. I remember when I had my XP machine and kept the updates turned off....well I don't know how or why, but I turned on the updates and 60 of them started downloading! Of course I was powerless to do anything and as you might imagine I had a complete lockup problem afterward that could only be fixed by doing a system recovery! LOL!! Ever since then I've been very wary of auto updating! I had done some reading about Windows 7 before it was finalized and it was said that Microsoft was going to shove updates it deemed necessary on the user whether they chose them or no.t After all aren't they Microsoft and therefore omnipotent?!!t!

 

[CarlTR6]

I haven't noticed MS shoving updates for Win 7 any more than they did for XP. You've got to remember that world wide, Win 7 has to run on nearly infinite hardware combinations and run several tons of highly variable software on all those hardware combinations. Add to that the constant threat of hacking. I think MS does pretty good considering the environment in which Win 7 is operating.

 

[Desslok]

. You've got to remember that world wide, Win 7 has to run on nearly infinite hardware combinations and run several tons of highly variable software on all those hardware combinations.

Good point. I probably haven't had any issues since my main 3 machines are all pretty new and everything is Win 7 compatible marked, and has win 7 drivers. I could see outdated hardware having a higher probability of issues. Now I don't auto-update any servers, but my personal PCs can be recovered easy enough if need be. ANd as far as patching Word, doesn't Win 7 come with an eval of Word? The autoupdate probably just sees winword.exe on the system and patches it.

 

[smarteyeball]

Hi all!

Has anyone noticed how pushy Microsoft has become with their endless updates in 7?

I take it you've never used a Linux distro then...

you choose to apply the updates yourself, they'll take control when you sign out of your pc and apply them whether you want them or not!

And how else are they supposed to install, after you have okayed the action? :huh:

It wasn't this bad with XP! They've really assumed a "great lord and master" attitude with Windows 7!

Interesting view. it could also explain why XP was so vulnerable, so often.

I'm tempted to put a stop to all of it soon,

Feel free - set WU to 'never check for updates'.

I don't want updates for Microsoft Word when I don't have it on my machine,

If word is not installed, then you don't get offered the updates...

nor for Explorer, which I avoid like the plague! Let me know if anyone else is getting 'prodded' so hard!

WU is configurable - if you don't want an update - then don't install it.

 

[scorpioninblue]

I fully understand great point....I guess it's the price paid for being a monopoly! Mac user are so smug when they brag about how immune they are to viruses and attacks! But if Apple were to grow to the extent of being a real competitor with Microsoft they'd be singing a different tune!!!

 

[CarlTR6]

I fully understand great point....I guess it's the price paid for being a monopoly! Mac user are so smug when they brag about how immune they are to viruses and attacks! But if Apple were to grow to the extent of being a real competitor with Microsoft they'd be singing a different tune!!!

Exactly. Well said.

 

[scorpioninblue]

Smarteye........ I have seen updates for Word among the others even though I removed the entire suite of programs when I set my desktop up and others have had the same experience where downloading of updates has occurred despite their declination.

 

[smarteyeball]

Smarteye........ I have seen updates for Word among the others even though I removed the entire suite of programs when I set my desktop up and others have had the same experience where downloading of updates has occurred despite their declination.

I haven't had this issue myself, but I can only assume that there are still elements/components of the Word / Office suite that were not fully removed during removal, (happens often ) or there are still registry entries that are getting 'flagged' by WU when run.

When you click on the details for the particular KB, does it mention a particular module etc?


So if you can't find any further Word / Office apps to remove, try this tool:Windows Installer Clean Up

Make sure you only select known Word / Office apps.

It would also be a good idea to manually create a restore point beforehand, just in case the wrong thing gets clicked and something goes awry:

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/697-system-restore-point-create.html

 

[scorpioninblue]

Thanks for the advice!