Be thankful that Windows Update knows what it is doing.

[ChrisGreaves]

Untitled.png

No kidding.
In the midst of my attempting to nail down online banking errors I noticed a more-than-sluggish power-up this morning around 7am, accompanied by the familiar blue "wait while we (48%) install" message.

Why am I reverting to my decades-old policy of deferring updates? Because, yet again, Microsoft Edge has turned out to be my default browser, and sundry other annoyances have reared their ugly heads.


Chris

[BobArch2]

Untitled.pngNo kidding.
In the midst of my attempting to nail down online banking errors I noticed a more-than-sluggish power-up this morning around 7am, accompanied by the familiar blue "wait while we (48%) install" message.

Why am I reverting to my decades-old policy of deferring updates? Because, yet again, Microsoft Edge has turned out to be my default browser, and sundry other annoyances have reared their ugly heads.


Chris

Good morning Chris,

If it is any consolation (unlikely), I have had that error at least a half dozen times over the last several weeks. Only a re-boot has resolved it. And as for the MS update setting Edge as the default ... YUP, did it to me when updating to 20H2. Oh the joys!

[ChrisGreaves]

If it is any consolation (unlikely), ...

You got that one right, Bob!
That MS update seems to have reset many defaults and options. That my "use this program as a default " settings get clobbered every time is most annoying.
I seem to spend more time struggling to maintain a stable configuration than ever before.
I suppose that this is to be expected as we move away from owning the computer and platform software, to being treated as if we were renting.
Ten years from now we will all be using dumb terminals (again!) to communicate with a system that believes it knows our needs and wants better than we do.
Then we will revert to telephone-access as in the late 1970s.
Once we get back to 80-columns I'll cheer up; I promise.
No Cheers
Chris

[stuck]

It must be just me but I don't have any trouble with Windows updates.

When I first got my Win 10 Pro machine I set the relevant deferral policies via the GPE and ever since the Win 10 updates have land on my machine the set number of days after MS first releases them. They install, I reboot and life goes on.

The deferral I set on 'feature updates' means I'm still on 1909 and I not I'm expect 2004 for a while yet but when it does show up I expect it to go like previous feature updates. It installs, I reboot and life goes on.

Having said that Win 10 has a habit of pushing it's favoured applications, e.g. I regularly double click on a photo in .tif format and despite me telling it too many times to carry on using IrfanView as my default app for images, it offers me a list of alternative applications. However, this constant offering of an alternative image viewer could be a sign of 'intelligence' because I also frequently right click on a .tif and 'open with Photoshop or Affinity Photo or DxO Photolab.

Ken

[Leif]

It must be just me but I don't have any trouble with Windows updates.

At the risk of tempting fate, I can assure you that you are not alone there, Ken.

[HansV]

I've had a few minor hiccups, but in general I don't experience problems with Microsoft Update either.

[StuartR]

I install Windows updates soon after they come out. I have had one or two VERY minor issues, but nothing that wasted much of my time. I really do not want to leave the security issues unfixed on my PC for any longer than I absolutely have to, but feature updates are less urgent.

[ChrisGreaves]

... Having said that Win 10 has a habit of pushing it's favoured applications, ...

Hi Ken.
In one sense I agree with you - Windows as Windows works well, but when Microsoft assumes the role of knowing what is best for me, it makes a mistake.
Too, I have no doubt that for 99% of Windows users updates are seamless, and probably do protect all of us with security updates.

Besides pushing its favoured applications, Windows Updates seem also to reset many defaults and options. Especially in non-MS applications.
I am not married with 2.3 children and a white picket fence. Although I have "browsed the web" from time to time, I also try to track down "what went wrong this time" rather than finding another way that involves an extra click⁽¹⁾

My recent panic with (a) credit cards and (b) 404-page error are cases in point. Both issues are resolved through Eileen's Lounge (Thanks again to All), but when a FireFox(non-MS!) update and a Windows Update are forced upon me at the same time, I am deprived of my previously stable state which I feel I need to resolve whatever issue is there.

I see that Microsoft et al. are moving us towards (backwards?) the general populace using a dumb terminal to do everything online. Smart Phones are essentially dumb terminals - one does not do much programming on them; and netbooks and tablets seem too to be read-only devices whose sole purpose is to browse The Web.

As systems become more complex, it should be imperative for a single switch to inhibit all updates to a PC while a problem is being resolved. I would think that even MSoft troubleshooters would welcome this.

I am ranting too much, so I'll stop.

⁽¹⁾Which most people interpret as "Well it is only one click!", whereas it is more commonly several finger/hand/wrist/arm movements to position the cursor before the Click can take place.


Cheers
Chris

[ChrisGreaves]

At the risk of tempting fate, ...

We can but hope
Cheers
Chris

[ChrisGreaves]

I've had a few minor hiccups, but in general I don't experience problems with Microsoft Update either.

Hi Hans, this puzzles me in a way. But I would distinguish between "problems with Microsoft Update" and "problems arising from Microsoft Update".
In my case the updates have run pretty well (except for a period around 2012-2013 when the Update process took several hours, and overnight update runs were not an option for me), but the problems that arise after the updates are annoying.
Especially annoying because I would have thought that these higher-level issues (such as honoring a request to inhibit updates) would have been settled after thirty years. And yes, I appreciate that if "Walter in Oklahoma" does not update security and continues to browse weird sites he might put us at risk.

If asked I would say that "windows and other updates run smoothly", whereas "the impact of updates is often annoying".

Firefox seems to be notorious for that pop-up window in which I used to have to click "Not Now" until I spent 15-30 minutes prowling the web,Tools Options, running about:config, and finally RegEdit to suppress that notification. That was half an hour out of my life (not to mention the number of times I clicked before I got tired of it) multiplied, perhaps, by thousands of FF users doing the same thing. This I see as an update mechanism that has got out of hand.

It is true that I now have those "fixes" in my documentation so that on my next installation I can implement them directly, but chances are strong that at the time of my next installation, one of Tools Options, about:config, and RegEdit, will have changed Yet Again. This represents a colossal waste of time for some of us.
Much more time that I spend Ranting!
Cheers
Chris

[ChrisGreaves]

I install Windows updates soon after they come out. I have had one or two VERY minor issues, but nothing that wasted much of my time. I really do not want to leave the security issues unfixed on my PC for any longer than I absolutely have to, but feature updates are less urgent.

Stuart, I agree. An influx of spam alone after a contact from an unknown caller reminds me that I am at the mercy of "other users", and Hans et al have pretty well convinced me to Keep Up To Date With Windows, browser and so on. I am much more in line than I was a year ago. "good behaviour star:.

Feature Updates are less urgent to me, too, and I rather wish that Microsoft had a switch for all it's new Features (Edge and the like) that one could flip the finger, in a manner of speaking, and say "No, Honest, I do not want to use Edge", and then not be pestered.

Cheers
Chris
P.S. I seem to have gotten the rant out of my system!
C

[stuck]

...Windows Updates seem also to reset many defaults and options. Especially in non-MS applications...

That's not been my experience.

Ken

[BobArch2]

...Windows Updates seem also to reset many defaults and options. Especially in non-MS applications...

That's not been my experience.

Ken

Is it possible that the change of defaults has occurred in 20H2? I had no such issues before updating to 20H2 and your previous reply indicates that you are still on 1909.

20H2 changed my default for PDFs to Edge from Foxit PhantomPDF and my Chrome browser to Edge.

[StuartR]

20H2 changed my default for PDFs to Edge from Foxit PhantomPDF and my Chrome browser to Edge.

This is a minor irritation, but it only takes about 10 seconds to correct. I didn't even notice this consciously, I just corrected the associations when I noted that the wrong app was opening!

[Doc.AElstein]

..I seem to spend more time struggling to maintain a stable configuration than ever before.
I suppose that this is to be expected as we move away from owning the computer and platform software, to being treated as if we were renting…._
_.... when Microsoft assumes the role of knowing what is best for me, it makes a mistake….
_..... I rather wish that Microsoft had a switch for all it's new Features (Edge and the like) that one could flip the finger, in a manner of speaking, and say "No, Honest……

Hi Chris,
A guy who did some very popular Windows 10 taming stuff in the last year or so, has been trying to develop an “all encompassing” user interface to let you get back in control of your windows.
He has his first version done , maybe its worth a quick look…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V27McA7ch6w
Alan

P.S. It is a bit difficult navigating through this guys recent stuff on his website.. you need to start ( after watching that video ) , here
https://christitus.com/debloat-windows-10-2020
You should find there the script that you need somewhere in a section titled something like, „December 2020 Update”
This was the script today which I found…

Code: Select all

iex ((New-Object System.Net.WebClient).DownloadString('https://git.io/JJ8R4'))

( To use that, you get your blue powershell window thingy up, ( - important you must get it up As Admin ) then paste that in, and away you go!! (http://i.imgur.com/zS0pvJ4.jpg ) )
I just tried that myself, and after , I am able to use my windows 10 machine again. – Usually as time goes on my machine gets too slow to be of practical use, I guess that might be because Microsoft mess it up. ( I guess a lot of people would not notice all that with a better, faster machine, as Microsoft just use up your surplus capacity for their stuff ).

[BobArch2]

20H2 changed my default for PDFs to Edge from Foxit PhantomPDF and my Chrome browser to Edge.

This is a minor irritation, but it only takes about 10 seconds to correct. I didn't even notice this consciously, I just corrected the associations when I noted that the wrong app was opening!

Totally agreed that is just a minor irritation and easy enough to correct. I maintain a list of such irritants for when the next feature update arrives. For example, I also have to remember to deactivate my ShadowProtect license before updating since SP assumes a major change has been made to the environment and assumes it is a new installation. If I forget it only takes a couple of minutes to resolve and no harm is done.