Advice Request Microsoft Re-Releases KB2952664 Telemetry Update for Windows 7 PCs

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Exterminator

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http://news.softpedia.com/news/micr...lemetry-update-for-windows-7-pcs-508991.shtml

Believe it or not, one of the updates that made it possible for Microsoft to bring the Get Windows 10 nagware app on so many Windows 7 computers is back, this time without a clear reason.

KB2952664 landed on Windows 7 PCs on October 4, and Microsoft hasn’t yet provided us with information on why exactly it re-released this patch given the fact that it doesn’t seem to bring any notable changes.

According to the official KB page, this update is only supposed to improve the upgrade experience to Windows 10, but given the fact that free upgrades are no longer available, it’s hard to believe that this makes sense for anyone.

Telemetry update
On the other hand, it’s important to note that this is a telemetry update, so it helps Microsoft collect information on compatibility issues that might be experienced during the upgrade to Windows 10.

“This update performs diagnostics on the Windows systems that participate in the Windows Customer Experience Improvement Program. These diagnostics help determine whether compatibility issues may be encountered when the latest Windows operating system is installed. This update will help Microsoft and its partners ensure compatibility for customers who want to install the latest Windows operating system,” the official KB page reads.

And, of course, users have already started asking questions about this new update, with some believing that Microsoft is actually using the patch to collect more information from their computers.

“What is going on? Why is Microsoft update offering this update ‘to prepare Windows 7 PCs to more easily update to the latest operating system’ when the free offer for Windows 10 is over? […] This is obviously just a way for Microsoft to find out more data about everyone’s PC to further their opportunities to make more money,” one user said on Microsoft’s Community forums.

There is no word from Microsoft regarding this new update, but for the moment, if you just want to stick with Windows 7, it’s better to avoid installing KB2952664.

Hmmm....interesting and not the paranoia
 

Exterminator

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Probably intentional to get more users to upgrade to Windows 10.
Or....maybe to upgrade for free again.Their numbers are way down following the end of the free upgrade and 7 is now ahead of 10.
I highly doubt it is for spying especially after the Yahoo debacle but who knows.
The nagging went so well last time maybe they are giving it another go :D
 
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hjlbx

I would bet they will try a new round of W10 Upgrade offers for W7.

MS wants everyone to use a single OS = W10.

They say it's for increased security, etc - but the real truth of the matter is that they are trying to reduce costs. Their biggest expense is personnel supporting different OS versions.

Better disable Windows Update on W7 until we find out what exactly MS is up to...
 

DJ Panda

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I would bet they will try a new round of W10 Upgrade offers for W7.

MS wants everyone to use a single OS = W10.

They say it's for increased security, etc - but the real truth of the matter is that they are trying to reduce costs. Their biggest expense is personnel supporting different OS versions.

Better disable Windows Update on W7 until we find out what exactly MS is up to...

I agree with you in majority of what you said, to be honest it took so long for me to understand your posts as a whole but then I started look at the life around me. :) Anway, the only thing I disagree about is you disagreeing about less security. I find that as a whole Smartscreen and WD improvement made it one of the more secure Windows OS to date.
 
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hjlbx

I agree with you in majority of what you said, to be honest it took so long for me to understand your posts as a whole but then I started look at the life around me. :) Anway, the only thing I disagree about is you disagreeing about less security. I find that as a whole Smartscreen and WD improvement made it one of the more secure Windows OS to date.

Smartscreen, Windows Defender and Windows Firewall are developed independent of the OS and can be installed independently of the OS - if MS wanted that.

Microsoft can offer the same on W8, W7, Vista, XP...

It is part of MS' marketing strategy to offer the latest and greatest versions only on W10 - to make you think W10 is more secure.

What makes W10 more secure is not Smartscreen, Windows Defender and Windows Firewall - but rather the core improvements to the OS... kernel, policies, vulnerability fixes, bug fixes, etc.

The Windows OS is not very secure - nor is Windows 10 very secure.

The improvements make it only marginally better than W8 and W7 - but the marketing, the hype, the mis-information put out there by people with an agenda - or those that really don't know what they're talking about, etc - they would all have you believe W10 is so very much more secure than W8, W7. The truth is that it is not because it is using the same technological, software base as everything that came before it... W8, W7, Vista, XP, 95,... Not to mention MS has to do a lot of backward compatibility stuff - so it includes most of what made the OSes before W10 insecure in W10.

On top of it all MS is just introducing more and more attack surface by forcibly including all the entertainment stuff with the OS. Appcontainer was supposed to be the greatest and bestest security - but it took only about a month after public release before malc0ders managed to bypass it. Spartan\Edge was marketed as the most secure browser - ever. There again, it was exploited only weeks after release.

A secure OS would be one that makes people begging for malware removal help a rarity. That ain't gonna happen with any Microsoft OS any time soon...

And I mean real security and not security through obscurity. Security through obscurity is using Linux. Linux is more secure only in so far that few people use it - thereby making it financially not worthwhile for malc0ders to target Linux systems.
 
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Omnipotent

Smartscreen, Windows Defender and Windows Firewall are developed independent of the OS and can be installed independently of the OS - if MS wanted that.

Microsoft can offer the same on W8, W7, Vista, XP...

It is part of MS' marketing strategy to offer the latest and greatest versions only on W10 - to make you think W10 is more secure.

What makes W10 more secure is not Smartscreen, Windows Defender and Windows Firewall - but rather the core improvements to the OS... kernel, policies, vulnerability fixes, bug fixes, etc.

The Windows OS is not very secure - nor is Windows 10 very secure.

The improvements make it only marginally better than W8 and W7 - but the marketing, the hype, the mis-information put out there by people with an agenda - or those that really don't know what they're talking about, etc - they would all have you believe W10 is so very much more secure than W8, W7. The truth is that it is not because it is using the same technological, software base as everything that came before it... W8, W7, Vista, XP, 95,... Not to mention MS has to do a lot of backward compatibility stuff - so it includes most of what made the OSes before W10 insecure in W10.

On top of it all MS is just introducing more and more attack surface by forcibly including all the entertainment stuff with the OS. Appcontainer was supposed to be the greatest and bestest security - but it took only about a month after public release before malc0ders managed to bypass it. Spartan\Edge was marketed as the most secure browser - ever. There again, it was exploited only weeks after release.

A secure OS would be one that makes people begging for malware removal help a rarity. That ain't gonna happen with any Microsoft OS any time soon...
If it wasn't for Microsoft making me think that my Skylake CPU wouldn't be supported on Windows 7 i would still be using it.
 
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hjlbx

If it wasn't for Microsoft making me think that my Skylake CPU wouldn't be supported on Windows 7 i would still be using it.

MS is gonna kill 7 by pulling the plug sooner than later.

I would not be surprised if MS accelerates the W7 End-of-Life.

MS has been making more than a few unannounced changes to the OS - without first advising soft vendors, Enterprises, etc in advance. The most recent big one was the unannounced modification (accelerated change) to the cosigning requirement for digital certificates made during W10 Anniversary Update.
 
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DJ Panda

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Windows 10 is supposed to be the latest and greatest. MS usually released a worldwide OS every 5-10 years so it was about time for some new changes. It might sound like they could but if they just gave all these updates to 7 it might break something with older computers. As for 7 dying people won't just flock to the next OS just like that. It will be like XP get a good AV or sort of protection, keep all your programs up to date, and follow basic security steps to make sure you don't get infected.
 

Ana_Filiz

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I like windows 7 and I won`t upgrade at all. All my software runs well on w7, some old some new and if I want security I read more carefully the blogs, I pay attention to what I click, browse & run and I install good security software to watch my back.
 
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hjlbx

W10 Home\Pro is OK, except for the lack of some user customization options - most notably the forced updates and re-installation of user-removed Windows Apps.

People that put a lot of effort in getting their W8\8.1, W7, Vista and XP systems to work just the way they want them to are very apt to not want to change.

"If it ain't broke, then don't mess with it..."
 

_CyberGhosT_

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I Agree with most here, but this is only marginally going to help
with numbers, MS is gearing up to pull the carpet out from under Win 7
that is where the effects will be most notable.
I loved Win 7, most of us gamers did. but like most I too decided to set
my pride aside and get current. I am glad I did, if you know how it is easy
to config Win 10 to be just as fast and safe as Win 7, with all telemetry off.
The only thing I hate are the BS updates, but even they can be corralled
 
H

hjlbx

I agree with you in majority of what you said, to be honest it took so long for me to understand your posts as a whole but then I started look at the life around me. :) Anway, the only thing I disagree about is you disagreeing about less security. I find that as a whole Smartscreen and WD improvement made it one of the more secure Windows OS to date.

Technically, all versions of Windows (except XP) are more secure than other OSes - like Linux. Practically, other OSes are more secure than Windows in-so-far that malc0ders don't target non-Windows OSes to any significant degree = security by obscurity.

Even the Tails distro can be messed with badly if targeted by malc0ders.

Therein is the key point, security that is targeted versus non-targeted.

If all malc0ders all of a sudden decided to switch from targeting Windows to targeting Linux systems, then Linux would go down in flames in short order...
 
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hjlbx

Microsoft's reply to the newly released
KB2952664
grumblings...

http://news.softpedia.com/news/micr...t-related-to-windows-10-upgrades-509012.shtml

It's double-speak, but pay attention to the first three (key) words in the first sentence of the very last paragraph:

"For the moment, Microsoft guarantees that this update won’t force the upgrade to Windows 10 on your computer..."

It appears those keywords are the author's - and officially not Microsoft's wording - but we all know the truth based upon this whole W10 debacle:

LOL... MS is so full of it...

There's a HUGE amount of mistrust of Microsoft. Here is just one example:

http://windowsreport.com/kb2952664-kb2976978/

Microsoft has doe a lot of damage to its credibility in the way that it pushed W10 and the way it has configured the OS for Home\Pro users.
 
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