[content re-written for information purposes: original article reference at the end]
Microsoft have confirmed to The Register on Sept. 10 that the necessary files for the upgrade from Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 systems to Windows 10 have been pushed via Windows Update .. “For those who have chosen to receive automatic updates through Windows Update, we help customers prepare their devices for Windows 10 by downloading the files necessary for future installation” [Microsoft spokesperson]
The upgrade to Windows 10 is not a simple system update – you are replacing your old (OS) system with Windows 10. Your data and setting are probably/mostly safe/about to be eaten by the cat and you may have a nasty shock your computer becomes completely different. The actual amount that will be downloaded and stored on your system varies ….
yes, it’s the full 3Gb and I’ve had to remove it on both Win8 machines here. Several times on one of them 🙁
A major issue if you are on a limited internet access plan, or a limited office bandwidth connection.
it’s a helleva lot of information because it bogged down my quad-core 8GB ram PC running on a 90Mb/s connection for nearly 10 minutes the night I discovered it. I had already opted out of CEIP and disabled the W10 KB’s that were known at the time. Doing those things does NOT remove the scheduled task the KBs created when installed. You have to go in and manually remove those.
Hint: look for the HIDDEN attribute on the ~BT folder. And be prepared to take ownership rights (administrator isn’t good enough)
No idea how people on dialup and overseas would ever be expected to upgrade (if they wanted to) .. Mobile internet USB users beware!
This ‘update’pushed out to people “who have chosen to receive automatic updates through Windows Update.” Yet receiving automatic updates is the default setting, and switching it off, of course, means you’ll be endangering your system by not receiving potentially critical security updates
A Common Opinion
it seems that the entire direction of computing is moving back to centralized, paternalistic, “we-know-what’s-best-for-you” control. Cloud storage. Cloud logins. UAC. Administrator-doesn’t-really-mean-Administrator. Enforced updates. Downloading a whole new OS just-in-case-you-want-it-but-if-not-we’ll-continue-to-nag-you. Secure Boot that somehow only seems to benefit Microsoft. Constant logging – sorry, I mean “telemetry”. Safe Screen a.k.a. “we’ll inspect everything you download to make sure we approve of it”. Technology seems to be defined in terms of what it grudgingly allows you to do, with the approval of the Powers That Be. And it’s a whole lot worse with Windows 10.
This ‘telemetry’ business is a big worry – everything you do is shared with Microsoft in the USA .. How does this sit with organisations holding data under the Data Protection Act? Or companies with corporate secrets?
Thankfully, we moved to Linux after Windows XP (all is forgiven). Feel free to ask ..
Read the full article and comments at http://www.theregister.co.uk/2015/09/10/windows_10_forced_download/
And telemetry on Win7 & 8 http://www.theregister.co.uk/2015/09/01/microsoft_backports_data_slurp_to_windows_78_via_patches/
http://www.ghacks.net/2015/08/28/microsoft-intensifies-data-collection-on-windows-7-and-8-systems/