Is Microsoft into trojans or spyware?

[VK3DRB]

My PC has Windows 10 Home on it.

Tonight just after I logged on Windows during booting up, the PC showed a pure blue background without any icon, pictures, logos etc. Just one word in the centre with a blue background, saying "Hi". No it wasn't Dave.
A few seconds later "All of your files are left in exactly the same place" 
Then maybe 30 seconds later "We have added new features" 
Then maybe 30 seconds after that "We have removed aaaaa.exe and bbbbbb.exe because they will no longer run on this computer"   

It is Microsoft trying to tell me what is good for me in their typical vague unhelpful messages? I would expect if Microsoft was professional, they would at least have a Microsoft screen or logo accompanying the messages, at least to authenticate who it was from. The last dodgy update released by Microsoft was on 10th May. That was nine days ago.

I don't know what features have been forced on me. I cannot run Control Panel to see what was installed. Clicking on it gets no response. Bitdefender and Malwarebytes picked up nothing. It is either Microsoft bullying its users into their way of thinking, the CIA up to dirty tricks, or some tosser in The People's Liberation Army hacking my machine.

Has anyone else experienced this invasion or hack attack on their PC?

[xrunner]

You have malware on your machine ...

[TopLoser]

Not malware - just a clumsy update by Microsoft

http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_10-performance/error-all-your-files-are-right-where-you-left-them/02876766-3291-4e09-856f-e2f0eb34df9a?auth=1

https://bobsullivan.net/cybercrime/technology-run-amok/watch-out-for-the-microsoft-windows-blue-screen-of-update/

[VK3DRB]

Not malware - just a clumsy update by Microsoft

http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_10-performance/error-all-your-files-are-right-where-you-left-them/02876766-3291-4e09-856f-e2f0eb34df9a?auth=1

https://bobsullivan.net/cybercrime/technology-run-amok/watch-out-for-the-microsoft-windows-blue-screen-of-update/

Thanks. It looks like Microsoft, but many things are now not working on this machine properly. Right click the Windows 10 start icon and NONE of the functions respond. CTRL-ALT-DELETE does not bring up the task manager either.

I suspect it might be Malware.

[AF6LJ]

Not malware - just a clumsy update by Microsoft

http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_10-performance/error-all-your-files-are-right-where-you-left-them/02876766-3291-4e09-856f-e2f0eb34df9a?auth=1

https://bobsullivan.net/cybercrime/technology-run-amok/watch-out-for-the-microsoft-windows-blue-screen-of-update/

It's not malware, it's Microsoft updating the OS, some updates are mandatory.

Users of Microsoft, Apple and Google operating systems need to keep something in mind.
You don't own the operating system you simple lease it.
MS Apple and Google can and do access your machine for many reasons.
Read the end user license on these OSs and you will discover you have very little privacy or control over what goes on with those operating systems.

[botcrusher]

Said update screen is petfectly fine. It means that you were pushed a new build of windows 10. I actually like this mechanism a lot more than what they used for updating 7, and I've gotten used to it since I'm running insider builds, which update like this rather frequently.

[xrunner]

Not malware - just a clumsy update by Microsoft

Ha! Interesting. I never saw it here but if I did I would have thought malware. Bad user message.

[botcrusher]

Clumsy update isn't really correct, perhaps they could put a faint windows 10 logo in the background, but this is the update mechanism for 10.

Takes a lot longer to "update and patch" windows 7
Than it does to upgrade the entire OS to a new build on 10.

Anyways, when you see that, go make yourself a coffee, or check that phone notification that's been nagging you the last little while. Normally takes less than five minutes.

[Red Squirrel]

I find win 10 in general just looks ugly and "spammy".  It reminds me of those fake AV programs.

[rdl]

Is Microsoft into trojans or spyware?

Yes, Windows 10 is spyware.
 
Stick with Windows 7 or switch to Linux.

[botcrusher]

-_-

Sigh...

I actually prefer 8/10 over 7. Persoanlly i find 7 to be rather solid, but a tad bloated.
I've seen <50 megs of ram left  on win 10 and the OS can still run smooth!

[station240]

"all your files are right where you left them" this is true, however they forgot to add "Your programs on the other hand...."

From the accounts I read, it uninstalls some antivirus programs, changes the default web browser to the microsoft one (and the same with media player apps), and screws around with some settings.
For whatever crazy reason, it backs up everything, installs windows, then puts all your files/apps back.

Honestly WTF Microsoft, did all the software engineers quit, so you let the work experience kids and immigrants write Windows 10. Do your programmers spend more time playing with their phones than they do writing code ?

ps: Screw you Harvard Processor architecture, some of liked being above to write code to hot patch software.

[botcrusher]

That's a bit harsh...

[G7PSK]

If you must have Windows 10 you need to install Spybot anti beacon which is free in order to prevent Microsoft loging you key strokes and looking through all your files. I tried Win.10 three times now and on each occasion it ended up breaking my computers by installing microsofts latest drivers, something you don' t want on a Panasonic toughbook. It also disabled the start menue on my desktop one time so I could not even turn it off. I now have GWX control on both my computers. I will not try it again for at least five years now if at all.

[Jeroen3]

I've seen <50 megs of ram left  on win 10 and the OS can still run smooth!

That is because the OS took it all as a precaution. 

Remember Microsoft did upgrade many Home users to Windows 10 automatically. And it keeps pushing its "install windows 10 now" application update to the front row, even if you've unticked and hid it. I should soon stop though, since it's stops being free. Or it will still install and take you ransom for money which is the new hype now. 
The fact that there are application like this means microsoft will lose some of it's SOHO userbase, which isn't where the profit margin is high anyways.
https://www.grc.com/never10.htm
http://blog.ultimateoutsider.com/2015/08/using-gwx-stopper-to-permanently-remove.html

[VK3DRB]

Yes, I think it now is a Microsoft update. Proven by the 19 GB that CCLEANER found of an unannounced Microsoft update. I'll have to hack the PC to get it to work properly.

If you get a phone call from someone with an Indian accent saying he is from the Microsoft Help desk, it might just be Satya Nadella, the latest  artist of Microsoft.

Microsoft can go and get stuffed

Linus is a viable choice. http://alternativeto.net/software/altium-designer/?platform=linux

[Lightages]

Windows 10 is a virus, a trojan, and spyware. You cannot control what updates are forced on you. You have no control over your computer. As said before, Win7 or Linux or perhaps Mac.

This has been posted in another thread, but if you want to stop receiving W10 "upgrade" spam or prevent W10 spyware files bing pushed to your W7 or W8 system, then use these:

https://github.com/th3power/aegis-voat
and/or
http://ultimateoutsider.com/downloads/  GWX control panel
or
http://www.getblackbird.net  although I have not used it yet

or just get Linux Mint and give it a try. It works for most things most people want a computer for. I am still trying it.

[suicidaleggroll]

Windows 10 is a virus, a trojan, and spyware. You cannot control what updates are forced on you. You have no control over your computer. As said before, Win7 or Linux or perhaps Mac.

^ This

Just this morning a coworker of mine was in the middle of writing some emails and doing other work on his Win 7 laptop, he left his office for about 15 minutes to do something else, and when he came back his machine was halfway through upgrading itself to Windows 10, unprompted.

When it finally finished it asked him to agree to the terms and conditions, he declined, and the machine downgraded itself back to Windows 7.  Two hours lost, all work he was in the middle of doing gone.

[VK3DRB]

Windows 10 is a virus, a trojan, and spyware. You cannot control what updates are forced on you. You have no control over your computer. As said before, Win7 or Linux or perhaps Mac.

^ This

Just this morning a coworker of mine was in the middle of writing some emails and doing other work on his Win 7 laptop, he left his office for about 15 minutes to do something else, and when he came back his machine was halfway through upgrading itself to Windows 10, unprompted.

When it finally finished it asked him to agree to the terms and conditions, he declined, and the machine downgraded itself back to Windows 7.  Two hours lost, all work he was in the middle of doing gone.

It reminds me of the time when I had to go to a 20 minute meeting. When I came back I found my machine had rebooted. Windows had decided to install and update and reboot automatically.  I lost 4 hours worth of work. I had turned off the automatic updates flag in Windows months earlier, but the nincompoops at Microsoft decided to override that with a later update and not tell its victims.

Lessons learnt:

(1) Save your work regularly.
(2) Never trust Microsoft.

[VK3DRB]

I found why the machine was crippled. A legitimate shell extension from a utitilty interfered with the selection of the right-click short-cuts on the Windows start button.

This post helped solve it... http://superuser.com/questions/947367/windows-10-start-right-click-context-menu-items-dont-open
And this free tool helped me find the offending shell extension... http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/shexview.html

To be honest if I had not found the post, I would have spent days trying to fix it. The post has over 74,000 views.

Imagine if Microsoft no longer allowed Altium or some other important program to work with one of their updates. The user could lose a lot of money, his job or maybe be sued. Good luck trying to sue Microsoft.

[botcrusher]

What have we learned folks?
The exact,
Same,
Freaking,
Lesson that people have been learning simce the 80s.
Save yer damn work!
There is no excuse for leaving your computer long enough to miss the restart prompt because you forgot to save.

Ctrl + S is magical.

[helius]

FTFY:

What have we learned folks?
The exact,
Same,
Freaking,
Lesson that people have been learning simce the 80s.

(2) Never trust Microsoft.

[PartialDischarge]

You cant trust anything networked these days, not even encryption to store your personal files.
Thats why im working on a project to securely store files in a usb with no encryption, using another method

[VK3DRB]

If you bought a car, what right has the car dealer got to sneak into your garage and adversely modify the car's behaviour without telling you? It sounds preposterous, but that similar to what Microsoft is getting away with.

To all you Windows fan boys, before you know it, Microsoft will be you mother, your father, your brother and your sister without you realising you were adopted.

Just what do you think you are doing, Dave?

[suicidaleggroll]

There is no excuse for leaving your computer long enough to miss the restart prompt because you forgot to save.

There is no excuse for using an OS that reverts user settings, reboots itself without notice, upgrades itself without notice, spies on its users, and on the whole, treats its users like they're incompetent.