From the don’t force shit on me I don’t want and prevent me from saying NO department.
Forgive my off-topic rant, but this will be useful for others having this same problem. One of the things I hate about Microsoft recently is the idea that Windows 8, 8.1, and the upcoming Windows 10 is the greatest thing since sliced bread. If you own a Windows based tablet, or a Windows phone, it probably is (I own a Windows 8 based tablet, and I’m able to use it just fine, because Windows 8.1 is a touch based operating system).
But a problem occurs with Windows 8, 8.1, and the upcoming Windows 10 as a desktop operating system. IMHO, it’s mostly useless as a desktop OS and gets in the way of working as I am accustomed to. I use a mouse and keyboard, with a 27″ monitor, not a touchscreen. I use Windows 7 because it works, is stable, and defensible from malware.
Imagine my surprise after recently doing “Microsoft Update” and I get this icon in my system tray:
Clicking it gives you this advertisement:
OK, I can forgive them for offering this free upgrade, but what I CAN’T forgive Microsoft for is the inability to ever opt-out of being notified about this. Why?
- You can’t remove the icon from the system tray easily,
- You can’t make it go away after “reserving” a copy of Windows 10,
- Average users can’t get rid of the notification process that’s running in the background called “gwx.exe” easily. It saps CPU and memory resources just so it can keep reminding you about Windows 10 and calling home to find out if Windows 10 is available yet,
- This advertisement was a “stealth” upgrade. It is almost like a Trojan in my opinion.
Sorry Microsoft, this isn’t cool, and if I don’t want to bastardize my desktop experience with an operating system designed with a tablet/phone user touch interface, I shouldn’t have to put up with continual reminders. Since this has done nothing but piss me off, it’s marketing FAIL as far as I’m concerned.
This sticky nature of this upgrade notice is by design, the average user of Windows 7, 8, or 8.1 that doesn’t have savvy skills won’t be able to make this go away, so I’m here to help with a simple solution:
Get rid of the Windows Update that creates the problem!
Here’s what it is, from Windows Update:
Update enables additional capabilities for Windows Update notifications in Windows 8.1 and Windows 7 SP1
This update enables additional capabilities for Windows Update notifications when new updates are available to the user. It applies to a computer that is running Windows 8.1 or Windows 7 Service Pack 1 (SP1). Before you install this update, check out the Prerequisites section.
Source: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/3035583
Note that they don’t really tell you what you’ll actually be getting, hence my opinion that it’s like a Trojan horse.
So, here’s how to get rid of the damned thing:
1. Go to Control Panel > Programs > Programs and Features > Installed Updates
2. Put KB3035583 into the search box in the upper right of the dialog as shown below, press ENTER to search for it
3. Click on the “update for Microsoft Windows (KB3035583)” to highlight it, then click “Uninstall” as show below.
4. Unfortunately, you’ll have to Restart your computer.
5. Enjoy a hassle free desktop experience from now on.
By the way if you already have Windows 8 or 8.1 and you hate the fact that you are running a tablet/phone touch based operating system on your desktop, and you wish it would run like Windows 7, I have a solution for that too:
Classic Shell™ is free software that improves your productivity, enhances the usability of Windows and empowers you to use the computer the way you like it. The main features are:
- Highly customizable start menu with multiple styles and skins
- Quick access to recent, frequently-used, or pinned programs
- Find programs, settings, files and documents
- Start button for Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 8.1 and Windows 10
- Toolbar and status bar for Windows Explorer
- Caption and status bar for Internet Explorer
Classic Shell has been in active development for 5 years and has over 25 million downloads.
Get it free here: http://classicshell.net/
In my opinion, Microsoft has erred greatly in trying to foist a tablet/phone touch based OS on desktop users. They should have allowed for some sort of retro experience in the GUI for people that want to use a desktop like they always have. Windows 8, 8.1, and 10 have speed and security enhancements, but they come at the cost of running a touch based OS on your desktop when you really don’t want a touch based OS on your existing machine.
Boneheads.
Anthony,
I see you’re not the only one who doesn’t care for that icon:
http://www.cnet.com/how-to/hide-or-disable-the-windows-10-system-tray-icon/
One of the issues many people are worrying about is what they think Microsoft may do to them if they do accept the free MS Windows 10 upgrade. Microsoft is following the Adobe service model where software such as Microsoft Office 360 is rented month to month and/or year to year for a recurring fee. Imagine where users will be if Microsoft were to solicit all of these “free” upgrades to MS Windows 10 and then insist upon an annual paid service update to continue to use MS Windows 10 after the first year of free service or to obtain continued operating system updates. It remains to be seen if and when Microsoft will begin using this sales model for the operating systems, Win10 or later.
And you know this because…?
I looked at most comments but not all, none seems to show the easy way to remove the Windows 10 free upgrade icon in the notification area.
Click on the small white triangle (show hidden icons), then click on customize… Scroll down to GWX and select “Only show notifications” in the Behaviors column. Press OK and you are done.
Done! Thank you Anthony.
Somewhat off topic, but I like the new (to me) Enter Reader View feature in Firefox 38.0.5.
http://techcrunch.com/2015/06/02/firefox-integrates-pocket-adds-distraction-free-reader-view/#.tsy9e0:iAIN
Just skimmed though the comments. I’ve never read so much BS and conspiracies about PCs/Windows in one web page. I started with UNIX v7/BSD, DOS3/Win3/WinNT, now on Win7 and Android. Progess, mobility and usability over 40 years.
I’ll get my real computer news from ZDnet and Paul Thurrott, not WUWT!
Eric Gisin,
I’m not a Windows user. But I have a question: If you’re so knowledgeable, why don’t you contribute something worthwhile?
Anyone who has used Windows over the years knows there have been hits and misses. 95 was bad. 98 was good. ME was bad (no, terrible). NT wasn’t great. 2k was pretty good. XP was very good, but it’s yesterday’s news. Vista was terrible. 7 was very good. 8 was terrible. 8.1 only slightly better. I’ve used the 10 preview and it looks pretty good. Definitely an improvement over 8.x. I’ll be trying it on one of my 7 machines. It’s pretty surprising that MS will be offering it for free.
Dump mickeysoft. PCLOS is better and free.
You didn’t think they were going to get rid of Clippy the paperclip without finding something else to annoy the snot out of you with did you?
You don’t seem to understand. They’re sadists in Redmond.
I saw a YouTube previewing Win 10 quite a while ago . Altho they tried to make is sound like they were fleshing out 8 to integrate mobile and desktop features , it came across as really being about reimplementing all the things from 7 they fouled up in 8 . The transition to 8.1 unconscionably trashed so of my important files . I think 8 was the end of the line for Ballmer .
Here are instructions on http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/windows-10-faq which sound like they get rid of your icon .
Can I turn off the notifications?
Yes. Click “Customize” in the System Tray and turn off the Get Windows 10 app notifications in the menu that comes up.
I run win 8.1 on a 32 bit machine. I just checked, & update KB3035583 has been on it for 3 weeks. The icon you mention has never appeared, so maybe MS 10 is a 64 bit only OS?? And for all the XP lovers, 8.1 sh**ts all over it. No need to pay for security software, & it starts in 30 seconds flat instead of 2 – 4 minutes.
My 6 year old MacBook Pro is still running well after the last upgrade to Mavericks.
The word intuitive is used a lot with OS X and after 6 years I find it difficult to disagree. Yes, more expensive that a PC upfront but I find it easier to use and so I am more productive, plus it is much easier to install new software and upgrades. After the Mavericks upgrade every application on my computer worked fine with only a slight issue for an old version of Lightroom that I use.
In the other camp I have a desktop running Windows7 but find the interface painful compared to OS X. It’s a lot of small things that each on their own wouldn’t matter much but together make it something I use only when I have to.
A lot of people think that ‘Intuitive’ means you can buy a Mac and ‘just use it.’ Not so. The learning curve is much the same as with Windows for the first-time user. The difference is that Mac apps are much more consitent in the way they work, so once you have learned, then you use that knowledge productively instead of having to continually waste time relearning.
Even the change fro XP to Win-7 drove me nuts. Linux. Crunchbang. Never looked back.
Microsoft is desperate in trying to get people on to their next greatest OS. Microsoft knows people are not going to manually go and install their next Windows release so they are resorting to this automatic update thing and hope they will gain users. They seem to have no idea that this will only make users more angry at them for doing this. Windows 10 is going to be another fail just like Windows 8 and 8.1. Maybe a bit better than eight, but not by much.
And that background running process is stupid and useless indeed, eating resources and sending data to MS. It’s spyware as far as I’m concerned.
Having used Windows 10 since the first preview version I can say most of what you’re saying is unfounded. The start menu is back in 10, the metro start screen is gone. 10 is a happy marriage between the familiar UI of 7 and the increased performance that came with 8/8.1. You can use tiles essentially as much or as little as you want.
It may be worth waiting at launch for a while in case some bugs show up, but you have a year to upgrade for free anyway so waiting six months won’t hurt anything… After all people forget even XP needed a service pack to make it a great OS.
In either case the close minded nature, complete with an obvious lack of research, rant on the subject does more to hurt your credibility in my eyes then any attack from some Green Peace or WWF hack.
Bought my wife a Macbook. After nearly two years I got tired of the swearing and I replaced it with a Levno Windows 8.1 Works like a dream, and no swear words. The Macbook died within days anyway, we were very lucky to get the files she wanted off it in time. Now we share the windows Ondrive, and upgrading is simple.
My daughter started doing coursework postgrad this year. Almost everyone in the class (of 200) uses a Windows Surface Pro. It’s the windows 8.1 + cloud that makes it so good for an intensive Uni course. She used an Apple for her undergrad, and gave it to me within days of graduating. No-one wants it in the family.
Love modern Windows, even if it is not fashionable. Steep learning curve, and a different way of thinking, but can I ever get some work done on it. I have to use XP or W7 at work, and its very difficult going back to them, they feel clunky and my productivity definitely suffers. Tried Linux. Just doesn’t do what I need, very inflexible.
I think the word is “invasive” Anthony.
I use a Macbook Pro laptops for editing (I have owned 3 over the course of 15 years without a glitch).
I have noticed that the lifespan of EVERYTHING electronic has shortened since ROHS has been adapted worldwide.
As the saying goes, “They don’t make things like they used to”!
Hey you guys, all keep your hair on please !
Remember these facts.
Whilst MS Windows 10 might well be the best O/S since …. err the last one 😉
Old Hardware won’t run these new systems very well, if at all.
If you have old hardware you might be best stick with your
old O/S, even if it is no longer supported for “upgrade patches”.
In these cases you must provide your own security, by way of a
3rd party antispyware, antivirus, firewall package. There are very
many to choose from, and they do a good job. It is difficult, if not
impossible for an “attacker” to gain access to your PC if you have
a good “watchdog” real time file and internet / browser monitor.
PS/ Microsoft BoB is still alive on an IBM 80386 CPU machine,
running at 16MHz with 8MB of RAM and a 60MB Hard disk.
You couldn’t even get that to run Win98, let alone Win10.
This discussion is analogous to the carping at Classic Autos
websites, about the poor brakes on an old Model-T Ford, and
so on. Hey guys and gals, if you have some old hardware, you
can still use that, but realize its limitations. Take 3rd party
precautions, and keep FULL Backups, and you will be OK.
Thank you for choosing Microsoft in the past, even if you
don’t like the current products, nobody is forcing you to
have them. XP will keep on working until its hardware host
finally burns out beyond repair, be assured of that !
You can Still get Microsoft Bob for that old box in the garage
and install it today, for a laugh maybe, but still there are fans.
Click on my name to see independent download archive.
I always update to the next Windows version. The new one is always better in several ways. But, “new” is also “different” in a few ways — takes a day or two to get used to “different”.
You would have thought that Microsoft would have learned their lesson after all the flak they took over the Windows ‘Genuine Advantage nagware they installed as a Windows update. Seems not
Linux is still not ready for prime time.
Unfortunately the people here recommending Linux either do not work in IT, have never supported thousands of end users or have never supported them on the desktop with Linux.
Unless you work in IT it is not recommended you move to Linux but if want to try it Linux Mint is the most use user friendly Distro currently available (Yes I have tried all the major Distros).
Linux Distros are a convoluted mess of version incompatibilities. Imagine 100 current variants of Windows, each with half a dozen versions that are not 100% compatible with each other.
If you want things to just work get Windows, if you don’t mind wasting hours trying to get basic things to function as they automatically do in Windows by all means give Linux a try.
However, you should be aware of all of the major problems associated with using Linux that clueless advocates will not tell you about likely because they are unaware of them or pretend they do not exist,
http://linuxfonts.narod.ru/why.linux.is.not.ready.for.the.desktop.current.html
Summary:
No stability, bugs, regressions, regressions and regressions: There’s an incredible amount of regressions (both in the kernel and in user space applications) when things which used to work break inexplicably, some of regressions can even lead to data loss. Basically there is no quality control (QA/QC) and regression testing in most Open Source projects (including the kernel) – Microsoft, for instance, reports that Windows 8 received 1,240,000,000 hours of testing whereas new kernel releases get, I guess, under 10,000 hours of testing – and every Linux kernel release is comparable to a new Windows version. Serious bugs which impede normal workflow can take years to be resolved. A lot of crucial hardware (e.g. GPUs, Wi-Fi cards) isn’t properly supported.
Hardware issues: Under Linux many devices and devices features are still poorly supported or not supported at all. Some hardware (e.g. Broadcom Wi-Fi adapters) cannot be used unless you already have a working Internet connection. New hardware often becomes supported months after introduction. Specialized software to manage devices like printers, scanners, cameras, webcams, audio players, smartphones, etc. almost always just doesn’t exist – so you won’t be able to fully control your new iPad and update firmware on your Galaxy SIII. Linux graphics support is a big bloody mess because kernel/X.org APIs/ABIs constantly change and NVIDIA/ATI/Broadcom/etc. companies don’t want to allocate extra resources and waste their money just to keep up with an insane rate of changes in the Open Source software.
The lack of standardization, fragmentation, unwarranted & excessive variety, as well as no common direction or vision among different distros: Too many Linux distributions with incompatible and dissimilar configurations, packaging systems and incompatible libraries. Different distros employ totally different desktop environments, different graphical and console applications for configuring your computer settings. E.g. Debian based distros oblige you to use the strictly text based `dpkg-reconfigure` utility for certain system related maintenance tasks.
The lack of cooperation between open source developers and internal wars: There’s no central body to organize the development of different parts of the open source stack which often leads to a situation when one project introduces changes which break other projects (this problem is also reflected in “Unstable APIs/ABIs” below). Even though the Open Source movement lacks manpower, different Linux distros find enough resources to fork projects (Gentoo developers are going to develop a udev alternative; a discord in ffmpeg which led to the emergence of libav; a situation around OpenOffice/LibreOffice; a new X.org/Wayland alternative – Mir) and to use own solutions.
A lot of rapid changes: Most Linux distros have very short upgrade/release cycles (as short as six months in some cases, or e.g. Arch which is a rolling distro, or Fedora which gets updated every six months), thus you are constantly bombarded with changes you don’t expect or don’t want. LTS (long term support) distros are in most cases unsuitable for the desktop users due to the policy of preserving applications versions (and usually there’s no officially approved way to install bleeding edge applications – please, don’t remind me of PPAs and backports – these hacks are not officially supported, nor guaranteed to work). Another show-stopping problem for LTS distros is that LTS kernels often do not support new hardware.
Unstable APIs/ABIs & the lack of real compatibility: It’s very difficult to use old open and closed source software in new distros (in many cases it becomes impossible due to changes in core Linux components like kernel, GCC or glibc). Almost non-existent backwards compatibility makes it incredibly difficult and costly to create closed source applications for Linux distros. Open Source software which doesn’t have active developers or maintainers gets simply dropped if its dependencies cannot be satisfied because older libraries have become obsolete and they are no longer available. For this reason for instance a lot of KDE3/Qt3 applications are not available in modern Linux distros even though alternatives do not exist. Developing drivers out of the main Linux kernel tree is an excruciating and expensive chore. There’s no WinSxS equivalent for Linux – thus there’s no simple way to install conflicting libraries.
Software issues: Not that many games (mostly Indies) and few AAA games (Valve’s efforts and collaboration with games developers have resulted in many recent games being released for Linux, however every year thousands of titles are still released for Windows exclusively*. More than 98% of existing and upcoming AAA titles are still unavailable in Linux). No familiar Windows software, no Microsoft Office (LibreOffice still has major troubles opening correctly Microsoft Office produced documents), no native CIFS (simple to configure and use, as well as password protected and encrypted network file sharing) equivalent, no Active Directory or its featurewise equivalent.
Money, enthusiasm, motivation and responsibility: I predicted years ago that FOSS developers would start drifting away from the platform as FOSS is no longer a playground, it requires substantial efforts and time, i.e. the fun is over, developers want real money to get the really hard work done. FOSS development, which lacks financial backing, shows its fatigue and disillusionment. The FOSS platform after all requires financially motivated developers as underfunded projects start to wane and critical bugs stay open for years. One could say “Good riddance”, but the problem is that oftentimes those dying projects have no alternatives or similarly featured successors.
No polish, no consistency and no HIG adherence (even KDE developers admit it).
This is complete nonsense. Talking as someone who does support Linux on the desktop for naive users, I get on average one or two calls a year, and they are all about stuff like how to do rareified things in word processing, or charts. Same problem would come up with MS Office. Every four or five years I go do system upgrade, and it works fine. Mostly by then we are replacing hardware.
I put in Debian with Mate and using Claws for what its worth.
Every single issue listed in the article I linked above is not an opinion but a fully sourced fact.
Linux and other Unix derivatives are dominant in the Internet server market. In terms of desktop productivity apps, OpenOffice with its conventional menus (on either OS) is now far easier to use than the horrid ribbon interface on recent Microsoft Office releases.
The reason Linux is rarely found on the desktop is that special-purpose software almost always assumes a Windows desktop, and in some cases also forces the use of a Windows server. That is why most business users are reluctant to go the Linux route. Accounting and payroll software is probably the main offender in this respect, as there is rarely a Linux (or Mac) equivalent. I don’t know of any competent UK accounting packages that run on Linux. I guess you could use a VM for the accounts package, but then you still run into issues like the accounts package perversely demanding an Exchange client (and nothing else) if it is to send invoices by email. At the end of the day, it’s easier to write-out your check to Mr Gates than to battle with these issues..
For younger home users games dominate, and almost all are Windows only.,VMs have too slow a display update for action games. For the mature home user, Linux is a good option though. Or, a Mac. Either will be far less troublesome than Windows.
OpenOffice and Libre Office continue to have compatibility issues with Microsoft Office especially with Word Documents, Excel and Power Point. Surprisingly most end users largely prefer the ribbon interface even if I am not a fan of it.
Linux Distros like Mint can be a good option if you just want to browse the web with Google Chrome and do not work in a business environment.
Windows is not troublesome and is very easy to manage.
Yes, people do have problems with Windows – in my experience, more than with Linux, though there is considerable overlap in the form of problems figuring out Office on either one. But, if you need some specific bit of software that only runs on Windows, you need it. And its also true that Linux is going to work best for the average user whose work pattern and application use is stable over time and consists mostly of web, email, office.
Do free versions of Office (Libre Office, Open Office, Star Office) have the same / as many features (functions, graphing options) as MS Office 2013 ?
I have yet to have a compatibility problem with Libreoffice and Mickeysoft. I exchange .docx files all the time. The people I exchange with don’t even know I’m using Libre.
Next crank argument…
Harold, not even close…
http://en.libreofficeforum.org/node/7505
Anyone that thinks they are 100% compatible using Microsoft’s document formats is delusional at best.
http://ask.libreoffice.org/en/question/16247/why-does-libreoffice-still-have-such-poor-formatting-of-docx-and-some-doc-files-despite-the-claims-of-improvement/
Richard, Apache Open Office and LibreOffice have about 90-95% of the features of Microsoft Office. Both are very good free office products but if you need 100% Microsoft Document compatibility then you will need Microsoft Office. Home users can get away with OO and LO without much problem.
Since they are free give them a try.
The only thing stopping me is the prospect of another learning curve (or two) with possibly no gain (or even a potential loss) in functionality.
Richard, the main reason to consider them is financial. If you can afford Microsoft Office then there is no reason to use them instead. However, if saving hundreds of dollars is important then they are excellent free alternatives.
Regardless they are free to download and will work alongside Microsoft Office so download them and give them a try.
Apache Open Office
https://www.openoffice.org/
LibreOffice
https://www.libreoffice.org/
As to which one is better? That is a whole separate argument.
Thanks, yes, I would expect different software to be better at different things.
Excellent post!
Windows 10 is actually a huge improvement for those hapless Windows 8/8.1 users out there. Though, it doesn’t offer much advantage to Windows 7 users so in their case I’m not sure I’d bother upgrading. In any case, Classic Shell is one of the best add-ons, giving you a more XP-like desktop with a sensible start menu. http://www.classicshell.net/
Thanks Anthony. That’s one less unnecessary piece of crap burdening my computer. Much appreciated!
Looks like there’s a fair number of Windeniers on this board. You could include me, too, for several reasons.
I use a PC only for my personal finances, including taxes. The only websites I go to are banks, brokers, and the IRS (for forms. I prefer to submit my taxes on hard paper, not electronically. The IRS seems prone to too many hard disk crashes). I do all my surfing on an iPad (I’m on one now). I wish I could freeze the PC from any future changes. It does exactly what I want, and I desire no upgrades.
I use my PC frequently, but for short periods. It cannot access the ‘net automatically. I have specified manual updates every place I can find. Nevertheless, invariably when I need some info quickly, it begins an auto-update of something when I boot up, keeping me from using my own computer.
My primary complaint, though, are the machines Windows runs on. I have had more than my share of crashes, system failures, and hardware problems with PCs, regardless of the manufacturer. What I am typing on now is an iPad2. I also have a ‘new’ iPad and an iPad Air, shared with my spouse. This iPad has a cracked screen and been dropped more times than I can count. This is the one I toss in the car whenever I go anywhere. It works flawlessly.
The old Macintosh Plus I have (yes, very ancient – more than twenty-five years old. The model number of the mouse is M0100) stll works, including its external hard drive. I have a half-dozen PCs in the basement, no longer functional. I could sell the old Mac for $50+. I would have to pay to get rid of the PCs.
Jtom, all of your PC issues can be easily resolved.
Well,I followed the directions and the icon did in fact disappear (windows 7 starter on a 5 year old net book). That is until this AM when I turned my machine on again and just like magic the icon was right back again. Will try the uninstall again