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Whatacrock
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Microsoft Mystery KB3123862 Update Might Push Windows 10 on Windows 7 and 8.1

Post by Whatacrock »

Microsoft Mystery KB3123862 Update Might Push Windows 10 on Windows 7 and 8.1

Windows 10 is now a recommended update for Windows 7 and 8.1 PCs, so more users are very likely to end up upgrading their computers without actually knowing it. But it turns out that Redmond is also trying a backup tactic that could boost Windows 10 adoption in the short term.

On February 3, Microsoft started shipping a new update to Windows 7 and 8.1 PCs that’s believed to be related to the Windows 10 upgrade, although its purpose is not yet fully known.

According to its official KB page, KB3123862 is an update aimed at Windows 7 Service Pack 1, Windows 8 core and Pro, and Windows 8.1 Enterprise and “adds capabilities to some computers that lets users easily learn about Windows 10 or start an upgrade to Windows 10.”
"Related to the “Get Windows 10” app"

Other than that, Microsoft says absolutely nothing about this update, so although you are recommended to install it, it’s practically impossible to tell what difference it could make on your PC.

Woody Leonhard of InfoWorld reveals that, after installation, KB3123862 generates new versions of Explorer.exe, including icons, menus, and bitmaps, Shell32.dll and Authui.dll.

Moreover, he says, the update could be related to KB3035583, the infamous patch that brought us the Get Windows 10 app and that everyone removed so fast in order to make sure that the upgrade to Windows 10 is not started.

And yet, there’s still no evidence that it causes any modifications to the Get Windows 10 app, and while it might be related to the original update that “forced” the upgrade to the new OS, it’s not yet clear what the purpose of KB3123862 actually is.

In the meantime, if you just want to stick with Windows 7 or 8.1 and prevent the upgrade to Windows 10, it might be a good idea to avoid installing this new update. We’ve reached out to Microsoft to ask for more details about the changes that it might cause and will update the article when we get an answer.

http://news.softpedia.com/news/microsof ... 0127.shtml
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Re: Microsoft Mystery KB3123862 Update Might Push Windows 10 on Windows 7 and 8.1

Post by Pendraguin »

Gotta love their vague description of the update. For all we know, it could just create a Desktop shortcut to MS's Windows 10 website. :lol:
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Re: Microsoft Mystery KB3123862 Update Might Push Windows 10 on Windows 7 and 8.1

Post by Whatacrock »

Nothing like treating us all like "Mushrooms" --- that is say : KEEP US IN THE DARK AND FEED US NOTHING BUT BULL$##T

:lol: :lol: :lol:
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Microsoft launches Windows 10 update history site to share update release notes

Post by parkd1 »

Keeping up to date with the latest updates for Windows 10 can be something of a full time job -- particularly if you're signed up to get Insider builds. To make it easier to keep track of what changes each update brings, Microsoft has launched the Windows 10 update history site.

The site is in response to feedback from Windows 10 users who have been looking for an accessible way of learning about updates. The site provides details of exactly what the updates delivered through Windows Update. It is something of a work in progress at the moment, but one of the recent updates featured fixes a bug that meant browsing sessions in Microsoft Edge's InPrivate mode were not necessarily completely private.
.
.

Microsoft uses the site to communicate not only details about the content of updates, but also to explain a little about how the build branches work. "We're currently delivering updates to two distinct Windows 10 branches. The July initial launch branch (build 10240), and the November update branch (build 10586). We introduced new operating system features in November after having previewed, or "flighted", them with our Windows Insiders between July and November. Most customers have already been moved automatically from the July branch to the November branch. Windows 10 Professional, Enterprise, and Education edition customers can defer the update to the November branch and stay on the July feature set longer -- as long as 10 years for some Enterprise customers. For more info, see Windows 10 servicing options".

But it is the extra information about updates that will interest most people. The site will be updated as new updates are released, but Microsoft stresses that only updates for Windows 10 will be listed -- information about updates to apps can be seen in the Windows Store.

Announcing the new site, Microsoft says:

After listening to feedback regarding the level of disclosure for Windows 10 updates, we decided to implement a new system for communicating updates to the operating system. Today we are rolling out the Windows 10 update history site, a hub for the release notes that will accompany each update and serve as a historical record of prior release notes.

Find out more about the latest update at the Windows 10 update history site.

http://betanews.com/2016/02/10/microsof ... ase-notes/

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/wind ... windows-10
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Re: Microsoft Mystery KB3123862 Update Might Push Windows 10 on Windows 7 and 8.1

Post by Whatacrock »

Microsoft Relaunches Mystery Update Pushing Windows 10 on Windows 7 and 8.1

In addition to the security updates that Microsoft rolled out this Patch Tuesday, the company has also released a handful of non-security updates that bring new functionality on Windows computers.

But what’s more worrying for some Windows 7 and 8.1 users is that the company has re-released the mystery KB3123862 update that seems to be pushing harder for the Windows 10 upgrade on these computers.

As we told you last week, when the KB3123862 patch first showed up, Microsoft says only little about the update, which could make some people worry that it’s related to the way the Windows 10 upgrade might be pushed to their PCs.
"Improved upgrade experience for Windows 7 and 8.1 PCs"

And undoubtedly, this update is related to the Windows 10 upgrade experience, but it’s not yet known in what way. Microsoft only claims that this “update adds capabilities to some computers that lets users easily learn about Windows 10 or start an upgrade to Windows 10,” so it’s hard to tell what changes it could make to your PC.

And on this month’s Patch Tuesday (February 10), the company re-released the update, and as you can see in the screenshot included in the article, it’s already at version 3.0.

What this means is yet to be determined because nobody knows for sure what are the updates that Microsoft implemented with this new version, but if you just want to stick with Windows 7 or 8.1 for now, it might be a good idea to hide this update and avoid installing it until more information surfaces.

The Windows 10 upgrade will continue to be available for these users completely free of charge until July 29, 2016, so there’s still enough time to install it if you wish to delay the move a little bit longer. Hiding the update can be done from Windows Update > right-click on the KB3123862 patch > Hide update.

http://news.softpedia.com/news/microsof ... 0251.shtml
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Microsoft releases KB3140742, a hidden update that takes Windows 10 to build 10586.112

Post by parkd1 »

Microsoft has been busy pushing new versions, or builds, of Windows 10. The company is still in an effort to get things right. Some patch holes, while others bring noticeable improvements to all of the "rings". But what if Microsoft hid an update from users? That's apparently the case from what we are finding out.

A new Knowledge Base update, specifically KB3140742, can take your Windows 10 installation to the next level, or it could potentially cause you endless problems. There's likely a reason it isn't released yet, so be cautious with this one.
.

Windows Report has been delving into this and found some interesting things. The update points to a new build, version 10586.112, of Windows 10. The original finding states that "Now, it seems that Microsoft is ready with yet another new cumulative update for Windows 10, however, it isn’t yet available via the traditional Windows Update".

Further investigation shows that "this was the single big change that we were able to spot, and the fact that the OS build has been updated, as well, could mean that Microsoft will deliver the update soon via the usual Windows Update distribution system".

There are, of course, two version of this -- one for X86 and one for X64. Microsoft is currently trying to keep the same version across devices, which would indicate that 10586.107 is coming, as that's the latest for Mobile insiders.

If you're interested then you can find this at Microsoft Update Catalog, but you'll need to use Internet Explorer, as that's the only way it works. We'd recommend not installing it on a production system, as stability could be a problem.

http://betanews.com/2016/02/16/microsof ... 10586-112/
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Microsoft Sues Comcast Pirate Activating “Thousands” of Windows 7 and 8 Copies

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Microsoft Sues Comcast Pirate Activating “Thousands” of Windows 7 and 8 Copies

Microsoft has recently filed a lawsuit against a Comcast subscriber who allegedly activated thousands of copies of software that the company thinks might be stolen from its supply chain.

In the legal complaint (via TorrenFreak), Microsoft explains that someone with the IP address 173.11.224.197 activated thousands of copies of Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows Server, and Office. This IP belongs to Comcast, and while Microsoft does not yet know the identity of the subscriber, it wants the judge to give it the green light to pursue finding the pirate and sending them to court.

“On information and belief, each of these activations and attempted activations constitutes the unauthorized copying of Microsoft software, in violation of Microsoft’s software licenses and its intellectual property rights,” Redmond says.
"Stolen product keys used for activation"

In most of the cases, activating pirated copies of Windows doesn’t necessarily mean that Microsoft will come after users, but when several activations are involved, as is the case of the Comcast customer, the company files a legal complaint not only to stop the pirate but also to ask for damages.

The legal complaint also reveals that the pirate used “product keys known to have been stolen from Microsoft’s supply chain or which were used more times than is authorized by the applicable software silence.” Additionally, Redmond explains, “these products keys were used by someone outside of the region for which they were intended or without the authorized licensee.”

At the moment, it’s not yet very clear if the defendant is a single user or a company, but the aforementioned source claims that the latter is more likely, given the fact that it performed thousands of activations. Most likely, this is a company that sells new computers running pirated Windows, so they use illegal product keys to activate the copies of the operating system installed on devices.


http://news.softpedia.com/news/microsof ... 1227.shtml
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Is Microsoft’s “Free Windows 10” Upgrade Failing?

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Is Microsoft’s “Free Windows 10” Upgrade Failing?

Windows 10 was launched in July 2015 and marked an important milestone in Microsoft’s history: it was the first version of Windows offered to existing customers, in a clear attempt meant to boost adoption in the long term.

And with Windows 10, Microsoft was trying not only to get over the Windows 8 flop but also to convince users on Windows 7 to upgrade, especially because this is one of the most successful Windows versions ever released. With end of support coming in 2020, Windows 7 could become the new Windows XP, as users are very likely to refuse to upgrade and stick with this OS even after EOS.

But now that more than 6 months have passed since the debut of Windows 10, it’s very clear that Windows 7 hasn’t quite been impacted by the release of the new operating system. The free upgrade offer was a bigger success among Windows 8.1 users, as most of them were already disappointed with the OS due to the changes made by Microsoft, such as the removal of the Start menu.
"The Windows 10 growth"

And even though getting a new Windows version completely free of charge really sounds very appealing, not everyone seems to be eager to upgrade, with statistics showing that Windows 10’s adoption is slowing down these days.

Net Applications shows that Windows 7 is currently the world’s number one desktop operating system with a share of 52.34 percent, followed by Windows 10 with 12.82 percent. And while it’s indeed an important achievement to become the second most-used OS in about six months, everyone expected Windows 10 adoption to skyrocket thanks to this free upgrade offer.

The first months of 2016 indeed brought a small decline in Windows 7’s market share, dropping from 55.68 percent in December to 52.47 percent in January. And yet, Windows 7 still remains above the 50 percent threshold, which means that it still powers one in two PCs in the world.

Windows 10’s growth, on the other hand, is slowing down, and while it improved from 9.96 percent in December to 11.85 percent in January (an increase of 1.89 percent), February brought a difference of just 0.97 percent.

Microsoft’s free upgrade offer will continue until July 29, 2016, so users still have a few months left to move to Windows 10 without paying. But if the same performance is maintained, Microsoft could very well keep the free upgrade campaign beyond this date too.

http://news.softpedia.com/news/is-micro ... 1233.shtml
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Opera Browser Removes Support for Windows XP and Vista

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Opera Browser Removes Support for Windows XP and Vista

Windows XP no longer receives updates and security patches from Microsoft since April 2014, but approximately 10 percent of the desktops out there are still running it, despite the obvious security risks.

And because Internet Explorer on Windows XP is no longer a secure way to browse the web, third-party browser makers are still offering support for this particular Windows version. But starting today, the group of browsers still working on Windows XP is losing one important name: Opera.
"Opera 36, the latest version running on Windows XP"

Starting with Opera 37, the famous browser will no longer work on Windows XP and Windows Vista, so the new versions of Microsoft’s operating system will be the only ones supported. Windows XP users can continue running older builds of Opera on their systems, but no other updates will be released, the company has revealed in an announcement today.

“We do care for our loyal users, which you could recently observe with 12.18 security update. While Opera 36 will be last one with features additions on Windows XP and Vista, we are still going to provide security and crash fixes to XP and Vista platform,” the Opera team stated.

“You will not be able to run Opera 37+ on Windows XP and Vista, we advise you update to more recent OS, if possible. Otherwise, we will have Opera 36 for you.”

Google Chrome, another popular browser that’s still working on Windows XP, will lose support for this particular OS version in April this year, so slowly but surely, users who are yet to upgrade their computers will run out of choices when it comes to applications in general, and browsers in particular.

Certainly, running a 15-year-old operating system on a PC given the modern threats that are all over the place is a very risky decision, so those who are still on Windows XP should at least consider moving to a newer version of Windows in the coming months.

http://news.softpedia.com/news/opera-br ... 0570.shtml
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