OT: Windows update 2952664 - Compatibility checks

[Andrew]

Update 2952664 seems to have re-surfaced, having done the rounds some time ago.

The info from microsoft states :-

"This update performs diagnostics on the Windows systems that participate in the Windows Customer Experience Improvement Program. The diagnostics evaluate the compatibility status of the Windows ecosystem, and help Microsoft to ensure application and device compatibility for all updates to Windows. There is no GWX or upgrade functionality contained in this update. "

Does anyone know what it actually does ?.

Is is sneaky spyware ??

[Adrian Caspersz]

The OS is riddled with spyware. The only way to win is not to play.

[GB]

They need to collect stats on what hardware people are running, how up to date the drivers are, etc. I am happy to provide that information, so that they can produce updates that work better. In fact, apart from the usual paranoia, I really can't think why many people would care.

[Bill]

My personal experience is that, even having joined the Insider programme and tried to feed in useful info and experience, nothing whatsoever changed. As a result, to keep several machines functional, stable and useful, reverting to Windows 7 and/or XP is the only way forward.

The notice that popped up yesterday saying that Windows 10 was a service and the machine would restart in 10 minutes did nothing to improve my mood. I only keep specific tasks on that machine so that I continue to keep across W10 in order to support friends.

I don't care yet about information collection, so I'm not paranoid about Microsoft or Google, but I do wish Microsoft would put some effort into producing a real operating system.

[Mr Pounder Esquire]

They did produce a real operating system. It's called XP.

[Brian Gaff]

Probably keep some programmer busy who otherwise might not have a job? I'm assuming this is Windoze 10 is it? Brian

[Brian Gaff]

One persons spyware is another persons data gathering for improving the system. The problesms start when data for one use gets used for something else, and as has been shown recently we cannot trust idiots to be careful with other peoples data. Brian

[Brian Gaff]

Yes but they now are making sure you cannot use XP for very much by stopping skype and other stuff from being any use on it. They are in the business of generating need, that seems to be their core business, as changing things every five minutes for the sake of it seems to be the way the world is going and in my view this is against the spirit of productivity. How can you be productive if you have to learn new ways to do old things every couple of months. Windows 7 is not bad, but I have to install 38 updates on a machine this week while holidays are on what are the chances of windows 7 still working afterwards?

Brian

[GB]

Very high, in my experience.

[Steve Walker]

I mainly use desktop machines. I also have a Windows 10 laptop, but that was bought purely because I was working away at the time. Now the laptop may only get used once a month and almost every time it slows to an unusable crawl for 2 to 3 hours as it downloads and installs updates.

SteveW

[Adrian Caspersz]

Spooky - from my desk calender last week.

Newer windows machines are meant to be able to share downloaded updates off each other, and be able to self update to a time schedule?

[Martin]

LOL

can not meant It is a user option.

[Steve Walker]

The trouble is that it can't update to a schedule because it is rarely used. What happens is that when I do want to use it, it starts updating.

I tried to use it two days ago and eventually had to go to bed and leave it updating overnight - having not used it at all.

Last night I tried to use it again and because it had installed the new updates, it was then ready for the next big update and started that! Fortunately, that one only took an hour or so.

If it wasn't for certain things (particularly the games the kids play), I'd look at switching to Linux - our home server already runs Nethserver.

SteveW

[Vir Campestris]

I have a cheap, slow, Win10 laptop. I never let it go to sleep because whenever I do it wakes up and immediately does an update check. Which makes it useless.

Ironically when I looked at the Dilbert cartoon Firefox told me it had an update...

Andy

[Martin]

You can set the time it can update. If you set it to a time when you normally use your PC it won't update when you are wanting to use it.

[Martin]

Windows All Settings Windows Update Update Settings Change Active hours "Set active hours to let us know when you typically use this device. We won?t automatically restart it during active hours and we won?t restart without checking if you?re using it."

[Maurice]

Does that work on Windows 10 Home?

[Steve Walker]

It's not the restart that is the problem, it is two or more hours of the machine running so slowly that it is unusable, as it prepares in the background. Once it reaches the restart phase it usually only takes 10 to 15 minutes to finalise the updates.

SteveW

[Martin]

I don;t have that problem. I have the problem when it actually starts to do the update and then it is anything between 15 minutes and three hours

[Martin]

Yes, it is what I am using.