GWX - Block Windows 10 9

[1DMF]

Hi,

I have a user who had an IT company recommend and install a 3rd party program called GWX Control Panel :

http://blog.ultimateoutsider.com/2016/03/gwx-control-panel-release-notes-and.html

It stops Windows 10 being shoved in your face or you accidentally allowing the upgrade through Windows Update.

Is this program legit?

Is there a better way of stopping Windows 10 in its tracks?

Thanks,

1DMF



"In complete darkness we are all the same, it is only our knowledge and wisdom that separates us, don't let your eyes deceive you."

"If a shortcut was meant to be easy, it wouldn't be a shortcut, it would be the way!"
Free Electronic Dance Music

 

[goombawaho]

It is legitimate. You can do registry hacks on your own or you can just run that program.
Here are some of the manual registry hacks. The program seems to offer more options as well.

Prevents upgrade of OS
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WindowsUpdate]
"DisableOSUpgrade"=dword:00000001
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Disables the GWX icon on the task bar
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Gwx]
"DisableGwx"=dword:00000001
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Living tomorrow is everyone's sorrow.
Modern man's daydreams have turned into nightmares.

 

[1DMF]

Thanks goombawaho,

Thought it best to check as it was the first time I had come across this.

The amount of 3rd party stuff you have to put over windows ever since Windows 8 and the missing start menu is ridiculous.

Especially as they start putting bloat / ad ware on your PC. One of the Windows 8 start menu add-on I used to use got so bad I had to remove it because it just started showing advert popups all the time!

Appreciate the feedback.
1DMF




"In complete darkness we are all the same, it is only our knowledge and wisdom that separates us, don't let your eyes deceive you."

"If a shortcut was meant to be easy, it wouldn't be a shortcut, it would be the way!"
Free Electronic Dance Music

 

[goombawaho]

What was the name of that START MENU replacement program causing you problems???

"Living tomorrow is everyone's sorrow.
Modern man's daydreams have turned into nightmares.

 

[1DMF]

I used to use two : Iobit Start Menu 8 and Pokki

Now I use neither!

"In complete darkness we are all the same, it is only our knowledge and wisdom that separates us, don't let your eyes deceive you."

"If a shortcut was meant to be easy, it wouldn't be a shortcut, it would be the way!"
Free Electronic Dance Music

 

[goombawaho]

From reading about those two products (comments on the interwebz), I would consider them both suspicious at a minimum. Not malware, but adware/junkware.

"Living tomorrow is everyone's sorrow.
Modern man's daydreams have turned into nightmares.

 

[apstef]

Classic Shell" works with Win8, is free and without any adware/spyware.

 

[1DMF]

TBH - I now simply ensure they are Windows 8.1 machines, the right click start menu 'patch' is enough for what I need to admin the machine and the user gets all tiles deleted from Metro so only Desktop is left and all apps are desktop shortcuts or task bar attachments.

Windows 8 = unusable
Windows 8.1 = bearable







"In complete darkness we are all the same, it is only our knowledge and wisdom that separates us, don't let your eyes deceive you."

"If a shortcut was meant to be easy, it wouldn't be a shortcut, it would be the way!"
Free Electronic Dance Music

 

[goombawaho]

Windows 8.1 = bearable NOT without start menu replacement but off-topic


"Living tomorrow is everyone's sorrow.
Modern man's daydreams have turned into nightmares.

 

[1DMF]

Windows 8.1 = bearable NOT without start menu replacement but off-topic

So what one do you use and does it also work on Windows 10?

"In complete darkness we are all the same, it is only our knowledge and wisdom that separates us, don't let your eyes deceive you."

"If a shortcut was meant to be easy, it wouldn't be a shortcut, it would be the way!"
Free Electronic Dance Music

 

[goombawaho]

StartIsBack
Works on Windows 10 too.
StartIsBack / StartIsBack++

"Living tomorrow is everyone's sorrow.
Modern man's daydreams have turned into nightmares.

 

[1DMF]

Cool thanks.

"In complete darkness we are all the same, it is only our knowledge and wisdom that separates us, don't let your eyes deceive you."

"If a shortcut was meant to be easy, it wouldn't be a shortcut, it would be the way!"
Free Electronic Dance Music

 

[hairlessupportmonkey]

FWIW, the registry option no longer works if you have recently installed KB3035583 update.

Lots of our domain based users are seeing this - regardless of the registry amendment.

ACSS - SME
General Geek

 

[1DMF]

Lots of our domain based users are seeing this

I have noticed that domain users are now being offered WinX, M$ drive me nuts!

"In complete darkness we are all the same, it is only our knowledge and wisdom that separates us, don't let your eyes deceive you."

"If a shortcut was meant to be easy, it wouldn't be a shortcut, it would be the way!"
Free Electronic Dance Music

 

[strongm]

Ah, so presumably not under tight WSUS or SCCM control?

 

[1DMF]

Ah, so presumably not under tight WSUS or SCCM control?

well kind of, we have a server support company that runs WSUS and so the machine errors with that "Unable to install updates as it's managed by your administrator" (something like that).

But what they have done or not done, is anyone's guess. Half the time they have trouble tying their own shoe laces!

So I am simply going to install GWX Control Panel and block it at the client.

One assumes M$ has changed something for domain users to start being offered an upgrade on a corporate machine.

I mean who on earth lets end users change the operating system on a company computer?

Have M$ lost the plot?



"In complete darkness we are all the same, it is only our knowledge and wisdom that separates us, don't let your eyes deceive you."

"If a shortcut was meant to be easy, it wouldn't be a shortcut, it would be the way!"
Free Electronic Dance Music

 

[strongm]

It's a fair point.

Mind you they did announce this back in January (not that that makes it any better)

 

[goombawaho]

I wish they would stop pushing Windows 10 so much.
I wish they would offer a version of Window 7 for people that were happy at that point and don't want change.
I know - keep wishing.

"Living tomorrow is everyone's sorrow.
Modern man's daydreams have turned into nightmares.

 

[johnherman]

Why does Microsoft care about whether we are running Windows 7, 8, 10, or even XP? As long as we're using their product, we're part of their market share and empire. Why is Microsoft giving away free upgrades to Windows 10? And why are they continuing to attempt to shove it down our throats? M$ is a "for profit" company, not like Linux, Mozilla, etc. What kind of business model supports giving away your product for free? Think about it.

<previous link removed with thanks to strongm for his refutation of the article>

==================================
adaptive uber info galaxies (bigger, better, faster, and more adept than cognitive innovative agile big data clouds)

 

[strongm]

An ancient article predicated on an erroneous Reuters article, which renders most of it's conclusions pretty much null and void (and no the minor correction acknowledging the error right at then end doesn't fix that)