Anyone using, or going back to Windows 7 or 8 should realize that Microsoft is slipping some of their malware onto your computer via their "automatic updates".
I also saw the "Install Windows 10" suddenly present on my taskbar one morning.
To prevent Microsoft from further buggering your computer, go to:
* Control Panel
* System and Security
* Windows Update
* Turn Automatic Updating On or Off
Under "Important Updates" there is a drop-down menu that allows you to select anything from "Allow automatic updates" to "Never check for updates"
I chose the "Check for updates but let me choose whether to download and install them"
* Save your changes
(Note: Microsoft is offering Windows 10 as a free upgrade to Windows 7 and Windows 8 users. "All the better to track you with my dear.")
To remove the ominous-looking "Windows 10" download icon from your taskbar:
* Go to Control Panel
* Select "Appearance and Personalization"
* Select "Taskbar and Start Menu"
* Select "Customize"
Look at the options. There you will find "GWX".
On the right side is a drop down menu.
* Select "Hide Icon and Notification"
* Save your changes
That will remove that obnoxious "Windows 10" download icon from your taskbar.
My computer had had the "Windows Update" option set to perform automatic updates - the default. Then, a few months ago, I saw various "TEMP" sub-folders under the Windows sub-folder on the main drive. I looked into it and found numerous *.tmp files, all with a "padlock" icon on them. I imagine if I looked hard enough, I might also find such anomalies outside of the Windows sub-folder.
Normally, sub-folders labeled "TEMP", and particularly files with a *.tmp extension were never "locked" or inaccessible to the user - or at least to the administrator. They are now. I didn't like the looks of it; but in order to change this, I would need to re-install Windows 7 from scratch and disable Windows updates.
No, I do not like the idea that Microsoft thinks that just because you are running their operating system software, they have the "right" to go into your computer, snoop around, and send the results of what are found back to Microsoft. As far as I am concerned, anyone who downloads Windows 10 onto their computer is opting for an awful lot of "spyware" for a few added features, and is definitely not worth the security loss.
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"IN A UNIVERSE OF DECEIT, TRUTH BECOMES A REVOLUTIONARY ACT." GEORGE ORWELL
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