Windows 7 gets "Service Pack 2"

[Master Disaster]

7 hours ago, GoodBytes said:

Ok, have fun doing the updates. It's not my week-end

I just built a home server/nas machine which I installed Windows Server 2012 R2 Standard on and there was 350+ updates to install on the thing, it took me an entire day of just running Windows Update until I had them all. Remember Server 2012 is built on Windows 8, not 7 so I'd dread to think how long it would take to get a fresh 7 install fully updated!

[Delicieuxz]

24 minutes ago, Master Disaster said:

I just built a home server/nas machine which I installed Windows Server 2012 R2 Standard on and there was 350+ updates to install on the thing, it took me an entire day of just running Windows Update until I had them all. Remember Server 2012 is built on Windows 8, not 7 so I'd dread to think how long it would take to get a fresh 7 install fully updated!

I installed Windows 7 fresh last year sometime, probably October, and I think it didn't take unreasonably long to actually download and install updates, but the PC was initially searching for updates for some unknown number of hours, while I left the PC alone. I think a fresh Win7 should be fully updated in a day, maybe closer to half a day, but I didn't make a particular note of how long it took.

 

[Bittenfleax]

9 hours ago, MimigaKing said:

Hidden feature : Will automatically upgrade to windows 10 after 5 minutes of inactivity!
 

Seriously, there's no point to that SP

As a person who installs updates every other day for new systems. This is EXTREMELY useful!!!!

 

I find my self going back and forth to several PC's just to install updates and check they are not failing. This is one of the most helpful things I have seen.

[GoodBytes]

5 hours ago, Delicieuxz said:

I think you're referring to user-controlled forms, which are not equal to passive background telemetry.

Believe what you want. But Windows 7 is getting what you do with your system and send it to Microsoft.

It know what you use, how much, your computer specs, what software you use, and how you use the OS. Welcome to 2001.

[porina]

I don't know how much it collected when, but I have noticed a LOT of more recent windowsupdates include in their description the ADDING of telemetry which presumably wasn't there before, or was of a more limited form. WU descriptions really suck anyway so it is hard to tell what is going on. This seemed to coincide with the offering of Win10 upgrades. I've reached the point now I'm wondering why I bother allowing updates on Win7 era boxes. Before everyone goes "internet security" on me, they are pure compute boxes and I don't care if they get toasted, I can't say they would never get hit, but to me the chances would be comparable ball park to winning the lottery so not something I worry about.

 

I've also noticed Win7 updates seem to take longer than ever to scan these days, so this update package could be interesting.

 

It might also be interesting to see if the update package only includes "critical" updates, or does it also include all the optional ones?

 

Having said all that, if I'm doing fresh Win7 installs AFTER the free Win10 upgrade offer has expired, I might risk this pack.

[Michael McAllister]

@GoodBytes On fresh installs of Windows 7, this convenience rollup will replace individual updates?

 

[Sintezza]

7 hours ago, Nexxus said:

20, better go back to DOS and be safe.

 

actually scratch that, better get an an abacus. 

 

Na the water tastes good on Linux dont worry.

[Sintezza]

11 hours ago, GoodBytes said:

The same amount as Windows 7.

Lol seriously?

 

Some of the very few data collections there has ever been in Windows7 before, was mostly diag track, and even that you had a choice of sending error diagnostics to MS or not in most cases.

And sure of course they know your system id due windows update and key activation.

Rest of the data collection and telemetry tracking was mostly installed by the user it self in the form of applications that uses MS services like Skype, Live mail, messenger, internet explorer or whatever.

I dont say that there has never been any telemetry tracking or whatever in windows7.

But it has never been that bad since Windows10 came out last year, and allot of the telemetry stuff and key loggers getting backported to windows7.

 

Nowdays you simply have to google every single KB update that comes out for either Windows 7 if its realy a security update, or just some fishy keylogger or telemetry crap from MS.

Its basicly just sadd, but yeah MS has to make money someway.

And there isnt even that much to blame them for doing it.

Now days data collection and selling is where the new gold is.

Many companies and online services do this.

 

Windows10 has so manny data collection in for mainly 4 reasons.

 

1: Error and diagnostics / beta testing (which is not a bad thing) since they could improve their product that way.

Thats why there is that "free upgrade" option.

So MS doesnt have to pay beta testers.

2: Selling data for making a profit, target ads etc.

3: Windows10 is pretty much a cloud based OS, which pretty much relies on MS services, without them its pretty much useless.

4 To not piss off the NSA.

 

Remember that "free" doesnt exists.

Its either open source which is good, or its fishy.

[GoodBytes]

40 minutes ago, Michael McAllister said:

@GoodBytes On fresh installs of Windows 7, this convenience rollup will replace individual updates?

 

It will replace all updates after SP1 up April 2016. If you don't use the pack after SP1 is installed, you'll just download the hundreds of updates as normal, from Windows Update. Basically, once SP1 is installed, install the pack.

Now, if your Windows 7 already has SP1 in it, than great, just install the update pack, and you are pretty much done.

[GoodBytes]

38 minutes ago, Sintezza said:

Lol seriously?

Yes. Seriously. The privacy policy is there, you can pull it out and read it, as well as the license agreement.

You think this telemetry data discussion is new? I had with Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8, and now Windows 10.

 

The only reason why more people freak out now, is that you can't fully disabled it, but most people didn't in previous version of Windows in any case.

And that it is all written in plain, simple, English, which makes people confused, funny enough, mixing Microsoft services features with telemetry data collecting. Reading it, I don't see why, but apparently people understand things differently, or over think things that are clearly written. I don't know, nor really care, as this duty is Microsoft's not mine.

 

In summary, Windows 10 collects telemetry data similar to previous version of Windows. This has pretty much not changed. They might collect a bit more, but it is relatively the same.

 

Telemetry data is not spying, and its not about making money. It is about making software better. The only people that look at the data, it is at a global view with heat maps, stats, and graphs which are processed from the data collected. That data is analyzed by each team of Microsoft. So for example, The Groove Music App team can pull statistical data about users of Groove Music.

 

Crash reporting is processed by another team, which groups (probably all done automatically) collected similar crash reports together, and send it to the correct Microsoft team, or registered developer who has its app certified (those with the "design for Windows" labels, and Windows Store Apps).

 

Then you have Microsoft services, such as Cortana, which YOU DEFINE your interest in Cortana, and works with Bing. Well, it is Bing. So anytime you use it, web searches are processed by Bing, and THAT, like Google, like Yahoo. That is how they make their money. How they make money? By selling what is called Market Research Data. Basically, all your interest are associated to geographical data (thanks to your IP address) which is collected based on your searched, and guesstimate your age, to put you in a age group, tries and figures out your gender and so on. That information is sold to advertisement company, and to just about any company that offers or plans to offer goods and services (They use this data, before working on the idea they have, so that they get the right target audience, and that the price is right for the target market group, and has a product that meets the target group demands and expectation).

 

Than lastly, you have the obvious:

 -> If you use Windows Mailing services, such as Outlook, Hotmail, Live, Microsoft will have your e-mails stored in their servers, so that you can access your e-mail anywhere from online. And Any e-mail you send or receive goes through (obviously). I mean it isn't magic pixy dust that magically transport your e-mail by passing the Internet itself.

 

-> Same for OneDrive.

 

 -> Then you have the political company stands that comes into it. For example, Google, Microsoft, Facebook, and Yahoo, processes user/account activity to detect suspect traffic, and activity. And then you have of course, the anti-child pornography, so all big companies process all images via software automatically as they are being uploaded for facial recognition for detecting known by police children being used as child pornography, which if a red flag is pulled by the software it is investigated, and if it is a true match or a potential one, it is being sent to the authorities. And so on.

 

The only big difference, is that now all these services are part of Windows 10. Actually, windows 8 had Bing search (with 8.1) and OneDrive integration.

 

But people here goes: "Wait.. it doesn't say that Microsoft will come and mug me at night! AHA they will do this!"

Like come on.

 

 

[Sintezza]

59 minutes ago, GoodBytes said:

Yes. Seriously. The privacy policy is there, you can pull it out and read it, as well as the license agreement.

You think this telemetry data discussion is new? I had with Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8, and now Windows 10.

 

The only big difference, is that now all these services are part of Windows 10. Actually, windows 8 had Bing search (with 8.1) and OneDrive integration.

 

.

 

 

Yeah and thats exactly the key.

 

I know that the telemetry data discussion isnt new.

Like i said error and diagnostics have been there for a long time, and its definitely not a bad thing.

I think that i did not wrote it fully clear that with data collection and telemetry i mean 2 diffrent things.

Telemetry data is indeed just statistical data which gets anaylised by various MS teams.

For improving their products and stuff.

 

But in my opinnion nowdays they do collect way more then they did before.

And i personaly dont realy like it, that allot is getting backported from windows10 to 7 including keyloggers using windows update.

And claiming such updates as recommended or even security updates.

Windows7 isnt a cloud based OS.

Nor do i use any modern apps.

 

With data collection i exaly mean, the data they collect on your local searches and habitats etc.

Which they use for marketing purpose, trying to build a advertisement id on you etc, but like i said you cant blame them for doing this, since allmost evey online service does this.

The only major problem i have with this, that i dont whish something like that in my OS.

But like i also said Windows10 in particular is basicly a cloud based operating system, and it simply relies on their MS services.

Without its pretty much useless.

 

And thats some of the main reasons why allot of people dont wish to upgrade from Windows7 to Windows10.

Because they dont want all that nonsense in their OS.

But MS simply forces it trough Windows update.

[NumLock21]

I try to download the roll up, but my Update Catalog site does not work. All I get it a blue background, a globe that "Microsoft Update Catalog". Already did a reset but still nothing. I'm running on Windows 10.

Checked online and they say you're suppose to get a popup telling you to install Active X for the update catalog, I don't get anything, no popups or install prompts.

 

Update

I fixed it by doing some type of work around with FireFox.

 

How To

1. Reset Internet Explorer

2. Download and Install FireFox

3. In FireFox, download the IE Tab 2 extension

4. Go to Microsoft Update Catalog site.

5. Right click "Microsoft Update Catalog" site tab, and select switch rendering engine. This will switch the mode to IE

6. Microsoft Update Catalog site, will now prompt you to install the add on in order for this site to work

7. When it's installed, you can then add the updates to your basket and then download it

8. But there is a glitch, the browse button won't work, so what you do next is

9. Open up IE

10. Go to the Microsoft Update Catalog site

11. Once you go in, your added updates will already be in the basket and IE this time will ask you to install the add on in order for the site to work

12. Click on basket

13. The Browse button now work under IE, select download destination

14. Begin downloading updates

 

[wrath]

Lots of you might hate me for it but i didn't use W7 for more than a few months.

Why? because my pc couldn't handle it(old junk) and by the time I built my new pc i started using w8.1(more hate XD) and then here I am on windows 10 and I just don't want to go back after getting used to this.

[vanished]

Nice!  That should save hours of downloading and installing 3000 updates when I use my very old win 7 disc

[goodtofufriday]

10 hours ago, Bittenfleax said:

I find my self going back and forth to several PC's just to install updates and check they are not failing. 

 

Quoted for truth!

[Doobeedoo]

Neat, always wondered why this wasn't released sooner.

[NumLock21]

Did a test on this, install a clean Win7 w/sp1 OS, then installed this convenience package. This package does not update your IE and I remember the individual updates goes up to like 1.3GB, this package is half the size of that. So not all updates are included?

[Trik'Stari]

21 hours ago, GoodBytes said:

Ok, have fun doing the updates. It's not my week-end

You could also just, not update.

 

I haven't allowed my Windows 7 to update since Windows 10 came out, and guess what? It all works fine.

[GoodBytes]

18 minutes ago, Trik'Stari said:

You could also just, not update.

 

I haven't allowed my Windows 7 to update since Windows 10 came out, and guess what? It all works fine.

You do whatever you want.

[LabRat]

34 minutes ago, GoodBytes said:

You do whatever you want.

 I update it a couple of time a month. you just need to deselect everything and go through them one by one.... which is pretty much what I've been doing since I first started using windows.

[Trik'Stari]

1 hour ago, GoodBytes said:

You do whatever you want.

Just pointing out that their updates don't usually do anything noticeable. If anyone was going to get a virus here, it'd be me.

 

Haven't had one in like 3 years for that matter. Porn sites have really stepped up their security game.

[Hawx]

13 hours ago, Sintezza said:

And i personaly dont realy like it, that allot is getting backported from windows10 to 7 including keyloggers using windows update.

 

With data collection i exaly mean, the data they collect on your local searches and habitats etc.

Which they use for marketing purpose, trying to build a advertisement id on you etc, but like i said you cant blame them for doing this, since allmost evey online service does this.

The only major problem i have with this, that i dont whish something like that in my OS.

But like i also said Windows10 in particular is basicly a cloud based operating system, and it simply relies on their MS services.

Without its pretty much useless.

The keylogger does not exist outside of Windows 10 insider, and only activates when you choose to send bug reproduction steps.

Local searches are not collected under Windows 10 if you disable Bing search.

Advertising ID can be disabled in settings and when you install W10.

 

 

[pk-man]

man, obvious trap is obvious. 

[LAwLz]

3 hours ago, Hawx said:

Local searches are not collected under Windows 10 if you disable Bing search.

I wish that was true, but like I showed GoodBytes before when he did not believe me, your computer still contacts Bing every time you do a local search. It does not matter what settings you have enabled/disabled. 

It does it anyway. 

 

3 hours ago, Hawx said:

Advertising ID can be disabled in settings and when you install W10.

Yep, but not any of the other unique IDs they use for tracking purposes can be disabled. Like for example the unique machine ID. 

[LAwLz]

17 minutes ago, Arokhantos said:

People still paranoid about Microsoft acting like NSA and spying on you even though they aren't ?

It's not paranoia if it's true... And it is demonstrably true. Feel free to argue that it doesn't matter if you want, but saying that they aren't doing it is just flat out false.