Check that your Windows 10 upgrade cake settings are still in forcefulness

Yesterday's update changed an important registry setting to permit Microsoft to start the Win10 upgrade process over again

Those of you who are using the common methods for blocking Windows vii and Windows viii.1's obnoxious Win10 upgrade procedure take notation. Apparently an update released yesterday changed an important registry setting -- DisableOSUpgrade -- that prevented Windows 7 and viii.i from proceeding with the forced march to Windows 10.

If you've used GWX Control Panel, gpedit/Computer Configuration, and/or direct changes to the registry to block the Windows ten upgrade, y'all should take a moment and make sure that your block is still in place.

For well-nigh of you, that'southward as like shooting fish in a barrel every bit re-running GWX Control Panel and clicking "Disable Operating System Upgrades in Windows Update." If you're using Grouping Policy, follow the directions in Microsoft'south KB 3080351 to "Plough off the upgrade to the latest version of Windows through Windows Update." If y'all're setting the registry manually, brand sure the post-obit cardinal has a Dword value of DisableOSUpgrade = 1.

HKLM\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WindowsUpdate

Why the alarm? Tardily concluding night, GWX Command Panel author Josh Mayfield sent me an email:

Just came home this night to find three of my Windows 7 computers had reverted to "Windows Update OS upgrades enabled" way in GWX Control Panel. This means that Windows either changed or deleted registry settings that GWX Control Panel had earlier put in place... and I Call up I constitute the culprit: Ane of the updates that these computers installed today is KB3083710, which is a client update for Windows Update itself. It may be that Microsoft wasn't intentionally/explicitly wiping out settings related to the Win 10 download, and really they were merely wiping ALL Windows Update settings as part of this patch.

It'southward possible that KB 3083710 (for Windows seven) or KB 3083711 (for Windows 8.1) wiped out that registry setting.

On some PCs, KB 3083710 and KB 3083711 were changed on Tuesday, with their status going from optional-and-unchecked to important-and-checked. That may account for the registry modify on Wednesday (Windows Update changes to the registry but "accept" upon restart).

Tell your friends and warn your neighbors. If yous don't want to upgrade to Windows 10 right now, run GWX Control Console today, and run information technology again every time Microsoft makes changes to your Windows vii or 8.i PC.

Key question: At what point does a potentially unwanted program get malware?

Follow-upwardly question: Why don't antivirus products browse for GWX?

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