
Ask HN: Looking for a Windows 7 Update curator - BentFranklin
In the past few months Microsoft has been pushing Windows 7 users hard to upgrade to Windows 10 and I understand they will be pushing harder still in the near future.  Even after I have disabled and removed the GWX nags, other updates restored them.  At best this is a game of whack-a-mole, but I consider it a violation of CFAA, because by removing GWX I told Microsoft I don&#x27;t want it but they reinstalled it anyway and so that is an unauthorized access.  (People have been prosecuted for much less.)<p>They are also adding what they call telemetry, but which I classify as spyware.  Spying and ads are what some people accept as a consequence of receiving free hardware or software, but I paid for my computers and licenses, so I expect my OS vendor to respect that.<p>It&#x27;s not necessary or useful to debate me on these issues.  These are my current opinions, and until I learn otherwise I intend to manage my systems accordingly.<p>An inadvertent or forced upgrade to Windows 10 would be catastrophic to our workflow.  Also, I will not be ceding control of my systems to unstoppable updates like we all have been forced to accept on our phones.  Therefore, I turned off automatic updating, and now I am being forced to update manually, all because Microsoft blended their threats into their security update channel.<p>Sadly, the task of reviewing each update to evaluate whether it is benign or harmful is daunting.  Microsoft&#x27;s KB pages can sometimes help but are also very opaque and I would rather place my trust in a third party.  I have accumulated a list of updates to avoid, mostly by combing through various forums.  This method is inefficient and very likely fail-prone.<p>So, I just joined HN to ask: Does anyone know of an authoritative and trustworthy website that reviews Microsoft updates and provides lists of updates to avoid?  Basically, I&#x27;m looking for a Microsoft Windows 7 update curator.  What are my hacker friends doing about this?
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ninjatd
You see, I decided to give W10 a try and I actually think it is a decent
upgrade. I would go further and ask for ways to gain further control over W10.
I've blocked most of Microsoft communication via Firewall but you never know
what the company will push with their updates.

As for your update curator I'd say there's a market for a software to deal
with unwanted changes or useless updates. My two cents.

Finally there's always Linux. It's getting more and more attractive with
Microsoft getting more and more obnoxious.

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ianceicys
I've got better things to do than avoid updates. Disconnect your machine from
the internet to keep Windows 7. Then when you buy new hardware, just run
Windows 10.

I for the life of me can't see how "An inadvertent or forced upgrade to
Windows 10 would be catastrophic to our workflow". What is your workflow can
you elaborate?

Resistance is futile.

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ninjatd
Really? We could live without your non-reply.

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BentFranklin
ian: We have legacy software that barely survived the upgrade to Windows 7, so
we are not going to go to Windows 10 or Linux.

ninja: I agree there is a market for what I seek. I would gladly pay a nominal
subscription for such a service.

Does anyone know of such a service?

