That might push me to do a few things in a Linux VM running on Virtual Box... but I'll still use Windows for the majority of stuff on my home desktop.

At work, I have a Windows 7 laptop that runs a Fedora 22 VM on which I do the majority of my work, and my personal laptop running OS X next to it. I'm using all three major OS distributions at once. I'm pan-OS-ual, I guess.

I'm surprised foreign governments are using windows. Personally its a national security risk.  





As for Linux if you're coming from a Window background I recommend Linux Mint or Ubuntu Mate. Apple background Ubuntu Unity.





 

Oh no!  I'll be a randomized number in some database that shows how many times I've inserted a USB drive into my computer in the last 30 days!  The horror!
 

Problem solved (at least for now)

I'd bet real money you have no clue what metadata is or why companies and governments love to collect it.

and someone else who doesn't get the concept of data mining.....

This looks very good, I'll have to try it.

Download Mint in Cinnamon or MATE. Burn the ISO file into a DVD boot it up and play with it. Don't need to install. Trust me you'll be surprised.





http://www.linuxmint.com/download.php





or Ubuntu Mate





https://ubuntu-mate.org/trusty/





or Ubuntu Unity





http://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop





 

Yep.

Been running Windows 7 Basic on a netbook. I had 2 of the 4 updates installed. Now uninstalled.

It's crap like this that make me want to be more tech-savvy so I can better protect my privacy.

Privacy. What's that these days? An antiquated idea apparently.

Fuck you Microsoft.

Enlighten me.

Oh, I get it.  It's just not that scary.  

 

I was partial to OS/2 back when MS was making their powerplay in the mid '90's, and IBM was always too functionally incompetent to run the PC division with any sort of evil intent. (at the time).



So I really think we'd have ended up in an entirely different universe than the one we're in now.





 

How does one uninstall these updates ore even know if they've been installed already?

Not overly computer savvy, just know enough to be dangerous

Goto control panel under security and windows update and you can see a list of installed updates, and then uninstall them, I had one of the 4 installed earlier this month. You can also turn off automagic updates here too.

Just one more reason to use Funtoo. Feels good man.

Linux is open source. That means the raw source codes is available to anyone to check or use. For example: Mint. Mint is a fork of Ubuntu. Ubuntu is a fork of Debian. All used Linux Kernal. All are open source. In other words Ubuntu developers used Debian source codes to created Ubuntu. Mint developers used Ubuntu sources codes to create Mint.



 

I'm gonna run that by my Linux guy for home use....FM$!

Every PC in my Dr.'s office - including all the terminals in the patient rooms where they look up medical histories and exam results - are Windows machines.

I wonder if all this data tracking violates HIPAA.

Honestly, if a dummy like me can do linux, ANYONE can.

Several versions ago, I had to use the *gasp* command line to get a few things to work properly.   They were common issues tho and pretty nit-picky, so a little google searching told me EXACTLY what to type to fix the issue.   I didn't even really have to understand what the problem was, precisely.

Now?   I installed Mint 17.2 and the only thing that didn't immediately work out of the box was my brother printer.   And brother even wrote a .sh to simplify that.  Literally all you had to do was run the script, then answer Y/N to a few questions.

I'm not a tech nerd... but I can generally figure things out with enough time, patience, and access to the internet.    

The only reason I dual boot windows 7 is to use my cad program.   I disconnect the lan cable when I do.   I know, I know... linux is probably spying on me too.   But it makes me feel better.

I realize I'm basically parroting subnet here but...

It's open source?  That's nice.   How well has it actually been examined?   Who examined it?

It's been examined?  That's nice.   Was your particular distro examined?   How do you know?  Who examined it?     Did you compile it from the source yourself?  Or did you download it from one of the links on the Mint website.  

How do you know that was a link to an unmodified distro?   For that matter, how do you know that was even the real Mint website?

etc...

Which ones specifically? They all look similar but with different numbers after them


Some are security Others just say Windows Update & a hotfix is in there too

Is switched to Linux back in 2010 with Mint 9. Back then I still occasionally had to use the command line and would still boot my Windows hard drive from time to time because of some program I'd have to run in windows.

I'm running Mint 17.2 now. I don't think I've ever had to use the command line with it and I play Windows games like Arkham City though Steam using Play on Linux.

Friends who come over and end up using the computer to show me something on Youtube or look something up online never have to ask how to do anything.

The easiest thing to do is download Unetbootin and use it to create a USB drive that can be used to load whichever version of Linux you want. You can even take it for a "test drive" by just installing it in RAM to see if you like it before overwriting Windows with it. Or you can install beside Windows as a dual boot.

I'm sure if there any spying going on in  Linux, the community will know immediately. Linux community by default is much more computer savvy than Windows base.  BTW Window 10 have a kill switch on any software in your computer.



My Linux 17.2 Cinnamon.

Theme: NumixDarkRed

Conky (The big clock lower left)

Wallpaper: Search Anime girl with gun wallpaper.







How to install Conky:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Va2rnyZJe10



 

Most users won't even know about this or care.

"Just use da PC to check muh emails!"

If you are dumb enough to let windows update itself, you get what you deserve.

This.

Time to dual-boot the windoz box.  Still need MS office, but that's the only thing I need MS for.  They want to be a bunch of tracking assholes, I'll ditch them.

Those are two mighty big assumptions.

And you've personally reviewed all that source code?  And the source code for the compiler that you built your distro from?

If you have done a Windows Update in the last couple of months you probably have the patches already installed.  Search by KB number and use the release date to help you find the patch to uninstall them.  Here are the patch numbers as referenced in the OP's article.


   KB3068708 (released  06/18/2015 )Update for customer experience and diagnostic telemetry – This update introduces the Diagnostics and Telemetry tracking service to existing devices. By applying this service, you can add benefits from the latest version of Windows to systems that have not yet upgraded. The update also supports applications that are subscribed to Visual Studio Application Insights. (Windows 8.1, Windows Server 2012 R2, Windows 7 Service Pack 1 (SP1), and Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1)

KB3022345  Realeased June 2, 2015    (replaced by KB3068708) Update for customer experience and diagnostic telemetry – This update introduces the Diagnostics and Telemetry tracking service to in-market devices. By applying this service, you can add benefits from the latest version of Windows to systems that have not yet been upgraded. The update also supports applications that are subscribed to Visual Studio Application Insights. (Windows 8.1, Windows Server 2012 R2, Windows 7 Service Pack 1 (SP1), and Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1)

KB3075249 ( released 25-Jun-2015)    Update that adds telemetry points to consent.exe in Windows 8.1 and Windows 7 – This update adds telemetry points to the User Account Control (UAC) feature to collect information on elevations that come from low integrity levels. (Windows 8.1, Windows RT 8.1, Windows Server 2012 R2, Windows 7 Service Pack 1 (SP1), and Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1)

KB3080149 (released 23-Jul-2015)  Update for customer experience and diagnostic telemetry – This package updates the Diagnostics and Telemetry tracking service to existing devices. This service provides benefits from the latest version of Windows to systems that have not yet upgraded. The update also supports applications that are subscribed to Visual Studio Application Insights. (Windows 8.1, Windows RT 8.1, Windows Server 2012 R2, Windows 7 Service Pack 1 (SP1), and Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1)

No I have. How did they find out about window spying? How did they find out MS have a kill switch to delete software in user computers? These people didn't have the source codes because MS don't give out the source codes. They find out by playing around with Windows. Same things for Linux users and unlike MS they can review the Linux sources codes. The source codes are forked. Debein source codes is used in Ubuntu. Linux Mint used Ubuntu source codes. Unbuntu Mate used Ubuntu source codes. So there is an awareness within the developers of each other works.



Anyway why would Linux developers want to data mine? MS data mine because money is involve. Linux developers get their money from donations and technical supports.



 

Come on most Windows users are afraid of Linux/Unix OS. The people that don't shy away from Linux/Unix tend to have more experience in computers or have no choice (can't afford Window Licence) .



 

I could do a whole lot worse than data mine with a corrupt Linux distro and you would never know it.

Found all 4 on my PC:

installed:

KB3022345 05/12/2015

KB3068708 06/09/2015

KB3075249 08/11/2015

KB3080149 08/11/2015


Uninstalled all of them...

Thanks OP..!!

Just made a live USB of it,  I like it so far,  may have to give Linux another try.

Thanks man.

I hate these threads.

Found two of the little buggers...

KB3022345 05/12/2015

KB3068708 06/09/2015

I like threads like these because I am not a computer guy and like to know about stuff like this.  I had no idea automatic updates were bad.  They are turned off now. And I am kind of glad I didn't upgrade to 10, even though I reserved a free upgrade.  While looking at installed updates there were several Win 10 updates that failed.  Not sure if the computer was trying to upgrade to 10 or what

Companies acting deliberately against their own interests, and even trying to hide it from consumers, shows they are being coerced by the government. Microsoft execs are no doubt under a gag order. Same with GM putting cameras in their new cars.

Time to review my installed updates.