A Pain in the Whatchamacallit
By Tiny Ruisch
KB3035583 was recently resurrected on my Windows update list as an important update. It has been making me think a lot about Microsoft and Windows 10. In fact, I’m having second thoughts about whether I want Windows 10 an any of my primary computers.
This patch first appeared back in March as an optional update. It was described as an update that enables additional capabilities for Windows Update notifications when new updates are available for the user. About a week later, the patch was re-released with a change from optional to recommended.
WOW! This must really be an important update. Like so many things in life, it depends on your point of view. At first, I liked the update. Since then, my viewpoint has changed.
When the update is installed, a new icon appears in the Windows taskbar. Mousing over the icon reveals the message “Get Windows 10”. Clicking opens a multi‑page advertisement to reserve your Windows 10 free upgrade. So far, so good.
After I reserved my free upgrade, the Get Windows 10 icon remained in my taskbar. No problem at all. I opened the Control Panel to customize notification area icons. I changed the GWX (Get Windows Ten) icon to hide icon and notifications. Problem solved.
A few days later, when I rebooted my computer, I noticed that the GWX icon had returned. Microsoft changed my customized notifications settings. Since I’m kind of fussy about unnecessary programs, tasks and services that run on my computers, I uninstalled KB3035583. Of course, I opened Windows Update and hid the patch.
Since then, the update has shown up two or three times as either an important or recommended update. It’s like Skype. You can hide it, but not permanently.
Thanks for reading.