WHY YOU 'CANT' TRUST' WINDOWS UPDATES
Only Microsoft knows what’s in them, and they’re not letting on…
Imagine owning a car that – according to the manufacturer – required constant maintenance. Every few weeks a mechanic pops round, opens the bonnet, fiddles around inside, then closes it again, saying “job done”. But when you ask what changes he’s made, the mechanic smiles knowingly and replies, “sorry, can’t tell you – but trust us, it’ll make your car better”. Your heart beats a little faster the next time you start the car.
Welcome to the worrying world of Windows 10.
A few weeks before launching the operating system, Microsoft announced that updates would be installed automatically on PCS running the Home version. Microsoft is now treating its operating system as an ongoing service, rather than a one-off product, regularly updating it whether you like it or not.
Critics of this policy say that users should be allowed more control over updates. Those in favour think it’s a necessary move to boost PC security, given the surprisingly high number of users who typically don’t set updates to run automatically, leaving them at risk of attack. In turn, this increases the risk to others, because most botnets are powered by PCS running unsafe versions of Windows.
But nobody expected Microsoft to be so cagey about its updates. After releasing its second update on 11 August, which sent many PCS spinning into a seemingly endless ‘reboot loop’, Microsoft faced calls to explain what its updates contained. Its response was insultingly vague: “This update includes improvements to enhance the functionality of Windows 10”.
Microsoft expanded on this a few days later, after fixing the endless reboot problem with a third update. Speaking to the website The Register, the company announced: “Depending on the significance of the update and if it is bringing new functionality to Windows customers, we may choose to do additional promotion of new features as we deploy them”.
In other words, Microsoft will decide when an update warrants explanation. If you don’t like it – tough.
This high-handed attitude is at odds with how many other software companies treat their users. Most developers explain what’s new and what’s been fixed in the latest version of a program (here’s how Ccleaner does it: www.snipca.com/17766). Microsoft is less forthcoming, simply listing on its support pages which files have been altered: www. snipca.com/ 17767. You can’t find out what’s in an update before it’s installed, nor whether it will fix any bugs.
So why is Microsoft being so coy? There are several theories, none of which casts the company in a good light. Will the “enhancements” in each update help Microsoft access more of your data? Will Microsoft force you to pay extra for these features? And will updates mostly comprise fixes for problems caused by previous updates? It’s easy to see why Microsoft would want to keep quiet about these.
Or perhaps it’s part of a strategy to encourage you to spend £189.99 on the Pro version of Windows 10, which lets you defer updates. By doing so, you can wait and see how updates affect the PCS of Home users – though you’ll have to install them eventually.
Only one thing is sure – Computeractive will examine every update and explain how to fix problems they cause. If the first few weeks are anything to go by, we are going to be kept very busy.
You have no way of knowing if a flaw in Windows 10 has been fixed