Huge problem with unwanted Windows 10 download

Discussion in 'other software & services' started by geekatlarge, Aug 21, 2015.

  1. geekatlarge

    geekatlarge Registered Member

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    I'm at wit's end with this. I have two Windows 7 computers in my home that are continually downloading and trying to install Windows 10. We DID NOT reserve it on either computer. It's slow DSL here so it's a huge problem.

    Here's what I did to try to stop it.

    Uninstalled the following updates, reboot after each, then hid them in WU: KB3035583 KB2952664 KB3021917.

    Removed the temporary install files using Disk Cleanup. They are stored in $Windows.~BT. It takes two runs with a reboot in between to remove the whole folder. 3.5 GB on one computer, almost 6 GB on the other.

    Reset WU with the downloaded WindowsUpdateDiagnostic. Reboot. Ran SFC/scannow. Reboot. Reinstalled WU with FixIt 50202. That blasted my WU history. Reboot.

    Still, after each reboot, Windows will within a half-hour or so triggers the download of all 3 to 6 GB of install files using Automatic Update. it does not show as an available update in the WU interface, recommended or optional. It's doing it on its own with no apparent way to stop it.

    I gave up, turned off automatic updates and called Microsoft for help. I have spent 6 hours on the phone and remotely. Level 2 support ran this command: ***net user administrator*** /active:yes*** without stars - which turns out to do nothing other than enable the built in administrator account, as I suspected when it was run. That was the sole extent of the help. They were obviously just blowing me off. I called back and was told it will be Sunday before another Level 2 tech can call me. In short, MS is no help with this.

    So, to sum up, no GWX prompt, no indication in WU that windows 10 is even available as an option to install, yet when Automatic Updates is on it downloads the entire installer and tries to install it silently at each reboot, over and over again.

    Anyone know how to stop this? Anyone? Please? :)

    Edited for spelling and clarity.
     
    Last edited: Aug 21, 2015
  2. LittleDude

    LittleDude Registered Member

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    I had the same problem. I think I removed GWX to fix it.
    I did find this below on another forum

    As I understand it, if you stop GWX from running, the download won't happen:

    1) Navigate to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Gwx

    2) Create a new REG_DWORD registry value called: DisableGwx

    3) Give it a value of: 1
     
  3. JRViejo

    JRViejo Super Moderator

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  4. zfactor

    zfactor Registered Member

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    normally on windows 7 all you have to do is uninstall KB3035583 and it will stop. i have MANY clients who did not want to upgrade and with KB3035583 removed not one has called to tell me they have had it download or been nagged for it, windows 8 requires more steps to stop it
     
  5. geekatlarge

    geekatlarge Registered Member

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    Y
    Thanks! Forgot to mention that I tried this last night also before resetting WU, does not stop it on either machine. Both are 7 Pro, so Group Policy settings like this one should work - that is a GP, isn't it? Anyway, add to Registry, reboot, no change. :(

    Agreed. Not here. It's gone, so are the other two updates I mentioned. Please check those client computers for a hidden folder called $Windows.~BT and check WU history. That's how I found it. Upgrade to Windows 10 with no KB number repeating over and over again. Happens to 2 of 7 Windows 7 machines here, and for two family members and three clients. That's the bad part. In every case, I checked the GWX app in the tray to see if Windows 10 was reserved. In every case it was not, yet 10 downloaded and tried to install anyway. Not cool, MS.

    Since my last post, I got back in touch with the same guy at MS in Level 2 Support. I scolded him for blowing me off with the enable admin command. He ran SFC /scannow - no errors just like last night when I ran it, deleted Software Distribution just like I did, searched for catroot2 and didn't find it, deleted the $Windows.~BT folder again. Still a waste of time. Not fixed, after 9 hours with MS. At least this time the tech saw it happen in front of his eyes.
    OK, I'll remove and hide the rest of these tonight and see if it works. It just goes against everything I've preached and practiced for years - always install Windows Updates. I really hate that MS is ignoring user choice. It may be something broken in the upgrade process instead of something deliberate, but either way the end result is the same.

    Thanks for the input, really appreciate it.
     
  6. JRViejo

    JRViejo Super Moderator

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    geekatlarge, let us know what happens.
     
  7. Brian K

    Brian K Imaging Specialist

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    A side note. I already have Win10 and the 5 GB Win 10 download has happened spontaneously on two occasions.
     
  8. zfactor

    zfactor Registered Member

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    checked 5 systems today they do not have that folder or anything related to windows 10 including the gwx folder
     
  9. geekatlarge

    geekatlarge Registered Member

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    OK, here's some documentation. Note the time in the right hand corner, along with the lack of a GWX icon. Also note no $Windows.~BT folder.

    Desktop 1.png

    Next one, download in progress, showing the hidden updates:

    Desktop 2.png

    Finally, download done, no indication in WU, $Windows.~BT file back in place, update waiting for shutdown.

    Desktop 3.png

    Will try JRViejo's KB's. Wanted to document this behavior first. ETA: Trying those tomorrow.
     
    Last edited: Aug 21, 2015
  10. geekatlarge

    geekatlarge Registered Member

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    So I'm not alone. Thanks for posting this!
     
  11. Ocky

    Ocky Registered Member

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  12. geekatlarge

    geekatlarge Registered Member

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    Thanks, Ocky. I already checked the locations Dedo mentions on Thursday night after removing the first three updates. Strangely enough, there was no GWX folder in System32 and the GWX task was empty. Same on both computers. Regardless, the download and install attempts continued. I got rid of and hid the updates JR mentioned, plus an additional update that appeared - kb3065987. So far so good, no Automatic Update yet. Another 12 hours or so should prove whether this is an effective cure. I just hope I haven't broken anything important for W7 by removing this stuff.
     
  13. JRViejo

    JRViejo Super Moderator

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    Originally, some of these updates were Optional, then they kept reappearing as Recommended as Windows 10's release date approached. I don't see anything broken by hiding them, at least in my 2 Win7 64-bit PCs, that affects their performance in any way.
     
  14. geekatlarge

    geekatlarge Registered Member

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    JR, it appears to have worked - thank you very much! :) I now have 7 hidden updates. The "important" update - KB3075851 - showed up after removing the four you noted. Looks like it's not a security patch according to Ronjor's post about August 2015 updates, so "important" or not it stays uninstalled.

    Desktop 4.png

    I found an interesting thread on another forum here: http://www.msfn.org/board/topic/173752-how-to-avoid-being-upgraded-to-win-10-against-your-will/
    Also, I've seen information that Microsoft will change or reissue updates : "KB3035583 and 2952664 were updated and re-issued - which is why they re-appeared (and will probably keep reappearing until the end of July 2016 as MS tweak them every month or so)" from the fourth post here: http://www.sevenforums.com/windows-updates-activation/375128-bware-kb3065987.html
    So, I have months of whack-a-mole in my future? :'(
    The Group Policy setting that Ocky mentions above is also noted here.
    To recap, MS ignores a GP setting, ignores the GWX settings, won't even note what is being downloaded by AU in the Windows Updates GUI and won't let the end user stop the forced multiple GB download unless Automatic Updates are turned off. Deleting the install folder only triggers the huge download again unless you uninstall specific Windows Updates, the exact function of which isn't clearly described. If any other piece of software tried this it would be considered malware. Microsoft wasted 9 or 10 hours of my time on the phone and with remote support NOT fixing this. It affects two computers in my own home, not to mention the other instances among family members and customers that I have encountered in the past few days. So disappointed with Microsoft. Not surprised at all, but very disappointed.
     
  15. syrinx

    syrinx Registered Member

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    If you've downloaded KB3050265 there is a global policy setting (pro or ultimate) that might help, I avoided the others and also set this on my system. If you're on Home/Home premium you could try setting the reg value which is all the policy changes (as long as you have that KB) Not sure it'd stop the download but it sounds like it should.
    Code:
    Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
    
    [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WindowsUpdate]
    "DisableOSUpgrade"=dword:00000001
    
    KB3050265
     
  16. geekatlarge

    geekatlarge Registered Member

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    Ah ha! Maybe that's the key as to why this setting did not work previously. Need the KB first in order to set the policy. It was never installed or offered on this computer. I'll try this on the other affected computer tomorrow and report results. I don't currently have a 7 Home Premium affected by this, so I can only test it on Pro. Thank you for the suggestion!
     
  17. JRViejo

    JRViejo Super Moderator

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    geekatlarge, you're welcome! Take care.
     
  18. geekatlarge

    geekatlarge Registered Member

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    Appreciate the help! I'm so mad about this I've already contacted my representative in Congress, among others. Windows 7 is in extended support until 2020. I already have 10 installed on another partition. I can only think of two reasons why Microsoft would push this out indiscriminately. Either the upgrade process is so flawed that it can't effectively recognize which computers are reserved, or Microsoft is deliberately ignoring user input. Either way, fixing this is time-consuming and full of trial and error. It shouldn't ever be this hard. Microsoft Support takes from 4 to 48 hours for callback and doesn't know how to fix it. Activation servers are overloaded. I've seen complaints about the same thing I experienced happening on metered Internet connections. It slowed our none-too-fast DSL to a crawl. I most sincerely hope this does not end well for MS. They owe me two full days of my life back. In a perfect world MS starts respecting customers again. We'll have privacy settings that actually work, no sharing wi-fi with contacts by default, no randomly locking out users who use the recommended Microsoft account to log in to their PC, no more ads in the OS, an easy setting to disable all Metro apps and interfaces, etc., etc., ad nauseum, but most of all a clear, unambiguous privacy policy that doesn't contain the phrases "personal data collection" and "good faith" in the same paragraph. Keep your grubby data mining mitts out of my Windows 7! :) :p Quite a rant, sorry!

    I'll stay in touch as I try Group Policy settings again and try to keep count of the number of computers I see with this issue. Maybe if we can find an easy fix for both Home Premium and Pro I'll feel differently - but I doubt it. Hugely underserved market for Linux here. I have developed some skillz with a couple of user friendly distros. Hmmm. :ninja:
     
  19. subhrobhandari

    subhrobhandari Registered Member

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    geekatlarge, this downloading you have seen in your Windows machines, were all of same edition? I mean, they were all home or pro edition?
     
  20. Krusty

    Krusty Registered Member

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    I just found this folder on my newly installed Win7 machine. Does that mean I am infected by Win10 malware too?
     
  21. SirDrexl

    SirDrexl Registered Member

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    As a last resort, I believe it won't download the upgrade files if you have less than 20GB of free space on C. You could shrink down the partition, or create a dummy file that uses up what you need to get under the limit.
     
  22. Brian K

    Brian K Imaging Specialist

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    I have 15.7 GB of free space in my Win10 partition. But even with a Win10 system, the Win10 files (around 5 GB) have been downloaded twice. Strange!

    The same folder Krusty13 mentioned.
     
  23. Krusty

    Krusty Registered Member

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    I've just told VoodooShield to block that folder so hopefully it won't somehow start installing itself.

    Fair enough if we installed the GWX update but to automatically download Win10 files is rude! Not to mention the wasted download data. :mad:

    ~ Off Topic Video Removed ~
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Aug 23, 2015
  24. djg05

    djg05 Registered Member

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    I have Win 8.1 and have just checked and see that I have $Windows.~BT. With the advent of Win 10 I stopped d/l updates on the 12 June and set updates as "Check but don't download" which it always was, but $Windows.~BT is dated 16 August. Looks like time to restore an image.
     
  25. Peter2150

    Peter2150 Global Moderator

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    If you ended up with KB3035583 installed you have that GWX mess. Uninstall the KB and GWX goes away also. I don't seem to have that strange folder. Where is it located.
     
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