Microsoft may be ‘giving’ Windows 10 away for free to Windows 8.1 and 7 SP1 users but they are still expecting payment. Only it isn’t a payment in cash – instead they are collecting much more data on the users of their operating systems.
They’ve clearly taken a leaf out of Google’s book, who make their money by tracking user activity on the web, then using that information to show targeted advertising.
No doubt Microsoft are hoping to do something similar with everything they find out about Windows users. Google left them behind a long time ago in this regard but the release of Windows 10 could change that.
This data can include how long you use apps and which features you use the most, snapshots of memory to investigate crashes, and so on.
But what happens if you don’t fancy Microsoft collecting your details? You may think that the answer is to simply stick with your existing Windows system and not make the switch to Windows 10.
Alas, that won’t work. Microsoft are using the latest round of Windows patches to push out updates to Windows 8.1/8/7 that will also start collecting data on what users do.
If you’ve got Automatic Updates turned on, they may already be on your PC.
While the data is anonymous, it is still a cheek that Microsoft expect to be able to collect this information without mentioning it to you – especially as you bought and paid for your Windows 8.1/8/7 system a long time ago.
Fortunately, the nosey updates can be removed once they have been installed. Simply open the Control Panel, then click on Programs and Features.
Click on the View installed updates link on the left-hand side, then scroll through the list and find the updates below:
KB3068708
KB3075249
KB3080149
(check the update number given in brackets at the end of the update name).
Click each in turn, then click on the Uninstall button to remove the update. This will ensure that Microsoft are not performing Windows 10 style data collection on your Windows 8.1/8/7 system .