Thursday, March 16th 2017

Windows 10 Creators Update Might Force Updates Even on Metered Connections

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R-T-B
 Discuss (38 Comments)
A wording change in the latest build of the upcoming Creators Update for Windows 10 has users on metered connections worried. In previous Microsoft Insider's builds of the Creators Update, the section of the license agreement pertaining to automatic updates said "updates will be downloaded and installed automatically, except over metered connections (where charges may apply)."

In this latest build, the wording has been changed to a more worrisome version implying updating may still happen for important updates: "We'll automatically download and install updates, except on metered connections (where charges may apply). In that case, we'll automatically download only those updates required to keep Windows running smoothly."
Obviously, this implies critical updates and such may still be pulled from a metered connection without prior user consent. Considering many "critical updates" from Microsoft today come in the form of "Patch Tuesday" rollups often nearing a gig, this could get expensive on a metered connection where users pay by the gigabyte or worse.
Source: HotHardware

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38 Comments on Windows 10 Creators Update Might Force Updates Even on Metered Connections

#26
lexluthermiester
This isn't a problem if you disable the update service and only re-enable when you want/plan to do updates.
Posted on Reply
#27
Unregistered
R-T-BNo, they are becoming increasingly common stateside as well. I have a metered connection. If I go over 1TB, I pay out the nose. That said, 1TB is a lot of data.
I go through roughly 3TB a month... I've used 7TB
I watch all my Netflix shows in 4k and I have 2 other TV's at 1080p...1TB would not cover my needs at all.... It's all internet based all the time....

I don't keep anything in storage anymore I just downloaded when I need it...

My sister in law has AT&T and she gets throttled after 22GB.... Most games I have for Xbone and PS4 are 25GB or bigger...O don't know how people do it.
#28
bug
jmcslobI go through roughly 3TB a month... I've used 7TB
I watch all my Netflix shows in 4k and I have 2 other TV's at 1080p...1TB would not cover my needs at all.... It's all internet based all the time....

I don't keep anything in storage anymore I just downloaded when I need it...

My sister in law has AT&T and she gets throttled after 22GB.... Most games I have for Xbone and PS4 are 25GB or bigger...I don't know how people do it.
Wired connections still rule.
It really pisses me off when my mobile company contacts me to offer a new subscription "with unlimited traffic for Facebook/Whatsapp/whatever". I already have that and more. I don't care for mobile plans.
Posted on Reply
#29
Breit
Good job MS!
Imagine tethering your phone with your laptop on a 1GB monthly data plan just to write an email on your laptop only to find out minutes later that you not only have no data left on your mobile for the rest of the month, you sit there even with only a half-downloaded update which doesn't get you anywhere. Make that the first day on a 2-week trip to a foreign country, where those mobile data plans cost you a fortune.
Really, good job MS. You gotta love them. :kookoo:
Posted on Reply
#30
bug
BreitGood job MS!
Imagine tethering your phone with your laptop on a 1GB monthly data plan just to write an email on your laptop only to find out minutes later that you not only have no data left on your mobile for the rest of the month, you sit there even with only a half-downloaded update which doesn't get you anywhere. Make that the first day on a 2-week trip to a foreign country, where those mobile data plans cost you a fortune.
Really, good job MS. You gotta love them. :kookoo:
I wouldn't tether my phone with my laptop to begin with. I'd email from the phone or connect the laptop to WiFi instead.
Posted on Reply
#31
Breit
bugI wouldn't tether my phone with my laptop to begin with. I'd email from the phone or connect the laptop to WiFi instead.
See, that "email"-thing was an example for "doing stuff online, which is way easier on a pc than a phone". Oh, and sure WiFi is ubiquitously available, right? :rolleyes:
Posted on Reply
#32
bug
BreitSee, that "email"-thing was an example for "doing stuff online, which is way easier on a pc than a phone". Oh, and sure WiFi is ubiquitously available, right? :rolleyes:
WiFi may not be ubiquitously available, but I also don't haul around my laptop much when I know I'm going places with no coverage. I'm just saying, you have to dig a bit deeper to find a scenario where this change would actually be harmful.
And yes, taking away options isn't something to be cheered, but what can you do when users are so dumb they can't figure out how to update their own systems?
Posted on Reply
#33
lexluthermiester
bugWiFi may not be ubiquitously available, but I also don't haul around my laptop much when I know I'm going places with no coverage. I'm just saying, you have to dig a bit deeper to find a scenario where this change would actually be harmful.
And yes, taking away options isn't something to be cheered, but what can you do when users are so dumb they can't figure out how to update their own systems?
How about ISP's who meter home internet connections? Trust me it sucked. The local cable company in my area provides 250gb per month and then throttles the connection down to 3.5mbps and bills for every megabyte of data beyond the limit. This kind of billing is common. How's that for a typical usable scenario? So in this type of scenario, the only way to avoid hitting the limit is to limit or turn off anything that isn't needed. And since Microsoft in their infinite wisdom have taken away the ability to limit updates, people now have to turn the update service off completely until the beginning of their next billing cycle. It's a bad move and is yet more proof that Microsoft has zero real respect for the needs and rights of the general public.
Posted on Reply
#34
bug
lexluthermiesterHow about ISP's who meter home internet connections? Trust me it sucked. The local cable company in my area provides 250gb per month and then throttles the connection down to 3.5mbps and bills for every megabyte of data beyond the limit. This kind of billing is common. How's that for a typical usable scenario? So in this type of scenario, the only way to avoid hitting the limit is to limit or turn off anything that isn't needed. And since Microsoft in their infinite wisdom have taken away the ability to limit updates, people now have to turn the update service off completely until the beginning of their next billing cycle. It's a bad move and is yet more proof that Microsoft has zero real respect for the needs and rights of the general public.
Oh come on... Windows doesn't get 25GB worth of updates in a month. And this is about pushing only the security critical updates. It's still bad, but it's not the end of the world.
As for metered wired connection, that must be something American, I wouldn't know anything about it :D
Posted on Reply
#35
remixedcat
FPSPusherYou can always just disable windows update in services.
It has conflicts when that setting is activated and you do a minor microsoft component change like VC++ runtimes, IE upgrades, other services changes, etc you will get a BSOD since the update service that's required doesn't start. Had that happen on 08R2 2 times so I stopped disabling the service bc I ended up having to reinstall windows when it happened... no fixes were available for it.
Posted on Reply
#36
lexluthermiester
remixedcatIt has conflicts when that setting is activated and you do a minor microsoft component change like VC++ runtimes, IE upgrades, other services changes, etc you will get a BSOD since the update service that's required doesn't start. Had that happen on 08R2 2 times so I stopped disabling the service bc I ended up having to reinstall windows when it happened... no fixes were available for it.
That's not quite how it works, generally. If you delete the update service then yes installations that update or install library runtimes that depend on the update service are going to close without finishing the install. But they are not suppose to BSOD. And disabling the service isn't suppose to do anything to installation but give a "service not running error". Most continue unaffected. It seems far more likely that you are doing something very wrong to your installation of Windows.
Posted on Reply
#37
remixedcat
nope I've gotten BSODs when I rebooted... a lot of those above indicated require a reboot and the BSOD happens on reboot and windows won't let you in.
Posted on Reply
#38
Prima.Vera
Still doesn't beat the "You computer will restart in XX minutes to complete the installation of the updates" without the possibility to cancel that. (Win 7)
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