I usually don't buy into conspiracy theories but here's what happened to me today...

Last night I restored my last virgin Win7 disk image, about a year old (I do a fresh restore/backup about once a year). By virgin I mean starting from a fresh install without doing any web browsing, just installing and updating software, than doing an image backup. Every year I repeat so that I can always go back to a clean install that's no more than a year old.

After restoring a year old Win7 image I noticed my laptop was pretty quick. Not so much online because I'm having ISP troubles (more on that later) but for what I use it for, it's reasonably quick. Note that I haven't updated Windows in quite a while anyway due to my online troubles.

So today I'm at my parents and they have cable internet (Cox), the plan was to update Windows, McAfee (which I do keep updated, but after last night's image restore it's also a year old), Abode stuff (Flash and PDF Reader) for a total of ~1 GB.

Laptop is now a slug, even online with cable modem. Could be any of those programs maybe, but I think the problem is Windows.

This is a last straw, I'm going back to an older Win7 image and staying offline. I'm pulling the plug on my ISP tomorrow anyway (practically worthless), I'll no longer have internet at home Aug. 1. At some point (maybe months from now) I'll have HughesNet (my only option) come out and install their newer Gen4, but I'm reading lots of trouble with that one as well.

Can someone really live without internet today? Guess I'm about to find out. At least I can drive to my parents if I *have* to go online (about a 45 min. drive) until they sell their house in the next few months.

I still have CompuServe dial-up as a last resort.

I've been having real issues with updates. I know it's a bit of a tinfoil hat theory but a lot of people are getting the same feeling as you.

Mark, read the Laptop fan noise thread. I just had about a week of trouble with Windows 7 Windows Update screwing up my computer.

1. Get rid of Acrobat, get Foxit reader (free) instead. Acrobat is serious bloatware IMO. Been using Foxit for a longgg time.

2. I finally installed 143 past due updates, everything fine so far.

3. ISP? I finally after years of substandard internet connections have a real good one for $40 a month. Spectrum I guess they call it now.

http://www.speedtest.net/my-result/5515719172

114 mbs down, almost 15 mbs up.

If the problem is Microsoft, is the obvious solution not Linux?

I wouldn't doubt it. I don't think they are trustworthy. Money, control. I've had to uninstall that windows 10 upgrade about a dozen times now. I also found out years ago that when I purchased a physical code for xbox live hours(I did this to specifically avoid online transactions) at the same time it activated automatic renewal on my credit card. Didn't ask me. AND THERE WAS NO WAY TO DISABLE IT MYSELF once I found out. I had to make a phone call to have it deactivated. You may not agree with me but I find that to be the behavior of a snake.

If only Linux had better game support...

Or if more game developers supported Linux.....

Read the article to get the Windows 7 update rollup for SP1. All updates since SP1 was released until April 2016.

https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/wind...dows-7-and-8-1/


Distribution model for Windows 7 updates has changed. Now there will be a single monthly update rollup.

And not to add to the conspiracy, but if I do not use this at work for new PC's, update takes about 2 hours, which used to take 30 min last year.



Current Linux market share is 2%. Not gonna happen.

erm... if this theory is to be correct, then the rest of the world should be having problems too.

I mean, there are A LOT of Win 7s out there...

I my self haven't experienced nor heard of anyone with this problem, and at the office we run Win7 mostly. 150+ people with annoying FORCED updates all the time, no issues.

Don't get me wrong, I'm far from being a MS fanboy, but no company in its right mind would sabotage its old current product used by the millions (billions perhaps?) just to promote their new one... not even MS is that stupid.

To be honest, I would look at McAfee first. Easier to troubleshoot as well. See how the PC is with it completely removed.

If you're using McAfee, Norton, whatever, you just found your problem.

Just came from a Windows 7 system, never reinstalled in 4 years, that worked perfectly fine with no performance difference. Best OS Microsoft has ever put out.

be sure

The funny thing about anti-virus, is you can ask 10 different IT guys about it and get 10 different answers. I use Norton because it is free with my ISP. When I had McAfee years ago, it was always giving me headaches. Now that MS is doing its Windows Updates for Windows 7 once a month, I'll just have to deal with it.

+1

Thanks everyone for the comments and suggestions.

I also use McAfee because it's included with my secondary ISP (Cox).

Quick back story...

When I lived in Florida I had broadband added to my mother-in-law's cable service (Louisiana), so when we traveled home (which was often) we had internet. When she moved to FL with us permanently in 2008, I transferred broadband to my parents where I still use it on occasion when I need speed and unlimited bandwidth. It's nice to know that as I'll be losing internet at home today (assuming midnight) that I'll have access to a legitimate backup, at least for a few more months.

At least wife can still do basic internet stuff on her iPhone and dialup is still an option for emergency cases. It's impossible though to do any real testing requiring large updates on satellite internet.

About Windows (and maybe Linux is the answer if just for going online), I'm going to go back and slowly update my laptop methodically from my very first Win7 image, noting performance along the way. It might be a while before I get to this (have to do it at my parents for cable internet) but I'll post my results.

Assuming you don't play any PC games that is a viable option.

Last night I noticed TONS of updates coming on the Win 7 machine. No sooner would I download and install one set and reboot, there was ANOTHER set. Possibly I just missed the last few since the machine wasn't online much..but it seemed strange.

I've noticed two reasons for that.

One, prerequisites. Some updates will not even appear until the update it needs installed first is installed. Update isn't smart enough to just install them in the correct order, so you need to install the earlier one, reboot, and rescan before it shows you the next one.

Two, senior moments. I've seen numerous instances of an update try to install...when it was already installed. Go into installed updates and there's KB123456. Go into Windows Update and it wants to install KB123456.



The Jedi Master

Well, sometimes an improved version of a fix is released. In that case it has the same KB entry but it's still supposed to replace the old entry.