Professional gamer Erik Flom was playing a game of Counter-Strike on the live-streaming site Twitch when something unexpected happened.
His screen suddenly went black and then blue, as his PC began automatically configuring an update for Windows 10.
With thousands of followers watching, Flom reacted how you might expect – with disbelief and a blue streak of cursing:
What. What? How did this happen! F*ck you Windows 10! Oh my God! You had one job PC. We turned off everything. Update faster you f*ck!
A video clip of Windows 10 “poop[ing] on” Flom’s livestream went viral after it was upvoted over 5000 times on Reddit.
Microsoft has been taking a lot of heat over its efforts to get people to upgrade to Windows 10, most recently after an upgrade message interrupted a live TV news broadcast.
As Flom’s mishap shows, even once you have Windows 10 installed, automatic updates can cause some grief as well.
In Microsoft’s defense, it’s understandable why Redmond wants to force you to install updates in Windows 10.
Unfortunately, cyberattackers don’t need to rely on zero-days, where a security patch isn’t available, because so many users remain unprotected against security bugs with fixes that are available – and have been for weeks, months, or even years!
The Conficker virus, for example, began spreading a month after Microsoft had provided a patch that would have kept people safe, but Conficker nevertheless went on to infect more than 11 million PCs.
More recently, SophosLabs research has found that cybercrooks using maliciously crafted Microsoft Office documents to spread malware are primarily exploiting security holes that have had fixes available for a very long time.
Even worse than failing to apply security updates when they are available are the millions of people who are still running Windows XP, which has been out of support for two years – XP users will be vulnerable to “zero days forever.”
Unfortunately, these out-of-date PCs are not only security risk to the users themselves, but to the rest of us as well.
Microsoft may not be the best at communicating the message, but it really is a good idea for everyone to have auto-updates turned on by default.
Guy
….Except if you are running multiple VMs, say, on WMWare Workstation, and you need to leave them on for after hours access, via a VPN, for example…
One size DOES NOT necessarily fit all. Just sayin.
Anonymous
Which has nothing to do with processing updates in the VM *before* right?
Mahhn
I got no love for MS. Botched me doing work on my laptop last week with it’s auto install of 10 – hard power down to stop it. They basically killed PC gaming by making their OS bloated adware to make them slow, the proof- they stopped making PC games and only make xbox crap, so why would they support PC gaming if it cuts into their xbox sales. I wish they would go belly up.
Outbreak42
Mahhn – What do you mean by “killed PC gaming”? Do you know PC Master Race?
Albert
OK I agree that updates are necessary for security but some times I lost some hours of work for waiting updates.
And so maybe if Microsucks don’t release a new version of its sotfware each year they may focus on few changes or fixes but NO they change the sotfwarw each year.
Lee
They have released Windows 10 so there is incremental updating from now rather than major versions of the software.
ejhonda
How hard is it configure Windows 10 to update automatically at 2am or whatever time is convenient for the user? Hint: it’s not hard. #1stWorldProblems.
Orean Keels Jr.
That’s exactly what it does, and you can ALWAYS see the next scheduled reboot by looking in Settings, Update. No exceptions. HE blew it by not checking.
WTD
You must be new to this universe. That is how it is SUPPOSED to work. Under no circumstance at any point in the history of the universe has any technology ever worked the way it is supposed to 100% of the time. With Microsoft updates it’s more like 10% of the time. Microsoft updates have BROKEN things almost as many times as they’ve fixed things.
The one and only time in the last 20 years of using PCs that I have personally experienced my personal PC being so corrupted as to require a complete wipe and reload? Not a virus. Not a hardware failure. Not a hacker. A Microsoft update. Fortunately I had everything backed up so only a few hours of lost time.
For a home user, a random reboot in the middle of what they are doing is an annoyance for people working, business transactions, live streamers, it really is a big deal. Forced updates are not an acceptable way to handle updates until they no longer randomly update systems in use. That seems like a lot easier default setting fix than asking users to tweak things, especially since the mindset seems to be dictate first ask never.
Trent Larson
Whatever. You idiots don’t understand the main issue is not having control of WU in 10. You can’t decide what to be to be updated or when. All you can do is defer when it will happen. This is a major change in Windows behavior since windows 1995. Instead of blaming the user as having first world problems we should be pissed at MS for not allowing the user to have more control over WU. Just wait when MS forces a major cumulative update that bricks thousands/millions of PC’s. Its a disaster waiting to happen.
Dave
I could not figure out how to control the timing of the “pushed” updates and, although MS advertised not downloading updates/patches during “metered” times, how could 2-3PM NOT BE a metered time. My free download times are 2A – 7A and since I could not force MS to only download in that window, and after having them eat my entire daily DL allowance numerous times, costing me $10 to get out of creep mode each time, I turned AutoUpdate OFF. I’ll check and update when I want to, not when THEY want me to. If I forget and miss one and get a fatal bug, I’ll buy another PC . . . . . and it WON’T be loaded with MS poop!
With the exception of MS’s stupid Auto Download of Updates/Patches, W-10 is OK . . . . , except that I still can’t find anything that was located in an obvious place in earlier versions but now requires searching ill-named folders/nooks/crannies . . . . . and I hate it that they call everything “apps,” like a teeny-bopper would. Sorry, folks, that just sounds stupid
[/RANT OFF]
Greenaum
You can turn auto-update off? Most people can’t.
anon
Ok, Sophos keeps pounding away at Windows XP zero-day vulnerabilities but they haven’t reported on any that apply to SP3. Clearly, some folks still find utility in their $1K+ ten-year old machines.
Agreed XP users must button down with a good third party firewall, antivirus, and browser with script and ad blockers, and otherwise follow safe computing protocol. What more can you suggest beyond safe habits for pass phrases, wifi encryption, https site use for sensitive data transmission, auto-updates, cautious informed link clicking, and turning off Flash, FTP, remote control access features, and anything else not needed?
NOT that I recommend using XP for anything other than a standalone computer with limited internet access for non-sensitive transactions…
Paul Ducklin
How can a standalone computer be on the internet :-)
Dale Topley
A standalone computer is one that is not connected to any other computer via a local network, it can still have it’s own internet access.
Paul Ducklin
You lost me at “alone.”
William Hawkins
The prejudice against XP is the same as prejudice against an entire race. It is a matter of convenience for Sophos to be unavailable to users of XP SP3. If you are on a LAN hidden behind NAT, no Internet site can find you unless you ask them to reply. There are XP users who do not practice unsafe network intercourse. If they should be so unlucky as to get infected, a good AV can mitigate the problem. Sophos has some of the best stuff around, but I’ll be using Kaspersky and back ing up disks frequently. I REALLY don’t miss the constant MS updates.
John
Started off as an article finished as justification.
shdwmage
One would think Microsoft would be able to detect when the computer is actively being used and not restart it … Like task scheduler does.
Anonymous
It does. I suspect said “professional” gamer either hadn’t paid attention or had ignored the update in question for too long. At that point Windows forces the update and basically says, f*** you idiot, no more burying your cranium up your arse.
Seriously, if you are a “professional” and you’re going to do a liveStream, maybe you should have your own checklist of things to verify BEFORE you start? Sort of like the rest of us “Professionals” do before a meeting/demo/lunchtime game play etc.
Only a poor workman blames his tools.
John Lord
Incredibly intrusive! Suppose some hospital was in the middle of a remotely operated medical procedure when this happened? More than virtual lives could be lost! If M$ is going to force updates, they should be schedule-able (by the user) for certain hours of the day or night so they don’t disrupt some critical use of the computer. Perhaps someone was using VOIP for urgent medical advice, or maybe only has VOIP through their PC and was trying to call an ambulance when M$ restarted their PC. “Murder by careless software update” – great headlines for Microsoft. Time to rethink and revise their process before someone REAL dies, not just a Twitch combat gamer.
Mahhn
if your in a hospital they would/should be doing patch management so nobody every sees a patch being installed or a reboot during operational hours, at least not without at least a days notice.
Bob Weiss
As a cybersecurity pro I get the need to keep the system updated. There needs to be an ABORT option for when updates. as it is now, they start when they feel like and and run relentlessly without warning. It’s happened to me in the middle of a presentation. Used to be you could stop it and set it for later, and continue with your work.
And I agree – Xbox games are lame on their own. i don’t have an Xbox, so the integration is pointless for me and people like me.
Laurence Marks
I don’t mind the update, but I do mind the unprompted reboot. I often leave a half-completed document, spreadsheet, or presentation on the computer when I retire for the night. Imagine my disgust to find the computer rebooted without asking me. It’s enough to drive me back to my more trustworthy laptop running XP.
Mahhn
My current workaround is to Disable windows updates. Then run it manually once and a while – after running it manually I have to go back and reset the service to Manual, as it changes it back to automatic after every patch. – at work, patches are managed and not an issue – besides patches frequently blocking network traffic until they rebooted.
RB
This is why you will NEVER see core controlling systems that run things like traffic light systems, draw bridge systems, air traffic control systems, telecommunication systems, shipping and passenger rail systems and the like run this latest fail from MS. Yes it is a FAIL big time, and everyone who jumped when MS said jump…yall said how high and went right down the cliff of death together saying yes we can. When will you all learn that just because someone else says “its good for you” does not mean it is good for you…unless you enjoy being a part of the grey scale dull stuffy one size/color/smell fits all fits your fancy.
Boom Biddy Bye Bye.
Right-Winger
The issue here, like most all issues in this day and time, is about PERSONAL FREEDOM to choose vs. “WE DECIDE WHAT’S BEST AND FORCE IT ON YOU”