Systray Notifications

[hlewton]

I am not the least bit interested in getting Windows 10 and have continually turned off the notification of it in the Systray at least 3 times in recent days yet each time I turn the computer on the next day the notification is back. Is there a way to get rid of that notification from the Systray on a permanent basis?

Thanks

[Leif]

Yes, but you may not like it.

From How to remove Windows 10 nag messages - How-To - PC Advisor

" Go to Control Panel, and then Windows Update. Check in the bottom left corner for a link to Installed Updates. Look down the list for a Windows patch named KB3035583, which can be uninstalled by right-clicking on the entry and selecting Uninstall. Windows being Windows, you will then be prompted to completely restart your computer. But once you do, the Windows 10 icon should be absent from your Taskbar's notification area.

Bear in mind that you'll also have to switch from automatic to manual Windows updates. Otherwise Windows will simply reinstall the update you've just uninstalled. "

[hlewton]

Thank you for the link and the information. I see what you mean by not liking it even though it is pretty easy to do. Seems strange that even after telling the notification area not to show the icon or notification it still reappears the next time I reboot. I am wondering if after I unistallled it I told the Windows Update site to hide that update if I could then continue to use the automatic instead of manual Windows Updates.

[hlewton]

Over a month ago I uninstalled Windows patch named KB3035583 and then hid it so it would not return. It was fine through June's round of updates but all of a sudden it reinstalled itself as an important update. I know it has to be my fault for not paying closer attention to the patch's name since I only get notifications of patches availability and then must manually install them so I will watch closer in the future. However, I did trust that hiding that KB3035583 update would not allow it to be reinstalled unless I manually restored hidden updates, which I did not. Any ideas how it got restored without my knowledge and anything I can do to prevent this from happening again?

[Claude]

I always disable automatic updates. If I get a notification that updates are available, I check what they are, search the net for it to see if there any problems reported about it, if no reports exist, I download the update and install it. I do this on all my computers and all OS versions.

[stuck]

I do the same sort of thing as Claude. I have automatic updates turned off but when new ones become available I check for 'known issues' before doing anything. He's not every one's cup of tea but I get my patch advice from Woody.

This is perhaps an over cautious approach but it works for me. However, if you make frequent use of public wifi hot-spots then not applying patches as quickly as possible is not that sensible. It's all a matter of risk awareness.

Ken

[hlewton]

Thank you both. I have tried to be cautious but never thought that a hidden update could, by itself, become unhidden and reinstall itself. However, I should know by now that MS can do about anything they deem necessary to sell product evenb though many of us don't want the new OS.

[stuck]

I don't pretend to understand MS updates but as far as I know the one that triggers this systray notification has been classed by MS 'recommended' then 'important' and then back to being only 'recommended'. There are also reports this week of it installing itself multiple times:
http://www.infoworld.com/article/294541 ... tedly.html

Ken

[Rebel]

MS can do about anything they deem necessary to sell product evenb though many of us don't want the new OS.

The update in question is the "Get Windows 10" app. And in fact, MS is not trying to sell you Windows 10, but rather is offering you the opportunity to upgrade to Windows 10 for , if you upgrade within one year of the release of Windows 10.

You certainly are not obliged to accept the offer, but as with all MS operating systems, Windows 7 has a shelf life (complete with fixes and security updates) after which time you may have no alternative. After the one year window however, you will have to pay to upgrade.

[hlewton]

I don't pretend to understand MS updates but as far as I know the one that triggers this systray notification has been classed by MS 'recommended' then 'important' and then back to being only 'recommended'. There are also reports this week of it installing itself multiple times:
http://www.infoworld.com/article/294541 ... tedly.html

Ken

Thanks Ken. The one that reinstalled itself on my computer that shows the Win 10 update was KB3035583. I uninstalled it again and then hid it again. The systray notification is gone now since that uninstall. I'll have to check to see if either of the ones listed in your link are on my machine.

[hlewton]

MS can do about anything they deem necessary to sell product evenb though many of us don't want the new OS.

The update in question is the "Get Windows 10" app. And in fact, MS is not trying to sell you Windows 10, but rather is offering you the opportunity to upgrade to Windows 10 for , if you upgrade within one year of the release of Windows 10.

You certainly are not obliged to accept the offer, but as with all MS operating systems, Windows 7 has a shelf life (complete with fixes and security updates) after which time you may have no alternative. After the one year window however, you will have to pay to upgrade.

Thanks Rebel but I am leery of updating because I have never found a list of hardware that Win 10 will be compatible with. At least one of my printers was not even compatible with Win 7 but I managed to use a Vista driver to get it to work for my needs in Win 7. I'm just not ready to purchase new hardware again to be compatible with a new OS. However, even though I did not find a comprehensive list of compatible hardware for Win I did at one time fine nan article that, I believe if I remember correctly, said any device compatible with Win 7 would work in Win 10. Not sure if that would hold true for the printer I had to use the Vista driver on or not.

[hlewton]

http://www.infoworld.com/article/294541 ... tedly.html

Ken

I just did a search and I don't have either one of those patches installed on my machine. Thanks again for the help.

[Rebel]

Probably best to wait for a while after the release and then investigate hardware drivers. Many manufacturers of peripheral equipment (printers, scanners, etc.) will provide updated drivers, but many will not. Windows itself may provide drivers for some of this hardware. As of right now, the manufacturer is NOT offering a Win 10 driver for my scanner.

[viking33]

I have downloaded and installed the Windows 10 Insiders Edition as a dual boot OS. I partitioned off 120 gigs of HD to install this as a secondary boot system.
( on boot up, Windows 7 automatically boots but asks if you want to go to Win 10 instead) I have gone into Win 10 whenever the spirit moves me and thus far have not found any devices that work in Win 7 but not in Win 10. This includes a fairly elderly HP 4850 flatbed scanner.
So if you have the space on your HD, ( you don't really need that much space as I used ) why not do the same thing. Get it when it tells you to and use it IF and when you want to. You can do so and get used to using the new OS, while keeping your Win 7 as the active drive. After the year passes and they start to charge for it(?) you have the freebie stashed away. Win, Win, seems to me?

[hlewton]

Thank you both for the information. I'm not sure how to do that dual boot system but I may just talk to the gut who builds my computers and see if he will do it for me. That seems like a good way to try it out.

[viking33]

Thank you both for the information. I'm not sure how to do that dual boot system but I may just talk to the gut who builds my computers and see if he will do it for me. That seems like a good way to try it out.

This one of a number of links showing how to dual boot Win 7 & 10.
It's really easy enough, providing you have the disk space available.

Two boots for the price of one

[hlewton]

Thanks Bob for the link.

[hlewton]

This one of a number of links showing how to dual boot Win 7 & 10.
It's really easy enough, providing you have the disk space available.

Two boots for the price of one

Does Windows 10 have the classic start menu along with the "classic" desktop? I have seen a couple computers with Win 8 on them and even the owners hate the desktop that it has. I only briefly used it to help them but I sure didn't like it either.

[HansV]

Both Windows 8.1 and Windows 10 have a desktop that looks very much like that in Windows 7: you can place shortcuts to your favorite programs on the desktop, or pin them to the taskbar. The notification area (aka systray) is still in the lower right corner.

Windows 10 reintroduces the Start menu that was missing in Windows 8 and 8.1. It doesn't look exactly like the one in Windows 7. It's a mixture of the old Start menu and the Windows 8 Start screen.

[DaveA]

hlewton,
The next time this icon reappears click on it. There you will fine 3 blue bars in the upper left area of the window. Click on the bars and then click "Click your PC" and you will be told if there are any issues with hardware and software.