Windows Media Player BLINDSIDE update!

D. W. K.

It is not possible to go through life without making at least SOME
assumptions! That includes you. Think about it!

"Uncle Grumpy" <> wrote in message
news:...
> "D. W. K." <[removethis]> wrote:
>
>>When Microsoft sends you a notification of updates to "Version 10" you
>>have
>>a natural right and expectation to assume it is "Version 10"!
>
> Keyword: assume.
>
> Not smart.

Mistoffolees

D. W. K. wrote:

> I am furious with Microsoft!
>
> For the second time now I have been blindsided by Microsoft with a
> notification regarding an "update to Media Player 10" which turns out to be
> a stealth installation of version 11! I DO NOT WANT VERSION
> 11!!!!!!!!
>
> This is disgusting! It was billed as a "Version 10" update and there was no
> opportunity to cancel this prior to discovering it was NOT an upgrade to 10
> but a "forced down your throat" installation of 11!
>
> I would like to hear from someone at Microsoft as to why they have decided
> to do this in this way! This is infuriating to say the least! If you want to
> offer an update to MP11 then come right out and say so! At least give
> someone the opportunity to say NO!
>
> I WILL NEVER TRUST ANY MICROSOFT UPDATES AGAIN!
>
> DWK
> Simi Valley, CA
>
>

While your protests are noted, just what was the compelling reason
for going to Microsoft or Windows Updates, finding an update to WMP
10 and then deciding to proceed to update? Was there something wrong
with WMP 9 that came with Windows XP? Or were the enhancements to
WMP 10.X and WMP 11 just that tempting, specifically related to DRM,
copyright protection, piracy, etc.? IMO, WMP 9, out-of-the-box, is
just fine.

Mistoffolees

D. W. K. wrote:

> I am furious with Microsoft!
>
> For the second time now I have been blindsided by Microsoft with a
> notification regarding an "update to Media Player 10" which turns out to be
> a stealth installation of version 11! I DO NOT WANT VERSION
> 11!!!!!!!!
>
> This is disgusting! It was billed as a "Version 10" update and there was no
> opportunity to cancel this prior to discovering it was NOT an upgrade to 10
> but a "forced down your throat" installation of 11!
>
> I would like to hear from someone at Microsoft as to why they have decided
> to do this in this way! This is infuriating to say the least! If you want to
> offer an update to MP11 then come right out and say so! At least give
> someone the opportunity to say NO!
>
> I WILL NEVER TRUST ANY MICROSOFT UPDATES AGAIN!
>
> DWK
> Simi Valley, CA
>
>

While your protests are noted, just what was the compelling reason
for going to Microsoft or Windows Updates, finding an update to WMP
10 and then deciding to proceed to update? Was there something wrong
with WMP 9 that came with Windows XP? Or were the enhancements to
WMP 10.X and WMP 11 just that tempting, specifically related to DRM,
copyright protection, piracy, etc.? IMO, WMP 9, out-of-the-box, is
just fine.

Uncle Grumpy

"D. W. K." <[removethis]> wrote:

>Contact Microsoft? You must be kidding! You would have better luck
>"contacting" the Pope!

buh-bye moron.

Uncle Grumpy

"D. W. K." <[removethis]> wrote:

>Contact Microsoft? You must be kidding! You would have better luck
>"contacting" the Pope!

buh-bye moron.

Alan

Mistoffolees

To be fair to D. W. K. -- and others who might have inadvertently installed
WMP 11 -- there is NO indication of what the "update" to WMP 10 actually
involves.

If someone opens WMP 10 -- depending upon the Player's Automatic updates
settings,
which are accessed via Tools | Options and clicking on the Player tab, the
options presented are: "Check for Updates Once a Day, Once a week or Once a
month." (There is NO checkbox to NEVER check for updates.) -- the Windows
Media Configuration Manager will appear and the user sees a dialog box that
states: "A Windows Media Update is available. Do you want to update now?"
The options presented to the user are "Yes" or "Cancel".

If a user manually checks to see if there are any updates to WMP 10 by
clicking Help | Check for Player Updates, the user will see these
statements:
o - Windows Media Player 10 requires 1 megabytes (MB). Upgrading will take
approximately 0 minutes over a 28.8 KBps connection.
o - Click Next to begin the download and update or Click Cancel to postpone
the update.

There is NO indication anywhere that "updating" means an upgrade to WMP 11.

One can argue that "update" can be assumed to mean that WMP 10 will become
WMP 11.

However, I do think that Microsoft should be much more explicit and
transparent as to what a user is agreeing to if he or she decides to
"update" an application that is working perfectly as is and which they are
happy with.

And while you think that WMP 9 was fine out of the box, there were some of
us -- including me -- who made a conscious and informed decision to upgrade
to WMP 10. There are also many people who are making a conscious and
informed decision to upgrade to WMP 11 and that's fine. It is THEY who are
making the decision, not Microsoft.

However, those people who want to stick with WMP 10 shouldn't be fooled into
thinking that when they agree to a WMP 10 "update" they are in reality going
to end up with WMP 11.

Microsoft pulled this same sort of deception when, at one time, it made IE7
a "critical update" that was automatically downloaded and installed onto the
PCs of millions of unsuspecting users.

Eventually, Microsoft got the message that this was NOT the best way to get
people to "know and love" IE7.

Alan

"Mistoffolees" <> wrote in message
news:%.gbl...
>
> D. W. K. wrote:
>
>> I am furious with Microsoft!
>>
>> For the second time now I have been blindsided by Microsoft with a
>> notification regarding an "update to Media Player 10" which turns out to
>> be a stealth installation of version 11! I DO NOT WANT VERSION
>> 11!!!!!!!!
>>
>> This is disgusting! It was billed as a "Version 10" update and there was
>> no opportunity to cancel this prior to discovering it was NOT an upgrade
>> to 10 but a "forced down your throat" installation of 11!
>>
>> I would like to hear from someone at Microsoft as to why they have
>> decided to do this in this way! This is infuriating to say the least! If
>> you want to offer an update to MP11 then come right out and say so! At
>> least give someone the opportunity to say NO!
>>
>> I WILL NEVER TRUST ANY MICROSOFT UPDATES AGAIN!
>>
>> DWK
>> Simi Valley, CA
>
> While your protests are noted, just what was the compelling reason
> for going to Microsoft or Windows Updates, finding an update to WMP
> 10 and then deciding to proceed to update? Was there something wrong
> with WMP 9 that came with Windows XP? Or were the enhancements to
> WMP 10.X and WMP 11 just that tempting, specifically related to DRM,
> copyright protection, piracy, etc.? IMO, WMP 9, out-of-the-box, is
> just fine.

Alan

Mistoffolees

To be fair to D. W. K. -- and others who might have inadvertently installed
WMP 11 -- there is NO indication of what the "update" to WMP 10 actually
involves.

If someone opens WMP 10 -- depending upon the Player's Automatic updates
settings,
which are accessed via Tools | Options and clicking on the Player tab, the
options presented are: "Check for Updates Once a Day, Once a week or Once a
month." (There is NO checkbox to NEVER check for updates.) -- the Windows
Media Configuration Manager will appear and the user sees a dialog box that
states: "A Windows Media Update is available. Do you want to update now?"
The options presented to the user are "Yes" or "Cancel".

If a user manually checks to see if there are any updates to WMP 10 by
clicking Help | Check for Player Updates, the user will see these
statements:
o - Windows Media Player 10 requires 1 megabytes (MB). Upgrading will take
approximately 0 minutes over a 28.8 KBps connection.
o - Click Next to begin the download and update or Click Cancel to postpone
the update.

There is NO indication anywhere that "updating" means an upgrade to WMP 11.

One can argue that "update" can be assumed to mean that WMP 10 will become
WMP 11.

However, I do think that Microsoft should be much more explicit and
transparent as to what a user is agreeing to if he or she decides to
"update" an application that is working perfectly as is and which they are
happy with.

And while you think that WMP 9 was fine out of the box, there were some of
us -- including me -- who made a conscious and informed decision to upgrade
to WMP 10. There are also many people who are making a conscious and
informed decision to upgrade to WMP 11 and that's fine. It is THEY who are
making the decision, not Microsoft.

However, those people who want to stick with WMP 10 shouldn't be fooled into
thinking that when they agree to a WMP 10 "update" they are in reality going
to end up with WMP 11.

Microsoft pulled this same sort of deception when, at one time, it made IE7
a "critical update" that was automatically downloaded and installed onto the
PCs of millions of unsuspecting users.

Eventually, Microsoft got the message that this was NOT the best way to get
people to "know and love" IE7.

Alan

"Mistoffolees" <> wrote in message
news:%.gbl...
>
> D. W. K. wrote:
>
>> I am furious with Microsoft!
>>
>> For the second time now I have been blindsided by Microsoft with a
>> notification regarding an "update to Media Player 10" which turns out to
>> be a stealth installation of version 11! I DO NOT WANT VERSION
>> 11!!!!!!!!
>>
>> This is disgusting! It was billed as a "Version 10" update and there was
>> no opportunity to cancel this prior to discovering it was NOT an upgrade
>> to 10 but a "forced down your throat" installation of 11!
>>
>> I would like to hear from someone at Microsoft as to why they have
>> decided to do this in this way! This is infuriating to say the least! If
>> you want to offer an update to MP11 then come right out and say so! At
>> least give someone the opportunity to say NO!
>>
>> I WILL NEVER TRUST ANY MICROSOFT UPDATES AGAIN!
>>
>> DWK
>> Simi Valley, CA
>
> While your protests are noted, just what was the compelling reason
> for going to Microsoft or Windows Updates, finding an update to WMP
> 10 and then deciding to proceed to update? Was there something wrong
> with WMP 9 that came with Windows XP? Or were the enhancements to
> WMP 10.X and WMP 11 just that tempting, specifically related to DRM,
> copyright protection, piracy, etc.? IMO, WMP 9, out-of-the-box, is
> just fine.

Bill Drake

I was bitten by exactly the same situation as you describe.

And I too was annoyed that Microsoft would label an "update" for
WMP10 that was actually an "upgrade" to WMP11.

This is one of the reasons I don't perform *any* upgrades to my
machine without having a complete Ghost Backup before starting
the upgrade.

I had to reghost my machine back to its older form once I found out
this "update" gave me something I didn't want, didn't need and had
already rejected as inappropriate for my needs.


Comment:

In my experience, Computers are designed by cretins and built by
monkeys. Mismanagement and incompetence are endemic to the
computer industry - and nobody inside the industry is taking
responsibility for the endless suffering they are causing the user
base.

Furthermore, to waste your time trying to get apologists and
rationalizers to publicly acknowledge their mistakes - and more
importantly to implement policy changes which make those mistakes
less likely in the future - seems to be impossible.

This industry is insane. They are not worthy of your trust. Protect
yourself by implementing a stable and reliable backup regimen and
assume that every update you install is suspect until proven otherwise.

All else is simply a license to get shafted.


Best I can do for now. <tm>


Bill


D. W. K. wrote:
> It was not my "imagination"! They said (again) it was a "version 10"
> update! Is this fact getting lost somewhere here?
>
> "Doug" <> wrote..
>>>> Uhm... If you just changed the way you get updates to 'download and
>>>> notify' - you could choose what to install and read about each one
>>>> - research a little (you know - put a little effort into it) and
>>>> never install anything you do not want to...
>>>>
>>>> --
>>>> Shenan Stanley
>>>> MS-MVP
>>>> --
>>>> How To Ask Questions The Smart Way
>>>>
>>>>
>>>
>>>
>>
>> "D. W. K." <[removethis]dwkcpbd@yahoo.com> wrote in message
>> news:uMJEaAqmHHA.208@TK2MSFTNGP05.phx.gbl...
>>> Thank you Shenan but... that IS exactly how my system IS set up
>>> right now! That is exactly how every other update I get
>>> notifications about is treated. The problem is with THIS particular
>>> Microsoft update! THEY have chosen, for some reason, to send it out
>>> without ANY option to read anything about it first. Also, why do
>>> they dishonestly disguise it as a "version 10" update? DWK
>>>
>>> "Shenan Stanley" <newshelper@gmail.com> wrote in message
>>> news:OQD6C2pmHHA.4032@TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl...
>>>>
>>>>
>>
>>
>> So, if I understand correctly *you* accepted an update to *your*
>> computer that *you* did not get "ANY option to read anything about"
>> and now you're mad because it wasn't what *you* imagined it might
>> be? I can understand your
>> consternation, obviously this is someone else's fault.
>>
>> In any event restoring from your most recent disk image or backup
>> should put
>> the situation right.
>> --
>> Doug
>>
>> I'm not an MVP a VIP nor do I have ESP.
>> I was just trying to help.
>> Please use your own best judgment before implementing any
>> suggestions or advice herein.
>> No warranty is expressed or implied.
>> Your mileage may vary.
>> See store for details.
>>
>> Remove shoes to E-mail.

Bill Drake

I was bitten by exactly the same situation as you describe.

And I too was annoyed that Microsoft would label an "update" for
WMP10 that was actually an "upgrade" to WMP11.

This is one of the reasons I don't perform *any* upgrades to my
machine without having a complete Ghost Backup before starting
the upgrade.

I had to reghost my machine back to its older form once I found out
this "update" gave me something I didn't want, didn't need and had
already rejected as inappropriate for my needs.


Comment:

In my experience, Computers are designed by cretins and built by
monkeys. Mismanagement and incompetence are endemic to the
computer industry - and nobody inside the industry is taking
responsibility for the endless suffering they are causing the user
base.

Furthermore, to waste your time trying to get apologists and
rationalizers to publicly acknowledge their mistakes - and more
importantly to implement policy changes which make those mistakes
less likely in the future - seems to be impossible.

This industry is insane. They are not worthy of your trust. Protect
yourself by implementing a stable and reliable backup regimen and
assume that every update you install is suspect until proven otherwise.

All else is simply a license to get shafted.


Best I can do for now. <tm>


Bill


D. W. K. wrote:
> It was not my "imagination"! They said (again) it was a "version 10"
> update! Is this fact getting lost somewhere here?
>
> "Doug" <> wrote..
>>>> Uhm... If you just changed the way you get updates to 'download and
>>>> notify' - you could choose what to install and read about each one
>>>> - research a little (you know - put a little effort into it) and
>>>> never install anything you do not want to...
>>>>
>>>> --
>>>> Shenan Stanley
>>>> MS-MVP
>>>> --
>>>> How To Ask Questions The Smart Way
>>>>
>>>>
>>>
>>>
>>
>> "D. W. K." <[removethis]dwkcpbd@yahoo.com> wrote in message
>> news:uMJEaAqmHHA.208@TK2MSFTNGP05.phx.gbl...
>>> Thank you Shenan but... that IS exactly how my system IS set up
>>> right now! That is exactly how every other update I get
>>> notifications about is treated. The problem is with THIS particular
>>> Microsoft update! THEY have chosen, for some reason, to send it out
>>> without ANY option to read anything about it first. Also, why do
>>> they dishonestly disguise it as a "version 10" update? DWK
>>>
>>> "Shenan Stanley" <newshelper@gmail.com> wrote in message
>>> news:OQD6C2pmHHA.4032@TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl...
>>>>
>>>>
>>
>>
>> So, if I understand correctly *you* accepted an update to *your*
>> computer that *you* did not get "ANY option to read anything about"
>> and now you're mad because it wasn't what *you* imagined it might
>> be? I can understand your
>> consternation, obviously this is someone else's fault.
>>
>> In any event restoring from your most recent disk image or backup
>> should put
>> the situation right.
>> --
>> Doug
>>
>> I'm not an MVP a VIP nor do I have ESP.
>> I was just trying to help.
>> Please use your own best judgment before implementing any
>> suggestions or advice herein.
>> No warranty is expressed or implied.
>> Your mileage may vary.
>> See store for details.
>>
>> Remove shoes to E-mail.

Doug

I caught the subterfuge when they tried it and defeated it. That
particular "update" is now HIDDEN and will be forever and
ever...amen.
-
Doug W.
-

"Bill Drake" <> wrote in message
news:O$.gbl...
>I was bitten by exactly the same situation as you describe.
>
> And I too was annoyed that Microsoft would label an "update"
> for
> WMP10 that was actually an "upgrade" to WMP11.
>
> This is one of the reasons I don't perform *any* upgrades to
> my
> machine without having a complete Ghost Backup before starting
> the upgrade.
>
> I had to reghost my machine back to its older form once I
> found out
> this "update" gave me something I didn't want, didn't need and
> had
> already rejected as inappropriate for my needs.
>
>
> Comment:
>
> In my experience, Computers are designed by cretins and built
> by
> monkeys. Mismanagement and incompetence are endemic to the
> computer industry - and nobody inside the industry is taking
> responsibility for the endless suffering they are causing the
> user
> base.
>
> Furthermore, to waste your time trying to get apologists and
> rationalizers to publicly acknowledge their mistakes - and
> more
> importantly to implement policy changes which make those
> mistakes
> less likely in the future - seems to be impossible.
>
> This industry is insane. They are not worthy of your trust.
> Protect
> yourself by implementing a stable and reliable backup regimen
> and
> assume that every update you install is suspect until proven
> otherwise.
>
> All else is simply a license to get shafted.
>
>
> Best I can do for now. <tm>
>
>
> Bill
>
>
> D. W. K. wrote:
>> It was not my "imagination"! They said (again) it was a
>> "version 10"
>> update! Is this fact getting lost somewhere here?
>>
>> "Doug" <> wrote..
>>>>> Uhm... If you just changed the way you get updates to
>>>>> 'download and
>>>>> notify' - you could choose what to install and read about
>>>>> each one
>>>>> - research a little (you know - put a little effort into
>>>>> it) and
>>>>> never install anything you do not want to...
>>>>>
>>>>> --
>>>>> Shenan Stanley
>>>>> MS-MVP
>>>>> --
>>>>> How To Ask Questions The Smart Way
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>
>>> "D. W. K." <[removethis]dwkcpbd@yahoo.com> wrote in message
>>> news:uMJEaAqmHHA.208@TK2MSFTNGP05.phx.gbl...
>>>> Thank you Shenan but... that IS exactly how my system IS
>>>> set up
>>>> right now! That is exactly how every other update I get
>>>> notifications about is treated. The problem is with THIS
>>>> particular
>>>> Microsoft update! THEY have chosen, for some reason, to
>>>> send it out
>>>> without ANY option to read anything about it first. Also,
>>>> why do
>>>> they dishonestly disguise it as a "version 10" update? DWK
>>>>
>>>> "Shenan Stanley" <newshelper@gmail.com> wrote in message
>>>> news:OQD6C2pmHHA.4032@TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl...
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> So, if I understand correctly *you* accepted an update to
>>> *your*
>>> computer that *you* did not get "ANY option to read anything
>>> about"
>>> and now you're mad because it wasn't what *you* imagined it
>>> might
>>> be? I can understand your
>>> consternation, obviously this is someone else's fault.
>>>
>>> In any event restoring from your most recent disk image or
>>> backup
>>> should put
>>> the situation right.
>>> --
>>> Doug
>>>
>>> I'm not an MVP a VIP nor do I have ESP.
>>> I was just trying to help.
>>> Please use your own best judgment before implementing any
>>> suggestions or advice herein.
>>> No warranty is expressed or implied.
>>> Your mileage may vary.
>>> See store for details.
>>>
>>> Remove shoes to E-mail.
>
>