8 ms·
Microsoft is checking everyone's bags for unsupported Office installs
- amelius 4y agoThey should clearly lock down their devices more so that users can only install stuff through the official app store /s
- phpisthebest 4y agoThat was actually a plan for windows 10... That is why valve created Steam OS originally. Of course MS did not care if they pissed of Valve... but enterprises said "ummm, nice one MS... how about no to that"
- Waterluvian 4y agoBasically, product team wants market data?
- teaearlgraycold 4y agoThis article is insane fear mongering over nothing.
- csdvrx 4y ago> This article is insane fear mongering over nothing. It's not. How Outlook 2010 was cut out from downloading outlook.com mail is concerning. I want to know what their next shot will be. Excel is where I draw the line: if Windows 11 stop letting me use Excel 2010, I will resume my Linux migration attempt. Microsoft excuses about "security" don't pass my sniff tests and create risks for outlook.com: downloading mail with IMAP or POP over SSL isn't a security risk - or you're doing something seriously wrong.
- phpisthebest 4y ago>>How Outlook 2010 was cut out from downloading outlook.com mail is concerning. Why is that concerning? Outlook 2010 does not support the modern authentication and encryption that Exchange Online, and Outlook.com require. It only supports Basic Auth, which was turned off after a long and extended delay.
- throwifasd 4y ago[flagged]
- Twisell 4y agoWell basic auth decommissioning was a shitshow for end business users. Our IT teams sure handled it gracefully for internal app we manage, but what about legacy production software from third parties vendors? IT is now facing enraged users on one front and shitty vendors on another. What to conclude? Stop trusting Microsoft for mail delivery and run your own mail stack (or pay someone to manage it on your own term). (Also get rid of shitty vendors but that is far easier said that done quickly because of Microsoft policy change)
- phpisthebest 4y agoWhat legacy things where auth to AzureAD or Microsoft 365? Legacy things would/should be auth to OnPrem AD which was uneffected.
- Twisell 4y agoWell our IT was sold on Cloud AD to replace OnPrem with retrocompatibilty with all existing app... And then basic auth deprecation was announced. But they still praise Microsoft, too much crap built on top of legacy MSFT plateform, unless someone decide to put big money on the table to get rid of this shit we are pretty much captive prey for MSFT salesmen...
- csdvrx 4y ago
- d_watt 4y agoI deeply disagree. The idea that the OS vendor can push telemetry that scans my computer, not even analyzing activity, but rummaging through my old files, is crazy. They've taken what was originally a sort of okay idea, automated updates for security, and turned it into something absolutely nuts. I have a windows PC for the occasional game, and these days I feel like I have to treat it as defacto malware.
- throwifasd 4y agoPlease to have a sane discussion refrain from attributing your fears as facts. Nothing what you mention is done by this update.
- d_watt 4y agohttps://support.microsoft.com/en-au/topic/january-17-2023-update-for-office-2013-office-2010-and-office-2007-kb5021751-f4a23c1d-4d1f-44ba-a43a-7a5528afb4ea https://support.microsoft.com/en-au/topic/january-17-2023-up... > This update is intended to help Microsoft identify the number of users running out-of-support (or soon to be out-of-support) versions of Office, including Office 2013, Office 2010, and Office 2007. This update will run one time silently without installing anything on the user's device. Sorry, how can this be interpreted in any way other than Microsoft pushing an update who's only purpose is to scan my computer to collect data for them? And Microsoft has 0 goodwill in this department after pushing updates that made ads start appearing in start menus. These aren't "fears as facts," it's pattern recognition.
- throwifasd 4y ago[flagged]
- d_watt 4y ago> There is no scanning involved How do you think that a windows update checks for out of date office packages in a way that you would not define as scanning? Also, please don't do ad hominem. I have no motivation outside of the personal one not wanting to be worried that every piece of tech I own is phoning home what I do.
- imglorp 4y ago> Those uncomfortable running an update that's gathering and transmitting unknown system info to Microsoft aren't out of luck This level of telemetry and inspection is beyond abhorrent: it underscores MS believes you are the product, you don't own or control your hardware, you will be forced towards buying more products, and you will be forced to deliver your most private thoughts and your attention on a plate for upload and mining. Therefore anyone caring about privacy, including what files are on their machine, will not run Windows, period.
- gavinhoward 4y ago> Therefore anyone caring about privacy, including what files are on their machine, will not run Windows, period. I agree, but I do run Windows. I do it for only one purpose: to ensure my software works there. If my software works on Windows, and people adopt it, it's yet another piece of software that they could bring to Linux or another better platform. Think of it like using "Embrace, Extend, Extinguish" against Microsoft.
- dbttdft 4y agoTelemetry is bad and indicates bad, shoddy engineering.
- Sakos 4y agoI'm confused as to why they need an extra update to check whether an old version of Office is installed. I would've expected their metrics to include stuff like this anyway.
- kasabali 4y agoMaybe it's to sidestep telemetry?
- discordance 4y agoWow, the quarterly report coming up in the next week must be really really bad.
- chasil 4y agoLibreOffice finally digests Microsoft's financials.
- skytbest 4y ago"everyone's bags" um, what? Do they mean everyone's computers? What does "bags" mean in this context?
- netsharc 4y agoWhat an odd article, also the whole paragraph about the update having been scanned for malware and is stored on secure computers, isn't that just boilerplate for all downloads?
- snozolli 4y agoThe Register is a British tech site that's known for its sarcastic, often informal manner of writing. They're probably including all that specifically because it's so weird that Microsoft even said that. It would be a bit like a man with a Russian accent offering you tea and finishing with, "and there's no polonium in it."
- wildrhythms 4y agoI interpreted it to portray security personnel checking people's bags for contraband at an airport; where Microsoft is the security guard, and individual computers are the bags.
- Traubenfuchs 4y ago[flagged]
- Edd314159 4y agoThis is just The Register’s style. Sometimes I appreciate the snark, but other times (like this) it’s laid on so thick it’s hard to understand what is actually being reported on.
- unethical_ban 4y agoLeft-clicking the title text engages a hyperlink to the answer. Edit: I know it's smartass, but it feels appropriate in a comment thread for The Register. They use flair in their writing, they aren't the Times or IETF. The answer is in the article. Come on.
- csdvrx 4y agoOffice 2007 and 2010 are like an secret way to have Word open faster than notepad, or a full Outlook that takes less space than the individual Mail or Calendar files. 2007 is wonderful in 32 bit for Wine. 2010 is wonderful in 64 bit native on Windows 11. And you get a "forever" license for like $30 on ebay (the activation server may refuse activation right now, but it can be made to work for new computers, and it's not a problem if you have an already activated one) They recently cut both from OWA connectivity to outlook.com, but google conveniently provides a pluging (Google WorkSpace Sync) to keep going with gmail. I'll invest an insane amount of effort to keep them going, just because how how pleasant and reactive they are - and if that requires running in Wine from WSL, so be it.
- throwifasd 4y ago[flagged]
- grishka 4y agoExcept Microsoft Office is a feature-complete product that doesn't need any further work and only gets objectively worse with each major release.
- yccs27 4y agoSome Office features that came after 2010: - Latex math formulas - SVG graphics - Opening PDFs in Word - Alignment guides for images and other objects and these are just the ones I noticed with my limited MS Office use.
- petodo 4y agomy other work software would disagree, had to update office to be able to export stuff to XLS, didn't work with older version and I can't use older version either because company send me files in newer format, so I had to upgrade everything because of them
- mongol 4y agoI have a valid license of 2010 but it was not installed at the time the activation server news broke. So I don't know how to install it any more. Are there any tricks that can help? Still the same computer as I originally had it on.
- binkHN 4y agoThe title is confusing. In reading the article, Microsoft is pushing out an executable see if people are running older versions of Office.
- digitallyfree 4y agoYeah the title is terrible - initially I thought they were actually physically screening machines as some sort of anti-piracy initiative.
- Simon_O_Rourke 4y agoDitto, I thought they were physically checking recently terminated employees for it.
- KyeRussell 4y agoIt’s very “The Register”.
- ghaff 4y agoYeah. The Register loves using somewhat weird slangy terms which is at least a bit confusing in this case. Also, maybe wait until Microsoft gets back to you before running the story--assuming they didn't provide a reasonable window to respond--given there's a lot of supposition here.
- 404mm 4y agoI wonder if it also “accidentally” detects alternatives to Office (eg LibreOffice or similar). I’m sure whatever their intention is, it does not come from the desire of making less money.
- deleted 4y ago[deleted]
- valine 4y agoGuessing we will see a new popup ad for office 365 at some point. Wouldn’t rule out a start menu ad either.
- croes 4y agoIs it an optional or mandatory "update"?
- fithisux 4y agois there anyone running an Office install anymore?
- 2h 4y agoOnly millions of businesses every single day
- kayodelycaon 4y agoMicrosoft Word is the standard for many, many businesses. For example, book publishers use Word documents for editing.
- dspillett 4y agoExcel too. The banking industry would grind to a halt if that was taken away…
- fithisux 4y agoI said install. In my company we use it in the browser.
- selfhoster11 4y agoIn your company. I have the option to use the browser or a Windows VM, and I usually end up booting the Windows VM for any serious editing, or when layout accuracy is paramount.
- indymike 4y agoIt works better the through the browser. I use it when someone sends a file that just has to be opened in office.
- fithisux 4y agoYes, I use it that way too. But for hard core work I use LibreOffice.
- 4y ago
- dbg31415 4y agoI wish Microsoft would just stop pushing shit nobody asked for. Windows 10 was a huge improvement. They were making good decisions, getting back on track towards an OS I wanted to use. Everything since has been nothing but downhill slide. All the shit that opens Edge or does searches with Bing... nobody ever asked for that. I'm a paying customer and I don't want that shit. And they don't even give me a real way to turn it off. I wish they'd stop with this crap. If people are using outdated version of Office, and happy with it... you know what that means? That there really hasn't been any reason to upgrade to the latest version for those users. Those users just came to the conclusion that there's been fuck-all in the way of meaningful innovation in Microsoft Office in damn near 20 years.
- remote_phone 4y agois there any way to stop updates? They keep rebooting my machine every few weeks and it’s extremely disruptive to me
- cube00 4y agoDo not disable updates. When (not if) it gets compromised your machine will become a launch pad to damage other machines on the internet. If you really disagree move to Linux, you'll still have updates but you decide when to apply them.
- layer8 4y agoFor blocking updates altogether: https://www.sordum.org/9470/windows-update-blocker-v1-7/ https://www.sordum.org/9470/windows-update-blocker-v1-7/ For only blocking reboots: https://majorgeeks.com/files/details/windows_10_reboot_blocker.html https://majorgeeks.com/files/details/windows_10_reboot_block...
- janpio 4y agoReporting the important things: > [...] followed by instructions on how to download and install the update, which Microsoft said has been scanned to ensure it's not infected by malware. > > "Microsoft scanned this file for viruses by using the most current virus-detection software that was available on the date that the file was posted. The file is stored on security-enhanced servers that help prevent any unauthorized changes to it," the Windows giant said on the update notice page.
- Dan_Sylveste 4y agoWhy the hell would you announce that you've virus-scanned an executable that _your own company_ has produced?
- flipbrad 4y agoArticle 5(3) of EU Directive 2002/58/EC: "3. Member States shall ensure that the storing of information, or the gaining of access to information already stored, in the terminal equipment of a subscriber or user is only allowed on condition that the subscriber or user concerned has given his or her consent, having been provided with clear and comprehensive information, in accordance with [the GDPR], inter alia, about the purposes of the processing. This shall not prevent any technical storage or access for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network, or as strictly necessary in order for the provider of an information society service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user to provide the service."
- yazzku 4y agoIt's insane that people allow corporations to babysit their personal devices like this. Fuck Microsoft.
- wuqas 4y agoah come on! beyond my ignorance of: they are actually reading my files if i only using their account without OneDrive; typing to Microsoft fuck-off just because they want the user update of their last office software? can you use LibreOffice instead!? you sound like linus ranting about the lack of open design in the GPU market ^-^
- henriquez 4y agoTitle is confusing and editorialized. Probably dang should update to “Microsoft checks for EOL Office installs via Windows Update”
- deleted 4y ago[deleted]
- petodo 4y agoIt's The Register - tabloid of tech news known for decades. I'm more surprised some people are surprised by The Register headline, it just shows that are most likely young to be familiar with TR which ain't that famous as in the past (think The Verge levels of popularity).
- TwoNineFive 4y agoThe Register is trash British "journalism". I can't stand reading their articles.
- skc 4y agoHeh, The Register. Now there's a blast from the past. And I see their flair for snark is still in tact after all these years.
- dbttdft 4y ago> "Microsoft scanned this file for viruses by using the most current virus-detection software that was available on the date that the file was posted. The file is stored on security-enhanced servers that help prevent any unauthorized changes to it," the Windows giant said on the update notice page. Wait, I thought they do this for all updates!
- f4stjack 4y agoFrom my experience, Microsoft wants you to move to a Microsoft 365 subscription. As an example, 6-7 months ago an update made Outlook 2016 clients fail to connect to the Outlook servers. You had to explicitly set an update (its KB escapes me at the moment) to make it connect again. There are other issues as well, Onedrive, Office 2016 and Windows 11 combination has problems - Word and Excel crashes with no rhyme or reason, some documents which were not shared ask for credentials for accessing and so on. Also there is the fact that they declared that 2016 and 2019 won't be eligible for connecting to Microsoft 365 services after October 2023 (https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/deployoffice/endofsupport/microsoft-365-services-connectivity https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/deployoffice/endofsupport/...). So there is a clock ticking if you are using those versions of Office.
- csdvrx 4y ago> From my experience, Microsoft wants you to move to a Microsoft 365 subscription Yes, they want the money. > So there is a clock ticking if you are using those versions of Office. My solution is Office 2007 (for 32 bit) or 2010 (for 64 bit), either running on Wine or baremetal, and replacing Outlook.com by Gmail.com to which old versions of Office connect perfectly well thanks to Google Workspace Sync.
- hosteur 4y agoHow do you obtain a 2007 or 2010 copy?
- antisthenes 4y agoA website that may or may not contain magnet links.
- pifm_guy 4y agoYou'd think those magnets would go rusty in the bay...
- csdvrx 4y ago
- kmoser 4y agoI checked my PC for this update and saw that it had already been applied three days before the article was posted. I suspect most people who have enabled automatic updates will have this experience. Just for fun I tried running Microsoft's Show or Hide Updates troubleshooter like the article suggested and got "An error occurred while troubleshooting. Error code 0x80070483." Sigh. No wonder everyone bashes Microsoft.
- hilbert42 4y agoI don't run pirated Microsoft or other such software on my Windows PCs, it's just too much trouble and ultimately more expensive/time consuming. However, I've long given up updating Microsoft software due to MS's unacceptable privacy policies and changeing policy on-the-fly so it was interesting when I recently had to move my old MS software to a new machine after a mobo failure. Both Windows 7 and Office 2007 moved OK but after installing Office it was clear from the dial-home-to-Microsoft activation page that MS wasn't happy that I was reregistering old software. (I couldn't care less as I normally use Linux and MS stuff is now just legacy—for compatibility etc.). That's the background, the point I'm making is that I've always assumed Microsoft would spy on what I was using on my machine (both its own software and stuff from other vendors) and it would know if the software I was using was pirated. Anyone who doesn't assume this I reckon is naïve. Why wouldn't MS do this? After all one hasn't a clue what's in the data that's been sent back whenever software contacts MS. Since XP, my practice has been to activate Windows with it partially installed—with only what MS supplied in the package/ISO or with just barely enough third party drivers to get the machine functional with a basic network connection (other noncritical drivers such as nVidia video won't have been installed). Automatic Updates is also permanently disabled. Before proceeding further with the Windows install I'll install MS Office with absolute minimum features—perhaps only PowerPoint (that's if it's installed at all—usually not as I normally use LibreOffice). Essentially, both Windows and Office can only report home the absolute minimum of information during activation (Microsoft doesn't tell me what's in the info it's sending home so I do everything possible to ensure that it can only skim off the absolute minimum). Once activation is finished, the internet is disconnected and I finish both installations and install all other software I use. That's the last time both Windows and Office ever contact home except for Windows authentication. Any essential updates (KB files) are sourced from elsewhere—never from Windows Update. Even then, I carefully vet any update for nefarious content and unless I'm pretty certain the file is clean then it doesn't get installed—no matter how important the update or security fix is. The next step is to install the very nifty Advanced Tokens Manager utility which backs up the activation data. So come the next reinstallation one doesn't have to reactivate Windows or Office at all. In essence, my PCs only ever need to contact Microsoft just once: https://download.cnet.com/Advanced-Tokens-Manager/3000-2242_4-75574829.html https://download.cnet.com/Advanced-Tokens-Manager/3000-2242_.... Incidentally, the PC that failed last contacted Microsoft in 2012 (that's when the software was last activated). That's an interval of over 10 years, not a bad effort I reckon. In my opinion all those who value their privacy should act similarly whether they pirate software or not—and especially so if they do.
- daneel_w 4y agoDoes the scanning software in the update have any opinions about installations of LibreOffice? Asking because Microsoft really has a strong opinion about not using Microsoft Edge, whose shortcut icon they keep resurrecting from the dead to haunt my desktop. Twice just the past 10 days.
- solarkraft 4y agoWhat a surprise, I just wrote a comment about avoiding combining platforms and services from the same vendor. The incentive is to combine the powers to fuck you over. Oh, you bought Office before the renting-apocalypse happened and think you're safe? The Windows you're renting doesn't think so.