Let's go again: A while ago Microsoft said that he will stop collecting so much data via telemetry at Windows 10. Of course, you can believe that if you want. But what about the company's older operating systems?
Microsoft has reportedly re-released two updates that add telemetry to Windows 7 systems (KB2952664) and Window 8.1 (KB2976978).
Updates were also released in the past, so users of Windows 7 and 8.1 know them. As we mentioned in one article-warning in October of 2016 these updates come as optional patches which means they will not be installed unless you really want to.
So if you are one of those who did not install them in 2016, and hid them from Windows Update, you will notice that they have reappeared in the Windows update panel you are using, due to the re-release.
The question, of course, is why Microsoft chooses to re-launch telemetry updates to two systems that are not under development and does it even intend to withdraw them?
According to the company, the telemetry data it collects from Window 10 uses it to develop a better operating system.
Updates that were used to allow data collection from Window 7 are again marked as "important" for Window 7 PC, and appear as recommended by Window Update.
To hide an updated version of Windows, right-click on the Windows Update window and select “hide update” from the menu. If it is not re-released, it will no longer appear on your machine and thus will never be installed.
Both "Compatibility Updates for Window Updates" are offered through Window Updates and the Microsoft Update Catalog.
It should be noted that we currently don't know too much about what the updates actually do KB2952664 and KB2976978. It looks like they're adding a new function called DoScheduledTelemetryRun, but it's unclear what data the company collects, and if anything else changes in the system when the updates are installed.
