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GWX Control Panel Changelog

What's new in GWX Control Panel 1.7.4.1

Apr 3, 2016
  • Removed a misleading alert that was appearing on some computers with "clean" Windows installs that had not yet encountered Windows 10 symptoms. This was a dialog box I had added while I was testing a fix I had implemented in version 1.7.4.0 but ended up not needing. The alert was harmless, but wasn't supposed to appear in the final release, so now it's gone.

New in GWX Control Panel 1.7.4.0 (Mar 31, 2016)

  • Fixes issues that can occur if third-party tools or scripts break permissions on some Windows 10-related registry keys.
  • Now checks for the "Give me recommended updates the same way I receive important updates" setting of Windows Update, since this can leave you vulnerable to some known Windows 10 update patches.
  • Added the ability to enable/disable the "recommended updates" setting in the Change Windows Update Settings dialog.

New in GWX Control Panel 1.7.3.1 (Mar 29, 2016)

  • You can now block the Microsoft Get Windows 10 icon app even if it isn't currently installed. Previous versions of the program disabled the "Disable Get Windows 10 App" button if the app couldn't be found. But now you can preemptively disable it in the event that the KB3035583 patch gets installed on your PC subsequent to running GWX Control Panel. The text changes to "Prevent Get Windows 10 app" in this case.
  • For users of the GWX Control Panel installer (versus stand-alone), the Check for Updates feature now checks with UltimateOutsider.com to see if a new version is available and downloads/installs the new version at user's request. Stand-alone users will still just have a button that takes you to the Downloads page. (I don't know a reliable/elegant way to upgrade a stand-alone copy, while upgrading is easy with the installer.) Note: For about a half hour there was a version posted that didn't give any "You're already running the most recent version" indication if that turns out to be the case. That was confusing, and I fixed it immediately. So basically if you check for updates and nothing seems to happen, it might mean you're running the 1.7.3.0 version that was up temporarily, and you might have to do a manual download. Sorry!
  • Note: The Enable/Disable Monitor Mode and Display the User Guide buttons have moved. (Making room for an upcoming feature.)
  • Fixed some unexpected behavior that could occur if a user chose not to allow GWX Control Panel admin rights if required to perform an action.
  • Some optimizations in all recursive file operations (hopefully improving performance and success rate of massive delete operations).
  • No longer displays "Change Windows Update Preferences" dialog on computers where users have not yet configured their Windows Update settings; instructs them to set up Windows Update first instead.
  • Improved internal performance of diagnostic logging.
  • Program no longer crashes when run on Windows Vista. (Note: GWX Control Panel serves no purpose on Vista; Microsoft does not target that OS for Windows 10 upgrades. I just didn't want my program crashing when Vista users tried to run it.)
  • To eliminate some odd timing issues caused by users having Monitor Mode enabled for both All Users and Current User at the same time, the installer now makes sure that only "All Users" is enabled. (This only applies to upgrades, and only where Monitor Mode was already enabled.)
  • For debugging purposes, installer now saves a log file in the install directory, named install_log.txt.
  • The installer is now based on NSIS 2.5, which has some security improvements over previous versions.
  • LOTS of under-the-hood refactoring and optimizations in preparation for some future plans.

New in GWX Control Panel 1.7.2.0 (Jan 25, 2016)

  • Changes:
  • Fixed a confusing user interface issue where on some computers, clicking "Disable Get Windows 10 App" or "Prevent Windows 10 Upgrades" didn't refresh the dialog, making it look like the buttons didn't work (when in fact they were working)
  • Added thread-safe error logging (included in Save Diagnostic Info reports) for better troubleshooting
  • Fixed an erroneous "Monitor Mode is not currently running" message in Save Diagnostic Info reports
  • Screen now refreshes more accurately depending on current state of monitor mode. (It didn't always notice when a running instance shut down.)
  • Improved logic around Monitor Mode detection of Windows Update switching into "install updates automatically" mode. (Intended behavior is to only trigger a warning if user preferences change from a non-automatic setting to automatic installs.)

New in GWX Control Panel 1.7.1.0 (Jan 19, 2016)

  • Monitor Mode now has new "Change Monitor Mode preferences" menu option where you can select what kind of events you'd like to be notified about.
  • All buttons and dynamic text fields in the program have tooltips that appear when you float the mouse over them, for extended information.
  • Added a new information field and detection logic for "non-critical" Windows 10 settings. Previous versions of GWX Control Panel monitored these settings, but bundled most of them under "Windows 10 Upgrades." Now, the "Windows 10 Upgrades" logic is only tied to settings and features known to directly affect visible Windows 10 upgrade behavior.
  • Added new Enable/Disable Non-critical Windows 10 Settings button so users can change those settings at will without affecting the computers "Windows 10 Upgrades" status.
  • Added "Click to" to the names of all buttons to make it clear that the button text represents actions, not status. The upper "information" area is where to look for your computer's current status.
  • The Status and settings summary now includes more detailed information, including occasional steps on how to resolve certain issues.
  • Monitor Mode now waits 30 seconds before generating any alerts if it starts up when a user logs into Windows. This should resolve some "false alarm" alerts that happened because other applications and system services were still starting up, and were accidentally identified as having changed configuration status. Monitor Mode instances launched directly from GWX Control Panel do instant alerting if new settings are detected.
  • Software Protection service status now included in diagnostic logs. (GWX Control Panel doesn't currently interact with this service, but since it's required for Windows Update to work, this info can help in troubleshooting.)
  • Diagnostic logs now include specific alert information as alerts are generated and resolved. This info is included in both Monitor Mode and "normal mode" reports.
  • Fixed a silly glitch with the Change Windows Update Settings feature that disabled the wrong button in the UI while settings were being applied.
  • Now detects whether Monitor Mode is set up to use a different version of the program from the currently running process. This should help troubleshoot problems that stand-alone users encounter when they have multiple copies of the program on their system.

New in GWX Control Panel 1.7.0.2 (Jan 4, 2016)

  • Changes:
  • New "Delete Windows 10 Programs" feature deletes program files known to be related to the Windows 10 upgrade and their related scheduled tasks. Right now this only covers files from the KB3035583 patch, but future versions will include other files as more problematic programs are discovered. Important: These programs are the main reason people were seeing their Windows 10 Upgrades settings getting reset in the 1.6 version of GWX Control Panel monitor mode. This new feature is the best way to prevent those reversions; simply removing the Get Windows 10 icon from your notification area is not enough to stop Microsoft from continually reverting your settings.
  • Now detects whether Windows Update is configured to automatically install updates (the "automatically install Windows Updates" field in the information section), because automatically installing new updates leaves you vulnerable to Windows 10 upgrades. Beginning with version 1.7.0.2, Monitor Mode will only trigger an alert if it detects that Windows Update switches from one of the safer settings to "automatically install." It won't trigger an alert if you already had Windows Update configured for automatic updates.
  • (Version 1.7.0.2) New, more horizontal window layout makes it possible for users running Windows at extremely low screen resolutions to see all GWX Control Panel controls.
  • Added new "Change Windows Update Settings" feature where you can set your Windows Update preferences in the event that GWX Control Panel detects that you are in automatically install mode.
  • Slightly reduced CPU and resource utilization (it was already pretty good before, but now it's even better).
  • Renamed "Disable OS Upgrades in Windows Update" feature to "Prevent Automatic Windows 10 Upgrades" because the old name confused some users.
  • Improved responsiveness and reliability of "Prevent Automatic Windows 10 Upgrades" feature.
  • Now additionally detects 32-bit version of MS "Get Windows 10" app on 64-bit Windows.
  • Tightened up Windows 10 detection logic; no longer triggers alerts in one case that's been determined to be safe. Added at least one new detection scenario.
  • Save Diagnostic Info report now includes human-readable details on exactly what traces of Windows 10 were found. Indicates parent subkey and registry value of detected (or missing) settings.
  • Some other additional details in diagnostic info, like whether current user is administrator and running status of some critical services.
  • No longer prompts for restarts after Prevent/Allow Automatic Windows 10 Upgrades. (The improved reliability of the new logic should make restarts unnecessary.)
  • Enable/Disable Monitor Mode feature now defaults to enabling Monitor Mode for all users instead of just the current user account. Per-user enable/disable is still available from a system menu option (see version 1.7 user guide for details). This new behavior is due to the very confusing way that Windows handles program credentials when users with Standard and Child accounts have to elevate to admin privileges when performing certain actions. The troubleshooting guide should include some background on this as well.
  • End User License Agreement now appears as a child of the main program dialog, preventing the situation where it appears behind other open windows but users have no idea since the old EULA dialog didn't have an icon in the taskbar.
  • Installer: Added shortcut to GWX Control Panel uninstaller in the GWX Control Panel folder of the Start menu.
  • Installer: Start menu and desktop shortcuts are now created for all users on the computer instead of just the profile of the user who installed it.
  • Installer: Added more logic to kill existing GWX CP processes during install/uninstall. NOTE: This doesn't work across multiple currently logged-in user accounts. Please log out all other user accounts before installing/uninstalling to ensure the program files can safely be installed/removed. Also, ideally you should run the installer from an administrator account, not an elevated Standard or Child account.
  • Issues fixed in version 1.7.0.2:
  • If you used GWX Control Panel's Monitor Mode and you use the installer to upgrade from an earlier version of the program, the installer didn't automatically restart Monitor Mode after the upgrade is complete. The installer now restores Monitor Mode if you had it enabled previously. GWX Control Panel will also now start Monitor Mode if it detects that you have it enabled but for some reason it isn't running.
  • The new buttons and information fields in version 1.7.0.1 made the program too tall to fit on very low resolution screens. The minimum screen size I tested with internally was 1360x768, but many netbooks have 800x600 screens, which can't display the whole GWX Control Panel program window. Version 1.7.0.2 has been re-arranged so that it doesn't take up so much vertical space.
  • If you already had your Windows Update settings configured to "automatically install updates" this would trigger an alert in Monitor Mode the first time it ran, even if you WANT to have Windows Updates at that setting. The real purpose of this alert is to let you know if Microsoft changes your Windows Update settings without your consent. Version 1.7.0.2 will now only trigger an alert if it detects that Windows Update changed from one of the other three options to "automatically install," which might indicate that a Windows Update patch reverted your Windows Update preferences.

New in GWX Control Panel 1.7.0.1 (Dec 30, 2015)

  • New "Delete Windows 10 Programs" feature deletes program files known to be related to the Windows 10 upgrade and their related scheduled tasks. Right now this only covers files from the KB3035583 patch, but future versions will include other files as more problematic programs are discovered. Important: These programs are the main reason people were seeing their Windows 10 Upgrades settings getting reset in the 1.6 version of GWX Control Panel monitor mode. This new feature is the best way to prevent those reversions; simply removing the Get Windows 10 icon from your notification area is not enough to stop Microsoft from continually reverting your settings.
  • Now detects whether Windows Update is configured to automatically install updates (the "automatically install Windows Updates" field in the information section), because automatically installing new updates leaves you vulnerable to Windows 10 upgrades. (If you choose to ignore this alert, GWX Control Panel won't bother you about it again.)
  • Added new "Change Windows Update Settings" feature where you can set your Windows Update preferences in the event that GWX Control Panel detects that you are in automatically install mode.
  • Slightly reduced CPU and resource utilization (it was already pretty good before, but now it's even better).
  • Renamed "Disable OS Upgrades in Windows Update" feature to "Prevent Automatic Windows 10 Upgrades" because the old name confused some users.
  • Improved responsiveness and reliability of "Prevent Automatic Windows 10 Upgrades" feature.
  • Now additionally detects 32-bit version of MS "Get Windows 10" app on 64-bit Windows.
  • Tightened up Windows 10 detection logic; no longer triggers alerts in one case that's been determined to be safe. Added at least one new detection scenario.
  • Save Diagnostic Info report now includes human-readable details on exactly what traces of Windows 10 were found. Indicates parent subkey and registry value of detected (or missing) settings.
  • Some other additional details in diagnostic info, like whether current user is administrator and running status of some critical services.
  • No longer prompts for restarts after Prevent/Allow Automatic Windows 10 Upgrades. (The improved reliability of the new logic should make restarts unnecessary.)
  • Enable/Disable Monitor Mode feature now defaults to enabling Monitor Mode for all users instead of just the current user account. Per-user enable/disable is still available from a system menu option (see version 1.7 user guide for details). This new behavior is due to the very confusing way that Windows handles program credentials when users with Standard and Child accounts have to elevate to admin privileges when performing certain actions. The troubleshooting guide should include some background on this as well.
  • End User License Agreement now appears as a child of the main program dialog, preventing the situation where it appears behind other open windows but users have no idea since the old EULA dialog didn't have an icon in the taskbar.
  • Installer: Added shortcut to GWX Control Panel uninstaller in the GWX Control Panel folder of the Start menu.
  • Installer: Start menu and desktop shortcuts are now created for all users on the computer instead of just the profile of the user who installed it.
  • Installer: Added more logic to kill existing GWX CP processes during install/uninstall. NOTE: This doesn't work across multiple currently logged-in user accounts. Please log out all other user accounts before installing/uninstalling to ensure the program files can safely be installed/removed. Also, ideally you should run the installer from an administrator account, not an elevated Standard or Child account.

New in GWX Control Panel 1.6.0.0 (Nov 25, 2015)

  • Monitor Mode:
  • This optional feature actively monitors your computer and notifies you if it detects any known evidence of Windows 10 activity. Previously you used to have to run the program manually from time to time to make sure your settings hadn't changed. Now, with monitor mode enabled you'll know immediately when it's time to review and update your settings. Monitor Mode is implemented via an icon in the notification area of your taskbar. You can double-click the icon at any time to bring up the GWX Control Panel window, and right-clicking the icon displays a menu. And unlike the Get Windows 10 app, this one includes an Exit option! Just click Enable Monitor Mode to turn the feature on; it will persist across Windows restarts. You can permanently turn the feature off by then clicking Disable Monitor Mode.
  • Worry-free installer:
  • While GWX Control Panel is still available as a stand-alone executable, after receiving numerous requests for a traditional installer I have developed one that provides the following conveniences: It creates shortcuts in your Start menu and on your desktop for easy access to GWX Control Panel and documentation. It will allow for safe upgrading to future versions of GWX Control Panel without leaving duplicate copies of the program laying around with different filenames like you might sometimes experience with the stand-alone version. And finally, it provides a standard uninstaller routine, available in the Programs and Features control panel. And while you are wise to be wary of freeware programs that include installers, please rest assured that GWX Control Panel does not (and will never) include any garbage bundled software. The installer exists solely because many users find it more convenient to access programs via easy-to-find shortcuts, and it provides some consistency in installation paths (which helps make the new Monitor Mode feature work more seamlessly). But as I mentioned, a stand-alone version is still available.
  • Check for Updates:
  • The built-in Check for updates feature tells you what version of GWX Control Panel you're currently running and takes you to the Ultimate Outsider Downloads page where you can download the latest version if a newer one is available. This feature is available from the system menu (the little icon in the upper-left of the GWX Control Panel window) or from the right-click pop-up menu of the Monitor icon.
  • Save Diagnostic Info:
  • This new feature saves a text file to your desktop that contains your current Windows 10-related settings and error messages encountered during the current GWX Control Panel instance. While this is purely for diagnostic purposes, it will be tremendously helpful to me in situations where users report unexpected behavior. The text file includes info on where to send the file if you encounter unexpected problems with GWX Control Panel. This feature is available from the system menu (the little icon in the upper-left of the GWX Control Panel window) or from the right-click pop-up menu of the Monitor icon.
  • More comprehensive protection:
  • The Disable/Enable Operating System Upgrades in Windows Update feature now covers a slightly wider range of settings related to Windows 10 upgrades. (Don't be alarmed if version 1.6 says Windows Update OS Upgrades are enabled where version 1.5 didn't. It just means we've broadened our scope a little bit, not that Microsoft has necessarily changed anything recently.)

New in GWX Control Panel 1.5.0.0 (Nov 3, 2015)

  • Now detects the hidden $Windows.~WS folder associated with the Windows 10 Media Creation Tool, in addition to the more common $Windows.~BT folder that was already detected in previous versions.
  • New Delete Windows 10 Download Folders feature now deletes both detected hidden download folders, preventing users from having to run scripts or manually override file security and ownership settings.
  • Program now only requests administrator privileges when they're actually required, and only once per session, instead of always asking for permissions at program startup.
  • New /norestart command line switch to assist support staff who operate GWX Control Panel via remote assistance tools.
  • Clear Windows Update Cache feature now displays a list of temporary effects that clearing the cache will have on Windows Update.
  • Decoupled download folder size checking from rest of the informational stats to speed up the first screen refresh with current status.
  • Removed the Close 'Get Windows 10' App button because it confused some users and was somewhat redundant, since the Disable/Enable 'Get Windows 10' App feature implicitly exits or launches the GWX app as needed.

New in GWX Control Panel 1.4.0.1 (Oct 21, 2015)

  • This fixes some of the more stubborn Windows Update issues folks have reported and *hopefully* finally fixes the dreaded Windows 10 "reschedule or upgrade now" cycle that some users have found themselves in.

New in GWX Control Panel 1.3.0.0 (Sep 14, 2015)

  • Additional detection to determine if Windows is configured to allow OS upgrades via Windows Update.
  • Now locates and reports the total size of the hidden Windows 10 download folder (usually C:\$Windows.~BT) and gives you the ability to open the folder in Windows Explorer.

New in GWX Control Panel 1.2.0.0 (Sep 11, 2015)

  • Can now restore normal Windows Update behavior if it has entered 'Upgrade to Windows 10' mode.

New in GWX Control Panel 1.1.0.0 (Sep 8, 2015)

  • Renamed to GWX Control Panel (GWX_control_panel.exe), now has the ability to launch/display GWX icon if app is enabled but not currently running.