Isolation Day 16: I Installed windows
Then Spent the Rest of the Day Waiting on Updates!
For those who know me, this won’t come as a shock, but I HATE WINDOWS. I have a number of reasons for this, but the biggest and most annoying one is definitely the updates.
I decided that, alongside working on my 3D projects, I’d like to get some practice using lighting design software called WYSIWYG. The problem? It only runs on Windows. While I have a Windows machine, it’s my home server and is connected to the living room TV for Plex, and I’ve run out of network ports in the office. So, I ended up having to install Windows on my MacBook Pro.
The Setup Struggle
My MacBook is more than capable of running Windows—it does so quite well. I managed to get everything set up without an internet connection after jumping through a hoop or two. The driver installation went great (that Boot Camp driver package is wonderful).
Then, I connected to my home network, and things started going horribly wrong. For some reason, Microsoft decided that even though I don't want to use any of their services (Cortana, Maps, App Store, etc.), I still had to wait 15 minutes while it set them up.
Finally, after a cup of tea, I could get to the fun part: installing my software. The installation went great until it was time to restart for the final steps, at which point I was greeted by the dreaded "Working on updates" screen.
The Endless Cycle
If it were just once, it wouldn't be a problem. But I swear I saw that screen four times in the space of an hour—even without me restarting the computer! I understand it’s a new install and needs security updates, but why can’t Microsoft keep their installation media up to date? And could they not just download the updates and wait until I shut down the laptop to install them all at once?
I got the same message while booting up—you know, the one that usually pops up right when you have a tight deadline: "Windows is installing updates, don't turn off your computer." I mean, for Pete's sake, it should have installed those while I was shutting down! How did it find more updates without even being powered on?
Back in the Saddle
Now that it’s finally up and running, it’s nice to be using WYSIWYG again, especially since I’m bringing in my own set pieces. One thing I need to do to add proper lighting to my Blender stage mock-up is add hidden mounting points in the trussing so I don’t have to recreate it all again.
Just as I was getting into my stride, I was hit with pop-up advertisements for Microsoft products right on top of my work. If I could find a way to reliably run WYSIWYG on macOS, I would be rid of Windows for good.
A message to Microsoft (not that it’ll happen):
- Please stop forcing internet services to run in the background.
- Give me a way to turn off all the stupid notifications.
- MAKE THE UPDATES INSTALL ONCE.
Do you agree with me? Is there a way to change these settings that I’ve just missed? What are your experiences with Windows updates? Let me know in the comments below!