I just replied to the Ars thread - it's even stranger. Windows 8 and up have an officially Microsoft sanctioned way of letting manufacturers load software through Firmware, called "Windows Platform Binary Table". It means it is impossible to do a clean install of Windows now. I've seen zero mention of it anywhere - maybe Lenovo was the first to pull the trigger and make use of it recently.
Because people continue to make excuses for MS and continue to buy windows after they do things like this
>How much worse are they going to get?
Lots because people will whine on the Internet but will not do anything that actually matters or will make a difference;; You know like using an Operating System that respects your freedom...