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Windows 11 is now enabling OneDrive folder backup without asking permission

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Re: Windows 11 is now enabling OneDrive folder backup without asking permission

#171
post #50

I'm all for hating on Microsoft for their continued destruction of the local Windows 11 experience, but I actually think this is a good decision. Assuming you're logging in with a Microsoft account, and assuming you have a OneDrive account, it's a better experience to set up the folder backup feature as early as possible in the set-up process. If you really don't want it, it's easy to undo. I still don't like being f…

What happens when small-firm doctors, therapists, dentists, etc. are suddenly having your (their patients') medical information backed-up to OneDrive? Microsoft only provide HIPAA compliance if a certain paid tier is purchased. If they automatically turn OneDrive on how will this not be a privacy nightmare?

Re: Windows 11 is now enabling OneDrive folder backup without asking permission

#172
post #101

This happened to me. I was wondering why my internet speeds were slow when I discovered that Microsoft was in the process of uploading my users directory, they had already uploaded almost two gigs when I realized. They also changed the path to these directories to something like C:\Users\name\OneDrive\Desktop\. Another poster in this thread claimed it's easy to reverse -- I disagree, it's a pain in the ass to track d…

I'm imagining this happening to someone on a highly metered connection and blowing through gigs of their limited monthly upload budget before realizing their OS has just gone rogue on them. Treating everyone like they have an unlimited bandwidth budget and greedily using it without permission is just awful behavior.

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Re: Windows 11 is now enabling OneDrive folder backup without asking permission

#173
post #127
post #101

This happened to me. I was wondering why my internet speeds were slow when I discovered that Microsoft was in the process of uploading my users directory, they had already uploaded almost two gigs when I realized. They also changed the path to these directories to something like C:\Users\name\OneDrive\Desktop\. Another poster in this thread claimed it's easy to reverse -- I disagree, it's a pain in the ass to track d…

> It's hard to convey without coming off as unhinged Man. I have felt this way a whole lot lately. I think some people see Linux users and genuinely can't fathom how or why they'd want to go through all of the trouble choosing to use Linux and doing real work on it. A lot of us look back just as puzzled, because when I switched to a Linux desktop for the first time in around 2004, it was definitely a choice, but it h…

Yeah I ran Linux as my daily driver 2004-2017 and I regret it.

Since then I run Windows 10 + WSL and life is good.

Win10 support ends next year and I am at a complete loss at what to do.

Linux desktop never worked, never will, the incentives are not there. It's only free if you don't value your time. As I wrote before , your choices are Ubuntu where an OS upgrade shatters your entire system so throughly it takes days to get back to a working system or you can go with Arch where Bluetooth/multifunction device/etc might break every so often. But at least most of the system remains standing. And if you need to connect to some funny enterprise wifi or VPN, the IT department of the client will have Mac and Windows support but Linux? X Windows doesn't get new features, Wayland is not ready, and the package manager landscape is just getting worse https://media.hachyderm.io/media_attachments/files/112/616/9...

Windows 11 is hot garbage. No other way to put it.

Send help.

Re: Windows 11 is now enabling OneDrive folder backup without asking permission

#174
post #146

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I understand Microsoft has built up good will through efforts like VS Code, but it's all undone because of things like this. Someone in Microsoft should look into who is making these decisions, why these decisions are are being made, and why they are being received so negatively. Then they need to address them. Even though I'm not much of a fan of Microsoft products, I get the impression that they have some excelle…

Oh, I mean, the "why" is pretty simple. They're going to enable onedrive upload by default, wait until the sync finishes, then change the EULA to allow them to scrape everyone's onedrive for machine learning data that they can then sell. >>Welcome to hell.

> change the EULA

Have you read the Windows privacy policy any time in the last decade?

They don't need to change anything.

Re: Windows 11 is now enabling OneDrive folder backup without asking permission

#176

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Did you login with ms account? if so, why? I don't think it can upload if you aren't logged in.

> if so, why? Have you tried installing Windows 11 without signing in to a Microsoft account? It's very difficult to do and the instructions online keep having to change as Microsoft makes it more and more difficult. What I'm finding now [0] involves using a hotkey to open command prompt at a certain part of the installation process and running a command to disable the internet before you proceed. [0] https://www.tom…

"Very difficult" is a bit of an exaggeration.

Don't connect to the internet, press 1 hotkey and enter 1 line of text ("OOBE\bypassnro").

While it's absolutely stupid that it needs to be done at all, it's not "very difficult".

Re: Windows 11 is now enabling OneDrive folder backup without asking permission

#177

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What you say is true. And what you say completely misses the point. The problem isn't that cloud sync/backup is (or isn't) useful. It's that Microsoft isn't respecting users' agency to adopt it or not. If the product is indeed useful on its merits, then there's no need to turn it on by default or continually nag users who say "no thanks." And it's not like Microsoft doesn't have a history of underhanded moves to capt…

I think this particular change is less ‘evil’ than lots of the recent ‘evil’ Microsoft things, so I’m not very convinced by comparing it to bad Microsoft behaviour. I think the big advantage of backups is that they’ll have been on for ages by the time you need them. That is, their main failure modes are: - not backing things up because of some misconfiguration - not backing things up because of running out of money/q…

I don't make that distinction myself. It all falls into the bucket of "Microsoft doesn't respect user agency." Their design decisions are a direct reflection of their (broken) values, full stop.

Re: Windows 11 is now enabling OneDrive folder backup without asking permission

#178
And this is another example of why i left windows. No matter how much customization I make, microsoft makes it very clear that it's theirs and that I am along for their ride. I find this absolutely intolerable, a total violation of privacy, and totally in poor taste; which, is at least on brand for microsoft.

It seems like microsoft can do whatever they want to windows, and treat the users with as little disregard as they please - and there will be no consequences. Their users will either allow it, or jump through the config registry to disable the latest unwanted behavior.

Re: Windows 11 is now enabling OneDrive folder backup without asking permission

#179
post #101

This happened to me. I was wondering why my internet speeds were slow when I discovered that Microsoft was in the process of uploading my users directory, they had already uploaded almost two gigs when I realized. They also changed the path to these directories to something like C:\Users\name\OneDrive\Desktop\. Another poster in this thread claimed it's easy to reverse -- I disagree, it's a pain in the ass to track d…

Maybe write to the FTC? This is a privacy violation. It’s also arguably anticompetitive— they’re auto-enrolling you in an MS product you didn’t want to use, and this comes at the expense of either just local use or of any competing system.

IMO this is also something that the US should shut down hard for a very different reason: every time anyone complains about a vendor, usually Chinese, misusing American data, the US is implicitly making a comparison to American vendors, which are supposedly better. But here’s MS being every bit as bad, if not worse.

Foreign countries can, and should, stop using MS over this. Things like NDAA look pretty dumb in light of this behavior. The US’s technological dominance is somewhat at risk due to this crap.

Re: Windows 11 is now enabling OneDrive folder backup without asking permission

#180
post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> ...to get new PC gamers onto an alternative for there to be a considerable shift away from Windows. Have you tried Steam on Linux? It works amazingly well, either with native Linux support in games or through Proton support (their Windows emulation layer). Quite a few people I know have gone that route and are shocked at just how well it works in practice.

I recently purchased a Steam Deck and I've been blown away by how games just work. I used to use Wine a lot for applications in the early 2010s and it was always hit and miss (and Codeweaver for Office support). Proton is amazing.

I just wish Proton supported macOS. It being Linux-only always felt like their goal was never actually cross-platform gaming, but specifically SteamOS being able to run everything.
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