No I don't want to turn on Windows Backup with One Drive • Hacker News Board

Re: No I don't want to turn on Windows Backup with One Drive

#261

Post by queenkjuul » Sun, Oct 12, 2025, 7:01 PM UTC

tombert wrote: post #206

9x39 wrote: post #187

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Been there - I help a lot of older folks with their business computers. The desire to make Windows an appliance falls flat when older PCs get on that auto-update treadmill. For example, Windows now comes OEM with Bitlocker drive encryption enabled. Good in theory - when you toss/donate/sell your old PC, normies don't think about their personal lives and banking details being available, so that's good. However, they a…

The fact that it's 2025 and there's no legitimate way to run a live USB with Windows baffles me. In the case of my mom's computer rescue, as far as I can tell, literally the only legal way to recover my mom's Windows NTFS drive contents was to use Linux . I had to use Linux to fix Microsoft's incompetence. I am quite confident that my mom would mostly be fine with Linux Mint on this computer; 99% of what she does on…

Try out WinBoat. It seems to work really well for Office. Runs it in a Windows docker container so no Proton or libvirt stuff to fiddle with.

Re: No I don't want to turn on Windows Backup with One Drive

#262

Post by cogman10 » Sun, Oct 12, 2025, 7:02 PM UTC

a022311 wrote: post #232

rwyinuse wrote: post #224

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yep, I dual boot Linux Mint & Windows 11 and only bother with the latter when I need MS Teams, or some other proprietary software that tends to be more reliable on Windows. In terms of performance and user experience Mint wins easily.

I only rarely need to use Microsoft Office or Paint.NET and a Windows VM on Linux has solved the problem entirely for me. I don't know if videoconferencing would work as well, but I'd really recommend giving it a try! I've already gone without a proper Windows install for almost 2 years.

Since MS is making the office UX web based, I'd suggest people try just loading 365 in a browser like edge (It's generally flawless for MS products). Especially apps like Teams.

Once you realize that the dedicated app is basically just a browser shell, using a real browser becomes somewhat of a no brainer.

Edge even supports PWAs on linux which can give you the "app" experience without the app.

Re: No I don't want to turn on Windows Backup with One Drive

#263

Post by zwnow » Sun, Oct 12, 2025, 7:02 PM UTC

rootusrootus wrote: post #234

Podrod wrote: post #36

I used to use Windows Backup with One Drive years ago but it just really pissed me off, especially with how My Documents is handled. There was that time I discovered several GB of screenshots had been automatically saved to My Pictures from some setting they snuck into the printscreen screen grab tool and then that of course those were automatically uploaded to the cloud. After disabling the option it would sometimes…

I've been a Mac & Linux user since about 2007 or so, and I had no idea what Windows had become. Then a couple weeks ago I caved and built my son a Windows gaming PC. Egads, Windows is annoying! Even more so than I remember! I'm amazed that people actually put up with it for their daily driver. Right on schedule, my son came to me yesterday evening and asked what he should do about the backup warning. It didn't give a…

People dont care about their operating system. Most Mac users never learn Mac and most Windows users never learn windows. They use their computers for emails, some presentations and occasional gaming. They dont want to learn different kinds of software. Which is fine. For most people its just a power tool they never read the manual for. They dont even know what other tools there are so they dont know that life could be better, by not using windows.

Re: No I don't want to turn on Windows Backup with One Drive

#264

Post by the__alchemist » Sun, Oct 12, 2025, 7:03 PM UTC

reddalo wrote: post #52

Podrod wrote: post #36

I used to use Windows Backup with One Drive years ago but it just really pissed me off, especially with how My Documents is handled. There was that time I discovered several GB of screenshots had been automatically saved to My Pictures from some setting they snuck into the printscreen screen grab tool and then that of course those were automatically uploaded to the cloud. After disabling the option it would sometimes…

I agree, nowadays Linux seems like the only reliable solution. Even macOS, with the latest "liquid glass" update, feels like a toy for kids. I just wish the Affinity suite would be available for Linux too.

My 2c. I agree with the parent and article: OneDrive can be a major problem with Windows. They push it on you, your personal documents can be moved to OneDrive without your permission etc. Confusing and user-hostile design.

Linux has its own idiosyncrasies, which may or may not make it worth. E.g. ABI diaspora, installing things can be inconsistent and high-effort, the cycle of copy+pasting CLI commands and system file edits from old forum posts or these days LLMs to fix something, treating your PC like a multi-user system that has an admin by default, etc. My general experience is that installation and things work smoothly with the built-in or package-managed software, but gradually degrade as you start installing software and drivers.

Re: No I don't want to turn on Windows Backup with One Drive

#265

Post by ColonelBlimp » Sun, Oct 12, 2025, 7:03 PM UTC

sugarpimpdorsey wrote: post #179

dimator wrote: post #136

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Out of the loop, why not?

An open source developer (the creator of Ruby on Rails and Omarchy Linux) made a political comment someone didn't like. Now there is a concerted effort by a small group of terminally online histrionics to ruin his life and get all his projects cancelled. The comment was apparently made on his personal blog and not in any official capacity.

As far as I know, this is the blog post that led to the backlash https://world.hey.com/dhh/as-i-remember-london-e7d38e64

Re: No I don't want to turn on Windows Backup with One Drive

#266

Post by barbs » Sun, Oct 12, 2025, 7:04 PM UTC

I've been running mostly Linux (with some macOS) as a daily driver for the past 15 years and have seen more and more articles like this pop up on HN over time. I've felt for a while that Linux is more user-centric, but it seems like Windows 11 is a whole other level of user-hostile, to the point where even average users seem to be catching on. My own father managed to set up Linux on his computer without any prompting or help, and I didn't even suggest it to him. It's a dual-boot setup, but he boots into linux nearly every time and prefers it. It's starting to feel like a turning point.

I'm wondering if there's a market out there for helping regular computer users switch to linux?

Re: No I don't want to turn on Windows Backup with One Drive

#267

Post by tombert » Sun, Oct 12, 2025, 7:06 PM UTC

queenkjuul wrote: post #261

tombert wrote: post #206

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The fact that it's 2025 and there's no legitimate way to run a live USB with Windows baffles me. In the case of my mom's computer rescue, as far as I can tell, literally the only legal way to recover my mom's Windows NTFS drive contents was to use Linux . I had to use Linux to fix Microsoft's incompetence. I am quite confident that my mom would mostly be fine with Linux Mint on this computer; 99% of what she does on…

Try out WinBoat. It seems to work really well for Office. Runs it in a Windows docker container so no Proton or libvirt stuff to fiddle with.

Interesting. I haven't heard about that one, I'll give a try today.

ETA

I installed it, and it works remarkably well. I'll try pitching it to my parents.

Re: No I don't want to turn on Windows Backup with One Drive

#268

Post by Telaneo » Sun, Oct 12, 2025, 7:09 PM UTC

abtinf wrote: post #227

Podrod wrote: post #36

I used to use Windows Backup with One Drive years ago but it just really pissed me off, especially with how My Documents is handled. There was that time I discovered several GB of screenshots had been automatically saved to My Pictures from some setting they snuck into the printscreen screen grab tool and then that of course those were automatically uploaded to the cloud. After disabling the option it would sometimes…

Config files should go elsewhere, but save files seem like the should definitely go in mydocs.

Maybe, but not by default. But games as a rule don't give you the option to change this, so you're stuck with that one game and that one program using My Documents as a dumping ground without your consent, and now My Documents is no longer really your folder any more, at which point people make a folder on their desktop or whereever else called My Documents But For Real This Time or whatever.

Re: No I don't want to turn on Windows Backup with One Drive

#269

Post by the__alchemist » Sun, Oct 12, 2025, 7:10 PM UTC

bee_rider wrote: post #100

Esophagus4 wrote: post #59

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Having run Linux every day, I can say we’re in trouble if that is the reliable option :) (Agree that Liquid Glass is miserable, though.)

The Open Source ecosystem is a bit weird in that your system can be as reliable or not as you want, depending on what projects you follow. It really truly is a mixed bag in the sense that you can actually have a solid setup if you are happy with it being boring.

> The Open Source ecosystem is a bit weird in that your system can be as reliable or not as you want

I'm going to dig into this a little. This feels like shifting responsibility onto the user when things don't go well. E.g. comparing the platonic ideal of Linux when analyzing practical options. I make lots of mistakes in all aspects of my life. I know historically, and projecting into the future that I will get into trouble with Linux, so I don't daily-drive it. Yes, there are always ways to fix things when a system gets in a bad state, but there is a time and effort cost to this.

Saying it's my fault for breaking it doesn't help restore the system. e.g. "Should have used the LTS release", "Should have only installed software from the package manager", "Shouldn't have used sudo", "Shouldn't have edited a system file without knowing what you're doing". If I was doing those things, it probably seemed like the best of available options, e.g. the only way to make a certain piece of hardware or software work.

Re: No I don't want to turn on Windows Backup with One Drive

#270

Post by Telaneo » Sun, Oct 12, 2025, 7:11 PM UTC

aldebran wrote: post #221

Podrod wrote: post #36

I used to use Windows Backup with One Drive years ago but it just really pissed me off, especially with how My Documents is handled. There was that time I discovered several GB of screenshots had been automatically saved to My Pictures from some setting they snuck into the printscreen screen grab tool and then that of course those were automatically uploaded to the cloud. After disabling the option it would sometimes…

^this is good, legit feedback for why this product/feature isn't good. It's not just "MSFT BAD!". Thanks for sharing.

The list of mind-boggling design decisions MS has made at this point is so long at this point that I don't blame people any more for saying 'MS bad'. Just pointing at the start menu search and Everything tells you everything you need to know, and more or less sets the tone you can expect from MS decision making.