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Windows 11 users are tired of MS account requirements creeping into everything

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Re: Windows 11 users are tired of MS account requirements creeping into everything

#451
post #266

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So you can list what is good about windows?

Very important for business customers: - It is very "standardized" (i.e. there exist no distributions that do things differently from each other). - It cares about binary backward compatibility: it is nearly always possible to run a binary from 30 years ago, and if you are willing to invest some own effort, eben running Win16 binaries can often be run. Compare this to GUI applications on GNU/Linux. - The operating sy…

> It is very "standardized" (i.e. there exist no distributions that do things differently from each other).

You mean how the "program files" or "documents" directory names are localised but 50% of windows program don't know other languages exist and use the english name regardless breaking all sort of stuff?

Re: Windows 11 users are tired of MS account requirements creeping into everything

#452
post #398

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How is it 'hot garbage'?

Every single time it updates, which it forces on me I come back to add to buy Office 365 even if I already have it. On one computer the File Manager is slowed to a crawl, the image viewer slows to a crawl if I hit left or right arrow keys. The built-in antivirus has a feature to send “suspicious” files to Microsoft, with zero audit trail of what it sends over, and its on by default. The various UI inconsistencies, th…

> Every single time it updates, which it forces on me I come back to add to buy Office 365 even if I already have it.

Yes, it's dumb, but you can disable it in Settings.

> On one computer the File Manager is slowed to a crawl, the image viewer slows to a crawl if I hit left or right arrow keys.

While I'm not going to say you're not experiencing this, this isn't something I've seen personally. So it isn't a universal issue.

> The built-in antivirus has a feature to send “suspicious” files to Microsoft, with zero audit trail of what it sends over, and its on by default.

Audit trail is in Event Viewer.

> The various UI inconsistencies, theres weird XP goop mixed with the modern UI.

There is even Windows 3.x UI mixed in. This hasn't changed and is nothing new, nor interesting.

> I tried to make a new user account one time and it told me I couldnt because I needed to use another feature within Windows to do so,

Creating a new account doesn't require a Windows Feature to be added. Compmgr.msc.

> Everything you type into the start menu goes into a Microsoft backend.

No. Just wrong.

It sounds like you should educate yourself on Windows. And I did specifically mention Pro.

Re: Windows 11 users are tired of MS account requirements creeping into everything

#453

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've found a few cheap hard drives at thrift stores. I used to buy them just in case someone had left a crypto wallet on them. They're usually formatted but not wiped, so even recuva was typically able to claw back all of the missing data and restore the whole drive. Family photos, nudes, sex videos (homemade and professional), downloaded movies, pirated games, I've found them all. If you're dumping a drive and you d…

You left out the most interesting part - did you find any BTC?

No, I would have included that otherwise, lol.

Re: Windows 11 users are tired of MS account requirements creeping into everything

#454

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yup, Windows 10 LTSC here. It's a lot faster and smoother, but I'm already transitioning to Linux on my other boxes. Will probably move before LTSC runs out as well. edit: I realised I overplayed how much faster and smoother it is. compared to standard win 10 or 11 . Example being my login screen sometimes struggles to come up when the computer is locked (work around double mash CTRL-ALT-DEL)

I have a Surface Book 2 which was insanely fast when I bought it. Its pretty vanilla, I dont like to tweak Windows often it usually feels like it degrades, its been sluggish the last two years or so. Idk what Microsoft did but used to be vanilla Windows was performant enough, they must have fired their performance guys? Idk

Yeah, their performance has gone in the toilet. Recently we needed an old system setup just for group meetings in the office. I installed 11 on it - it struggled, gave up, threw a linux install on for giggles and it's buttery smooth.

Re: Windows 11 users are tired of MS account requirements creeping into everything

#455
post #201

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Linux hasn't reached the point where it can be the main driver, not for my usecases. Everything works until very suddenly it doesn't and there's no budging.

Interesting. what kind if applications are challenging you?

Running old software. Like, late 90s to early 00s. Most of the time I can get them to work reasonably well under Win10, but wine keeps failing (and don't get me started on proton).

Plus, godawful midi support cripples many dosbox experiences.

Re: Windows 11 users are tired of MS account requirements creeping into everything

#456

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Do you have a source for literally any of those allegations? I'm as big of a Windows and ME hater as they come, but I'm not aware of any proven backdoors in either. Especially ME, which has been thoroughly reverse-engineered by the security community by this point. The only 'backdoor' discovered was the undocumented killswitch command that disables it after initialization.

> Especially ME, which has been thoroughly reverse-engineered by the security community by this point. Links? Activists say the opposite, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intel_Management_Engine#Assert...

"Activists" =/= "Security Experts".

Like I said, ME has been literally almost completely everse engineered and no one's found evidence of it being a backdoor.

everything in that article could legitimately just be attack vector reduction

Re: Windows 11 users are tired of MS account requirements creeping into everything

#457
post #399

Earlier quoted context omitted.

While it is closed, we've had enough leaks from that era of Windows (which are still on GH) to know the kernel is not backdoor'ed.

I would put my money on that these leaks have full source code. Also, currently, Windows even AFAIK sends keystrokes to the US, where NSA has full access to any company whenever they need by the law, with no oversight. No backdoors are required.

> Also, currently, Windows even AFAIK sends keystrokes to the US,

This is exactly the kind of FUD I'm pushing back against. You just casually mention this like it's some established fact. Do you have any proof of this?

Surely it would be extremely easy to verify, given that anyone can set up a Windows 10/11 VM with mitmproxy and see every outgoing connection. I myself have quite a number of those VMs for various application-related RE projects, and let me tell you, I've never noticed every single one of my outgoing keystrokes present in the logs.

You'd think it might stand out...

Re: Windows 11 users are tired of MS account requirements creeping into everything

#458
post #194

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>Running Windows 10 Enterprise IoT LTSC [...] have yet to encounter any issues. It depends on the type of software a user runs. I installed Windows 10 LTSC on a friend's computer last year thinking she could run it for at least 5 more years and just ignore the newer Windows 11/12/whatever. But she needed Intuit TurboTax 2025 and it requires Windows 11 and it's a hard requirement. The installer aborts on Windows 10. I…

I am not sure the differences, but turbotax has an online version.

The online version is only for filing one return.

Desktop installed version can file multiple returns so the overall cost is lower.

https://ttlc.intuit.com/turbotax-support/en-us/help-article/...

Re: Windows 11 users are tired of MS account requirements creeping into everything

#459
post #134

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Because when I want to play a game, I want to play a game, not debug someone's hacky attempt to make it work on Linux. Implementing a strict "no fiddly shit on my game machine" policy was one of the best choices for my mental health that I've made: It's a dedicated machine for gaming, with nothing really sensitive on it aside from gaming related accounts, and its only purpose is to play games with the least amount of…

If your game is on Steam and does not use creepy “anticheat” software, you can probably just play it on Linux.

An old Spartan response applies here:

If.

Re: Windows 11 users are tired of MS account requirements creeping into everything

#460

As much as I avoiding any Microsoft technology at any cost. I do have a gaming rig at home, and yes I have Windows on it. I only use it to launch Steam and GOG, nothing else except the casual web browsing. I have been driving Arch btw and was fine, but these days you CAN install Windows 11 locally without Microsoft account. So I took it a shot for better game compatability. This is not Linux/Window flame. I am trying…

It's certainly possible, but it certainly ain't a happy path. If you have to do shift+F10, strategically disconnect your ethernet cable, or remember to tick a box when making your bootable USB to be able to make local account, something has gone terribly, horribly wrong.

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