Using Windows 10? Microsoft Is Watching—and Collecting Data

originally posted by: VimanaExplorer

originally posted by: RMFX1

originally posted by: VimanaExplorer
a reply to: jedi_hamster

The issue is that, data is synced by default -( Sign into Windows with your Microsoft account and the operating system immediately syncs settings and data to the company’s server), you can turn it off , but out of billions of users, how many you think will know to turn off this features ?

Why would you? Your data and info is encrypted. They don't need to sync your settings and personal data to get info on you. We've been giving it to them for years since hotmail launched. You've already been profiled by ms and also google. Years ago already.

Sorry I was editing when you replied, I added following. The issue is that, Windows collects every input you make in device (via voice, keyboard, camera etc) not just saved text files. I agreed, they have been doing it forever, but since most of us are agreeing to this 'new' terms, you have no protection in court.

Microsoft collects and uses data about your speech, inking (handwriting), and typing on Windows devices to help improve and personalize our ability to correctly recognize your input.

what kind of epic BS is that? 'every input'?

if you talk to cortana - yes, that goes to their servers, because that's how cortana has been working from the very beginning. that's how siri from apple works.

if you search something via bing - whatever search query you type in, that goes sent. surprise - google works the same way, how else would it work?

camera, voice - if you use video calls (skype is owned via microsoft, you know) - that goes as well.

but lets not turn this into 'windows monitors your activity 24/7', because that's not what's going on. also, you're acting like the whole data syncing thing syncs all your data. that's not true either - onedrive gets synced, your settings, list of windows store apps gets synced (so universal apps may be automatically shared between devices, including your xbox one and windows smartphones), same for browser settings (again, for your convenience), but noone forces you to use their web browser, skype, cortana or even bing search. if you don't like microsoft's ecosystem, go ahead, use google - they've been doing the exact same thing for quite a few years already.

your private files on your hard drive that you didn't deliberately put in a onedrive-synced folder, are yours. their mention of private folders in their privacy policy is all about onedrive (their online storage), not your computer's drive. stop being a fool screaming in panic just because microsoft released a new version of windows, because if you're willing to convince some people to stop using windows, you're just making it look like those not using it are a bunch of crazy lunatics. windows users aren't idiots and they can see when someone is penguin-thumping them without understanding even half of the things he's talking about.

originally posted by: WeAre0ne
It's funny to watch people who know next to nothing about computers get freaked out by them.

it's not funny, it's pathetic.

they're spreading total, complete crap, like 'OMG microsoft wants this malware protection service to connect to their servers to automatically protect my computer from viruses, i have to disable it' - windows defender is the best antivirus for windows, imho (who knows windows better than microsoft?), and what kind of idiot disables auto-update in their antivirus software?

but no. microsoft must be evil, lets break their new system by completely crippling the way it's supposed to work, then lets complain months later how crappy their system is, because half of the software doesn't work without online access (some will probably complain that they thought skype or outlook email were telepathic in nature), and the other half was devastated by viruses that the system didn't recognize because of the lack of updates.

Einstein was right. people's stupidity has no limits.

Switch off all yu like with windows.
it is Still gathering all your infomation to send home.
the CID have been hand in hand with eachother from the start.
how else do you think they git the infomation?

you can Add Linux to your hard drive And keep windows.
when you boot up it asks you witch to start....

bad thing with linux is you can notuse the best Games.
but they are getting thier. Steam is n linux now.
try linux mint.

a reply to: verschickter

geez....I didn't mean to insult your intelligence, you seem quite capable of taking care of your data....I retired back in 2006, an eternity in tech....and due to the nature of the clients, and the company I worked for, I have no passion for it left......burnt out is what I call it. I worked in DOS, and early versions of WIN

originally posted by: blueman12
Regarding Cortana , is she still running? :

I was clearing up programs that seemed unnecessary in the task manager. My computer is low-end and I don't want anything useless taking up resources.

I saw that the Cortana program is running under Background processes, despite turning every Cortana related feature off and not accepting user agreement to activate her. Using 74.4mbs, 3 times as much as the 2nd highest backround program.
In details section it says : Name : SearchUI.exe Status : Suspended Description : Search and Cortana application.

Does this mean Cortana is integrated into the windows search system and cannot be totally shut down?
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

and who said it's running?

probably every windows software links to at least one and the same windows built-in library, same - to a little smaller extent - goes with all software with online connectivity. if you'll cripple such part of the operating system, everything that was supposed to go online, goes offline, and then even third party apps may fail. see where this is going?

that data transfer you're seeing, most likely originates from the windows search, not cortana per se.

you better think what you're doing, because it doesn't make any sense. all those 'wannabe-gurus' of 'tuning' windows like you usually end up with 1% faster windows system that just doesn't work as supposed - or, quite often, not at all (and then blame microsoft because they had to reinstall because they screwed something up - but they won't admit it).

and a note for so called 'windows tuners'.

windows 7 is faster than windows XP. it's not just that it's a widely accepted fact on the web - i've tested it. i've modified windows 7 install long time ago to install it on a pc with 256mb of ram (yes, 256mb) - half of the minimum required. and guess what - it was working much better than XP on the exact same pc.

windows 8 introduced new requirements regarding the cpu - basically, they've started using additional instruction sets widely available at the time of the windows 8 release - so while it won't work on as old hardware as windows 7 will, it'll be faster and more secure when running on the same hardware, in part thanks to that increased hardware requirements (which are actually quite conservative by todays standards, and have nothing to do with requiring increased computing power - rather, with better using the computing power already available).

windows 10 is an evolution of windows 8/8.1 - while it pushes microsoft's goals even further (and we can't blame them for that) by integrating more heavily with their online services (i can't see anyone blaming google for doing the same with android and chromeos), it's also smaller and faster. microsoft did their job well and if you can be sure about one thing regarding windows 10, it's that it will run faster than windows 7 or 8/8.1 on the same hardware.

so, by extension, it'll run faster than windows XP.

now, what was it that you wanted to screw up, i mean 'tune'?

originally posted by: verschickter
Sure. Does that mean, because of that, we have to accept it?

No, that's why you can disable it.

Remember, it´s not just about what you communicate through the wires. It´s what you do offline on your hard drive that get´s collected. Your preferences. Your typed words.

Where did you get that idea?

a reply to: jedi_hamster

Mhm. I tell you something. Because your wrote viruses... Not only once(!) in the aprox. six years I used windows XP, was windows defender activated. I nlited my XP. Throw everything over board I knew I did not need. Never installed an antivir on this machine. Updates were automatic. Software firewall? Whats that? That machine hit uptimes of 60+ days, minus the 4 seconds every 24hours for the new IP. Ran like a champ. Served me as an FTP, no private data. Sometimes the Lady used the server to browse her "myvideo" and other women things.

In those six years, I had to do a fresh install four times. Always my fault. I´m not sure if I scanned the drive the last time I refreshed the image. But at least three times I did a full run with avast and on another machine where I had licensed AntiVira, SB search and destroy out of curioisity. One time it found a worm but that was quickly traced back to the wifes sisters computer because she used an usb stick and it copied an exe into every partition root via autorun. Was not executed though.

a reply to: ArMaP

Oh you can disable it, I forgot. How could I. Really?
Erm, I got the impression in an article. Not like copying your data.
When I say offline I mean, even if you are not connected to the internet, it will send it when you are. No files or such, I mean gathered information about your preferences to help your assistant help you.
More like getting an overlook of the context you work with, like filenames etc. I have to search for that.

edit: Here you go

Some information collected by the Microsoft's digital assistant includes information about your contacts, calendar, location, internet history and favorites, speech, inking and typing, and more.
www.windowscentral.com...

Or do you want to tell me this is not offline on your harddrive and gets sent when online.
Come on.
And you think your information is safe on their servers?
I praise the day when it all gets public on a torrent or one-click. Because, after all, you have nothing to hide. Only this way you will learn. Who needs the Vorratsdatenspeicherung (collecting internet connections of a user with timestamp, IP and what not to be saved for 6 months, in germany) when he can have the whole nine yards with that data.

originally posted by: jedi_hamster

originally posted by: blueman12
Regarding Cortana , is she still running? :

I was clearing up programs that seemed unnecessary in the task manager. My computer is low-end and I don't want anything useless taking up resources.

I saw that the Cortana program is running under Background processes, despite turning every Cortana related feature off and not accepting user agreement to activate her. Using 74.4mbs, 3 times as much as the 2nd highest backround program.
In details section it says : Name : SearchUI.exe Status : Suspended Description : Search and Cortana application.

Does this mean Cortana is integrated into the windows search system and cannot be totally shut down?
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

and who said it's running?

probably every windows software links to at least one and the same windows built-in library, same - to a little smaller extent - goes with all software with online connectivity. if you'll cripple such part of the operating system, everything that was supposed to go online, goes offline, and then even third party apps may fail. see where this is going?

that data transfer you're seeing, most likely originates from the windows search, not cortana per se.

you better think what you're doing, because it doesn't make any sense. all those 'wannabe-gurus' of 'tuning' windows like you usually end up with 1% faster windows system that just doesn't work as supposed - or, quite often, not at all (and then blame microsoft because they had to reinstall because they screwed something up - but they won't admit it).

What's with the hostility?
I asked a question because I was curious. Where was it that I assumed I'm a 'wannabe-guru' of 'tuning' ?
I figured it was integrated into windows search but was also entertaining the possibility of Cortana still taking in info, in the spirit of the thread.

Take it easy, man. That was my first post on the thread and I was trying to avoid all these arguments.

originally posted by: ArMaP

originally posted by: LunaticPandora
Windows can't do that without crashing. I'm confident that I can run my system for a few years and only shut it down to clean out the dust.

It can, I haven't had a software-caused crash for several years, and my home computer and the two at work are never shut down.

You can't say that linux stability, longevity, compactness, and usefulness is on par or lesser than windows. Linux blows it out of the water in all categories. Windows needs several gigabytes of HDD space to be installed. Most of it is bloatware that makes the system unstable and sucks up system resources.

If you were to take a modern Linux distro and install it on an older computer you would create a useful and stable system. If you tried to install windows 8.1 on an 6-10 year old computer you'd crash it.

originally posted by: verschickter
a reply to: jedi_hamster

Mhm. I tell you something. Because your wrote viruses... Not only once(!) in the aprox. six years I used windows XP, was windows defender activated. I nlited my XP. Throw everything over board I knew I did not need. Never installed an antivir on this machine. Updates were automatic. Software firewall? Whats that? That machine hit uptimes of 60+ days, minus the 4 seconds every 24hours for the new IP. Ran like a champ. Served me as an FTP, no private data. Sometimes the Lady used the server to browse her "myvideo" and other women things.

In those six years, I had to do a fresh install four times. Always my fault. I´m not sure if I scanned the drive the last time I refreshed the image. But at least three times I did a full run with avast and on another machine where I had licensed AntiVira, SB search and destroy out of curioisity. One time it found a worm but that was quickly traced back to the wifes sisters computer because she used an usb stick and it copied an exe into every partition root via autorun. Was not executed though.

so what?

if one's perfectly, and i mean perfectly, aware of how things work and thinks what he's doing, antivirus may be turned off - it's a risk on the desktop though, since there are tons browser-related vulnerabilities that quite often end up in zero-day exploits. it all depends on what websites someone is browsing.

i'm not using any antivirus software, my pc has uptimes of months and i don't really remember when it was reinstalled, but it was many years ago. that doesn't mean that i would tell the average pc user that he doesn't need windows defender or any other protection software - the average user will get hit by a virus or malware (possibly loosing money via paypal/bank account hack) and he won't even realize it until it's too late.

and that's the problem i have with all the 'expert' advises in threads like this. for an average user, your suggestions are the worst possible things he can do.

originally posted by: LunaticPandora

originally posted by: ArMaP

originally posted by: LunaticPandora
Windows can't do that without crashing. I'm confident that I can run my system for a few years and only shut it down to clean out the dust.

It can, I haven't had a software-caused crash for several years, and my home computer and the two at work are never shut down.

You can't say that linux stability, longevity, compactness, and usefulness is on par or lesser than windows. Linux blows it out of the water in all categories. Windows needs several gigabytes of HDD space to be installed. Most of it is bloatware that makes the system unstable and sucks up system resources.

If you were to take a modern Linux distro and install it on an older computer you would create a useful and stable system. If you tried to install windows 8.1 on an 6-10 year old computer you'd crash it.

since it's quite a piece of BS, i won't waste my time and i'll address just the last part.

windows systems have drivers that support quite a bunch of older hardware - and if they don't, you can quite often use older drivers without problems. you can even take some vista drivers and use them on 7 or 8 - or perhaps even 10 - and it just may work. not a problem at all.

linux? if the latest vendor driver for example for your gpu doesn't support your older hardware, you can't just use older version - quite often it was built for older kernel/kms libs/xorg, and it simply won't work. and since it's closed source - you cannot fix it. the only solution then is to use much older linux distro version to make it work - a problem you don't have with windows, at least not to such degree.

and don't even mention the unofficial opensource drivers - those are complete crap performance-wise, and when tested on some old pc like you've mentioned, gta vice city was barely able to display a slideshow instead of perfectly smooth gameplay like under windows (and no, it was not wine's fault). heck, that driver was barely handling compiz.

so that's that. i was using windows (almost all versions since 3.11), linux (more distros than i can remember), freebsd and netbsd, on every possible hardware from regular pc to sun sparcstation voyager (not in every combination, obviously). i have nothing against opensource philosophy, i'm using cygwin and emacs on daily basis, so i guess i'm not biased.

i'm just not sugar-coating stuff here like some penguin-lovers do. get some life, folks. linux and opensource movement may be a good thing, but it's not a damn religion, and that's how you're acting - like fanatics.

and while fanatics can be ignored, i just can't stand them giving the worst possible advise to a regular, uneducated folk, just to spread their own cause.

a reply to: jedi_hamster

I've never had an issue with drivers. The good thing about linux is that there is always a work around. You may have to put in some work to get it done, but it will work.

I have an 8 year old Dell office data server with not much memory and not much HDD space compared to my modern gaming PC or my Dell Inspiron Laptop.

I have Debian 8 Wheezy installed on it and all hardware seems to work. The drivers that were missing were for the wireless card I installed. Guess what? I got it working using generic drivers found in an Ubuntu PPA.

The resources are there for those who wanna have a better, faster, and secure OS.

I don't understand your level of hostility talking about software..

Don't get all worked up.

originally posted by: blueman12

originally posted by: jedi_hamster

originally posted by: blueman12
Regarding Cortana , is she still running? :

I was clearing up programs that seemed unnecessary in the task manager. My computer is low-end and I don't want anything useless taking up resources.

I saw that the Cortana program is running under Background processes, despite turning every Cortana related feature off and not accepting user agreement to activate her. Using 74.4mbs, 3 times as much as the 2nd highest backround program.
In details section it says : Name : SearchUI.exe Status : Suspended Description : Search and Cortana application.

Does this mean Cortana is integrated into the windows search system and cannot be totally shut down?
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

and who said it's running?

probably every windows software links to at least one and the same windows built-in library, same - to a little smaller extent - goes with all software with online connectivity. if you'll cripple such part of the operating system, everything that was supposed to go online, goes offline, and then even third party apps may fail. see where this is going?

that data transfer you're seeing, most likely originates from the windows search, not cortana per se.

you better think what you're doing, because it doesn't make any sense. all those 'wannabe-gurus' of 'tuning' windows like you usually end up with 1% faster windows system that just doesn't work as supposed - or, quite often, not at all (and then blame microsoft because they had to reinstall because they screwed something up - but they won't admit it).

What's with the hostility?
I asked a question because I was curious. Where was it that I assumed I'm a 'wannabe-guru' of 'tuning' ?
I figured it was integrated into windows search but was also entertaining the possibility of Cortana still taking in info, in the spirit of the thread.

Take it easy, man. That was my first post on the thread and I was trying to avoid all these arguments.

it's not a hostility, it's a friendly advice. you don't understand how things really work - keep your fingers out of them.

as to why i've used that term - and i meant all people that are trying to do such things, not just you, so don't take it personally - are you sticking your fingers into your car, rewiring stuff so it'll go 2mph faster? no? then why are you trying to do the same thing with a software when you have completely no idea how it works internally?

a reply to: jedi_hamster

it's not a hostility, it's a friendly advice. you don't understand how things really work - keep your fingers out of them.

Just making suggestions based on my experiences in a discussion forum.

as to why i've used that term - and i meant all people that are trying to do such things, not just you, so don't take it personally - are you sticking your fingers into your car, rewiring stuff so it'll go 2mph faster? no? then why are you trying to do the same thing with a software when you have completely no idea how it works internally?

I think you're purposefully ascribing intention to my words that doesn't exist.

I'll leave the discussion to your all knowing god like wisdom. Since you can't tolerate room for other opinions, that is.

originally posted by: LunaticPandora
a reply to: jedi_hamster

I've never had an issue with drivers. The good thing about linux is that there is always a work around. You may have to put in some work to get it done, but it will work.

I have an 8 year old Dell office data server with not much memory and not much HDD space compared to my modern gaming PC or my Dell Inspiron Laptop.

I have Debian 8 Wheezy installed on it and all hardware seems to work. The drivers that were missing were for the wireless card I installed. Guess what? I got it working using generic drivers found in an Ubuntu PPA.

The resources are there for those who wanna have a better, faster, and secure OS.

I don't understand your level of hostility talking about software..

Don't get all worked up.

you're misleading people, and that's something i won't ignore.

if you never had a problem with drivers under linux, then it most likely means you never really used it as a desktop system in the longer run - and that's how most people use their windows systems.

there's a solution for everything? sure, if you're a programmer, have deep understanding of the linux system and all its layers, and are willing and able to write the needed hardware driver (after somehow getting specs from the vendor), or are willing and able to rewrite a software that doesn't have a linux version and refuses to work under wine.

otherwise, what you're telling is a bunch of fairytales and wishfull thinking.

you may know linux better than most people know windows, but that doesn't make you an expert. think twice before giving an advice, because from what i can see, you're either far from the level of knowledge you think you have, or you're just deliberately misinforming people.

a reply to: jedi_hamster

you're misleading people, and that's something i won't ignore.

I am doing no such thing.

Just because I'm not writing out an entire how to doesn't mean I'm purposefully misleading people.

if you never had a problem with drivers under linux, then it most likely means you never really used it as a desktop system in the longer run - and that's how most people use their windows systems.

More assumptions..And you know what they say about assumptions.

there's a solution for everything? sure, if you're a programmer, have deep understanding of the linux system and all its layers, and are willing and able to write the needed hardware driver (after somehow getting specs from the vendor), or are willing and able to rewrite a software that doesn't have a linux version and refuses to work under wine.

The support for linux is so much broader now than it ever has been.

otherwise, what you're telling is a bunch of fairytales and wishfull thinking.

No you're just saying that because you're a hostile person who likes to brow beat people who have different experiences and opinions than you. You're over hostile to people for no damned reason over SOFTWARE.

you may know linux better than most people know windows, but that doesn't make you an expert. think twice before giving an advice, because from what i can see, you're either far from the level of knowledge you think you have, or you're just deliberately misinforming people.

More accusatory bull****.

I'm done here.

originally posted by: LunaticPandora
a reply to: jedi_hamster

it's not a hostility, it's a friendly advice. you don't understand how things really work - keep your fingers out of them.

Just making suggestions based on my experiences in a discussion forum.

as to why i've used that term - and i meant all people that are trying to do such things, not just you, so don't take it personally - are you sticking your fingers into your car, rewiring stuff so it'll go 2mph faster? no? then why are you trying to do the same thing with a software when you have completely no idea how it works internally?

I think you're purposefully ascribing intention to my words that doesn't exist.

I'll leave the discussion to your all knowing god like wisdom. Since you can't tolerate room for other opinions, that is.

will you kindly step back and before trying to troll again, check who that was that i was answering to?

i wasn't ascribing any intention to your words, because i wasn't replying to your words.