Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[Transcendant]

Just bought a new laptop. Tragically, it has windows 10 (only choice).

I created an offline account, refused to share any information they didn't absolutely force me to.

How do I disable what I assume is spyware built into this thing?

What is "Cortana" and how do I kill her?

[ChairmanPoo]

Have you tried doing a handstand while holding it?  A guy in the forum had a similar problem and he reported that it fixed his PC. It's worth a try, IMO

[Transcendant]

No, but I've disconnected everything I can find on this laptop so far. Offline account (Microsoft will not have my info easily), and every privacy setting I can find.

Can't seem to kill Cortana in the task manager without her springing back up. I'll hunt her down in the registry and kill her there if I have to.

How do I register Office 2016 without creating a microsoft account using an email address, phone number etc?

[☼Another☼]

If you completely disable Cortana, just be aware you can no longer use the windows menu to search.

[Transcendant]

There are 3rd party search features, but yeah.... Doesn't actually bother me much in any event.

It's not really the program's fault, but I just feel so damn spied on by everything in this new computer. I turned off every ad feature I could find and opted out of everything (that wasn't easy to find) possible.

I paid over $1,000 for this computer and I just want to use it without being watched constantly. That's really all.

The thought of it tracking my every keystroke is frankly new and terrifying.

Now I'm trying to just activate the one time payment license for Word 2016 (NOT 365) I got. It's seemingly demanding that I create a Microsoft account just for Word.... I look at the license agreement and it says Office 365! What? I paid extra not to have the subscription thing.

I bought and paid for a one time, not a subscription service.

[wierd]

The only way to completely (and by that I mean, actually, completely NO DATA GOES TO MICROSOFT AT ALL completely, and not "all the options windows gives you, while still sending everything about your computer to the mothership" completely) prevent win10 from contacting the mothership is to impose very harsh restrictions at the router.

Unless you are familiar with programming routing tables, and really enjoy pretending to be a LAN administrator for a fortune 500, while administering a rinkydink home router instead, this is not a task for normal end users, and probably not something to mention.

The official answer from Microsoft is "F*CK You, we want *ALL* the data, and you **WILL** use the windows app store!!". Any and all options to disable telemetry on win10 are ignored in anything but AD controlled corporate systems with appropriate licenses, and EVEN THEN, *SOME* telemetry still gets sent.

 

[ChairmanPoo]

Microsoft made it. They have a right to know what you type.  For all they know you're all terrorists writing each other about terrorist deeds.  To have Microsoft police your actions is a reasonable compromise between liberty and security

[Transcendant]

Can I "downgrade" to windows 7?

OEM preinstalled windows 10....

[wierd]

If the EFI firmware supports legacy boot, AND, the system's SATA controller has win7 drivers, YES.

Assuming you have a win7 install disc and number.

[Transcendant]

It came pre loaded with windows 10 Home from Dell.

I will pay for windows 7 if I have to. I've always had OEM versions of windows come with machines I bought; never purchased separately.

[wierd]

The number is the big thing. You can legally download installable disc images direct from microsoft, but you need a legit number to use them legitimately.

[Tellemurius]

This has been a rampant issue even going towards commercial users. In the old days as long as you had the pro edition it was easy to disable these functions simply through group policy but Microsoft has decided they want to stunt the usage of making your own security policies.

At this point you have two options, you could somehow upgrade towards Enterprise edition which allows you to truly turn off the telemetrics, Cortana Search, and the windows store.

Another option is to run a script that will disable the services https://github.com/10se1ucgo/DisableWinTracking *NOTE* DO NOT DELETE THESE SERVICES ONLY DISABLE

[Transcendant]

Basically a product key? I wonder if Best Buy or somebody even sells something like windows 7 in a box anymore. Will have to check.

In the meantime, I've basically disabled all information gathering items I can find under "settings." Opted out of everything.... Used Firefox instead of "Edge."

I'm a little worried about the Microsoft word registration requiring me to have a microsoft account.... I find it really odd but I couldn't even open up Word without it.
Again, I paid extra for the Office 2016 version that Dell said was one time pay....

[FallacyofUrist]

This is why I use an Apple computer.

Down with Windows.

I'm curious, would the computer still steal your data if you ran Linux on it?

[Tellemurius]

Basically a product key? I wonder if Best Buy or somebody even sells something like windows 7 in a box anymore. Will have to check.

In the meantime, I've basically disabled all information gathering items I can find under "settings." Opted out of everything.... Used Firefox instead of "Edge."

I'm a little worried about the Microsoft word registration requiring me to have a microsoft account.... I find it really odd but I couldn't even open up Word without it.
Again, I paid extra for the Office 2016 version that Dell said was one time pay....

Depends on which version of office you installed, there should be a small text somewhere to enter in a product key at that login window.

This is why I use an Apple computer.

Down with Windows.

I'm curious, would the computer still steal your data if you ran Linux on it?

Hows that icloud account?