"In my opinion, there is some unnecessary fear surrounding Windows 10, but beneath all of that I do believe lots of fear is justified,"
said Syed Qazi, the app's developer, on his motives behind building the app.
Among the options, the app -- tentatively called "Disable Windows 10 Tracking" -- disables telemetry collection, disables certain
Windows services, and other tracking. The code is also available on GitHub
for inspection.
According to Qazi, the app started out as a Python script before being developed into its current standalone form after
gaining support and traction
on Reddit. Qazi's plan is to build out the app to add as many features as possible in the hope it can disable most if not all of
the operating system's tracking.
Granted, it's just a start, but Qazi's development cycle has seen more than a dozen changes in the last two days alone. No doubt
more will come along if there's demand.
(theverge.com)
3BeauHD on Thursday June 24,
2021 @09:30PM from the out-of-sight-out-of-mind dept. Microsoft is shoving Skype
out of sight in favor of Microsoft Teams , which gets a highlight spot in the new
center-aligned taskbar and deep integration into Windows. The Verge reports: Today's Windows
11 news is all about where Microsoft sees computing going over the next few years, but it's
just as much the story of how Skype has flourished and ebbed since its $8.5 billion
acquisition a decade ago. Five years ago, Skype was the big name in internet calling and
video, and Microsoft made it an "inbox app" for Windows 10 that was included at installation
and launched at startup by default. Now, after a pandemic year that has had more people using
their PCs for voice and video than ever before, Skype was nowhere to be seen in the Windows 11
presentation or materials.
The future vision that Microsoft had for Skype everywhere has turned into a reality --
but that reality made competitors Zoom and FaceTime into household names instead. Back in June,
when Microsoft made Teams available for personal accounts, the company still paid lip service
to Skype, saying, "For folks that just want a very purpose-built app, Skype is a great
solution, and we support it and encourage it." But now, if you want to use Skype, you're going
to have to go find it in the Microsoft Store like any other app. A company spokesperson tells
The Verge: "Skype is no longer an inbox app for new devices that run Windows 11. The Skype app
is available to download through the Microsoft Store for free."; Skype joins OneNote, Paint 3D,
and 3D Viewer as the apps that will no longer come with the OS.
The third step to data recovery: Windows File Recovery
Microsoft offers a good, basic file recovery utility called
Windows
File Recovery
(winfr.exe) for Windows 10 version 2004 and higher. It's available in the Microsoft Store.
This utility launches in an administrative command prompt session and runs at the command line. I tried the command to recover
download files, as shown in Figure 2. There is a learning curve involved in using this tool, but the
user
manual is available online
and very much worth reading and exploring for those willing to tackle file and folder recovery at the
command line. If you know what's missing and where it resided, you can use it to recover files quickly and easily using specific
filters (the more specific, the better, as I learned when recovering my old download files).
IDG
Figure 2: Windows File Recovery is a basic, bare-bones command-line recovery toolset. Even so, it's surprisingly capable. (Click
image to enlarge it.)
The winfr tool also supports what's called "extensive mode," which offers more comprehensive and far-reaching repair capabilities.
Regular mode is turned on by default; you must use the /extensive parameter to access extensive mode's capabilities. It's good at
handling non-NTFS file sytems (e.g., FAT and exFAT), and can find more files deleted longer ago. Extensive mode can also attempt
repairs after formatting a disk" which takes us into territory for the next topic, partition repairs" and it is better able to
cope with disk corruption than regular mode.
Those who prefer to undelete files using a graphical interface instead of working at the command line should try the free but good
Piriform tool
Recuva
.
The fourth step to data recovery: partition recovery
There are plenty of good third-party data recovery tools available for Windows 10. That said, those that can recover entire drives"
especially big ones" or that offer partition and formatting recovery are usually not available at low or no cost.
For example, upgrading from the free version of Recuva to the Professional version means gaining more advanced file recovery,
including partition recovery, recovery from damaged or reformatted disks, and more extensive recovery for long-deleted files and
folders. The same is true for
MiniTool
Partition Wizard
, which offers excellent partition handling and modest partition recovery in its free version, but adds
extensive file, folder, and partition recovery capabilities to its Pro version.
Once partition recovery is effected, you can then tackle file and folder recovery from the newly restored partitions (if needed). In
cases where accidental reformatting or partitioning mistakes have been self-inflicted" I've done this to myself on at least two
occasions when I targeted the wrong drive" successfully restoring the old partitioning scheme usually brings all the old files and
folders back, too.
If you successfully recover data yourself: perform a disk health check
Something
had to cause the issues that led you down the recovery road. If you've managed to recover data through chkdsk,
Windows File Recovery, or another data recovery tool, it's a good idea to give the problem disk a thorough checkup.
Hard drive and SSD makers often offer such tools as downloads for the drives they sell, and there are plenty of free and for-a-fee
tools available for disk health checks. I'm partial to
CrystalDiskInfo
because
it provides a good overview of a disk's SMART data (self-monitoring, analysis and reporting technology, which includes error counts
that often signal impending disk failures).
Other tools such as
HD
Tune Pro
($35, occasionally available for free) and
Hard
Disk Sentinel
(free trial available, $20 for the standard version, $30 for the pro version) offer more detailed disk diagnosis
and surface/media scans to provide better information on disk health and condition. The former took 10 minutes to scan my 9-year-old
OCZ Vertex 3 SSD (nominal 120GB, actual 119GB) before giving it a clean bill of health despite advanced age and heavy usage, as
shown in Figure 3.
IDG
Figure 3: HD Tune Pro analyzes disk health and condition, including SMART data and a sector-by-sector media scan. The error scan
shows all sectors green here; any damaged sectors would show in red. (Click image to enlarge it.)
If a disk shows questionable health or more than 10% of its sectors are damaged, it's time to replace it. Make a backup while you
still can, order a new device, and you'll be able to restore the backup when the replacement arrives.
The fifth and final step to data recovery: call in the professionals
If steps 1 through 4 fail, you'll need to seek outside help. Here's Software Testing Help's list of the
top
dozen data recovery services
for those who must travel this road.
Hopefully, you'll never need to send a drive to a professional data recovery service. If you do, be prepared to pay handsomely for
their work. Charges of $300 and up are typical. (Bigger drives cost more, as you might expect.) And it can take weeks or months to
get through their service queue.
Some companies will let you send them a replacement drive on which to restore what they find. Others will insist on selling you such
a drive, sometimes at above-market prices. But sometimes, there is no alternative, and you'll pay what you must to get precious or
irreplaceable files and data back.
Be sure to work out as much of the cost picture as you can before sending a drive off for recovery. You don't want the bill, however
big it turns out to be, to come as a surprise.
In my 30-plus years of working with personal computers, I've never had to send a drive off for professional recovery. Even so, it's
good to know such services exist should I ever need them.
I learned the value of backups in 1989, when a 300MB SCSI drive attached to a Macintosh cratered and I lost a book manuscript as a
result. I've never been caught unprotected again, nor should you be. Happy computing!
I would not recommend deleting files in system folders, but rather use the APIs that are
designed for this purpose.
For example, EmpyRecycleBin.exe is a
command-line tool that uses the correct APIs. Even then, I would argue that files in the
recycle bin should be considered as user data, and should not be deleted without their
consent.
Bill
Marked as answer by
Bill_Stewart Wednesday, August 21, 2013 4:31 PM
Open command prompt by going to Start "" Search "CMD" "" Open as administrator
Run the following command "" rd /s /q %systemdrive%\$RECYCLE.BIN
This procedure clears out the $Recycle.bin directory from the system partition. You can do this for each hard disk partition in
your system like below.
#hard coded drive letters
$names = @{"C","D","E"}
#Loop through the drives
Foreach ($drive in $names)
{
#Get the path for the recycle bin, the ugly format is to keep the $
$dir = "$drive:" +'\$recycle.bin'
#remove the content
remove-item $dir -force -recurse
}
Nadella's remark about the 'next generation' of Windows came just a week after Microsoft
disclosed it was ending development on Windows 10X and some of its features will come to
Windows 10 in an update.
Microsoft announced Windows 10X - a lightweight version of the Windows 10 - in 2019 as an
operating system designed for use on dual-screen devices. However, the company changed its mind
in 2020, announcing a pivot to focus on single-screen devices.
In a blog post last month, John Cable, the head of Windows servicing and delivery, wrote
that "the technology of Windows 10X could be useful in more ways and serve more customers than
we originally imagined."
Cable said that the best bits of Windows 10X would be integrated into the main version of
Windows 10.
Microsoft launched Windows 10 in July 2015 with a one-year free offer for users of Windows
Vista and Windows 7. In March 2019, the company announced that its PC operating system was
running on 800 million machines.
For Microsoft, Windows 10 is the source of 14 per cent of its total revenue, and it has
received two updates each year since its launch in 2015. The latest Windows 10 update, which
was rolled out last month, came with only a few changes.
Windows is powerful, but it often arrives on your PC as a bloated, crapware-filled mess.
Here's how to remove the bloatware and clean it up, without making things worse with more
crapware-filled helper apps.
Microsoft has recently reported that
Windows 10 is now running on over 75 million computers around the world, which signals a
great jump start for the new operating system that will be part of our life for years to
come.
Previously, I have share with you a number of good reasons
to why you should upgrade to Windows 10 , which included new technologies under the hood,
the return the Start menu, Cortana, Action Center, Settings app, and many new features and
changes. However, with the good there is always the bad. Today we're going to go through
fourteen reasons you should consider to halt the upgrade until a later feature packed update
gets released.
Let's look at some of the reasons why you should stay on your current version of the
operating system.
While the software giant has managed to fix many of the issues that cause the upgrade
process to fail, many users have been reporting failures to upgrade to Windows
10 due to different number of reasons. Some people are finding compatibility issues with
hardware and software, and there are situations where the operating system can't complete the
upgrade process. One of the most common issues has been the problem activating Windows
10.
2. It's not a finished product
Microsoft is changing the way it builds Windows, with the release of Windows 10, the company
will no longer release major upgrades. Instead, Microsoft is now offering "Windows as a
Service." Technically, Windows will never be considered complete, which means that the
operating system will continue to be a work in progress. As a result, we are likely to see more
bugs and other issues in the regular basis. Additionally, because we're in the early days, you
will see some missing features and inconsistency.
In my personal experience, I've seen some issues including bugs in the Start menu where
parts of the menu will just randomly disappear. Some Live Tiles also won't change accent color
automatically, and the Start menu will suddenly lose its color scheme.
The file picker doesn't render its background color correctly and picking one or more files
won't highlight what you're selecting.
Sometimes hovering over an app in the taskbar will display an empty preview, even though the
app is running.
Windows apps will suddenly crash or freeze more often than in Windows 8.1.
If you perform a clean install your email accounts won't migrate automatically to the new
Mail app, you'll have to set all your emails manually.
However, the good thing about the new update model is that the company will be releasing new
patches, fixes, and features as soon as they are ready.
3. The user interface still a
work in progress
While the new operating system offers an updated user interface, it fails short to be a
complete design. For example, there is a big inconsistency around the context menus.
Right-clicking on the desktop, using Start menu, taskbar, Mail app, and Microsoft Edge, just to
name a few scenarios, you will be presented with a different context menu style.
Also, Windows apps also show user interface fragmentation, as they offer different flyout
menu styles. On the Maps app, the menu will appear the left side of the screen, Microsoft Edge
on the right, and other apps such as Weather, Movie & TV, News, and others feature a
settings page that takes the entire real estate of the app.
Not only the settings are inconsistent among apps, but you will also find different rail
styles while clicking the hamburger menu. Some apps will overlay the menu on top of the app and
others will simply push the app content to the right.
Although these are small issues that shouldn't slow down your productivity, together with
other inconsistencies, can affect the user experience.
4. The automatic update dilemma
In the new operating system, Microsoft is also introducing a new way to update. Moving
forward out-of-the-box users are required to install every update the company pushes out. On
the good side of things, automatic updates are a good thing because it ensures that all users
(technical and non-technical) are always running the most up to date version of Windows 10 with the latest
security patches.
However, on the bad side of things, pushing an update even after being fully tested can
cause a serious headache to the end user. For example, there could be issues with graphic
drivers, or a new patch wasn't fully tested on certain configurations. These and other
scenarios can happen anytime, and if you're not a technical user, chances are it will be very
frustrating trying to go back to the last known good configuration.
5. Two places to
configure your settings
Windows 10 includes the Settings app, which is the new unified place to change and configure
many aspects of the operating system. It's also an upgrade to the PC settings in Windows 8, and
a feature that will eventually replace the Control Panel.
While the Settings app brings an easy way to manage your settings in Windows 10, the feature
is not complete. You're still required to jump to Control Panel to configure certain options of
the operating system.
For example, you can change your desktop background through the Settings app, but you'll
need to use the Control Panel when you need to change your Theme settings.
You can change your mouse settings via the Settings app, but you need to jump to Control
Panel to change the mouse pointer.
You can configure your Wi-Fi connection in the Settings app, but you still need go to
Control Panel to manage your network adapter settings.
As you can see in its current stage, Windows 10 doesn't have a consistent experience to
configure different options.
6. No more Windows Media Center or DVD playback
Microsoft is trying to build an operating system that is ready for the future. This also
involves retiring features it believes are not necessary. This is the case of Windows Media
Center and DVD playback features as the company continues to push its Xbox One as the Windows
entertainment hub for the biggest screen in the house.
As such, if you upgrade to Windows 10, you'll soon find out that Windows Media Center and
the ability to play DVDs are no longer available.
However, the removal of Windows Media Center shouldn't come to a surprise. The company has
not updated the feature in years, but there still many fans out there that feel the pain of
seeing WMC go away.
The removal of DVD playback was a decision Microsoft made because we're consuming more
online content than ever before. Also, adding the codecs to play DVDs adds extra cost to
licensing. The company now offers Windows DVD
Player in the Store , but you probably don't want to spend $14.99 on something that you can
get for free when using other applications such as VLC.
7. Problems with built-in Windows
apps
In the new operating system, Microsoft seems to be adding everything as an app. Now, we have
the Calculator, Alarms & Clock, Calendar, Camera, Cortana , Mail, Maps, and other apps. However, if
you don't like these apps, you can't uninstall them.
Another example is if you're running Windows 10, but you are a PlayStation 4 user. The Xbox
app for Windows 10 is pretty much useless and it's another app you can't uninstall.
Also, some of the apps feel half way cooked with missing features. You will see this with
the OneNote app, which doesn't offer any options to configure spell checking. You can see what
words are wrong, but it won't suggest any alternatives.
The Mail app is headed in the right direction, but it lacks many features found in the Mail
app for Windows 8.1. For example, with the new Mail app, I'm unable to view at a glance how
many new emails I have to go through on all my accounts. Also, previous accounts you have setup
on the Windows 8.1 Mail won't configure automatically in the new app. Many newsletter emails
also won't render HTML correctly, there aren't notifications when sending or syncing emails,
and you can't change the default conversation view of emails.
Additionally, other apps such as People are very basic with limited functionality or the
user interface just feels incomplete.
8. Cortana is limited to some regions
Cortana is one of the biggest features you can find in Windows 10, it's a very useful tool,
you can quickly search online or files locally and on OneDrive. Additional, functionality
includes the ability to track flights, packages, and keep you inform on anything you like.
You can use voice commands to control the assistant and even compose and send an email to
any of your contact hands-free.
There is no doubt that it's a true digital personal assistant that will only get better with
time. However, Cortana is only available in China, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, United
Kingdom, and the United States. As such, for users outside of the supported regions, this could
be considered another reason not to upgrade.
Note: Because Cortana is personal to you and to a region its being released, it takes time
for Microsoft to make the assistant available on different countries, but be sure that the
company is proactively working to bring Cortana to more regions.
9. Shutdown and reboot
take a long time
Perhaps is not a big deal for many users, but it's to me. One of many things I liked from
Windows 8.1 was the ability to reboot or shutdown in just a few seconds. I have a fairly new
Intel Core i7 and 16GB of RAM machine, and I don't know what's going on with Windows 10, but
now it can take minutes to reboot or shutdown.
Obviously, it's a problem that Microsoft have to address.
10. Devices with limited
storage are still limited
Microsoft is building Windows 10 to be an operating system that runs everywhere; your phone,
tablet, laptop, desktop, and even IoT devices. This is a great accomplishment that also allows
developers to build apps once and target millions of devices without much effort. However, at
this point, there is one important missing feature, which is the ability for devices with
limited space to use an external storage to install new apps to free up space.
The software giant already added an entry on the Settings app to allow users to use an
external storage to install new apps, but the feature isn't yet ready. As such, if you're
planning to upgrade a device with limited storage, you should consider this current
limitation.
11. OneDrive selective sync problem
In Windows 8, the software maker began integrating OneDrive in the operating system, which
also included the concept of placeholders. It's a feature that allowed users to browse OneDrive
files locally on the computer, but without downloading the file entirely. The placeholder
included some metadata information and a thumbnail, then if you needed to open the file, you
simply double-click the file to download and open with the default application.
One of the biggest advantages was the ability to have hundreds of gigabytes of files at your
fingertips without using much of your local storage. However, this brought the issue where many
people didn't know which files were available offline. As a result, Microsoft introduced
selective sync, which allows users to select which files are available in Windows 10. However,
the new sync functionality isn't very effective for users with many gigabytes of documents in
OneDrive and limited local storage.
While selective sync solves the problem of which files are available to the end users, many
other users see this as a problem. Microsoft should have added the two options, or come up with
a different approach.
12. Microsoft Edge isn't ready to replace your default web browser
(yet)
Microsoft Edge
is the new default web browser for Windows 10, it the software that finally replaces Internet
Explorer, and takes on Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox. However, the browser still in the
very early days.
You'll see that the user interface feels
incomplete , the current version doesn't include support for touch gestures. Extensions is
another feature the company has promised, but it will come on a later update. Also, many users
have reported that the browser crashes quite often. If you're not running Windows 10 on fairly
new hardware, you'll notice that the browser is very slow and even slower on sites with many
ads.
13. Continuum is not enough
Continuum is a new feature in Windows 10 that allows users on 2-in-1 devices to move from a
keyboard and mouse to a touch experience, while trying to keep the same level of
productivity.
While it's a great useful feature, it falls short on customization, many users will even
argue that the Tablet mode and touch gestures in Windows 10 are inferior to the Start screen in
Windows 8.
Also, the full screen Start menu is now on a vertical orientation and wastes valuable space
on the sides. You can't access the desktop unless you have a shortcut tile on Start to access
File Explorer.
If you're using virtual desktops, and you switch to Tablet mode, all your apps will then
arrange on a single group instead of different desktops. And the menu and apps buttons on the
Start screen can be a little confusing for some users.
14. Privacy concerns
Since the operating system launched on July 29th, there has been a lot controversy of what
information Microsoft collects to improve its services and functionality in Windows 10. If you
agree to install Window 10 on your computer, you will be giving Microsoft consent to collect,
by default, information about you, devices, application, search queries, application usage, and
even when you use voice input such as speech-to-text.
So, if you don't feel comfortable with the information the company collects, probably
Windows 10 isn't for you. However, keep in mind that Microsoft is very clear on what it
collects and Windows 10 provides some
ways to control your privacy .
Conclusion
As I previously wrote, there are a lot of good reasons to upgrade to Windows 10, but there
are also other reasons, such as the ones we looked at today. You may want to consider and hold
off the installation of the operating system until the next significant update or even
Redstone, which is a major update that should arrive in two parts in 2016.
Overall, Windows 10 works very well and seems stable to run on your primary device. However,
it feels that Microsoft may have rushed the operating system to get it out to the masses as
quick as possible.
In my opinion, the operating system can be considered a good upgrade for technical users
because there are great new features and tech savvy users can quickly think outside of the box
to resolve pretty much any problem. For regular users, it feels that Windows 10 needs to mature
a little bit more.
Have you encountered any issues in Windows 10? Will you recommend Windows 10 to your
parents or grandparents in its current stage? Let us know what you think in the comments
below.
If you get a notification that you have a "Microsoft account problem,"
you don't have a problem and you don't have to fix anything.
You
haven't been hacked and you don't have a virus.
Microsoft is
testing your patience.
(Update 09/2020: Try the tips in this article but they may not work. For
some people "" including on my own computers for the last few months ""
this notice still appears even after turning everything off. The only
suggestion I have left is to ignore it.)
How to stop the notifications
Click on Start / Settings (the gear in the left column).
Click on
System
.
Click on
Shared
Experiences
in the left column.
Turn off
Nearby
Sharing
and
Share
across devices
.
That should turn off the notifications. (Sometimes they keep popping up
even after those switches have been turned off. I can't explain that.)
Trust me "" you won't miss "shared experiences."
Background
The message reads: "
Microsoft
account problem
"" We need to fix your Microsoft account (most
likely your password changed). Select here to fix it in Shared
experiences settings."
If you see that message and you know you haven't changed any passwords
lately, you will worry that your Microsoft account has been hacked. Four
people called me on the same day last week about the scary message. They
had been putting in every password they could think of, trying to
resolve their "account problem." Nothing worked.
Out of curiosity, I have tried to fix the "problem" for several
different clients. I tested the credentials for their personal and work
accounts to make sure we had up to date passwords, then fed every
variation into the prompt at Shared Experiences, trying to satisfy it.
Nothing worked.
I'm pretty confident, then, that these two things are true for most
people:
There is nothing that needs to be "fixed." There appears to be a bug
in the way Microsoft has set up "Shared experiences" that brings up
an incorrect error message.
More importantly:
"Shared
experiences" is an obscure, nearly useless Windows feature that
should never call attention to itself. You aren't using it, you
won't use it, and it should be polite and shut up.
Message 1: "
Microsoft
Account
"" You need to fix your Microsoft Account for apps on
your other devices to be able to launch apps and continue experiences on
this device."
Message 2: "
Work
or school account problem
"" We need to fix your work or school
account before you can use shared experiences. Select this message to
open Settings and fix things."
I wrote
this
article two years ago
about those messages, which were just as wrong
then as the scary message you see today.
What are Windows 10 "Shared experiences"?
Let's zoom up to 36,000 feet and get the big picture.
Microsoft was badly burned when it missed the transition to mobile
devices. It wasn't for lack of trying! Before 2007 Microsoft had made
valiant efforts to develop handheld Windows devices. It was so
unsuccessful that when Apple introduced the iPhone, the world forgot
about Microsoft's mobile efforts. Today, most people think Apple
invented mobile computing.
After fumbling and flailing for a few more years, Microsoft launched a
new push to break into the iPhone/Android phone duopoly, redoubling its
efforts to develop a phone operating system and spending billions to
acquire Nokia and sell its own phones. The result: embarrassing failure,
layoffs, and huge write-downs.
Microsoft still has its dominant place in computer operating systems and
has brilliantly pivoted to enterprise services. It is embracing open
standards and has been avoiding the spotlight now being shone on other
tech companies for privacy and antitrust issues. As a result, Microsoft
is arguably the most successful tech company on the planet right now.
But Microsoft can't let go of its disappointment about being excluded
from the mobile world. The future belongs to the connections among our
devices, mostly mobile devices. Since Microsoft doesn't have its own
mobile platform, the company risks becoming irrelevant to consumers
unless they can be convinced to use Microsoft services to link their
devices together.
Thus the insistent push to store files in OneDrive, which with luck will
lead you to use OneDrive and the Office apps on your phone. (OneDrive is
doing pretty well.) Microsoft is retooling its Edge browser and will be
touting its ability to sync your bookmarks and preferences to the
Edge
mobile app
so that you can go back and forth between your computer
and your phone. (Edge has a user base of forty-three. That's not a
percentage, it's the number of people worldwide using Edge. I don't see
anything coming up that will change that.) Microsoft is putting
finishing touches on a new Windows app,
Your
Phone
, which will sync your Android phone to your computer and be
Fabulously Useful ™. (The Your Phone app will go nowhere "" some loyal
users, roundly ignored by everyone else.)
Shared Experiences is yet another halfhearted effort to create links
between our devices.
As
I wrote two years ago
:
In theory you can push your open web pages from your desktop
computer to your laptop, or transfer your work in a program on your
computer to the same program on your phone or tablet. "Shared
experiences" can be synced through the cloud as well as Bluetooth.
In addition to syncing your place in an app, it has the potential to
turn a mobile device into a remote control for, say, media playback
on the computer. There is also the chance to "invite others to use
apps with me," whatever that means.
The Shared Experiences feature was completely useless when it was
introduced two years ago. Nothing supported it. At best, it was only
going to be relevant if we used Microsoft apps on our phone that matched
the Microsoft programs on our computers "" and we don't. In any case, for
the most part, Microsoft apps were not ready to support Shared
Experiences, and third party developers showed no interest in supporting
it.
Today, two years later, I cannot find any evidence whatsoever that
anything has changed. If Microsoft is supporting this feature with its
own apps, it is not advertising that in anything I can turn up in a
Google search. I find zero evidence of any developer interest. It looks
like a feature begging to be abandoned.
Which makes the error message all the more infuriating. Microsoft has
had two years either to make this work smoothly or to get its feature
to
shut
up
.
This story ends in precisely the same place it did two years ago:
Microsoft showed you an unexplained error message instructing you to
fix your Microsoft account, which wasn't broken, for a feature that
does nothing now and might never do anything interesting ever.
I use a laptop and a PC simultaneously however only my browser is in sync. I use my mobile
for not much more than a telephone. My partner has a windows 10 laptop also.
If I want to share between computers I use Bluetooth, upload and download using my website,
use a USB stick, or email to myself. I do not want or need one drive. I do not need to use
my Microsoft account to share anything however I also get this harassment every day when I
boot up. I have spent untold unpaid hours searching for a way to block it
I remember when Yahoo had a service where people uploaded stuff and when Yahoo cancelled the
service there was nowhere else for the stuff to go.
Nothing is broken which needs fixing, no password relevant to Microsoft has been changed,
however I think the reference to "password" is the clue.
Possibly Microsoft wants windows users to sync their local computer log on password and
their Microsoft account password so that when you boot up your device, you will also log
into your Microsoft account.
Added to this is the persistent blocking by Microsoft of features in its Office Suite trying
to force me to change from a password to a PIN or something called "hello'. If you click to
"fix' this non-existent problem the only option offered is to use "hello'.
All this has achieved is I will not renew my Office 365 subscription next year.
I don't know the details yet but I've recently come to think that MS is pushing the
Windows Hello system (single-device PIN/fingerprint/camera) as a preferred alternative
to password login. I ran across a PC recently that asked for a PIN but didn't seem to
have the option to use a password instead, even though it had originally been set up
with a password. Seemed strange. Windows Hello is very secure "" it's good technology and
the goal of authenticating with something more secure than passwords is good. I'm
keeping my eye out to see where MS takes this.
I started getting a notification since I reinstalled Win 10 20H2 in January 2021.
The notification is as follows:
"Microsoft account problem
"We need to fix your Microsoft account (your password has probably been changed). Select
here to fix it in the Shared experiences settings."
Earlier, on December 30, 2018, I had installed Win 10 Home Version 1809 (32-bit version)
because my so-called local computer expert had warned that I might face driver problems with
the 64-bit version.
I updated up my Win 10 32-bit installation up to Win 10 20H2.
All these years, I never once got the above (or similar) notification.
Finally, this January, I took the leap and did a fresh install of the Win 10 Home 20H2
(64-bit version).
The installation went very smoothly, and I did not encounter any driver problems.
But soon after the fresh installation, I began to get frequent notifications that I have
mentioned above.
What did I do differently?
The first time (when I had installed the 32-bit version), I had entered the Windows product
key.
The second time (in January 2021), I opted not to put in the Windows product key (as advised
by some tech sites) and opted to activate using my Microsoft account.
I have tried many of the solutions proposed above (and by the Microsoft site listed below),
but to no avail.
I wonder if the notification from Microsoft are related to the fact that I did not use the
Windows product key and instead opted to activate my account with my Microsoft account.
Is anyone who installed Windows with the product key getting these notifications?
Thanks in advance.
Please note: I am posting this message on the following sites:
Good question. I haven't done an install with a product key for years. In the last year
or so, I've seen this password popup frequently and it's become harder or impossible to
make it stop. I tell people to ignore it "" a pretty weak answer but the best I've got.
The notification is not as frequent as before, but it still pops up now and
again.
Today, it popped up after a two-week gap.
So, no silver bullet yet.
Looks like I have to reinstall Win 10 using the product key.
ella
on
January 8, 2021 at 6:23 pm
This has been annoying me for months. Thank you for giving me something to try. Not even
sure why I had shared experiences on as I'm not trying to share anything with other devices.
I constantly get this notification on my desktop but not my on laptop which are both on the
same Microsoft account tried everything but it pops up at least once a week very annoying
and strange.
Well, no, it won't, not this problem. Fun fact: Windows does hard drive diagnostics
behind the scenes and drives have become more reliable "" I haven't had to pull out
chkdsk in a long time.
Albert van Leeuwen
on
December 23, 2020 at 3:54 am
Run regedit
Go to:
Computer\HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Office\16.0\Common\Identity\Identities
Clear string value FriendlyName
Export \identities and save as NoFriendlyName.reg
Make batch file containing this text:
REG IMPORT C:\Users\amvla\Documents\RegImportNoFriendlyName.bat
Save batch file as RegImportNoFriendlyName.bat
In Task Scheduler make task to launch RegImportNoFriendlyName.bat at log on.
Is it possible to notify Microsoft of all these sorts of problems? I'd sure like to inform
them of how incredibly annoying everything involved with their Microsoft Accoumt is.
I get the notification- need to fix account but I think the prompt is due to not being
signed into Microsoft account as it does not exist anymore. I closed it maybe two years ago.
I try not to use Microsoft anything much. No email, no Office, Edge, etc. Just stuff that I
don't need to be logged in for once in a while. No way to stop it buggin me as far as I can
figure out. I use a local account and password or at least I guess that's what I do but I
don't use much of Windows that I can help. Pretty much Chrome and stuff. Thanks for allowing
me the space to ramble.
This seems to also be tied into Windows Update. I had to search for a "fixed" driver to use
my Samsung S10+ as a hotspot on Saturday because the default NDIS driver wouldn't work" and
this has been happening every day since.
I have no sharing options turned on, no accounts linked in the "View apps and services "",
etc. I simply have no need to share with other devices, since in order for search queries to
*not* be customized (I hate reinforcement bias limiting my results) I have my browsers set
to always delete history. This is a new machine, never had any accounts on it other than
mine, so there are no hidden ids from a previous user.
And FWIW in my experience you *can't* delete a Microsoft account; it is the only way to
enable updates, and if you don't get updates it will eventually break, because in
Microsoft's eagerness to "be mobile" that's one model they've followed perfectly: don't
allow the user to refuse updates and keep what they have that's working just fine, force
them to participate in the madness.
Don't get me started on Samsung's little attempt at trickery " suffice to say my next phone
"" after 6 Samsungs in a row" will *not* be a Samsung. Troo dat.
Thanks. This has been occuring on my MS Win10 box, and gets annoying "" part of the reason
why it's still an optional box, not my main one. (I use Linux on the desktop.
And
being "Linux-bred" as one might say, I did take the chance to disable as many of the
unnecessary options in Settings as I felt necessary, and it's still turning up!
Thank you for this: I just hope it works! This is yet another irritation which I think was
just introduced with Windows 10. What a disaster! I'm being driven into the arms of Linux ""
I should have done it years ago. Again, thank you for your help.
Turning off "Nearby Sharing" and "Share across devices" has no effect on the
notification "We need to fix . . .". I have 1 Hotmail account I use and no other apps
and devices I want to share. I still get this error message every time I start my PC.
I get this damn message every day. I have several accounts I use for different things (for
example, it's the only I can play the same game with two different accounts). I click "fix"
and put in all the passwords, and the message goes away "" till the next day. I already have
shared experiences turned off. I am so SICK of this!
I keep getting it too. On the PC that uses outlook email account, it will not operate the
email unless I fix the account which I do by confirming the MS login & password. I disables
all the sharing options "" no effect
I keep getting these notifications from Microsoft about fixing my husband's account . He
passed away last year and I deleted his email account. Our email accounts were linked. When
I try to amend this, Microsoft say his account no longer exists, but then I get daily
notifications to say his account needs to be fixed! I tried the help line and requested to
speak to a person not a computer. I waited and waited to be connected and then gave up. Any
suggestions?
Although there might be other things that need to be addressed about his account, the
easiest thing (and possibly the only thing) to do with these notifications is ignore
them.
yep that's why she was having to me but I called the lawn if my sister-in-law she
backed off my accounts and now I got my came back and my coach and I like they're
showing up stuff at me for I got to relearn it. She blocked me and stop me and kept
me out of all my phones in my computer's she has control and access to all my stuff
and I didn't give her access to it I still got a credit card in my phone I can't get
it off I do know if you can help me I have I know I got bitches out there I know
that I started and then she put them in there and do whatever she asks him to it ok
I don't know none of the name don't know how to get to names so I can claim company
back and I do not know what domain she's using stocking do I got to do to get it off
my I get it off my accounts and out of my name I'll get it to where is transferred
and only my name is she can get access to it
You called the lawn? What did it say? Did it help you with the annoying
notification Windows is displaying? If so, can I have that lawn's email so I can
ask it some more indepth questions please?
Thank you! I laughed out loud. I too wondered what the "lawn's" Email
address would be!!
rmhartman
on
August 6, 2020 at 10:54 am
What I am more interested in is what happens if you press the [Fix Now] button? I sure as
heck am not going to blindly press a box that lets Microsoft do whatever the heck they think
needs to be done to "fix" whatever situation they _think_ is happening. Tell me what's
wrong, darn it, and let me take care of it. But a blind "let us fix it for you"? Hell no.
So " do you have any idea what this button actually does when pressed?
Microsoft has an elaborate collection of troubleshooting tools built into Windows 10 ""
look in Settings / Update & Security / Troubleshoot. I haven't used many of them but
occasionally they turn out to be quite helpful. One of them may be what's launched by
that Fix It button. There's a similar elaborate set of troubleshooting tools for Office
365 ""
Microsoft
Support & Recovery Assistant for Office 365
. There's no way to know what any of
these tools do, but the Office 365 tool is frequently the only way to fix problems with
licenses, connectivity, or whatever.
So it's Microsoft roulette. Will it fix the problem, miss the point, or make things
worse? That's a familiar game these days.
I have clicked the Fix Now button multiple times and it always comes back with the error
message to the extent of "You need internet for that. You are not connected to the
internet". Followed by a code #
I tried the "fix" button and I got a pop-up saying "OOPS something went wrong " connect
to account.live.com "" which was useless. I suspect that the message will go away once I
hand over my Visa card #, but I won't.
I've lost track of what's going on with this message. The fixes I suggested in the
article don't seem to work any more. I can't find a pattern to it "" I saw it for a
while, didn't change anything, and now it hasn't popped up for a while on my own
computers. Frustrating problem!
I know what happens! It tells you that your account name "is ALREADY a Microsoft domain
name" and there is NO password that I gave to MS that will allow me to access my account
(or domain). I've only tried 6-7 times to "fix' something that wasn't broken. No more. I
get the "problem' message a few times a week and I just ignore it.
I have been battling this infuriating message for months. I tried everything else, including
turning off "Shared Experiences". No joy. I added a new local account and started using
that. No joy.
Below is what seems to be working for me. It was really simple so maybe worth a try"
Following up" I have not seen this notification since I deleted my Windows Hello PIN and
started using a local account. I am calling my particular flavor of this nuisance
resolved. Good luck to everyone still battling this.
I've been having this problems for months. Im trying Shared Experiences method. Thank
you. I did notice every time another country tried to sync my email, unsuccessfully, the
next day I got this message to fix my account. don't know if that's a trigger too.
I have four computers and two e-mails work and home. My switches referenced here are turned
off. Microsoft seems to want me t have a separate e-mail for each computer which I think is
rather stupid. Two of the computers are running BOINC and I don't need to check them very
often. It appears if I succumb to the stupidity and let them create a Microsoft e-mail for
each machine I can get rid of the error.
But then just try deleting the account"! Might happen in 60 days, or not.
They have no precaution for a hacked account, which should never have been hackable in
the first place"""""
For what it's worth one tech told me that this occurs when you inherit a machine from
another user, and some functions require the old userid. When the old user changes their
password, this "your password changed" stupidly nonspecific error message appears.
I know, not much of an answer, and particularly frustrating since you are not told WHICH
function is trying to log in with the old userid. Just giving you guys one more avenue to
consider.
I started getting the error message when I voluntarily changed my password, which makes
no sense. Why would they ask me to change my password for changing my password? That
creates an endless cycle. I will not change it again.
I've been seeing this notification pop up on machines where there is simply no good
explanation. It's maddening and my tips don't always work "" even on my own laptop!
Makes me crazy.
Nothing works. It just keeps coming back. I wasn't even sure I had a microsoft account until
this started happening. Apparently it's not important to have an account if they can notify
you that it has problems and the problems make no difference whatsoever to the functioning
of your computer.
Am having a problem to open my micro account and I don't know what to do,especially when I
am trying to download eg facebook lite and any application.downloading music
and
streaming is actually working so please I need your help now in order for me to open a store
Hi! Thank you for doing this. Same problem here, also with Shared Experience insisting FIX
NOW. And this, while share options are, and stay, OFF. The Microsoft account for this email
address had its password changed 3 months ago "" 3 months of that notification aarrgghh, but
seems to function ok. I am sure, by a hacker. Because it coincided with definite hacking via
this email address of my Facebook, Amazon, GoDaddy. All three now fixed but Microsoft is
less helpful. I ask for a OTP but it wants to send it to a gmail address I don't recognise
(the hacker's?). I complete the required form to get in. A dozen ways, a dozen rejection
emails. Even though I've given additionally loads of Skype info "" that only I could know ""
that's linked to the email address and Mic account. And it's old enough to have a unique
Skype name alongside the unique email address. Insult to inury .. the rejection emails offer
the fact that emails on this address/account, their subject and addressee, would help " but
I am never given the option or any method of providing these on the form that gets assessed.
Help!! Anything I've not tried, but should?! Thank you again .. DB
I have tried RichH's Feb 1 suggestion above on my PC and so far it seems to be working. I
simply switched from PIN Microsoft login authentication to local login (windows
settings->accounts->sign-in options). I then switched it back to my usual PIN. So far so
good. Thanks, Rich and Bruce. Fingers crossed!
I have had much the same frustrations and annoyances, using my MS Surface Pro4. However, I
continue to act on its prompts, as I have associated it (right or wrong) with my "Inbox's
lagging up to three days in recording messages received. These are later confirmed, when it
finally "catches-up". (After "Fixing" my "need to up-date my Account". I too puzzle, with
all this long history "" why wont/doesn't MS just FIX the problem?? It would seem a matter of
its "integrity"!
I'm trying your fix first, but while checking notifications I noticed 2 things. First, no
notification for Microsoft Account (no real surprise) but second, the app Nearby Sharing is
listed twice. Nothing else is.
But I'm prepared to use the old IT solution of chicken entrails on the keyboard at midnight,
if need be.
I've been running into this issue, turning off sharing to no avail. Whenever I clicked Fix
Now, I'd go to a login dialog with my work account that uses Office 365. After months, I
then did a search in the Windows search bar for work account, and came to an "Access Work or
School'. Found my work account there, removed it, and the notifications have gone. For now"
I've probably changed my work or office 365 password in the past, and the preserved old
password on my own Win 10 machine has been out of synch as a result.
Steps:
Go to Settings, Accounts, Access work or School. There is a option to remove Office 365
accounts that way.
Hope this helps someone else" I too had the issue with the pop-up despite me disabling
shared experience.
I went to action center and told it I didn't want to see this again. As soon as I did I got
a new message in AC telling me that an account in "mail" needed attention. I haven't used
mail in years now that I use Outlook. So I opened mail and lo and behold my work email
account for which the password would have expired many moons ago. I deleted this account
from mail and went back to shared experiences. I clicked the "fix account" and rather than
it pop up with a password prompt it instantly changed to "all accounts are working properly"
Sounds promising. Fingers crossed. Maybe be worth others looking at Win10 apps they may have
once sync'd with an external account that has since had a password change.
Total BS None of these suggestions work.. Nobody here has identified the cause, obviously. I
know the cause" MS has dropped the ball on the quality of their developers" End of story.
Oh, its so embarrassing when I make simple grammar mistakes! Their's really
no excuse. Thanks for a feedbacks!
Reiko
on
April 13, 2020 at 5:21 am
The most annoying thing is each time I went to fix it I lost my language setting, my
documents in folders, even my photo folder on the desk top! So I have to save files and
photos into WD before trying fixing the warning message. I have been doing this once a
week!, which is too much! Each time my desk top are swiped out. I wonder if this relates
that I use Chrome instead of Microsoft Edge.
That sounds like a bigger problem than just the notification. 大変ですね！（私も -- 本"す"でいます。）No,
using a different browser will not cause such things. I use both Firefox and Chrome, and
I never use Edge.
It sounds like your user settings are getting lost or confused. Documents, Pictures,
etc. are folders specific to the logged-in user, and language setting is also unique to
each user. So if you create a new user, or log in as a different user, those things will
seem to disappear. It is important to log in as the same user every time.
I can't believe that I didn't notice that the Microsoft Account problem notifications were
coming from the Settings notification. I will turn that off and see if those notifications
stop.
Turning off the Microsoft Account notification did not stop the problem after all. The
notification still shows up from time to time.
Also, to Bruce Berls, I don't have the option to tell the admin to change the policy. It was
quite a few years ago that one of my son's college professors gave the class the Office 365
pro -plus download with a permanent subscription. He can't be contacted anymore.
That -nonsense- has been irritating me for too long. I deleted the "I don't know how it got
there' account today. "and am waiting with bated breath to see how long before MS puts it
back.
"
A comment about where mobile madness began: General Magic.
No, not a magic show, tho' in those days the ideas that came from that group of people might
have been seen as magic(or insanity). It was startup company and is a movie/Documentary that
has quite an amazing story to tell.
[FYI, IMDb has a trailer for it via `https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6849786/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1`
if interested.]
Turning off the Microsoft Account in the Notifications & actions list definitely stopped the
Microsoft account problem notifications. It seems like a lot of people don't have the
Microsoft Account setting in the Notifications & actions list. In my case one my son's
professors gave his class a lifetime subscription to Microsoft Office 365 Pro-Plus a few
years back. Roughly every 3 months the password has to be changed. I get a notification from
Microsoft Work or School account 2 weeks prior to the password expiration. After changing
the password I would get the Microsoft Account Shared Experiences notification. In Shared
experiences it would say Fix account . It was simply a matter of updating the password then
it would say all accounts are working properly again. At some point however the Microsoft
Account problem notifications kept coming for whatever reason. So in the future I'll check
the Shared experiences after updating the Work or School account password to see if it needs
to be fixed since I now have the Microsoft Account notification turned off. Hope this is
helpful to someone.
Fun fact about password changes: In the early days of Office 365, accounts were set up
by default with a 90-day password expiration policy. For a short while, it was
effectively impossible to change that; then for a while it could be set to longer
periods or set to never require changes, but it could only be done with Powershell
commands.
As time went on, the conventional wisdom changed and now it's widely believed that
frequent password changes make you LESS safe "" because people choose new passwords
poorly (adding a number to the end of the password, say), or they write passwords down
on post-its attached to their monitor.
Now Microsoft puts up a big notice in the Office 365 admin dashboard urging admins to
change the password policy to "never expire."
So if you're being prompted to change your password every 90 days, tell your admin to
change the policy and give you a break.
Hi. Turning off Shared experiences didn't work. I just checked the System/Notifications
&actions list and I do have a Microsoft Account on the list. I just turned it off and have
to wait and see if that stops those annoying notifications. I'll post back if this worked
for me or not.
Microsoft seem to have managed to make it even worse" the fix of disabling Shared
Experiences worked for me for a few months, but now I'm getting the notification on every
boot again, despite Shared Experiences still being disabled. The behaviour is the same as
before, as soon as I click the notification about supposed account problems, I get to the
Settings page for Shared Experiences, which says that all accounts are working correctly.
I'm not sure if it was a Windows 10 feature update I might have installed in the meanwhile
that broke things even more, but I'm currently on Windows 10 Pro version 1909 build
18363.657. I didn't write down the build I was on when the fix still worked.
Interesting! I haven't seen that yet. FWIW, on my own computer I turned off
all
Windows
notifications. It's very peaceful. (Settings / System / Notifications & actions / turn
off "Get notifications from apps and other senders")
I have followed various recommendations for solving this problem, and nothing makes any
difference. Having followed Microsoft's own instructions for "fixing' it, I got the message
"All accounts are working correctly' "" but I still get the "Microsoft account problem we
need to fix your Microsoft account' notification many times throughout each day.
Thank you Bruce, and other commenters. I have tried your settings. Fingers crossed. FWIW I
actually DID go through the laborious process of changing my password for an account I never
use! Still get the stupid message.
I guess you know the joke about the helicopter pilot lost in fog over Seattle. Edges up to a
building, holds a sign in the window: "Where am I?"
People in the building hold up a sign: "You are in a helicopter"
The pilot then had his orientation. It was clear he was at the Microsoft Building.
I had this problem for about a month and managed to fix it last week. In my case it had
nothing to do with Shared Experiences or waiting for network connections to become
available. The problem was related to the process by which the *locally stored* PIN or
Picture Password is used to authenticate against the *real* MS account password when you
sign-in. I can't find a detailed technical explanation of exactly how this process works,
but in my case that mechanism seems to have become corrupted. Thankfully though, the
solution was to simply switch to a different sign-in method i.e. instead of using a Picture
Password, set up a PIN or vice-versa. This seems to reset and fix the authentication
mechanism so that it now works correctly and I can successfully sign-in using either a
Picture Password or PIN without those infuriating notifications popping up" at least until
it breaks again!
UPDATE "" After six months of peace and quiet the dreaded notification returned! And,
this time, no amount of switching back and forth between different sign-in options
fixed the problem, so clearly something else was at play. But after a bit of digging
I found the culprit.
In Settings, Accounts, Sign-in Options, there is a Privacy section at the bottom
with a switch to enable/disable the following setting:
"Use my sign-in info to automatically finish setting up my device and reopen my apps
after an update or restart".
After disabling this setting the "account problem" notification was banished once
more. Re-enabling the setting caused the notification to re-appear.
Disabling this setting prevents many Start-up programs from starting until AFTER you
log in (just like Windows XP used to do), including OneDrive synchronisation which I
think is the problem application here. If, like me, you have a lot of Start-up
programs, I'm guessing that OneDrive synchronisation times out whilst all those
other programs are starting up, logging in and doing their stuff. Even though the
syncronisation service (OneSyncSvc / Sync Host) is set to a delayed start, I'd guess
that the system is still too busy for OneDrive Sync to get a look in and, when it
fails, that triggers the "account problem" notification. By preventing many of the
Start-up programs from starting until after you log in, the system is at least a bit
less busy and OneDrive Sync is then able to complete its task successfully.
I'm going to try disabling a few Start-up programs that I don't really need (eg.
Skype, Send to OneNote Tool, Spotify etc.) and then try re-enabling the setting
above to see if OneDrive Sync then has sufficient time and resources to complete its
Start-up routine successfully.
Oh, nice detective work! The notice has also been popping up on my computers in
the last month or so. I've never seen that setting and the explanation is opaque
about what it does. I'm going to play a bit and see if I can replicate what you
describe. Thanks!
I was having this problem on my Desktop but not my Notebook or Tablet. I think I finally
fixed it.
When I went to Shared Experiences, those two BluTooth options did not appear, so I couldn't
verify that they were off, or turn them off if there were on. I only have BT on my Desktop
via one of those USB plug in thingies. When not in use, which is almost always, I don't have
it pushed in all the way so it's not seen by the system. I pushed it in and the Shared
Experiences options came up. Lo and behold, Share Across Devices was turned on. I turned it
off and I haven't seen the problem message since, even with the BT device pulled out.
Brilliant, thank you. I'll try the various approaches "" yours and commenters. But just
knowing this is corporate wishful thinking run amok and I can blissfully ignore is valuable
information. Found you on Google search, I just subscribed.
Thank you for this intelligent and empathetic write-up.
In my case, unfortunately, changing the "Shared experiences" settings has not done away with
the nuisance. The only difference I see from your description is that the settings dialog,
instead of saying "all accounts are working properly", says (in red) "Some of your accounts
require attention 【Fix now'" I am using Win 10 Pro, 64-bit, version 1903, OS build
18362.592.
Just began receiving the annoying "Microsoft account problem" notification about three days
ago. Have turned off the Shared Experiences, but unfortunately, I am still receiving the
notifications. Have read that switching to a local account, as opposed to a Microsoft
account, may resolve the issue, but I have yet to do that. Will give that a go and see if I
am still pestered by the notifications. Really, enough to drive anyone absolutely barmy.
Hi Bruce,
Don't know if this helps, but I get the "Microsoft account problem" notification every
single time I boot up my PC. I've noticed that every time I open the Microsoft "Mail" app it
tells me "Your account settings are out of date" and it gives me three options:
*A "Learn more" link, which is a link to a Microsoft "help" page (it's useless by the way)
*A "Fix account" button
*A "Dismiss" button.
Selecting "Fix account" brings up a Pop-up box titled "Attention required" (the rest of the
box is blank), a second pop-up comes up (no title "" completely blank) and a third pop-up
comes up titled "Windows Security" where I enter my PC's Login Password. After entering my
password the third box disappears, the second box displays a message but disappears too
quickly and the Third box says the problem is fixed. My email account then starts
downloading messages.
It's as if the PC settings are forgetting that the built in mail app is connected to my
account and is flagging it "" hence the "Microsoft account problem" notification?
For info, I've never had "Nearby sharing" or "Share across devices" turned on. The pop-up
used to be once every so often and it's gradually gotten more and more persistant, until now
"" it's every single time!
If I find anything else about this I'll come back and share it.
Good luck everyone.
Microsoft's password prompts are out of control. I'm running into them constantly for
Office programs that demand proof that there's a license in force. So frustrating!
I'm honestly not sure why that warning exists. It would take a rather bizarre
sequence of events to disconnect from a business account or disrupt your data.
But for what it's worth, if you think you can't log in, make sure you know that
you can switch to your password "" click on Sign-In Options below the prompt.
There shouldn't be any danger to changing your PIN while you're signed in.
I get the same problem. Started when MS sent my account number to a corrupted email address.
naturally I did not receive it. The instructions to correct it did not work, just went round
in a never ending circle. Re-applied with my correct address and things went through ok. But
the old one is still there and impossible to remove. I've given up now.
MS made some mistakes but mainly by not following-thru with their ideas and being late with
others. The sturdy Nokia Windows Phone was a breakthru as a sandbox device, not having to
worry about virus infections, but was let down by poor and few applications and timing to
market.
The concept of shared devices is important today for me in business and will be in the
future for many where you can get/use your data anywhere and on any device. Someone needs to
design a secure application that works cross-platform seemlessly, securely and quickly and
for (ideally) free. If MS can do this then I am one of the Shared Experience guys that would
use it and their platforms. I already use MS Launcher on Android and find it works resonably
well apart from this annoyng bug which is the subject of this article. Waiting patiently..
I bought a new Win 10 laptop for a grandson. I set it up without the need to log in on start
up. Almost straight away I started getting the "Microsoft Account Problem" Notification"
I've tried the method above regarding Shared Experiences with no luck. I've also changed my
password and attempted to address the problem through the settings area with no results.
Is there any way that someone could communicate with the "suits" at Microsoft and ask them
why they are sending this message? I get it ion the Action Center every time I start the
computer. It's really annoying.
hi I am 57 and not computer savvy. I keep getting the message. could it be that it is
because I have just been using an old computer for somethings. it says the old account is
and wont take my old pass word. please help an old fart lol
I think the message for me might be related to something different. I set up a Surface
tablet for a friend and installed an old version of Office on it and logged in with my MS
account. I have since changed my password and I think that person never set up their own MS
account so the old account info is trying to update"..I could be wrong tho
Today there is no problem; no daft messages about passwords and my MS Account:
For some reason W10 suddenly asked for my Pincode under Settings/Accounts. as evidence of my
identity. "" even though I have been logging on with the same Pincode umpteen times during my
efforts to solve the MS Account problem.
I have no idea when this demand for Confirmation of identity appeared.
I may have provoked it underways " ?
1 "" I have now confirmed my identity under Settings/Accounts.
2- I have logged on to my MS Outlook account. directly online, and in Office, and left them
open.
3 "" I have incidentally reloaded a reader extension for Chrome which was messing up my virus
updates and/or messages.
It may have no relevance to the MS Account issue of course. Just mentioning it.
Many thanks for some perspective and a reset of my sanity.
W7 is so much better, but I only have a month now before W7 updates cease.
I have had both Shared experience options turned off for a while:
It doesn't stop the messages, but the options do stay off.
Yes, I have the same suspicion that the lack of network connection is freaking it out
(Daniel november 12):
I had to log into a Microsoft account, to use a one-time code from Gmail, so I could link my
Gmail to Outlook. (There was the irony that the one-time code was rejected, wheras using the
MS account password again worked, )
Since then I have logged off the MS account, and I suspect the problem (for me) is due to
the lack of immediate network connection.
But I ignore the demands for pincode and just open Outlook anyway.
I have also removed Onedrive (although the folder remains), which may have MS account
issues.
The correct perspective is perhaps afterall to hide the symptom and don't try to cure W10,
(Karen E november2).
Just to get closure "" on this issue.
Don't expect MS to solve this W10 issue any time soon. I have just left a string going back
to 2013 and W8 with just this problem.
There were 100 entries "" on this one string "" so this is truly a Shared Experience.
i would like to have one password, rather than having to remove the need for any passwords.
it just keeps coming back.
it is a microsoft update feature to show you why you should get away from microsoft. fallen
from innovation to cheap privacy theft.
I was receiving the same message to fix shared experiences across devices. I ignored
message, than one day I clicked on it and decided to turn off nearby sharing and share
across devices. When I did that my PC became much faster and I felt that shared experiences
is worthless. But almost every time I turn on my PC the notice pops up again and when I go
back to shared experiences the nearby sharing was off but the share across devices was
turned back on again so I turned it off again. Now every time I turn on my computer share
across devices is back on, so I keep shutting it off where I enjoy a faster internet. Every
time I turn on my computer share across devices is always somehow turned back on so the
first thing I do is turn it off before using it . Very frustrating. I don't know why it
keeps turning back on and if anyone else is still getting notices to fix shared experiences
after you turned everything off, chances are nearby sharing is turned back on.
Thank you for this very helpful (and very funny) article that puts things into a proper
perspective. In addition to the mentioned problems, I've been receiving phone calls in which
a female voice from India haltingly announces, "Hello, I'm from Microsoft and we are
receiving worrying signals from your computer ""
At first I assumed this was a simple scam and put down the phone, then I thought it might be
connected with the problem-message of the Microsoft account, and now I wonder what to say if
they call again. They seem very persistent "" any thoughts?
It's a scam! Microsoft does not call to fix your PC. In fact, I wrote a whole article
about that ""
Microsoft
Does Not Call To Fix Your PC
. And there's a bigger issue "" the volume of robocalls
is steadily increasing, from criminals and scammers.
Here's
more info about that
. Here's my advice from that article:
"The most effective thing you can do is: don't answer calls from numbers you don't
recognize. Leave messages when you call people you know, and count on real people
leaving messages for you if you don't pick up.
"If you answer the phone and discover it's a telemarketer, don't engage a live person in
any kind of conversation and don't hit 1 "to be added to our Do Not Call list." Any
response will confirm that it's a live number, which moves the number to a list that is
called more often."
Hang up, shake your head about the state of the world, and move on. Be careful out
there!
Totally agreed with your article on Microsoft. My clients frequently gnash their collective
teeth at them.
There is a verse in the Bible that includes the phrase "let not your right hand know what
your left is doing". I suspect Microsoft view that as direction to them, not a verse about
giving alms to the poor".
I, also get the same notification. I would simply delete it but have now decided to just
leave it up and ignore it.
Wonder if whom/what ever will be aware of it and just give up. I will leave it up for 2
months and see what happens.
Yes, it is a PIA. Guess it's just another annoyance.
Thank you for the quick solution, and thank you for the amusing write-up to go along with
it!
When the Settings page opens after clicking the notification, there's a message saying "All
accounts are working correctly," which makes me believe that this might be a timing issue. I
get this notification after every boot, so it might be freaking out about not being able to
log in while the network connection is not even available yet. Software testing is hard. I
initially also thought that clicking the notification might simply open the wrong Settings
page, because it's so confusingly worded.
If I had to think of a feature name that most offensively sounds like it does absolutely
nothing of any use, "Shared Experiences" might be something I'd have come up with.
Hey Bruce. It's funny how Microsoft Windows 10 is a whole different from system to system
even with the same software version. The one i'm using don't have either the "Microsoft
Account" switch under notifications (like your) but also in "Nearby Sharing" it's only two
sections: 1) Accounts 2) Share Across Devices. It doesn't have the whole "Nearby Sharing"
section. So i ALREADY had "shared across devices" turned off and it's still pestering me
with the messages.
At this point I've lost track of what to expect. My laptop is set up with a local
account, not a personal MS account, and it's been updated to version 1903. I've got the
same sharing options, including Nearby Sharing. So I have no idea why you're not seeing
it. Oh, Microsoft!
I also am still getting the notifications even with those two settings off. [I also get a
complaint from Calendar (which I don't use) saying that my Outlook account (which I don't
have) settings are out of date "" I suspect the two are related.]
But Gina's suggestion to turn off notifications for Microsoft Account and Calendar seems the
wrong way to go about this "" I want to fix the root cause, not just prevent Windows from
telling me about it.
[BTW: Bruce, I'm sure you have that option. Under System -> Notifications & actions, as long
as the main switch right under "Notifications" is on, you can scroll farther down to "Get
notifications from these senders" and there should be a list of apps and services whose
notifications you can silence individually.]
I love this mystery! I don't have "Microsoft Account" listed in
System
/ Notifications & actions / Get notifications from these senders
. This just
occurred to me "" I don't have my PCs linked to an individual Microsoft account. (
More
about that here
.) One is linked to a business Office 365 account, one isn't linked
to any online account. I bet the "Microsoft Account" option has something to do with
that connection. That doesn't tell us what you're being notified about, though.
Hello. I have had this problem for a while, turned off the shared experiences option several
times without success.
The message always came back.
So I did Settings/Systems/Notifications and actions. Scrolled down to "Get notificatons from
these apps'.
I turned off notifications from Microsoft Account. Nothing has come back so far. Fingers
crossed. Not sure why I would need notifications from my Microsoft accoun anyway, the only
one I've ever had is this irritating "Fix it', pointless warning,
You have a slider to turn notification on/off from "Microsoft Account"? That's
fascinating. I don't think I've ever seen that. I don't have it on my PCs. I wonder what
that's about?
First of all those idiots assume that each phone have test capability. Second the whole idea
of binding your PC to microsoft email account is extremely idiotic and smell with total
surveillance.
LO LoLOuT
Created on February 9, 2019 Login Problem Call us overprotective...
...but we need to make sure you can receive a security code if you ever lose access to this
account. (idiotism)
Where should we send your code? and shows my **** old email which i had 20 years ago and i
dont remember it i think its dead by now. also i changed my email from here
We use your contact details to deliver important information about your account. It also
helps friends to find you on Skype and Skype for Business.
Add Email address then i changed old email to myfuckingnewemail.gmail.com its just example
:D gave it Primary Email status but i still get old email from login what should i do with this
bug
i have this account from my lifetime so i dont want lose it for some childish developers
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Replies (1) îœ RA Rain_A
While it's great to hear that you've never had problems with your account, it's still
important to have insurance against accidents and that's what security info is.
Also, while you might be good at remembering your passwords, you never know when someone
might try to compromise your account. Having up-to-date security info helps protect against
that too. Also, security info is the key to getting back into an account if you ever forget
your password or if someone tries to break into your account. Without that info, you could
permanently lose access to your account, your games, apps, subscriptions, email, photos, and
files so we occasionally ask customers to confirm their info is accurate so that doesn't
happen.
I also sent you a private message which you can via this link:
https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/privatemessage/inbox?tm=1549741139506
Microsoft officials made the announcement on Day 1 of its virtual Build 2021 developers
conference. From a report: During his Day 1 keynote, CEO Satya Nadella basically
acknowledged there will be another event "soon" about the next Windows. He said: ""And soon we
will share one of the most significant updates of Windows of the past decade." He said he has
been self-hosting it over the past several months and called it "the next generation of
Windows."
Microsoft released a preview of Linux GUI apps on the Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL)
in April, 2021. This capability is meant to allow developers to run their preferred Linux
tools, utilities and apps directly on Windows 10. With GUI app support, users can now run GUI
apps for testing, development and daily use without having to set up a virtual machine.
Posted by msmash on Monday May 17, 2021 @12:02PM from the how-about-that dept. Microsoft
is launching the personal version of Microsoft Teams today. After previewing the service nearly
a year ago, Microsoft Teams is now
available for free personal use amongst friends and families . From a report:
The service itself is almost identical to the Microsoft Teams that businesses use, and
it will allow people to chat, video call, and share calendars, locations, and files easily.
Microsoft is also continuing to offer everyone free 24-hour video calls that it introduced in
the preview version in November.
You'll be able to meet up with up to 300 people in video calls that can last for 24
hours. Microsoft will eventually enforce limits of 60 minutes for group calls of up to 100
people after the pandemic, but keep 24 hours for 1:1 calls.
While the preview initially launched on iOS and Android, Microsoft Teams for personal
use now works across the web, mobile, and desktop apps. Microsoft is also allowing Teams
personal users to enable its Together mode -- a feature that uses AI to segment your face and
shoulders and place you together with other people in a virtual space. Skype got this same
feature back in December.
Microsoft has bifurcated Windows several times over the years, and every time it did, the
decision to do so ended badly. First, there was OS/2 vs. Dos/Windows, then Windows 95. OS/2 was
ahead of its time; the desktop hardware wasn't yet capable of running a heavy OS. Even at IBM,
the primary backer of OS/2, many departments avoided it like the plague for compatibility and
slow-boot reasons, though it was arguably more reliable. Then came Windows NT, an updated,
clean room version of NT, and Windows 9x.
Amazon Web Services (AWS) continues to expand with new cloud products and services. The
Center for Internet Security (CIS) responded with more resources to help secure these AWS cloud
offerings.
Windows NT went from being an alternative to UNIX to becoming the "corporate" desktop OS.
Windows 9x focused on consumers, but in-fighting between the two groups was ugly, and when
Windows 2000 (the follow on to NT) and Windows Millennium came out, neither OS was loved.
Millenium, in fact, was a train wreck.
Windows 2000 became Windows XT, but there were embedded versions of Windows and versions
that worked on an ARM that sucked as the failed Windows Mobile and Phone platforms. Every time
Microsoft tried to have multiple desktop versions of its OS, things ended badly.
I expected Windows 10X to continue that trend. Fortunately for us, someone at Microsoft got
tired of dealing with new Windows variants and decided to roll many of the Windows 10X features
into a full Windows 10 update. Thus, we got Windows 10 21H1.
Posted by EditorDavid on Saturday October 12, 2019 @04:34PM from the Microsoft-Android dept. An
anonymous reader quotes VentureBeat:
At Samsung's Galaxy Unpacked 2019 in August and the
Surface hardware event last week, Microsoft talked about Windows 10's Your Phone app getting a
new "Calls" feature. Today, the company is letting Windows Insiders start testing an early
preview
of Android calling on Windows 10 .
Having given up on Windows Phone, Microsoft has increasingly poured more resources into
Android as its mobile platform of choice. The company offers plenty of Android apps and
features, including some that it can't match on Apple's more restricted iOS platform. Last
week, Microsoft even unveiled the
dual-screen Surface Neo Android phone , coming in holiday 2020.
Your Phone is part of Microsoft's "Continue on PC" functionality, which lets you send
a task from your Android or iOS device to Windows 10. The app's main purpose is to let you
access your phone's content -- like text messages, photos, and notifications -- right on your
PC. The feature first arrived with the Windows 10 Fall Creators Update in October 2017, and
Microsoft has been broadening it ever since. Calling support means you no longer have to grab
your Android phone to answer a call when you're at your computer. You can interact with the
call using your PC's speakers, microphone, and screen.
"... This problem was recently discussed on Reddit, and it's pretty easy to confirm. Head to Settings > Privacy > Activity History and disable "Send my activity history to Microsoft." It was already disabled on our PC, so it made this easy to test. ..."
"... Update: Microsoft has confirmed this, telling us you'll need to set this option to "Basic" to stop Windows from sending your app usage history to Microsoft. ..."
Chris Hoffman @chrisbhoffman
December 10, 2018, 1:15pm EDT
Windows 10 collects an "Activity History" of applications you launch on your PC and sends it
to Microsoft. Even if you disable or clear this, Microsoft's Privacy Dashboard still shows an
"Activity History" of applications you've launched on your PCs.
Update: Microsoft's Marisa Rogers reached out to us with the following statement:
"Microsoft is committed to customer privacy, being transparent about the data we collect and
use for your benefit, and we give you controls to manage your data. In this case, the same term
"Activity History" is used in both Windows 10 and the Microsoft Privacy Dashboard. Windows 10
Activity History data is only a subset of the data displayed in the Microsoft Privacy
Dashboard. We are working to address this naming issue in a future update."
In addition to simply disabling the "Send my activity history to Microsoft" option,
Microsoft told us you must set your diagnostic data level to "Basic." This will prevent Windows
10 from sending app usage history to Microsoft.
This problem was recently discussed on Reddit, and it's pretty easy to confirm. Head to
Settings > Privacy > Activity History and disable "Send my activity history to
Microsoft." It was already disabled on our PC, so it made this easy to test.
For bonus points, you can also click the "Clear" button under Clear Activity History. This
should, theoretically, clear all that data from Microsoft's servers. But, apparently, it
doesn't.
You'll see a list of applications you've launched on your connected PCs, even if you've
disabled or cleared your Activity History on those PCs.
This is pretty strange and confusing, but we think there's a simple explanation: Microsoft
also collects a history of applications you launch through Windows 10's diagnostics. We think
the "Activity History" page in the Privacy Dashboard has an incorrect name. It's not part of
the Windows 10 "Activity History" feature, which is associated with the Timeline.
Windows 10's default diagnostic setting, "Full," says it sends "info about websites you
browse and how you use apps and features," so this data may just be sent to Microsoft through
Windows 10's normal telemetry. You can find these options at Settings > Privacy >
Diagnostics & Feedback.
Update: Microsoft has confirmed this, telling us you'll need to set this option to "Basic"
to stop Windows from sending your app usage history to Microsoft.
This whole confusing mess highlights how Microsoft has failed to explain exactly what data
Windows 10 collects and how you can control it.
The Privacy Dashboard was designed to make this more transparent, but even the dashboard is
confusing and uses incorrect names that don't match the associated features in Windows 10.
Microsoft still has a lot of work to do here.
Each time Microsoft rolls out a major upgrade to Windows 10, you have the option to wait a
few months before you install it on PCs running Windows 10 Pro or Enterprise. But you have to
act quickly.
One confusing aspect of Windows 10 is the way it keeps some options in the old-style Control
Panel and others in the new Settings app. The good news is you don't have to guess where to
look, once you learn these two search secrets.
Microsoft has removed Cortana's on-off switch. But the option to disable Cortana is still
available, if you know where to look. Use this tweak to make Windows search strictly local.
In Windows 10, OneDrive is built in. The connections are so tight, in fact, that OneDrive
has its own node in File Explorer, with no obvious way to remove it. But the options to
disconnect OneDrive are there if you know where to look. Here are the full instructions.
During Setup, Windows 10 encourages you to use a Microsoft account. But if you prefer to use
a local account, the option is there. Here's how to switch back easily.
If you've purchased a new PC with Windows pre-installed in the past few years, chances are
it has a product key embedded in its BIOS. With a little PowerShell wizardry, you can find that
well-hidden key and learn more about your current licensing status.
Windows 10's Anniversary
Update offers a big new feature for developers: A full, Ubuntu-based Bash shell that can run Linux software directly on Windows.
This is made possible by the new "Windows Subsystem for Linux" Microsoft is adding to Windows 10.
What You Need to Know About Windows 10's Bash Shell
This isn't a
virtual machine , a container, or Linux software compiled for Windows (like
Cygwin ). Instead,
Windows 10 gains a Windows Subsystem for Linux, which is based on Microsoft's abandoned Project Astoria work for running Android
apps on Windows.
Think of it as the opposite of
Wine . While Wine
allows you to run Windows applications directly on Linux, the Windows Subsystem for Linux allows you to run Linux applications directly
on Windows.
Microsoft has worked with Canonical to offer a full Ubuntu-based Bash shell that runs atop this subsystem. Technically, this isn't
Linux at all. Linux is the underlying operating system kernel, and that isn't available here. Instead, this allows you to run the
Bash shell and the exact same binaries you'd normally run on Ubuntu Linux. Free-software purists often argue the average Linux operating
system should be called "GNU/Linux"
because it's really a lot of GNU software running on the Linux kernel. The Bash shell you'll get is really just all those GNU utilities
and other software.
There are some limitations here. This won't work with server software, and it won't work with graphical software. It's intended
for developers who want to run Linux command-line utilities on Windows. These applications get access to the Windows file system,
but you can't use Bash commands to automate normal Windows programs, or launch Bash commands from the standard Windows command-line.
They get access to the same Windows file system, but that's it. Not every command-line application will work, either, as this feature
is still in beta.
To get started, ensure you've installed the Windows 10 Anniversary Update. This only works on 64-bit builds of Windows 10, so
it's time to
switch to the
64-bit version of Windows 10 if you're still using the 32-bit version.
Once you're sure you're using the correct version of Windows 10, open the Settings app and head to Update & Security > For Developers.
Activate the "Developer Mode" switch here to enable Developer Mode.
Troubleshooting: Installation failed with error 0x80070003
The Windows Subsystem for Linux only runs on your system drive (usually this is your C:
drive). Make sure that new apps are stored on your system drive.
Open Settings -> Storage -> More Storage Settings: Change where new content is
saved
Once the download has completed, select "Launch".
This will open a console window. Wait for installation to complete then you will be
prompted to create your UNIX user account.
Troubleshooting: Installation failed with error 0x8007007e
This error occurs when your system doesn't support Linux from the store. Make sure
that:
The Windows Subsystem for Linux optional component is enabled.
Instructions here .
Create your UNIX username and password. This user account can be different from, and has
no relationship to, your Windows username and password. Read more .
You're done! Now you can use your Linux environment.
For Anniversary Update and
Creators Update: Install using lxrun
lxrun installs Ubuntu user-mode by default on top of the Windows subsystem for Linux.
Since moving to the store, we have stopped keeping this user-mode image up to date. When
you're done, run apt-get update.
Turn on Developer Mode
Open Settings -> Update and Security -> For developers
Select the Developer Mode radio button
Open a command prompt. Run bash
After you have accepted the License, the Ubuntu user-mode image will be downloaded and
extracted. A "Bash on Ubuntu on Windows" shortcut will be added to your start menu.
Launch a new Ubuntu shell by either:
Running bash from a command-prompt
Clicking the start menu shortcut
Create a UNIX user
The first time you install the Windows subsystem for Linux, you will be prompted to
create a UNIX username and password.
This UNIX username and password can be different from, and has no relationship to, your
Windows username and password. Learn more about your UNIX
account. .
After installation your Linux distribution will be located at:
%localappdata%\lxss\ .
Avoid creating and/or modifying files in %localappdata%\lxss\ using Windows tools and apps!
If you do, it is likely that your Linux files will be corrupted and data loss may occur. Avoid
this issue by using a directory located under /mnt/.
Read this
blog post for more information.
Back in the desktop world, Windows 10 will now run SUSE Linux. Windows 10 Anniversary Update in
August 2016 included Bash for Windows, or Windows Subsystem for Linux, to run Ubuntu Linux apps natively.
Now, however, SUSE Linux has updated the Windows Subsystem to work with its shell. You can install
openSUSE Leap 42.2 or SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 12 SP2.
(pcworld.com)
181 Posted by EditorDavid on Sunday December 04, 2016 @07:09PM from the peeking-through-Windows
dept. jader3rd shares an article from
PC World arguing that Windows 10's data collection "trades your privacy for Microsoft's security."
[Anonymized]
usage data lets Microsoft beef up threat protection , says Rob Lefferts, Microsoft's director
of program management for Windows Enterprise and Security. The information collected is used to improve
various components in Windows Defender... For example, Windows Defender Application Guard for Microsoft
Edge will put the Edge browser into a lightweight virtual machine to make it harder to break out
of the browser and attack the operating system. With telemetry, Microsoft can see when infections
get past Application Guard defenses and improve the security controls to reduce recurrences.
Microsoft also pulls signals from other areas of the Windows ecosystem, such as Active Directory,
with information from the Windows 10 device to look for patterns that can indicate a problem like
ransomware infections and other attacks. To detect those patterns, Microsoft needs access to technical
data, such as what processes are consuming system resources, hardware diagnostics, and file-level
information like which applications had which files open, Lefferts says. Taken together, the hardware
information, application details, and device driver data can be used to identify parts of the operating
system are exposed and should be isolated into virtual containers.
The article points out that unlike home users, enterprise users of Windows 10 can select a lower
level of data-sharing, but argues that enterprises "need to think twice before turning off Windows
telemetry to increase corporate privacy" because Windows Update won't work without information about
whether previous updates succeeded or failed.
Posted by EditorDavid on Sunday December 04, 2016 @03:39PM from the winning-against-Windows dept.
In June a California woman
successfully sued Microsoft for $10,000 over forced Windows 10 upgrades, and she's now written
a 58-page ebook about her battle (which she's
selling for $9.99 ). But an anonymous Slashdot reader shares another inspiring story about a
Texas IT worker and Linux geek who got Microsoft to pay him $650 for all the time that he lost.
"Worley built a Windows 7 machine for his grandfather, who has Alzheimer's Disease, [customized]
to look like Windows XP, an operating system his grandfather still remembered well..." writes Digital
Trends. "But thanks to Microsoft's persistent Windows 10 upgrade program, Worley's grandfather unknowingly
initiated the Win 10 upgrade by clicking the 'X' to close an upgrade window." After Worley filed
a legal "Notice of Dispute,"
Microsoft quickly agreed to his demand for $650 , which he donated to a non-profit focusing on
Alzheimer's patients.
But according to the article, that's just the beginning, since Worley now "hopes people impacted
by the forced Windows 10 upgrade will write a complaint to Microsoft demanding a settlement for their
wasted time and money in repairing the device," and on his web page suggests that if people don't
need the money, they should
give it to charities fighting Alzheimer's . "If Microsoft isn't going to wake up and realize
that lobbing intentionally-tricky updates at people who don't need and can't use them actively damages
not only the lives of the Alzheimer's sufferer, but those of their whole family, then let's
cure the disease on Microsoft's dime so their tactics
and those of companies that will follow their reckless example aren't as damaging."
Worley suggests each
Notice of Dispute should demand at least $50 per hour from Microsoft, adding "If recent history
holds steady they might just write you a check!"
(computerweekly.com)
129 Posted by msmash on Thursday December 08, 2016 @01:50PM from the security-woes dept.
Microsoft's Windows PowerShell configuration management framework continues to be abused by cyber
attackers, according to researchers at Symantec, who have seen a surge in associated threats. From
a report on ComputerWeekly: More than 95% of PowerShell scripts analysed by Symantec researchers
have been found to be malicious , with 111 threat families using PowerShell. Malicious PowerShell
scripts are on the rise, as attackers are using the framework's flexibility to download their payloads,
traverse through a compromised network and carry out reconnaissance, according to Candid Wueest,
threat researcher at Symantec.
(arstechnica.com)
256 Posted by msmash on Wednesday December 14, 2016 @12:25PM from the windows-updates dept.
Microsoft has quietly fixed a software update it released last week, which effectively prevented
Windows 10 users from connecting to the Internet or joining a local network. From a report on ArsTechnica:
It's unclear exactly which automatic update caused the problem or exactly when it was released
-- current (unconfirmed) signs point to KB3201845 released on December 9 -- but whatever it was appeared
to
break DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol), preventing Windows 10 from automatically acquiring
an IP address from the network . There's also little detail on how many people were affected
or why, but multiple cases have been confirmed across Europe by many ISPs. A Microsoft spokesperson
has meanwhile confirmed that "some customers" had been experiencing "difficulties" getting online,
but that's about it for public statements at present. However, a moderator on the company's forums
has said the fix was included in a patch released on Tuesday called KB3206632.
(softpedia.com)
248 Posted by msmash on Friday December 23, 2016 @10:20AM from the aggressive-updates dept.
It's no secret that Microsoft has been aggressively pushing Windows 10 to users. Over the past year
and a half, we have seen users complain about Windows 10 automatically getting downloaded to their
computer, and in some cases, getting installed on its own as well. The automatic download irked many
users who were on limited or slow data plans, or didn't want to spend gigabytes of data on Windows
10. A company executive has admitted for the first time that they may have went overboard with Windows
10 updates. From a report on Softpedia: Chris Capossela, Chief Marketing Officer at Microsoft,
said in the latest edition of the Windows Weekly that this was the moment when the company indeed
went too far, pointing out that the two weeks between the moment when users started complaining about
the unexpected behavior and the one when
a patch was released were "very painful." "We know we want people to be running Windows 10 from
a security perspective, but finding the right balance where you're not stepping over the line of
being too aggressive is something we tried and for a lot of the year I think we got it right, but
there was one particular moment in particular where, you know, the red X in the dialog box which
typically means you cancel didn't mean cancel," he said. "And within a couple of hours of that hitting
the world, with the listening systems we have we knew that we had gone too far and then, of course,
it takes some time to roll out the update that changes that behavior. And those two weeks were pretty
painful and clearly a lowlight for us. We learned a lot from it obviously."
The Last but not LeastTechnology is dominated by
two types of people: those who understand what they do not manage and those who manage what they do not understand ~Archibald Putt.
Ph.D
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4. The automatic update dilemma
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How To Get Rid Of The "Microsoft Account Problem" Notification
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WP on September 29, 2020 at 7:14 pm
And being "Linux-bred" as one might say, I did take the chance to disable as many of the unnecessary options in Settings as I felt necessary, and it's still turning up!
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Fix Windows 10 Privacy 1.1.1.2
Fix Windows 10 Privacy can disable approximately 130 rules to protect your privacy.
