Attention Windows 11 users

[NormanDunbar]

The 24H2 update installed 'Recall', it can't be uninstalled. Recall takes a screenshot of your desktop every so often, ocrs it into a Sqlite database which has around zero security protection. It might be sent to Microsoft but don't quote me.

Anything on your screen is stored, apparently, in plain text. Bank details? Tax stuff? Anything on the screen. Even stuff from other people.

There was a huge outcry about this when it was announced and Microsoft decided to not install it. Looks like theyight have told a pile of porkies.

To disable the spyware, run this as admin:

C:\Windows\System32>Dism /Online /Disable-Feature /Featurename:Recall

Can't vouch that all the people you share your screen, code, IP, private details, will disable theirs. consider NOT sharing anything ever again.

Consider upgrading to Linux Mint for better security!


Cheers,
Norm.

[dilwyn]

Ran from command line as administrator and it just said "Access Is Denied".

So I tried Windows R to run it. Said "Not Found" (I'd copied and pasted it from your post).

Sorry Norman - seems it doesn't work on Windows 10Home, at least without more details.

Computeractive has been very vocal about this. I vaguely remember them saying it got delayed because of user backlash, then M$ responded by saying it'd be turned off by default, then backtracked on that, and *I think* said it would be encrypted from then on.

I've googled how to turn it off in Windows 10 - it should be according to all the results:

Open Windows Settings by pressing WIN+I
Select Privacy & Security
Select Recall & Snapshots
Toggle Save Snapshots to off
Select Delete Snapshots
Select Delete All
Close Windows Settings

"Privacy & Security" doesn't exist in settings on my PC (separate "Privacy" and "Update & Security")
"Recall & Snapshots" doesn't exist in either menu. My PC has the latest Win10 updates and none of my four PCs can be updated beyond Windows 10, that's going to be one big load to landfill one day in the not too distant future.

Windows is just a mess, never the same twice.

Linux is written by engineers for engineers. Seen just as many people bang their heads on walls with it as with Windows. I have no intention of going there whatsoever.

<Dilwyn sits back and waits for half of people on here to bang his head on wall>

[Martin_Head]

Could this just be a Microsoft scare tactic, by making Recall unremovable in Windows 10, but removable in Windows 11. To get more people to move from Windows 10, to Windows 11.

[dilwyn]

Could this just be a Microsoft scare tactic, by making Recall unremovable in Windows 10, but removable in Windows 11. To get more people to move from Windows 10, to Windows 11.

I've read somewhere than under windows 11 with TPM etc the Recall snapshots are encrypted now, after the outcry. Presumably, where implemented, still not encrypted in Windows 10?

The only upgrade path for 57% of users is a new PC. Common knowledge that only just under 43% of PCs can be upgraded to Windows 11, which is estimated to be 400 million otherwise usable PCs worldwide potentially headed for landfill, recycyling, or people's attics. Or, hopefully used with Linux, Chrome, etc.

[NormanDunbar]

Linux is written by engineers for engineers

I'm definitely not going to bang your head on the wall Dilwyn!

Alison switched to Linux Mint when her laptop wouldn't let her login to send an email, for over 24 hours!

She hasn't looked back and she's definitely not an engineer!

As for it not working, sorry, I can't help. I'm not a windows user since I retired.


Cheers,
Norm

[dilwyn]

Some Linux distros are so Windows-like you may not notice the difference I guess.

Windows sucks, no denying that. Micro$oft think they know best, hardly anyone agrees with them.

I go through life expecting it not to work. And sometimes (!) get pleasantly surprised when it does. I'm too old to change now.

At least it runs QPC2 perfectly for me.

[Martin_Head]

Along similar lines. I turned on my PC that I use for web surfing and email (Windows 7) this morning. And Firefox throws up a warning page that from January the something or other, Firefox will no longer support anything less than Windows 10.

There will be a legacy version of Firefox, that will not get any further updates, except maybe the odd security update. And there are warnings about getting problems with incompatible web sites in the future.

I did once try putting Windows 10 on this PC, but I had a lot of problems with the mobile broadband dongle that plugged into a USB port. I could connect to the internet, but web browsers could not. I might have another go, as I don't use the dongle any more.

I'm now just waiting for a similar message from Thunderbird.

[dilwyn]

One of my Win10 machines is a fairly old Packard Bell model purchased from Currys sometime in the 2010s originally for my late wife.

At that stage it was Windows 7. And steadfastly refused to upgrade to Win10 - it claimed it would, got so far then just stopped halfway through, so each time I had to rollback to Win7. Which was a pity, because it has a decent sound card in particular, so was very useful for digitising my collection of old Welsh music vinyls, cassettes, 78s and CDs.

I tried several times to update it to Win10, it wouldn't. I was about to dispose of it a few years ago (probably during the Covid19 lockdowns) when I thought I'd give it one last try. There had just been one of the major Win10 updates, so I wasn't too hopeful, but it finally worked. A little bit of a problem with the wi-fi drivers at first (since resolved), so I bought a long ethernet cable and connected it up that way and it worked first time. Ethernet usually better than wireless anyway. And at some point a Windows update also made it work with its USB second monitor, which was lucky as the original drivers didn't work under Win10 when first updated. So it lives on and still gets used quite a bit.

This was what I had in mind when I said I sometimes get pleasantly surprised by Windoze. I live in the unlikely hope that a similar thing will happen with my computers (very unlikely) that at some stage the updates to more recent versions of Windows start working on legacy machines.

So, eventually, Windows 10 gave the PB PC a new lease of life for a few years.

My attitude is that by the time Windows 10 support stops or goes payment-only next year, it'll be time to buy a new PC anyway. Knowing me though I'll buy a Windows 11 PC just before Win12 comes out and it won't upgrade!

[janbredenbeek]

The 24H2 update installed 'Recall', it can't be uninstalled. Recall takes a screenshot of your desktop every so often, ocrs it into a Sqlite database which has around zero security protection. It might be sent to Microsoft but don't quote me.

Shouldn't that be Windows 11? I cannot find anything about it on my Windows 10 machine. Which is of no surprise, as the system requirements are quite heavy (at least a Copilot+ PC with 16GB RAM), which my almost 10 year old machine doesn't meet.

Consider upgrading to Linux Mint for better security!

Definitely would do that on my older machines, which don't meet the system requirements for W11 anyway. Trouble is that I still use Windows applications, some of which won't run on Wine.
Well, I could try to virtualise my W10 installation to run under VirtualBox, as I've done with most of my installations of the past 30 years - from DOS to even OS/2!

Jan

[NormanDunbar]

Aaaargh! Bloody autocorrupt on my phone!

Apologies everyone, this thread should be for "Windows 11”. I wonder it the title can be edited....

Cheers,
Norm.