Windows 11

[Cotswold]

To someone starting in life in Britain, I'd advise them to seriously consider moving to Australia.
Maybe someone starting out in software should buy themselves a RaspberryPI4 or 5 and use Linux for development?

I see that Microsoft is demanding and lobbying for changes to copyright laws due to the increased use of AI. No doubt Google, Amazon et al are also involved. Clearly, the existing laws are proving simply too restrictive for them.
Presumably that means that If they pick up some copyrighted material from anywhere, it will become their property? There is little doubt that presently anything created with AI has a degree of copyright belonging to the provider of AI. Although up to now that has not been pursued legally. There is little doubt that if someone created something with AI, courts may well find in favour of the owner of the AI provider as full, or part owner of copyright.
Just how that will work on a World Wide basis I do not know. Will every country need to change their copyright laws for Microsoft?

What if Microsoft obtained a change to copyright laws, would that result in the end of copyright ownership. Or could these players claim copyright of everything after that date? After all, there must be an end game in mind.

 

[The_Doc_Man]

With regard to the Recall feature, the uproar over this new addition to the "Windows aggravation list" has forced MS to back off. Apparently enough states have the right kind of law that such recordings, done without the user's consent, would be a criminally chargeable offense. The latest I have heard is that though you cannot uninstall it, you can disable it. Of course, we know that MS has been known to turn on things that we have turned off. (Can anyone say "Cortana"? I knew you could...)

The current plan, subject to further revision with little or no notice, or maybe notice after the fact, is that you will have to "opt in" to enable Recall rather than the original viewpoint, which was an "opt out" setup where it happens unless you disable it. The furor has not yet subsided, and MS is scrambling a bit more than before. Don't look for tears from THIS corner of the world. MS needs to be brought down quite a few notches, but I'll take this as proof that they actually DO understand that they CAN make a mistake.

 

[GPGeorge]

Spoiler:

With regard to the Recall feature, the uproar over this new addition to the "Windows aggravation list" has forced MS to back off. Apparently enough states have the right kind of law that such recordings, done without the user's consent, would be a criminally chargeable offense.

The latest I have heard is that though you cannot uninstall it, you can disable it.

Spoiler:

Of course, we know that MS has been known to turn on things that we have turned off. (Can anyone say "Cortana"? I knew you could...)

The current plan, subject to further revision with little or no notice, or maybe notice after the fact, is that you will have to "opt in" to enable Recall rather than the original viewpoint, which was an "opt out" setup where it happens unless you disable it. The furor has not yet subsided, and MS is scrambling a bit more than before. Don't look for tears from THIS corner of the world. MS needs to be brought down quite a few notches, but I'll take this as proof that they actually DO understand that they CAN make a mistake.

Do you know of any links to instructions on disabling Recall? Is that publicly available?

 

[Pat Hartman]

The latest I have heard is that though you cannot uninstall it, you can disable it.

I guess you didn't understand my last post. The instructions to disable it pointed to a specific item in the setup and that item is MIA in my installation so there is NO WAY to un install the "feature".

 

[The_Doc_Man]

YouTube video -

Deals with CoPilot+Recall, requires a download of an EXE file. Emphasizes that if your version of Windows is not a CoPilot+ system, there will be no impetus for Recall to be activated.

YouTube video -

Disable Recall, uses CMD prompt and the DISM command (relatively new) to test and disable the feature.

Videos confirm that you cannot uninstall the Recall feature.

Also explains that (according to Microsoft) if your Win11 doesn't have CoPilot+, Recall is not activated anyway since it is done ONLY to train your system to better serve you. According to other sources, that last sentence is just the tip of the iceberg, but I thought I would be ecumenical about it.

 

[The_Doc_Man]

I guess you didn't understand my last post. The instructions to disable it pointed to a specific item in the setup and that item is MIA in my installation so there is NO WAY to un install the "feature".

I understood your post and it is explained in the two responses I gave to GPGeorge. If the item is missing in the setup, one of a few things may be happening. First, if you aren't yet at Win 11 24H2 or in the MS "beta" program, it isn't set up yet. Second, if your PC doesn't have CoPilot+, then the feature will not (apparently, cannot) be activated so there will be no deactivation path. Third, if you use the Windows "Hello" program (their cutesy name for enhanced login) then the first time you log in that way on 24H2 you get the setup option dialog. If you haven't used that, it is not clear how they would have activated it other than, just by fiat, loading it up and turning it on behind the scenes.

I didn't link a short video I found that explained that MS is now "crawfishing" (putting up their little claws and going in full reverse) after discovering that their great idea wasn't so well-received. The EU has told them flat-out, "NO." Turns out someone found a "Trojan" hack that if they could get into your PC and wait until you logged in, the stored recall screens are easily accessible. Didn't link that video because I wasn't sure about the creds of the poster, but the two I posted for GPGeorge are channels I've seen before and trust A LITTLE BIT more.

 

[AccessBlaster]

The point is, if Microsoft wants this feature and obviously they do, they will enforce it though the licensing agreement. If you keep your old setup they will probably not enforce it, but all new setups will need a new agreement before use. BTW, we've been spied on since day one, this is just the latest shiny object.

 

[Pat Hartman]

BTW, we've been spied on since day one, this is just the latest shiny object.

We can thank Congress for allowing that. At least the EU isn't bought and paid for by big tech.

 

[Gasman]

Oh, I would not bet on that.

 

[cheekybuddha]

The best/easiest way to disable Recall:

 

[KitaYama]

The best/easiest way to disable Recall:

And loosing functionality

 

[The_Doc_Man]

The point is, if Microsoft wants this feature and obviously they do, they will enforce it though the licensing agreement.

It is premature to speculate, but some of the chatter I hear includes that such recordings might violate laws over improper use of another person's computer. I am not saying Louisiana would be a test case, but we DO have a law on the books about criminal misuse of another person's computer, and it IS worded vaguely enough that I could see someone filing charges.

 

[AccessBlaster]

Part of a conversation with chatty.

AB said: I was thinking they could enable Recall on new computer purchases thus avoiding having to enable it on exciting machines.

ChatGPT said:​

Yes, pre-enabling Recall on new computers is a plausible route for Microsoft to introduce the feature more widely without retroactively enabling it on existing machines. Here’s why this approach might work effectively:

1. New User Defaults: With new devices, Microsoft has more freedom to set feature defaults without disrupting existing user preferences. New PC owners often expect certain features to be pre-enabled, and Microsoft could present Recall as a standard productivity tool, especially on Copilot-enabled devices.
2. Consumer Agreements at Setup: During initial setup on a new computer, users typically go through agreements and privacy options. Microsoft could bundle Recall's activation with other setup agreements, making it more seamless. Given that new buyers are often eager to complete setup, they might accept the defaults without scrutinizing every option.
3. Targeting Tech-Savvy Buyers: Since Recall is tied to AI-based productivity, Microsoft may focus on new devices marketed as "productivity-optimized" or "AI-enhanced." Buyers of these machines, especially business professionals, might be more inclined to adopt Recall if it’s presented as an integrated tool.
4. Avoiding Backlash from Existing Users: By introducing it only on new machines, Microsoft could bypass backlash from current users who might resist changes to their settings or who might have security configurations that don’t align with Recall’s functionality. It would also provide Microsoft with valuable feedback from new users without upsetting existing ones.

Over time, if Recall is well-received on these new devices, Microsoft could then consider broader rollouts or targeted prompts encouraging existing users to enable it. This phased approach would let them gauge acceptance while sidestepping immediate controversy.

 

[cheekybuddha]

And loosing functionality

Are you talking about Recall? That is functionality I don't want to have in the first place - you can't lose something you don't have!!

 

[KitaYama]

Are you talking about Recall? That is functionality I don't want to have in the first place - you can't lose something you don't have!!

No, I was talking about getting ride of windows and going to linux, brings down the productivity in my (our) job.
(If that screen shot is a linux machine)

 

[Cotswold]

Microsoft have their tentacles into at least one version of Linux.

 

[cheekybuddha]

I was talking about getting ride of windows and go to linux. (If that screen shot is a linux machine)

Yes, that's a screenshot of my desktop (Linux, which I have been using since about 2005/6).

Trust me, losing Windows has been a massive gain, not a loss!

 

[cheekybuddha]

Microsoft have their tentacles into at least one version of Linux.

True(ish) - yes, Poettering and systemd are not particularly popular with a lot of linux users ...

... but that is the beauty - you have the choice to avoid it all if you so wish.

Rather the opposite of Recall on Windows

 

[KitaYama]

Trust me, losing Windows has been a massive gain, not a loss!

I don't go too far. We're in an Access forum. How do you run Access? Possibily on an amulator (Wine?) to replicate windows.
Just imagin an organization that has to run all its apps on all its computers on amulators.
And I doubt all apps can be run through an emulator. CAD apps which needs a huge memory possibly face problems.

I also don't mention some apps like Solidworks checks for a genuine Windows environment and may refuse to run if it detects it’s in a virtualized or emulated setup.
Or A lot of games use anti-cheat systems that do not function properly outside of a native Windows environment, leading to crashes or bans.

 

[cheekybuddha]

How do you run Access? Possibily on an amulator to replicate windows.

Yes, I run Windows 10 in Virtualbox.

But I only need it for Access - and I don't do anything in Access except for help here and on UtterAccess. And occasionally an Excel spreadsheet

IMHO, Access is the wrong tool for the job going forwards in today's connected world with many different formats. Desktop with Windows and a wired connection is no longer king.

Once MS stop Windows 10 from running then I'm done with Windows (and Access). I don't need Windows for anything. It will be sad not to be able to help out folks here and on UA which I have been doing for over 20 years, but c'est la vie.

I understand that in corporate situations Windows is ubiquitous, but that's what gives MS the monopoly to pull stunts like Recall. Once users start demanding something else, then it will be easier for corporates to stop drinking the MS Kool-aid.

I'm not so naive as to think that will happen any time soon, but it doesn't mean I have to be sucked in to it myself!