Deleting MS Photo App? Be Careful!
Yesterday I had this Microsoft photo app thing that I don't want, need and never asked for, pestering me about how I wanted to sort my photographs and screenshots. Apparently, 224MB worth had been uploaded to this OneDrive that gets shoved on us, also whether we want it or not, with Win10 and has been made a bit more rude (as in "in your face") in the latest big "feature update" that we have no choice about installing. Okay - we could just stay offline forever but that ain't gonna happen, right? I actually looked into this because I was hoping it would give me some control over the start-up pictures that MS shows on my PC when signing in to Windows (it didn't).
Anyway, I went along to MS' own help site to find out how to ditch this unwanted and intrusive app (it did upload my photos and screenshots of its own volition, without so much as a "by your leave" after all...). Needless to say, they don't include an uninstall option - they want you to use their apps and tough if you don't like it.
Anyway, right there, on the MS help page for the photo app is a remark by some user, telling people how to get rid of it. Lots of likes - so probably can be trusted, so off I go and follow this chap's advice. Sure enough, the app isn't bothering me today.
However, yesterday I spent the entire morning putting together the latest pictorial guide for my website - it was a lot of work. Today I finished the procedure and took another 94 screenshots to be sorted and edited for the guide - only to find that all the screenshots I took yesterday had mysteriously disappeared. These are screenshots I had copied into a folder on my PC - not even on the C drive. To say I'm a bit miffed would be the understatement of the year.
Spoiler contains a bit of a rant so if you aren't interested, don't bother - won't do you any harm not to read it :)
Wow - can't remember the last time I went through one of my posts and had to edit out so many obscenities - says a lot.
Anyway, I went along to MS' own help site to find out how to ditch this unwanted and intrusive app (it did upload my photos and screenshots of its own volition, without so much as a "by your leave" after all...). Needless to say, they don't include an uninstall option - they want you to use their apps and tough if you don't like it.
Anyway, right there, on the MS help page for the photo app is a remark by some user, telling people how to get rid of it. Lots of likes - so probably can be trusted, so off I go and follow this chap's advice. Sure enough, the app isn't bothering me today.
However, yesterday I spent the entire morning putting together the latest pictorial guide for my website - it was a lot of work. Today I finished the procedure and took another 94 screenshots to be sorted and edited for the guide - only to find that all the screenshots I took yesterday had mysteriously disappeared. These are screenshots I had copied into a folder on my PC - not even on the C drive. To say I'm a bit miffed would be the understatement of the year.
Spoiler contains a bit of a rant so if you aren't interested, don't bother - won't do you any harm not to read it :)
It's not the advice given - that's okay and I don't blame that chap - he was trying to help, after all. I blame Microsoft for behaving like software dictatorship and abusing their customers repeatedly with, seemingly, no regard for thier customers privacy (only their wallets) and seemingly untouchable by and above any laws. Oh I'm sure their extensive T&Cs have some clause buried deep inside amongst all the blah blah that says they have our permission to do this. The fact that they are one of the most disliked (hated is not too strong a word) corporations in the world speaks for itself. For all the good stuff they do, they turn it to nought by behaving the way they do.
Google aren't much better, either. I bought an android smart phone two
years ago - first one I've owned (I think a phone should be a phone, not
a bulky social networking machine) and I was curious - the map is
great, it has helped me find certain events in the past. But it also
uploaded my entire contacts list - complete - to the internet. Even taxi
phone numbers were on there. Something I was completely unaware of
until I started digging around my Google Drive settings. I wonder how
many people have all of their and their friends details uploaded, and
are totally unaware of it. When my contract was coming to an end I
exchanged my smart phone for a normal clamshell job - though it wouldn't
surprise me if Google have that all uploaded as well.
years ago - first one I've owned (I think a phone should be a phone, not
a bulky social networking machine) and I was curious - the map is
great, it has helped me find certain events in the past. But it also
uploaded my entire contacts list - complete - to the internet. Even taxi
phone numbers were on there. Something I was completely unaware of
until I started digging around my Google Drive settings. I wonder how
many people have all of their and their friends details uploaded, and
are totally unaware of it. When my contract was coming to an end I
exchanged my smart phone for a normal clamshell job - though it wouldn't
surprise me if Google have that all uploaded as well.
The reason I'm angry isn't because they do all these things (and note how these big corporations are all U.S, based - which has me wondering, as I know nothing of US laws), it's because you have to take preventative action to stop them doing it (if at all possible) rather than them asking first or offering the option to do it. "Shoot first and ask questions later" comes to mind.
Wow - can't remember the last time I went through one of my posts and had to edit out so many obscenities - says a lot.
