You can’t get rid of it, you can only hide it: Microsoft imposes controversial Windows Backup on users

Yup, that ai generated image kills me more than the news.
- "YouTube face" is annoying enough scrolling through videos, but it's even more unnecessary here!

AI generated porny chick
- Tbf that's my favourite kind of AI generated person
- Could be real but filtered and low res. The lack of symmetry on the nose is unusual for AI. The teeth do look a bit weird though.
  
  The article lists it as generated by midjourney

coming soon: Monthly subscription to use windows with the justification that it uses an online service in order to work
- "Embrace Extend Extinguish"
- I can't wait for the eventual warning pop-ups and emails, warning me that my onedrive is almost full (70%)
  
  You can just say no to the tool and keep using whatever local backup you have.
- Honestly I hope, would be a big boom for Linux which I already use
  
  This year is the year of Linux, just like every year before it.
- You joke but this
  
  what do you mean by this
  do u think a cloud pc (with constant server costs) shouldnt be a monthly fee?
  
  ugh ew thin clients that probably will work even worse
- Still $129 for the initial license key, too
- It's been a thing for years already for enterprises
- Probably an unpopular opinion, but I don't see a problem with subscriptions for commercial software. Fixing bugs and security issues after release is an ongoing effort that costs money, so a one-time purchase isn't really economically viable in the long run. I honestly wouldn't feel comfortable using unmaintained software that might contain known but unfixed vulnerabilities.
  
  As someone who advises on and implements software at work that would be sorta ok if these companies charging several thousand a year would actually fix bugs and provide proper support. Zendesk is a pretty big display of this: feature requests lay dormant in their support pages, the only way you can get support is through a chat where the rep will point you to an article you already read most of the time, updates that ever obfuscates settings into a dizzying amount of menus in the admin panel, and so on. All for a minimum of $55 a month per seat if you want email and calling. The issue is costs are sky high for practically no value
  
  Have you checked how much money Microsoft have recently? Their current model doesn't appear to be a problem for them.

For those of you who are now worried about you win10 or 11 install:
This is only for those using MSA account with windows 10 or 11
You cannot uninstall the backup tool, but you can disable taking backups
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/back-up-your-windows-pc-87a81f8a-78fa-456e-b521-ac0560e32338
Lastly, this article had 0 sources and was misleading

Reason #2720183 to use Linux.
- Imagine how much better the computing landscape would be today if we actually prevented MS from doing anticompetitive and often straight-up illegal stuff in the 90s to gain their monopoly
  
  Actually I kinda don’t want to, because we might not have been quite as driven to get Linux to the point it is at
  
  That would require government oversight and accountability. Best I can do is regulatory capture and the continued gutting of American anti-trust law.
- I know everyone hates the automatic response of “just switch to linux” in response to Microsoft’s BS. BUT, it’s really so true - more people need to just do it and get over their fear of linux. It has been a totally stable easy option for a long time now.
  Install an easy distro like mint and you’re literally up and running in a gui environment in like 10 minutes. Your grandmother could run it no problem. For the gamers out there - a good chunk of your stuff just works these days, and you can always dual boot windows for that game that doesn’t perform well (even better just get a small cheap 2nd hard drive and you can’t screw it up).
  Thank you to all the people who contribute to linux and have given us a totally viable alternate.
  
  It's just not that easy for a majority of people. It still takes some work and knowledge to do just about everything. From picking an distro, installing it and then running different programs. And games are far from perfect.
- Linux doesn't have a backup option?
  
  Linux has so many options it’s ridiculous. It doesn’t force you to use them or to upload sensitive data to Microsoft’s servers—and therefore the NSA’s—though.
  
  Is that a question, or are you just keen for everyone to know you uptalk?
  
  Linux can do literally any backup plan you want, to anywhere you want, with the click of a few buttons. You almost have too many options that all work great.
  Doesn’t r sync also ship with like everything? Ya I know - a scary command line - but anyone online could help you in one minute. Ask a few questions, ok here’s this crazy long command that looks scary, but it’s really not that bad. Just run this command when you want to do a backup and your good. Come back here if you need help restoring (hint boot into another live environment and swap the source and destination and run it backwards)
  Linux backups are cake.

It's always sad to see users being mistreated like this but what never ceases to amuse me is the amount of time that Windows users are willing to waste in order to remove all this trash from their systems and have a usable experience, only for it to be ruined again with something worse with the next update. At this point, they either don't know that alternatives exist or they have Stockhom syndrome or something.
I used to do that A LOT and you can still find all my old guides on my website as a testament to that, they were soooo long, it took hours to do a "clean install", they took days to write, and even then I would run into so many issues because of Windows Update... One day I realized that I was doing more work to make Windows usable than the average Arch user and I just gave up. Linux wasn't ready for gaming yet so I had to dual boot for a while, but thankfully that's not a problem anymore. I couldn't be happier.
- I'm aware of all of this, but most of the software I use is Windows only. Recommending GIMP/whatever seems like enough to a proud Linux user, but it really just doesn't cut it. I'm savvy enough to get rid of all the stuff I hate about windows or switch to Linux, but I'm comfortable enough to stay with wondoes
  
  I only run Linux on my server, but even so I feel like I can run almost everything I ever use on Windows, or an equivalent on it. MacOS exclusive apps are actually a bigger problem for me.
  For image editing, GIMP was commonly recommended like a decade+ ago, and it’s still a decent option if it’s what you’re looking for. But now there are several alternative, mature tools that are Linux native, like Krita, Inkscape, Darktable, etc.. The Affinity suite is usable on Linux via Bottles, as are some versions of Adobe suite, like Photoshop.
- I just have migrated to using an untrusted Windows Gaming PC exclusively for that and Debian for everything else. Go ahead, harvest my wasted hours on steam and chat trashtalk, idgaf.
- It's unfortunate that MMOs and competitive games generally have poor linux support. Mostly because of anticheats. It's the only reason I still have windows on my gaming PC.
  
  The MMO I play mostly works on Linux via Proton just fine. (And when it does have the occasional flaw, it's something accidental, like breaking the exit function so you have to kill the process instead.)
  
  Bingo, Linux is catching up but at the moment it's still lesser in as far as ease and availability to game.
- it reminds me of twitter users were reduced to 100 tweets for a while so they'd follow a 30 step workaround to see that 101st tweet but would still say masto is "too complicated".
- Lol, the thread below this one starts with "So? Sure you can't get rid of it but also you don't have to use it."
  This is like if you're renting an apartment and your landlord shows up to clear a clogged drain and whilst they're in there they install a laundry chute to a room you don't have access to.
  You don't pay for that room because you have no need for it and probably wouldn't use it, but could if you want to. Or you can just deal with it being there. Or you can put something in front of the chute to hide it. But it's an inconvenience having to do that and it wasn't there when you moved in so you weren't planning on having to deal with it.
  Also, you've got no way of knowing if your landlord is in that room with their ear up to the bottom of the chute, listening to your conversations.
  Yea, Windows users act like it's some kind of immovable object that you just have to deal with and that they're so smart because they spend hours applying some dodgy hack by wading through that god awful registry editor rather than just editing config files and having full control over their system. Oh no but then they'd have to open the terminal which is such a problem for them.

Holy shit. Just not "no" when it asks if you want to set up backup, and keep using what you already use.
It's less difficult than falling over.

MacOS has had time machine for over a decade.
How is this different except for the fact it's not our Lord and Savior Linux?
- I don't remember Time Machine backing up to someone else's server.
  
  iCloud does, and if memory serves you can't remove that either. But like iCloud, you can simply not sign in.

Use local accounts only and do not login to a Microsoft account.
Edit: In my situation, I used an MS account during a reinstall and disabled backups and logged out quickly after. There are methods to still do an offline install, from what I understand.
Disabling backup is annoying, but not hard.
- Is that possible on Windows 11?
  
  Yes. When installing and it asks for your email address just use no@thankyou.com then type anything in for the password. It will fail then you can enter a local account.
  
  Yes. I had to do that on my latest reinstall. I had to create a local account after the install and log out of my MS account. It really tried to force backups, which is super annoying.
- You could also use Linux. I mean you're starting to hack your machine just as much as a Linux user.
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- I've grown up with windows (started with windows 95 in elementary school) and have been a Linux user since 2009. Watching windows decline and the Linux desktop grow and mature has been quite the ride. I've been distro-hopping for years and have finally settled on Debian Testing. It does exactly what I tell it to do. It helps me accomplish whatever task I'm doing and then gets out of the way.
  Windows on the other hand is the polar opposite of that. Constantly nagging you to use OneDrive. New panels and "experiences" popping up out of nowhere. Unskippable OOBEs after a major update that force you to navigate some dark pattern if you have the audacity to resist using a Microsoft account. The telemetry that you know is running under the hood 24/7. Hands and knees begging you to use Edge to open PDFs?!?! Using windows today is like using Clippy - the operating system.
  Linux has come such a long way, and outside of some proprietary edge cases, I can no longer imagine using Windows as a daily driver
  
  Yep.
  Windows 10 was the window into what was to come and how microsoft wanted to ruin windows in the future, Which was further ~~ruined~~ "refined" in 11.
  I'm on linux to stay now, now that I've ironed out most of my problems, the only issues I have anymore are manufactured and artificial issues, like Amazon refusing to stream in anything higher than 360p because my system isnt "secure", or like AMDs stupid convoluted AMDRewards system not working.
  
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As a non windows user, can someone explain to be what all the fuss is about? It sounds like people are grumpy that they’re being shown a feature that they can’t use or don’t want to use, and MS is going to let people hide the UI for that.
What is wrong with this solution? Are people not going to be happy until every spec of the feature’s code is stripped from the OS?
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- The thing is, if you can't uninstall it, then Windows will repeatedly try to shove the feature into your face, until you enable it again
  
  I got a pop-up that said:
  "Hey we have backup to OneDrive now! Do you want to turn it on?". [Yes/no/don't ask again]
  
  What's wrong with having a built-in backup feature?
  
  Windows could do that whether or not it's installed.
  
  But they said they’re going to allow the user to hide it.
  Are people grumpy about burning hard disk space for a feature they don’t use? Every operating system is littered with convenience features that not everyone enables. Why does this feature strike a nerve?
- I think you’ll find a number of… specific OS users, let’s call them, who will tout that they can uninstall anything from their OS without complaint or warning. Same response as being unable to completely uninstall internet explorer back in the day.
  
  How dare you, its GNU/Specific OS, or how I call it GNU + Specific OS.
  It feels like lemmy is getting preachier by the minute. Its gotten obnoxious. Not 110% of the softwate you use is foss and you drink milk? What kind of monster are you.
- It sounds like people are grumpy that they’re being shown a feature that they can’t use or don’t want to use,
  That's the problem right there. They're trying to sell you a new feature. That's an ad. Ads have no place in an operating system.
  
  When does something become an OS feature and when is it an add-on? Consider the use case. If you need to make a backup or restore data from one, by having this as part of the OS it is always available. It's line having vi installed; it comes with every Linux distro, but a lot of folks use Emacs. It makes sense that this should be a system component.
- Windows bad. Linux good. Now go find a study with content that fits this narrative.

- How dare they include a backup application! Monsters.
  
  It's not about including, it's about forcing, my laptop still has an HDD and when that garbage dropped I kept my laptop idle (couldn't use it since HDD usage was rocking 100%) for like 6 freaking hours, my HDD isn't that empty either so I don't know what the heck my PC was doing
  
  And they say Apple fanboys are the most annoying
  
  How does Microsoft boot taste?

Who cares? Windows has included a backup app of some sort since NT. The only way this is more than click bait would be if they were forcing you to use it.
- It’s nothing like the old backup apps. They were useful this is more forced cloud spyware which at this point is the entire OS now
  
  forced cloud spyware which at this point is the entire OS now
  I mean, apart from...
- I have not used it nor have I seen prompts for it yet. But if it follows their usual pattern it'll be very in-your-face about it and give every indication there is no choice but to use it which will be the same as required or forced for most users. It's evil/deceitful practice in my opinion. I'm irritated every time Microsoft teams updates I have to disable and block it with Simple Wall firewall app.
  
  It's definitely not in your face. I've been using Windows 11 in some fashion ever since it was released, and I didn't even know there was a backup app. I just ran it now to look at it, and it's pretty tame. It syncs app installs from the Windows Store (which you don't even need to use ever) and some settings like accessibility. I've long since removed OneDrive, which is what it looks as if the backup app uses to sync folders, so it's disabled for me.
  I'm not sure the backup app even does anything on it's own, really. It seems like it's just displaying some settings from other apps in a central location. 🤷‍♂️ This seems like a non story to me.

So? Sure you can't get rid of it but also you don't have to use it.
Despite what this article is trying to imply you're not actually forced to do any backups, so Microsoft are not seeing your information. Also it's probably be encrypted anyway, but who knows.
You don't have to use it, so this entire article is basically a big while load of nothing.
- People do have control over their devices You have the control to not use the application.
  
  Lemme guess. You're against auto-updating, too?
- Why should I waste hard drive space that I paid for to store a component that I neither require nor utilize? If I'm already on a machine that is pretty close to my drive limitations (and I am), why should I simply accept further reduction in my computer's capabilities?
  This was the same argument Microsoft made about Internet Explorer during the antitrust lawsuit. Yet somehow, when faced with the possibility of a forced split, they managed to find a way.
  
  Realistically, you're probably not utilizing a good 90% of your operating system's features on Windows. Is this backup crap good? No, but it's also a drop in a bucket.
  
  By using Windows, you probably already opted in to these things from accepting their EULA. It's a shitty practice, but it's well within their purview.
- It might be a preview of whats coming though, MS would conceivably at some point move to a cloud based OS completely at some point
  
  thats their plan they've stated elsewhere.
  
  Pretty sure the next thing we'll see after 11 is cloud desktop, judging by the scuttlebutt
- You should read EULA every once in a while.
  “We will access, disclose and preserve personal data, including your content (such as the content of your emails, other private communications or files in private folders), when we have a good faith belief that doing so is necessary to”, for example, “protect their customers” or “enforce the terms governing the use of the services”.
  With Windows10 you already accepted that they will collect and share data. What is good faith to them remains to be seen but as a rule of hand I don't trust them for anything. In short, yes... Microsoft is seeing your information.
- Spoken like a true Stockholm syndrome Windows user.
  
  I'm sorry I don't care about what you care about as much as you do.

You got to love all the ads that are now a part of windows

I consider everyone still using Windows by now to be masochists of the worst kind.
Who would want to have backups of important files on a Microsoft server? Probably located in the USA, where it's contents are free game for the snooping agencies? If you are not a US citizen (and even that is no real protection) they will hoover every byte about you "just in case".
- Not masochists, just people with very different needs, privacy concerns and overall tech knowledge than you. Not sure why this is hard to understand by some folks.
  
  Yep. The general "I don't care what I'm doing" crowd. Serves them well that they simply ignore the facts steamrolling them.
- I’m waiting for the inevitable Lemmy comment from an engineer or sys admin that tells me to install Linux.
  
  Well I'm neither of those. I'm not a tech bro and I don't really understand computers well or what a tick tock does. I'm just an old dude who's been using standard desktop stuff since windows 3.1 and DOS before that.
  You should install Linux unless you absolutely need either commercial architecture software or Excel for specific things.
  MS is the devil and windows sucks balls. I use windows on a work machine and it is objectively worse than most Linux flavours.
  Start on Mint or KDE Neon if you're coming from windows.
  As they say, don't knock it till you try it.
  
  I mean you seem to understand the solution but keep doing it wrong anyway
  
  Windows has fallen billions must install TempleOS
  
  Well have you installed Linux yet?
  
  Well, it is only consequential. I mean, the guys know.
- Same people who already use OneDrive since that's all "backup" means here.
  
  Yup. $100/year for all the office apps/programs plus 1TB of backup for all 6 people in my family. Decent deal IMO since I'm paying at least that for PS+ yearly.

This isn't new
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  Wait, really? I'm currently using my university account to back up some folders to OneDrive (provided by my University), and it saved my butt last November when my SSD borked out of nowhere.

You can’t get rid of it, you can only hide it
Not exactly true, there are ways you can remove system components, what they really mean is that Microsoft Doesn't want you to and will fight you as much as possible to prevent you from doing so. The biggest barrier in doing it is that you'll have to figure out your way through it on your own because it's "not supported" and most people won't give help or support for these kinds of modifications.

All I’ve wanted for a decade is a built-in backup solution to rival Time Machine but noOOoooO…
I had OneDrive randomly dump a chunk of my files into the website Recycle Bin so I never touched it again. (Yes I know user error is the usual thought but I would have known about dragging multiple things from different folders since at the time all my photos, documents, etc were up there.)
File History I still use but that’s janky, occasionally crashes in the Settings (this is on multiple machines with W10, haven’t touched 11) and wouldn’t backup iCloud Drive. (which I’ve since dumped too since I have a glitch support hasn’t been able to fix that results in broken sync in iCloud for Windows and rapidly ballooning logs)
I’m wondering if it’s even backing up files or just saving to cloud which isn’t a backup.
- I wouldnt call it backup. It is keeping versions of a file. Its keeping deleted files for a while, in the recycle bin. But you have to use the web interface to access those. Nor can you restore entire folders in one go, like File History could. File History works still, but one cant manually run the "delete all but the latest/last month/last year" job anymore. It just fails. The restore function works (well, I havent tested it after the new patch though).
  Also, cloud copying the entire Documents folder? Theres so damn much crap and cache files put there. You gonna double your internet usage when playing some games, just for the cache files that is added, downloaded, changed, uploaded again and again. I'm glad I aint on a limit, but a lot of people in the rest of the world are.

And here is the CEO complaining that Google uses unfair policies to push it's apps. Fuck both of them.