Your answer was exactly 500 words, so we have added the notation “smartass” to your permanent file and also made Edge your default browser. Enjoy using Edge!
So there’s also this neat feature in Microsoft Office where if you insert a hyperlink to a Google Doc/Sheets/Slides/Forms, Microsoft appends URIs to the end that prevents the link from opening in browsers other than Edge/IE. It can be corrected with a registry edit, but it’s been an issue for years and years at this point. Super annoying!
Or another fun thing I recently saw at work, Microsoft changing Office programs to always open links in Edge by default so you have to edit a setting to make it open the default browser again - which caused a significant productivity loss when people suddenly had various intranet pages opened in a browser they were not logged into, and they all had to contact support to get the original sane behavior back.
Microsoft is being run by marketing teams with hubris these days, there’s absolutely no way they’re testing these things with real humans before release.
Thanks to FOSS Devs, it’s possible to remove a lot of shit Microsoft throws at their users, Sophia Script, Optimizer, PrivateZilla, PrivacySexy… To name a few…
However, removing Microsoft Edge is still difficult, if not impossible, I used pirated iso’s ( for testing purposes ) that removes MS Edge, but once you update the system, everything crashes, AME is a good example, in order to keep the system stable, they disabled all updates for you…
I also noticed that the privacy invasive features I turn off, get turned on, on the next update, MS Edge does this with each update, so it leaves you with no choice but to just … Ignore its there, and not use it…
So my conclusion is, you can’t disbale anything unless Microsoft allows you to, yes you can have a less annoying experience with one of the tools I mentioned above, but the OS remains hostile against user choice.
That’s just it. Most of us probably work on our computers – imagine if you were a carpenter and your tools actively fought you. It’s about literal quality of life for me at this point.
The worst part is that if Raymond Chen is to be believed (author of The Old New Thing, work(ed) for Microsoft) this is the complete antithesis of what their philosophy was supposed to be in the Windows 96/98 era, which was “let the user have full control over how they want to use their computer.”
My machine still has Windows 10, and ir can’t upgrade to Windows 11. The day they stop supporting Windows 10 is the day I’ll stop using Windows for good.
Kinda sad. I used to like to hate Windows, but I always knew that I could personally use it if needed. But ads? Telemetry? Non-uninstallable software again? They crossed a line.
Personally I hate these tools with a passion as every single one I’ve seen goes overboard and disables potentially wanted features or straight up breaks stuff in its default configuration. It’s always fun to figure out what’s wrong with a machine only to eventually figure out that the owner used one of those tools a few months ago.
IMO people should either do these changes themselves or use another OS, though ultimately there needs to be legislation against this to help the non-technical people.
You can’t do 70℅ of what these tools can do for you since these features are hidden by Microsoft, and the only way to disable or enable them is via Powershell
Also, you have to be lazy and reckless to run them as they are, since almost all of them have checkboxes and explainers to what they’re going to do.
From a person who troubleshoots computers perspective, yes, fixing a computer for someone who tinkers but doesn’t understand what they’re doing ( in some cases they might not know what they’re trying to achieve ) can be a headache, and I can’t help but give them this look 😒
So my conclusion is, you can’t disbale anything unless Microsoft allows you to, yes you can have a less annoying experience with one of the tools I mentioned above, but the OS remains hostile against user choice.
Whats funny there, is people that are forced (I assume that’s the only reason you’d run it) to run Windows hate that shit, while at the same time the Apple cult embraces have zero control of their devices. They know best after all…
After leaving Windows I actually still get stressed just reading about stuff like this.
But are you sure you don’t want to make Edge your default browser??
(For real, though, it’s not. Use Firefox.)
deleted by creator
Your answer was 501 words, we have uninstalled all browsers except Edge and made Edge your default browser! Enjoy using Edge!
Your answer was exactly 500 words, so we have added the notation “smartass” to your permanent file and also made Edge your default browser. Enjoy using Edge!
“Ok where’s my Linux Mint USB stick, it’s time to make that live distro permanent.”
Chrome? Why would you download that Google crap?
Did you not read my whole message?
So there’s also this neat feature in Microsoft Office where if you insert a hyperlink to a Google Doc/Sheets/Slides/Forms, Microsoft appends URIs to the end that prevents the link from opening in browsers other than Edge/IE. It can be corrected with a registry edit, but it’s been an issue for years and years at this point. Super annoying!
Or another fun thing I recently saw at work, Microsoft changing Office programs to always open links in Edge by default so you have to edit a setting to make it open the default browser again - which caused a significant productivity loss when people suddenly had various intranet pages opened in a browser they were not logged into, and they all had to contact support to get the original sane behavior back.
Microsoft is being run by marketing teams with hubris these days, there’s absolutely no way they’re testing these things with real humans before release.
Oh you want to change the default app for a file extension? Here change it for all the extensions one by one by hand!
What do you mean you didn’t have to do this before? There’s no before!
Thanks to FOSS Devs, it’s possible to remove a lot of shit Microsoft throws at their users, Sophia Script, Optimizer, PrivateZilla, PrivacySexy… To name a few…
However, removing Microsoft Edge is still difficult, if not impossible, I used pirated iso’s ( for testing purposes ) that removes MS Edge, but once you update the system, everything crashes, AME is a good example, in order to keep the system stable, they disabled all updates for you…
I also noticed that the privacy invasive features I turn off, get turned on, on the next update, MS Edge does this with each update, so it leaves you with no choice but to just … Ignore its there, and not use it…
So my conclusion is, you can’t disbale anything unless Microsoft allows you to, yes you can have a less annoying experience with one of the tools I mentioned above, but the OS remains hostile against user choice.
That’s just it. Most of us probably work on our computers – imagine if you were a carpenter and your tools actively fought you. It’s about literal quality of life for me at this point.
The worst part is that if Raymond Chen is to be believed (author of The Old New Thing, work(ed) for Microsoft) this is the complete antithesis of what their philosophy was supposed to be in the Windows 96/98 era, which was “let the user have full control over how they want to use their computer.”
That shit went right out the window, didn’t it?
Why use Windows at that point?
My machine still has Windows 10, and ir can’t upgrade to Windows 11. The day they stop supporting Windows 10 is the day I’ll stop using Windows for good.
Kinda sad. I used to like to hate Windows, but I always knew that I could personally use it if needed. But ads? Telemetry? Non-uninstallable software again? They crossed a line.
In the same boat. I love seeing the message that my computer can’t upgrade to 11. “Oh no, what ever will I do?”
Personally I hate these tools with a passion as every single one I’ve seen goes overboard and disables potentially wanted features or straight up breaks stuff in its default configuration. It’s always fun to figure out what’s wrong with a machine only to eventually figure out that the owner used one of those tools a few months ago.
IMO people should either do these changes themselves or use another OS, though ultimately there needs to be legislation against this to help the non-technical people.
You can’t do 70℅ of what these tools can do for you since these features are hidden by Microsoft, and the only way to disable or enable them is via Powershell
Also, you have to be lazy and reckless to run them as they are, since almost all of them have checkboxes and explainers to what they’re going to do.
From a person who troubleshoots computers perspective, yes, fixing a computer for someone who tinkers but doesn’t understand what they’re doing ( in some cases they might not know what they’re trying to achieve ) can be a headache, and I can’t help but give them this look 😒
If you have to do stuff like that, it’s time the cut your losses and stop using windows.
lol… easier said than done…
Linux either doesn’t have the professional software I use, or it does but i have to relearn it if I wanna use Linux
Yeah I understand. Hopefully the situation improves.
Whats funny there, is people that are forced (I assume that’s the only reason you’d run it) to run Windows hate that shit, while at the same time the Apple cult embraces have zero control of their devices. They know best after all…