Welcome • User Guide
ToS • Privacy • Canary
Donate • Bugs • License

©2025 Poal.co

273

STAY ON WINDOWS 10!

Using Wireshark to check what a freshly-installed copy of Windows 11 was doing on a brand-new laptop, what they saw was eye-opening to say the least: just after the first boot, Windows 11 was quick to try and reach third-party servers with absolutely no prior user permission or intervention.

Many of the Windows 11 initial DNS queries where designed to provide "telemetry" data to market research companies, advertising providers and even geolocation-related domains like geo-prod-do with no permission or web browsing activity needed. The latest and greatest in the Windows line of operating systems is seemingly designed to "spy" on anyone and everything from the get-go.

Furthermore, every Windows 11 computer has a hidden SuperAdmin account in its roots that gives Microsoft full access to your machine. This SuperAdmin account cannot be disabled and has more rights than the user itself.

Enable or Disable the Built-in Administrator Account on Windows 11.

https://appuals.com/enable-built-in-administrator-account-windows-11/

STAY ON WINDOWS 10! Using Wireshark to check what a freshly-installed copy of Windows 11 was doing on a brand-new laptop, what they saw was eye-opening to say the least: just after the first boot, Windows 11 was quick to try and reach third-party servers with absolutely no prior user permission or intervention. Many of the Windows 11 initial DNS queries where designed to provide "telemetry" data to market research companies, advertising providers and even geolocation-related domains like geo-prod-do with no permission or web browsing activity needed. The latest and greatest in the Windows line of operating systems is seemingly designed to "spy" on anyone and everything from the get-go. Furthermore, every Windows 11 computer has a hidden SuperAdmin account in its roots that gives Microsoft full access to your machine. This SuperAdmin account cannot be disabled and has more rights than the user itself. **Enable or Disable the Built-in Administrator Account on Windows 11.** https://appuals.com/enable-built-in-administrator-account-windows-11/

(post is archived)

[–] • 7 pts

The solution is called Linux, most people are too lazy or too afraid to even try to use it. Those people deserve every inch of the fucking they get.

This is simply the digital version of those who would trade freedom for comfort and they too deserve neither.

[–] • 6 pts

If Linux was the easy solution like you've suggested, more people would use it.

If I installed Linux today, about 75% of the software I need to run would not operate.

Your statement is, thereby, false for me - and I imagine many others.

I'm just lazy to you, I guess.

[–] • 4 pts

Similar problem.

Although with the privacy concerns of Win 11 I think I'm going to move to a dual boot system. Still running Win 10 ATM, but eventually I'm sure I'll be forced to upgrade.

[–] • 1 pt

True; but there are usually alternatives to the software you use.

[–] • 3 pts

75% of the software I run has no alternatives - period. I would need to run a Windows VM inside the Linux boot, defeating the purpose entirely of using Linux in the first place.

[–] • 2 pts

This is true. Shills have an explicit agenda to scare people away from Linux. They've been steady at it since early Voat days.

As most people use office and a web browser, Linux can easily replace the typical user's desktop.

I hope people read the thread and figure out for themselves who has an agenda here and how much telemetry is lost if enough people switch. Notice the comments pretending equivalents don't exist for the majority of people even if they, as an individual, might be an exception. Which, of course, seems to trigger hard shilling.

[–] • 1 pt

I've met very few people who "need" proprietary software. This is normally code-speak for lazy and don't want to learn new things or alter a workflow in any way.

Would you care to elaborate on what you "need" that you "can't" do on Linux? There are many good alternatives to proprietary software and much of where there isn't the native software will run on wine anyway.

[–] • 1 pt

White label, independently created and run security software that does not have Linux packages.

The Linux "alternatives" are (usually) open source and do not have adequate levels of functionality.

Anything from methods of encryption to stenography libraries.

I have yet to find alternatives in the Linux world that are adequate.

This is one example, I have 20 others.

[–] • 0 pt

Games?

[–] • 1 pt

No. Tools. Computers are tools.

[–] • 0 pt

More software (in last decade) does work now in linux but do understand your point. Have to run a win boot for work and sucks.

[–] • 0 pt

Used linux Ubuntu for years.

Googling a fix for EVERYTHING every time I wanted to add new hardware or software was fun.

Could I do it yes, do I just want a pc to work yes.

[–] • 0 pt

I'm so sick of hearing this. I've run Gentoo for years and these drama lama horror stories are just bullshit.

e.g. I update every piece of software on my machine with this: emerge -auUN world

My pc has uptimes of 30 - 40 days. It gets rebooted at kernel updates and that's it. Tell me again how your PC that needs three reboots a day "just works". BTW I'm on the same OS install from 2017.....

Tell me, how long can your "just works PC" make it without a reboot?

[–] • 0 pt

Every printer, every video card, have to google a fix for everything I had to do. Could I just used the repo and used linux software. Yes I could I did for the most part. Fucking with wine with every game I ever wanted to play.

Cant install hardware where the mfg doesn't release drivers for linux. This was years ago.

I would hope it is better by now.

On Win10 since 2017. The only time this pc resets is to install updates.

[–] • 3 pts (edited )

Same telemetry on Win 10 too.

Better advice would be:

Stop using windows!

[–] • 2 pts

I for one am still using Win7, but I'm starting to get cockblocked quite a lot on DirectX12 requirements for a number of software, mainly AI-related.

[–] • 1 pt

Windows hasn't been good since the end of Windows 7.

[–] • 1 pt

of course is a spyware, no need to setup anything

I guess china + russia + india will start thinking of dumping it

any government that cares a bit about security MUST dump microsoft/google/ and all USA IT products

[–] • 1 pt

I mean, it's law in most developed nations that Microsoft must allow government access to everyone's PCs. Here in Australia, law enforcement can "read,write, edit and delete" a persons data without their knowledge or permission. Im sure they need some form of oversight to do so, but you can guarantee if its possible, they are doing it, and abusing it.

[–] • 0 pt (edited )

Use this to turn off all the bullshit that win 10 and 11 try to connect to: https://www.oo-software.com/en/shutup10

I've been using that for a long time. You don't install it either. You just run the program and decide what you want to turn off, then just save the 'profile settings' for next time, just in case windows decides to update itself and undo what was turned off.

[–] • 3 pts

That blocks a small subset of windows telemetry. It does not block third party telemetry. That app is not protecting you from anything. Also that software "O&O" phones home as well.

"If it's free and it's not open source they are selling your data."

Heres a couple small lists of windows telemetry links if you are curious. And these are just Win10 lists. I'm sure with 11 there will be new entries or lists.

https://raw.githubusercontent.com/crazy-max/WindowsSpyBlocker/master/data/hosts/spy.txt

https://raw.githubusercontent.com/RPiList/specials/master/Blocklisten/Win10Telemetry

[–] • 2 pts (edited )

Sheeeiiit. Thought it was good enough. Thanks for the list. Now I gotta do some github scraping to find some other user-created solutions. Found a few so far.

Found this one... sounds interesting: https://github.com/simeononsecurity/Windows-Optimize-Harden-Debloat

[–] • 0 pt

There may be one way to block this by entering the telemetry ip addresses in the hosts file. Of course it's possible for Microsoft to bypass that. The other way is to block these addresses on an external firewall that you own.

[–] • 0 pt

Use Debian, microgoy.