Microsoft holds users data and pcs hostage with bitlocker.

[kojack]

So, I was just reading about the bitlocker bull.  So MS holds your pc hostage with bitlocker encryption so if you have to install a new drive, or want to upgrade, the data on your current drive is locked and unable to be read unless you get a passcode from them?  that's next level.  

 

 

[Aaron44126]

You can get the passcode yourself right out of the BitLocker control panel. It is also stored in your Microsoft account, assuming that you set one up and use it to log in to your PC, and you can fetch it through a browser. The idea is simply to prevent someone who steals your system from being able to access your data, and I’m not really sure how they could do disk encryption better, a trivial workaround would defeat the purpose. Though I agree that activating it by default without informing the user of what is going on first is not the best approach.

[kojack]

2 hours ago, Aaron44126 said:

You can get the passcode yourself right out of the BitLocker control panel. It is also stored in your Microsoft account, assuming that you set one up and use it to log in to your PC, and you can fetch it through a browser. The idea is simply to prevent someone who steals your system from being able to access your data, and I’m not really sure how they could do disk encryption better, a trivial workaround would defeat the purpose. Though I agree that activating it by default without informing the user of what is going on first is not the best approach.

Yes, I had to go through it with my moms laptop.  It's a huge inconvenience.  Plus, I am ditching windows for security reasons too.  They like scraping your data and sending it to places like McAfee, and other third party bidders.  I don't have McAfee on my systems why is my data going to them.  NO THANKS.  I broke the news to my son who has autism and does not like change that change is coming on his gaming PC.  For the better however. 

[Papusan]

On 5/16/2025 at 3:46 PM, kojack said:

Yes, I had to go through it with my moms laptop.  It's a huge inconvenience.  Plus, I am ditching windows for security reasons too.  They like scraping your data and sending it to places like McAfee, and other third party bidders.  I don't have McAfee on my systems why is my data going to them.  NO THANKS.  I broke the news to my son who has autism and does not like change that change is coming on his gaming PC.  For the better however. 

 

Nothing Microsoft create is safe.... But M$ want you to scrap your older fully working computer because it's a security problem for your data/privacy. 

 

 

This was doomed to happen. What Microsoft has made is an ticking bomb. Vulnerability made it possible to steal sensitive data by sending email.

 

Exclusive: New Microsoft Copilot flaw signals broader risk of AI agents being hacked—‘I would be terrified’

[kojack]

On 6/16/2025 at 5:19 AM, Papusan said:

 

Nothing Microsoft create is safe.... But M$ want you to scrap your older fully working computer because it's a security problem for your data/privacy. 

 

 

This was doomed to happen. What Microsoft has made is an ticking bomb. Vulnerability made it possible to steal sensitive data by sending email.

 

Exclusive: New Microsoft Copilot flaw signals broader risk of AI agents being hacked—‘I would be terrified’

Nothing any of the big mega corps create is safe.  The only truly safe OS at this point is Linux. That being said, we are sort of stuck for the time being until Steam OS gets their emulation completely sorted so my son can play space engine without any issues at all. 

[Papusan]

13 hours ago, kojack said:

Nothing any of the big mega corps create is safe.

Yup. 

Microsoft locks Windows 11 user out, shows how easy losing data from forced encryption is

[kojack]

I am hoping before years end, Steam has every game available for linux. If that happens we are gonzo from windows.  As it stands right now, that's the stopping point for us as a family.  I am going to be taking the old SSD from this laptop and putting garuda on it to try. 

[Aaron44126]

5 hours ago, kojack said:

I am hoping before years end, Steam has every game available for linux. If that happens we are gonzo from windows.  As it stands right now, that's the stopping point for us as a family.  I am going to be taking the old SSD from this laptop and putting garuda on it to try. 

 

You can already enable a toggle in Steam settings on Linux, which is off by default, to enable Proton support for any game. It will allow you to download the Windows version of a game and run it in the Proton wrapper (which uses Wine, DXVK, and custom patches). Every single game that I have tried works fine. I consider gaming on Linux to be a solved problem.

 

I'm a single-player gamer though. The gotcha would be multiplayer games with kernel-level anticheat built in. Those will never run on Linux unless the game dev/publisher adds explicit support for it. There's not a lot of movement on that front, and I would say that it is unlikely to change much between now and the end of the year.

 

Valve can't fix that one, but they can continue to add pressure to game devs to support Linux by making SteamOS available and easy to install on more devices. That is something that they are working on. We're already seeing situations where if you opt for SteamOS instead of Windows on a "handheld gaming PC", it is both cheaper and better performing. That will lead more people to consider and select SteamOS when buying these things, which will create a larger Linux userbase and give more incentive for game devs to support it.

[kojack]

4 hours ago, Aaron44126 said:

 

You can already enable a toggle in Steam settings on Linux, which is off by default, to enable Proton support for any game. It will allow you to download the Windows version of a game and run it in the Proton wrapper (which uses Wine, DXVK, and custom patches). Every single game that I have tried works fine. I consider gaming on Linux to be a solved problem.

 

I'm a single-player gamer though. The gotcha would be multiplayer games with kernel-level anticheat built in. Those will never run on Linux unless the game dev/publisher adds explicit support for it. There's not a lot of movement on that front, and I would say that it is unlikely to change much between now and the end of the year.

 

Valve can't fix that one, but they can continue to add pressure to game devs to support Linux by making SteamOS available and easy to install on more devices. That is something that they are working on. We're already seeing situations where if you opt for SteamOS instead of Windows on a "handheld gaming PC", it is both cheaper and better performing. That will lead more people to consider and select SteamOS when buying these things, which will create a larger Linux userbase and give more incentive for game devs to support it.

Dont have a way to test space engine do you?

[Aaron44126]

6 minutes ago, kojack said:

Dont have a way to test space engine do you?

 

I don't own this game. ProtonDB has a lot of end user compatibility reports, with suggestions for tweaks or configuration changes to get a game running better. It looks like some minor tinker steps are needed to get this game working, but it can be done.

https://www.protondb.com/app/314650

[kojack]

So, I have been reading that Microsoft is putting some nice new rasomware into the latest update of win11.  A McAfee ad that will not go away unless you go remove it somehow in the registry, or you pay for the f&@King program.  Last straw. Glad I never paid for that new video and photo software I was looking at.  I am going to figure out how to get space engine working on my son's MSI laptop and moving from Windows.