"Vic" <vic@smurfing.com> wrote

| From what I've read on the Web, the car manufacturers have already
| turned new cars into spyware. And some features are by subscription
| only.
|

Yes. Mozilla recently came out with a report:

https://foundation.mozilla.org/en/privacynotincluded/categories/cars/

The woman I live with has a new VW. I'm thinking
of looking into how to clean it, but it'ds hard to find
specific repair-type info. According to Mozilla they
even claim the right to film and record voice in the
car. What is a camera doing in the car? I don't know.
I've only begun to look into all this.

| I used Gibson's No Update proggie from his GRC site to stop any Win 10
| updating nonsense.

This seems to work (in addition to disabling services):
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WindowsUpdate]
"ProductVersion"="Windows 10"
"TargetReleaseVersion"=dword:00000001
"TargetReleaseVersionInfo"="20H2"

That entry has prevented my 20H2 from being updated
beyond that version.

On Sat, 16 Sep 2023 10:51:36 -0400, Newyana2 wrote:

> "Vic" <vic@smurfing.com> wrote
>
>| From what I've read on the Web, the car manufacturers have already
>| turned new cars into spyware. And some features are by subscription
>| only.
>|
>
> Yes. Mozilla recently came out with a report:
>
> https://foundation.mozilla.org/en/privacynotincluded/categories/cars/
>
> The woman I live with has a new VW. I'm thinking
> of looking into how to clean it, but it'ds hard to find
> specific repair-type info. According to Mozilla they
> even claim the right to film and record voice in the
> car. What is a camera doing in the car? I don't know.
> I've only begun to look into all this.

I'd find some way or some mechanic to turn that crap off.

This privacy intrusion now has gone over the line and has become the
ability for all companies to threaten our very right of free choice.
They can/will know where you go, what you say ,and any accidental
breach of some law or other by you which could lead to your arrest or
blackmail by the company. Even Orwell's 1984 didn't have a clue as to
the full scope of the possible tyranny we face from all directions,
corporations, government and gawd knows what other sources.

>| I used Gibson's No Update proggie from his GRC site to stop any Win 10
>| updating nonsense.
>
> This seems to work (in addition to disabling services):
> [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WindowsUpdate]
> "ProductVersion"="Windows 10"
> "TargetReleaseVersion"=dword:00000001
> "TargetReleaseVersionInfo"="20H2"
>
> That entry has prevented my 20H2 from being updated
> beyond that version.

All those tiny and useful utility proggies are meant to keep dummies
like myself from committing OS suicide by screwing with the registry.

Vic <vic@smurfing.com> wrote:
> On 15 Sep 2023 18:19:13 GMT, Frank Slootweg wrote:
>
> > Vic <vic@smurfing.com> wrote:
> >
> > [About logging in with a PIN in Windows 10 and 11:]
> >
> >> It ain't a cure for anything. It's a cause for more aggravation. A
> >> Redmond speciality.
> >>
> >> Absolutely flipp'ng ridiculous.
> >>
> >> Thanks for answering with the link, but I'm staying with 7 until the
> >> damn machine melts on the table. Screw Redmond and Gate's already
> >> overly fat wallet.
> >
> > Relax! As Newyana2 and others mentioned, it's just *a* way to login
> > and it's optional.
> >
> > As Newyana2 mentioned, you don't have to set *any* login security if
> > you don't want to. An 'empty'/null password is perfectly fine.
> >
> > And that other knickers-in-a-twist issue: No, you don't need a
> > Microsoft Account either. A local account still works perfectly fine.
>
> I guess I'm dumb, but what the bleep is this"local account" I need and
> why do I need any account to sign into Windows? In XP and Win 7 I
> just turn on the machine and everything loads up without having this
> "account" nonsense.

Again: Relax! You do have a local account, whether you realize it or
not. You may know it as your username and perhaps even not that. But
it's there. See the explanations by others and Paul's explanation for
the full story of the different account types. A local account is the
simplest form and every Windows version from NT on has had them.

Newyana2 <Newyana2@invalid.nospam> wrote:

[Restoring part of the context:]

>>> Yes, what the bleep is a local account. I'm officially
>>> a user, if that's what you mean. It means nothing.
> "Paul" <nospam@needed.invalid> wrote
>
> |
> | So yes, there are local accounts. They're local accounts,
> | because you don't have a Domain.
> |
> | Microsoft tried to shoehorn "fake Domain" behavior into
> | your home computer room. But there are some rough edges,
> | and it may take a user a while to figure out exactly
> | what those rough edges are.
> |
> | An MSA account, is similar to a Domain account, in the
> | sense that the password is the same everywhere, and it's
> | a "long and strong" password, to prevent Internet hijinks.
> | You definitely do not use a "12345" password on an MSA.
> | Because you may be logging into the Microsoft server, and
> | getting your Bitlocker recovery key from it.
> |
>
> I see. Thanks. I'd never heard that jargon before, I guess
> because I've never paid much attention to the requirement
> that I choose a "user name" on a standalone computer. So
> I've thought in terms of "users" rather than "accounts".

Strange! The term has come up umpteen times in the context of a local
account versus a Microsoft Account (MSA), especially when installing
Windows.

Anyway: Control Panel -> User Accounts -> User Accounts will list your
account as a "Local Account" (and probably with Account Type
Administrator). At least that's what it is on your Windows 10 system,
but probably also on your XP system.

As I said elsewhere, Windows has always had accounts and local ones at
that, from NT till now, so high time to get with the program! :-)

[...]

On Fri, 15 Sep 2023 08:26:06 -0500, Vic <vic@smurfing.com> wrote:

>On Fri, 15 Sep 2023 08:16:53 -0400, Newyana2 wrote:
>
>> "Vic" <vic@smurfing.com> wrote
>>
>>| Thanks for answering with the link, but I'm staying with 7 until the
>
>Win 7 is a pain in the arse. The XP menu system is so simple and
>direct to use. With 7, you have to dig through layers of menus to find
>what is right in front of you in XP.
>
But you don't understand. If it wasn't f--king you up you wouldn't
realize you had a BRAND NEW AND DIFFERENT OS! uSoft keeping you
informed.

On 9/16/2023 1:37 PM, Frank Slootweg wrote:
> Vic <vic@smurfing.com> wrote:
>> On 15 Sep 2023 18:19:13 GMT, Frank Slootweg wrote:
>>
>>> Vic <vic@smurfing.com> wrote:
>>>
>>> [About logging in with a PIN in Windows 10 and 11:]
>>>
>>>> It ain't a cure for anything. It's a cause for more aggravation. A
>>>> Redmond speciality.
>>>>
>>>> Absolutely flipp'ng ridiculous.
>>>>
>>>> Thanks for answering with the link, but I'm staying with 7 until the
>>>> damn machine melts on the table. Screw Redmond and Gate's already
>>>> overly fat wallet.
>>>
>>> Relax! As Newyana2 and others mentioned, it's just *a* way to login
>>> and it's optional.
>>>
>>> As Newyana2 mentioned, you don't have to set *any* login security if
>>> you don't want to. An 'empty'/null password is perfectly fine.
>>>
>>> And that other knickers-in-a-twist issue: No, you don't need a
>>> Microsoft Account either. A local account still works perfectly fine.
>>
>> I guess I'm dumb, but what the bleep is this"local account" I need and
>> why do I need any account to sign into Windows? In XP and Win 7 I
>> just turn on the machine and everything loads up without having this
>> "account" nonsense.
>
> Again: Relax! You do have a local account, whether you realize it or
> not. You may know it as your username and perhaps even not that. But
> it's there. See the explanations by others and Paul's explanation for
> the full story of the different account types. A local account is the
> simplest form and every Windows version from NT on has had them.
>

Here, you can see some Windows passwords in a standard format.

https://cdn.ttgtmedia.com/rms/onlineimages/johntheripper-figure3-f.jpg

You can't really tell what's in those, but determining a password
is empty, should not take the cracker program long. One try maybe.

https://www.techtarget.com/searchsecurity/tutorial/How-to-use-the-John-the-Ripper-password-cracker

You can see the effort has kinda gone underground, and perhaps that
is fear of DMCA charges and legal advice. Rather than a mean spirited attempt.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pwdump

SAM isn't in Regedit

C:\Windows\System32\config\SAM 128KB

You would shut down the OS (so SAM is at rest and ready to copy),
and then a copy of SAM, fed to pwdump8, would be the start of your adventure.

It's because the entries are protected by crypto, that you cannot tell
from the outside, whether they are empty or not.

Paul

"Vic" <vic@smurfing.com> wrote

| Even Orwell's 1984 didn't have a clue as to
| the full scope of the possible tyranny we face from all directions,
| corporations, government and gawd knows what other sources.

It's interesting. Orwell foreaws excessive gov't surveillance.
Fanatical Christian extremits saw the government imposing
the mark of the beast. But no one foresaw commercial control.
The other day I was reading that AirBnB approves of a
device for landlords to measure the number of cellphone
signal coming from a property, so they can monitor the
number of people using a rental. If that's not mark of the
beast, what is? It's now assumed that all citizens are
broadcasting their ID and location, as well as keeping personal
data for police to search. People could spoof AirBnB by turning
off their cellphones, but what cellphone addict would even imagine
that possibility? :)

On Sat, 16 Sep 2023 14:49:59 -0400, John B. Smith wrote:

> On Fri, 15 Sep 2023 08:26:06 -0500, Vic <vic@smurfing.com> wrote:
>
>>On Fri, 15 Sep 2023 08:16:53 -0400, Newyana2 wrote:
>>
>>> "Vic" <vic@smurfing.com> wrote
>>>
>>>| Thanks for answering with the link, but I'm staying with 7 until the
>>
>>Win 7 is a pain in the arse. The XP menu system is so simple and
>>direct to use. With 7, you have to dig through layers of menus to find
>>what is right in front of you in XP.
>>
> But you don't understand. If it wasn't f--king you up you wouldn't
> realize you had a BRAND NEW AND DIFFERENT OS! uSoft keeping you
> informed.

I truly believe that Win 7 is no more than a deliberately f'kd up
version of XP made for the new billion $$$ it would bring in.

If the politicians of the past could break up AT&T, the ones around
today could certainly break up MS and make tons of other OS's
available. But they won't. MS keeps sharing those extra $$$ with the
present day politicos. America is no longer the main - or the
secondary interest of the present day corrupt, evil politicians. Self
gain is all they think about, and that is why America is on life
support. The rest of the world who thinks they can survive without a
free America are so wrong. If we go down the drain, the entire world
follows us. Only we have kept China and Russia's billion or so from
overrunning us. And there are some idiots who think the world can
exist without nuclear weapons? Ha!

Vic <vic@smurfing.com> wrote:

> On Sat, 16 Sep 2023 14:49:59 -0400, John B. Smith wrote:
>
>> On Fri, 15 Sep 2023 08:26:06 -0500, Vic <vic@smurfing.com> wrote:
>>
>>>On Fri, 15 Sep 2023 08:16:53 -0400, Newyana2 wrote:
>>>
>>>> "Vic" <vic@smurfing.com> wrote
>>>>
>>>>| Thanks for answering with the link, but I'm staying with 7 until the
>>>
>>>Win 7 is a pain in the arse. The XP menu system is so simple and
>>>direct to use. With 7, you have to dig through layers of menus to find
>>>what is right in front of you in XP.
>>>
>> But you don't understand. If it wasn't f--king you up you wouldn't
>> realize you had a BRAND NEW AND DIFFERENT OS! uSoft keeping you
>> informed.
>
> I truly believe that Win 7 is no more than a deliberately f'kd up
> version of XP made for the new billion $$$ it would bring in.
>
> If the politicians of the past could break up AT&T, the ones around
> today could certainly break up MS and make tons of other OS's
> available. But they won't. MS keeps sharing those extra $$$ with the
> present day politicos. America is no longer the main - or the
> secondary interest of the present day corrupt, evil politicians. Self
> gain is all they think about, and that is why America is on life
> support. The rest of the world who thinks they can survive without a
> free America are so wrong. If we go down the drain, the entire world
> follows us. Only we have kept China and Russia's billion or so from
> overrunning us. And there are some idiots who think the world can
> exist without nuclear weapons? Ha!

Oy vey. Vic didn't come here to get help or educated. He's here to
vent.