Windows 10 Warning: Anger At Microsoft Rises With Serious New Failure by Gordon Kelly 02.06.2020 "...Engadget writer Richard Lawler revealed that users were now trying to hack the Windows 10 registry to disconnect their local file searches from Microsoft servers (more below)..." https://www.forbes.com/sites/gordon...re-provokes-questions-and-anger/#2dea6e896a52
Never experienced any issue. But regardless of that if an user wants to use local search he/she should be able to do so without relying on any server. Microsoft should just accept if they are wrong.
Absurd but this is part of Microsoft "stuff-it" policy they've locked themselves into with Windows 10. FACT is there much faster and more accurate local file search programs, to name one (I used it for years) is one most in this forum are familiar with EVERYTHING https://www.voidtools.com/ There are of course plenty of others.
Can't get into forbes but have no trouble believing this. Now let all the windows 10 fanboys try and keep saying M$ can do no wrong.
One of the threats that's exercised me over the years is that of file indexing search tools, built into the OS in MS land. Also, one of the reasons I ditched Copernic search was that the app required internet connection for continuing operation and there's no way I'm having that in such a powerful piece of internet-connected software. It would make it very easy for an external party to collect - to order - a pre-indexed view of anything in the search index. It could even do stuff like online searches, where you can look for particular search terms or combinations thereof, and then report back to the mothership if the score is too high on some criterion, and identify the file(s) involved, and likewise send them for inspection remotely. Nothing at all to stop that.
Yes, this is insane. Why would local search have to rely on the cloud, shame on M$. But anyway, their are plenty of third party file search tools that probably do a better job.
Have long used the open source DocFetcher. Configure to find only titles or - it’s killer feature - find text inside documents (including pdf, all office-related files, ePub, many others). The initial index is built quickly and the results are incredible. You can even keep the program and file index on a USB drive for privacy. http://docfetcher.sourceforge.net/en/index.html
BTW, all of the above is done locally. No internet connection required. If you use DF as a sys admin to index remotely, obviously that requires a connection.
OK, I see why the shade is coming from another thread. It’s the JRE. You know, I run this on an air-gapped PC and I have an old JRE on that. The criticism is valid. It’s of no practical concern of mine because of how I use my PC, but yes, thanks for reminding others of that. I had simply forgotten. Solid point.
I've also set up VM machines with no internet access but with search tools (amongst other things) on for this specific reason. Firejail and Sandboxie are also able to restrict network access for programs which don't require connection to continue to run.
I have keys in registry set to values mentioned in linked news. I use O&O ShutUp 10 and for a brief moment used Avira Privacy Pal, so I think one of these two programs changed these keys.
