• Not a replicant@lemmy.world
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    4 days ago

    Well, if I’ve got no way to bypass it (when setting up for customers), I’ll create an account specifically for this purpose.

    And proceed to poison the hell out of any data it sends.

    Does it still let you sign in locally if you disable network interfaces in BIOS?

    • claymore@pawb.social
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      4 days ago

      Couldn’t you just reinstall windows with an older ISO to bypass this? That’s what I already do at work anytime I need to setup a new machine, gets rid of the manufacturer supplied programs bloatware. Plus Rufus has an option for triggering the bypass command automatically.

    • FireWire400@lemmy.world
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      4 days ago

      Does it still let you sign in locally if you disable network interfaces in BIOS?

      Don’t think so. The setup itself can’t complete without internet.

      • ArbitraryValue@sh.itjust.works
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        4 days ago

        I’m spiteful enough that I would have returned my new laptop (despite needing it for a trip in a couple of days) if I hadn’t been able to bypass the account requirement by disabling the wifi.

        What still pissed me off is that it would restart itself after downloading updates if it was left idle, and there was no straightforward option to turn that off. (I think I managed to break that “feature” but who knows how long that will work.) Turning my computer off is never acceptable unless I initiate it. It’s about as obviously wrong as walking into my house uninvited or borrowing my stuff without asking me.

        • chunkystyles@sopuli.xyz
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          3 days ago

          That was one of the things that drove me away from Windows. Coming to my desk in the morning to see my computer on not sleeping because it woke up to apply updates or some other shit pissed me off.

          Just one of the many ways that with Windows, my computer didn’t feel like I was in control of it anymore.

          With Linux, I’m in complete control and it feels so good. Also knowing that I’m not giving out data just by using my computer is great. And FOSS is just cool.

          • pogmommy@lemmy.ml
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            3 days ago

            And FOSS is just cool.

            It’s such an underrated feature of desktop Linux. The fact that if I experience an issue with a piece of software, I could find the program’s source code and browse issues to see if anyone had a shared experience. And if not, I could publicly submit an issue which the developers and other users/contributors could help resolve. And if you’re brave/experienced enough, you can take a crack at fixing it yourself and potentially resolving the issue for other users!

            On windows/macos which both fail to foster robust foss communities remotely comparable to Linux, the best option more often than not was sending an email to some support address that either never gets checked, or only replies with canned messages. After which you’ll never know whatnif anything happened to your report.