Windows 10 Warning: Anger At Microsoft Rises With Serious New Failure

Forbes ^ | Feb 6, 2020 | Gordon Kelly

[dayglored]

Windows 10 may now be essential but users new and old have had a rough ride in recent weeks. And it has just gotten a lot worse after a new, high-profile Windows 10 failure has left more questions than answers and some seriously angry users.

The drama began yesterday [2/5] as Windows 10 users suddenly found that Search was broken with a black bar showing where search results should be, even for those who tried to perform a local search of their files. Breaking with tradition (1,2,3,4,5), Microsoft was fast to act blaming “a temporary server-side issue”. But the explanation instead kicked a hornet’s nest. First, the fix doesn’t work for everyone. Second, and more worryingly, Microsoft’s explanation doesn’t add up and it has prompted serious questions to be asked about how the operating system works and what personal data it is sharing.

Popular Microsoft pundit Woody Leonard led the charge, writing: “If you believe that yesterday’s worldwide crash of Windows 10 Search was caused by a bad third-party fiber provider, I have a bridge to sell you.”

In an open letter to new Windows head Panos Panay, Susan ‘Patch Lady’ Bradley was similarly sceptical, noting that today “we all found out that our local search boxes are somehow dependent on some service working at Microsoft.” She attacked the company for a lack of transparency and gave it a maximum ‘Pinocchio score’ for a lack of trust.

“Microsoft has been working to unify search experience across Windows, Bing, and Office 365 products...Microsoft’s efforts to supercharge the search box has many advantages, but such problems are ruining the company’s reputation,” said Windows Latest, in a stark warning.

[Note: Embedded links and more text at the source]

[Hardastarboard]

Thanks. I’ll have to try that.

[elbook]

I’ve said for decades : that Microsoft has no excuse when they have the SIZE (if anyone does) to do things right — But don’t bother.

Something stupid like this would have been caught if they had even one competent SOFTWARE TESTER and a Management that actually cared.

SHODDY-MASTER BILL GATES - HIS LEGACY LIVES ON

.

[Dalberg-Acton]

Wouldn’t the transmitter still swamp the receiver’s front end?

[ImJustAnotherOkie]

Never use it

[US_MilitaryRules]

I have a Mac as my main computer. Mainly just emails and internet stuff. I have a win7 right next to it for my pictures and extra backup hard drive. Love the Mac!

[Army Air Corps]

Another option is WordPerfect. Yes, it is still around, and WordPerfect Office X9 Professional (the latest, professional version) covers all the MS office bases (spreadsheet, database, presentations, word processing, publishing, photo editing) and is compatible with all the MS Office file types. Yes, you pay for it...once. Have a look.

[GBA]

Thanks! That’s helpful.

Since I bailed on corporate life, every computer I’ve built and everything I have used and still use a computer for is Windows based.

However, I bought this iPad when Jobs passed, if only to honor him and all he did in life, and I have come to appreciate the differences between Apple’s approach to life and Microsoft’s.

Now in retrospect, I realize that, for me, Windows died about the same time Steve Jobs did.

The end of Win7 support just blew final taps, and a few chunks, on my long relationship with Microsoft.

Oh well ... life is like that sometimes. Time to move on.

Thanks for your help!

[GBA]

I’m saving up to follow your example. I think I’ll be happy, too.

The iPad’s cool, but I miss having a real keyboard and a screen large enough to see what I’m typing.

What Apple makes is gorgeous and hopefully their monitors are safer for my eyes like they say they are.

Before he passed, my dad lost his sight to macular degeneration and I still wonder if those older CRTs and early flat screen monitors might have been a contributing factor/cause.

And, who knows, maybe the next version of Windows will work like Win7 or XP and “Ah’ll be Bach”. (said in my best Ah’nold)

[ducttape45]

I still have my W7 hard drive, and I still use it for some things.

[MikelTackNailer]

Then one day, I realized I was just a dairy cow in the MSFT herd, being milked continually.

You chose the correct pill and unplugged.

A genius code-writer expained it to me 20 years ago: Microsoft never goes back to rewrite code more efficiently and thus improve and refine their product. They just write more code to work around the previous code until they have a New York City phonebook where re-located or dead customers are never taken out. Their "last operating system you'll ever need" has become just that as I'm moving to Linux Mint 19.3. Only today did I learn that the search function failure wasn't my fault but part of the grand spying/info-selling plan. Perhaps taping over the camera isn't paranoia after all?

And yes, Dudemack, Linux can now play almost every Windows game through Steam or a few in-system programs so gaming is no longer a sore point. Like the old PC/console issue - if you can't play it on your machine they don't care enough to support you anyway so don't deserve your money. Like one company that rhymes with Telectronic Tarts.

[Pete from Shawnee Mission]

Thanks,everyone,for the information. I’ll make it a point to save local regularly

https://support.office.com/en-us/article/What-is-AutoSave-6d6bd723-ebfd-4e40-b5f6-ae6e8088f7a5

AutoSave is a new feature available in Excel, Word, and PowerPoint for Office 365 subscribers that saves your file automatically, every few seconds, as you work.

AutoSave is enabled by default in Office 365 when a file is stored on OneDrive, OneDrive for Business, or SharePoint

Important: Do you use File > Save As after making changes to an original document or template? If so, we recommend using File > Save a Copy before making your changes. That way AutoSave won’t overwrite the original file with the changes. If AutoSave did overwrite the file with your changes, see the section below, “I didn’t want my changes saved, how do I go back?”Online.
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[Pete from Shawnee Mission]

https://www.cnet.com/how-to/why-i-turned-off-microsoft-words-autosave-feature/

“Why I turned off Word’s AutoSave feature in Office 365

Commentary: A recent Microsoft Office 365 change can have disastrous consequences. Here’s what I changed — and why.
Rick Broida mugshot
Rick Broida
March 27, 2018 12:43 PM PDT”

[Chode]

Then one day, I realized I was just a dairy cow in the MSFT herd, being milked continually.

and there it is...

[aMorePerfectUnion]

👊🏃🏼‍♂️🏃🏽🍻

[GOPJ]

FRiend, that horse was at the glue factory before the barn was built.

LOL - funny (and accurate)...

[dudemack]

The analysis on teletronic tarts is spot on. Although I did enjoy Dead Space (2006) on the PS3 and the recent Jedi Fallen Order on Windows 7.

[dayglored]

> Embrace the suck. /Win10 motto

Yeah, it's getting so's that's about all one can do, if one needs to stay "current". *sigh*

[dayglored]

> Unfortunately, my last Windows machine bit the dust, and I am left only with Linux for now.

Choose one:

• Congratulations; many here would consider that an upgrade.
• You poor soul. You can run Windows in a VM under Linux for free (other than the Windows license of course).

[dayglored]

> I have Windows 10 but never use Bing, only Chrome. Is that what was broken? I haven’t noticed anything wrong yet.

If you're using Chrome (browser) and searching using Google search, then this failure would not have affected you.

[dayglored]

> I refuse to upgrade to 10, so when this dies, and it will be soon, I’m wondering what folks know about an Apple Mac? I know they’re expensive, but I’m ok with that as long as it’s a simple platform. Thoughts?

Overall TCO (Total Cost of Ownership) is about the same for a Mac as for a hardware-equivalent Windows PC, and in many cases it's actually lower (i.e. the Mac is less expensive overall). The common belief that Apple gear costs more is because the initial purchase price appears high. There are two reasons for this: 1) Apple doesn't produce low-end (cheap) hardware, so their "entry-level" offerings are generally higher than cheap entry-level PCs, and 2) Macs come with a lot of features and software that you have to pay for separately in a Windows PC.

Mac is a pretty simple platform. It's a somewhat different model of interaction from what you're used to with a Windows PC, but it's not difficult or lengthy to switch over. Whether you find it to your liking is a matter of personal taste; like anything else, some swear by it, others swear at it. :-)

Personally I use a Mac as my primary workstation at home, with a Windows VM (virtual machine) inside the Mac. At my dayjob I use Linux as my primary workstation, with a Windows VM (virtual machine) inside the Linux box.