Reply to post: Complaint made to UK's Competition and Markets authority. Others should do the same.

Complaint made to UK's Competition and Markets authority. Others should do the same.

Agree, if you have an older machine (as far back as Core2Duo - 12 years+) running Windows 10, bypassing the "artificial constraints" allows an in-place upgrade where everything 'just works'. Seems a pretty clear-cut case of a company using their market dominance to manipulate the market/competition to their advantage, on the back of faux security concerns.

TPM 2.0 does nothing to prevent signed 'crap bug ridden code' being released by MS. I repeat - nothing.

Even the requirement to sign-in using a Microsoft Account on Windows 11 (not Pro) can be easily bypassed during the W11 install. There is zero requirement for this. Users being forced to provide personal user information to use a product that is not required/relevant, just like forcing users to provide a mobile number after successfully registering an Outlook account, then flagging 'suspicious activity' when there is none.

One issue people should be aware of is the Downloads folder has been separated out by Microsoft from excluded folders and given default access to Apps/Antivirus software, even when this folder has previously been excluded from access to the OS/Apps under Windows 10. Microsoft are again, changing the privacy settings during the in-place upgrade process, failing to carry over user previous preferences and MS have so much previous form on this, it really can't be seen as just another 'mistake'.

Microsoft really need to get their developers to understand that the Downloads folder is 'user personal data' not part of the OS system data, and stop treading their toes into it. They previously included the Downloads folder in the system clean-up tool, then removed it again after a backlash. People often run this tool by using 'select all' and suddenly with no prior notice, the Downloads directory had been included.

Any other company would notify you of such a major change in the tool's use, but not Microsoft, they know best obviously /s.

I'm currently documenting the evidence and passing my findings to the Competition and Markets authority here in the UK but pretty sure the EU will be interested in this too.

Others should do the same.