Windows 'notifications' accesses my photos

[Wrace]

Windows did an update, and now I received a 'notification' (the one that shows up in the lower right corner) which proceeds to play (display that cycles through my photos) a bunch of my photos from my files. I have image files on both my hd and dropbox. I don't know which location it's getting them from yet.

I do not want this. How can I turn it off and prevent the OS from snooping in my image files?

Thanks

[T18skyguy]

drsteve wrote:

T18skyguy wrote:
Before Shutup10, you had to go in and manually turn off all those services. The problem was most novice user's didn't know what was safe to mess with. So for many years you could go to a web page called BlackViper, and that guy had all the Windows versions covered and how to safely do it.

Yeah, that guy had some rather iffy advice in some cases. I know people who disabled services that turned out to be necessary due to installed software, or worse, they'd try to make something work that they never used before, and it relied on a service that they didn't realize they had disabled months before.

Yea Drsteve, I'm sure a lot folks got themselves in trouble. I tried to stick to the safe settings, and I didn't have any trouble. No doubt some got too aggressive. I wish I knew exactly what every setting does, what it reports and why. That must be on the net somewhere. I did read that one of the telemetry setting should not be messed with.

[cross21114]

Seems to me that this is like the Google microphone in the security cameras (can't remember which ones). Looking at my files is a no no. I don't use any off site storage sites - everything in on my harddrive for that very reason. Now I find that they have access. Not happy.

[Wrace]

I have to laugh, as this is so aggravating otherwise. Now it's coming back to me that I went through this reconfigure business 6 months ago or whenever the last 'update' happened. I should have documented my settings once I got it all done the last time, as I'm going down the same road to fix all this stuff again.

Thought I had it all set the way I want it, but guess not.

Now I get an audio chime and a message shooting in from the right side of the screen every time I receive an email. I check my email once a day during the week and usually never on the weekend, and other than that I don't want to be bothered with it. I must be the only one on this earth that doesn't want all this information constantly flashing at me and bothering me.

Also, the outlook calendar notification is not working and that's the only notification I actually want. Last time I was able to get it working but it included notification from windows, (shoots in from the lower right). I took me awhile to figure out how to get just the outlook calendar notification, and not the windows notification. Of course I didn't think to write down those settings either. That won't happen again.

Oh well, carry on.

[Wrace]

T18skyguy wrote:
...I think it still exists, not sure. OK, back to photo's. They access them whether you like it or not. It's a law enforcement method to bust child abuser's. They look at everything. I went to save my tax return, and they sent me a message instantly "Don't you want to encrypt that"? They know more about whats on our computers than we do. Same with music. I was deciding between Onedrive, or Google music, they sent me a message instantly that stated "We already have your music" In other words, why not stay with us?

I guess I shouldn't be surprised, but it sure is discouraging. I found that the photo's it was displaying were the most recent ones that I had moved a couple days ago from dropbox to my local hd. It's easiest to use our dropbox files from within File Explorer where dropbox shows up as just another drive. Both of our phones save pictures directly to dropbox. It wouldn't surprise me if MS has access to our dropbox files as well via file explorer.

[drsteve]

T18skyguy wrote:
Before Shutup10, you had to go in and manually turn off all those services. The problem was most novice user's didn't know what was safe to mess with. So for many years you could go to a web page called BlackViper, and that guy had all the Windows versions covered and how to safely do it.

Yeah, that guy had some rather iffy advice in some cases. I know people who disabled services that turned out to be necessary due to installed software, or worse, they'd try to make something work that they never used before, and it relied on a service that they didn't realize they had disabled months before.

[T18skyguy]

Before Shutup10, you had to go in and manually turn off all those services. The problem was most novice user's didn't know what was safe to mess with. So for many years you could go to a web page called BlackViper, and that guy had all the Windows versions covered and how to safely do it. I think it still exists, not sure. OK, back to photo's. They access them whether you like it or not. It's a law enforcement method to bust child abuser's. They look at everything. I went to save my tax return, and they sent me a message instantly "Don't you want to encrypt that"? They know more about whats on our computers than we do. Same with music. I was deciding between Onedrive, or Google music, they sent me a message instantly that stated "We already have your music" In other words, why not stay with us?

[Wrace]

Thanks guys.
Got it changed. Went through settings and made the changes, and also looked at the shutup10 program which was a sobering view of all various things the OS has its fingers in.

This os update also reinstalled (or reactivated) Bing as my browser (instead of fire fox), changed my new tabs, and home button settings such that it brings up the dreaded MSN again as my homepage.

It was just a few months ago that folks on this forum helped me get rid of MSN and and set my new tabs and homepage the way I want them. Went back and referenced that thread again and now have most everything back the way I want it.

Thanks again.

[drsteve]

No need for a separate program, or to dig through Windows settings.

Open the search box and type "notifications". Click the top result, "notifications and action settings".

Turn off notifications from the offending app.

Done!

[downtheroad]

M wrote:
Best to just go thru every single category and turn everything OFF if you don't want any of that stuff.. Not download some 'free' program..Mitch

I don't mind a difference of opinion....different views are good and all add to the conversation. But what could be easier, especially for someone that is somewhat confused, frustrated andtech challenged?
Shup UP Windows 10 makes it very easy to be in control and puts it all in one place without digging through the convoluted Windows settings.

[BobsYourUncle]

I find this kind of junk from MS so frustrating. My data is mine! They don't need it nor do they have any business sneaking in and taking it. This should be illegal....

I experienced one of their data grabs last night. After renewing my Office365 I was doing stuff on a large complicated Excel spreadsheet I created years ago.

In trying to turn autosave on, I get a message telling me I have to save my file in their "Onedrive", rather than on my local hard drive. Well, it's sensitive tax information, I don't want it on their drive, I want it on mine! Stay out!

Beginning to think I made a mistake subscribing to Office365.

So theres another thing to figure out how to turn off....

[MitchF150]

Best to just go thru every single category and turn everything OFF if you don't want any of that stuff.. Not download some 'free' program..

I just went thru mine again and found stuff turned back ON that I know I had turned OFF before....

Can't believe I have to do this every freaking month after their mandatory "update Tuesday" updates...

No, I'm not going to go to a mac either... I drank the kool-aid with MS so that's where it is...

Ugh.. I'm too freaking old! Ha, ha!

Mitch

[gbopp]

downtheroad wrote:
Download this free program. Makes it really easy to shut off all the Windows privacy items....

Windows Shut Up 10

Nice, thanks.

[downtheroad]

Download this free program. Makes it really easy to shut off all the Windows privacy items....

Windows Shut Up 10

[rk911]

MitchF150 wrote:
Sounds like you have Windows 10. What I did was go into Settings and open up every single category and turn everything to NO where you can and find.... It took me about 10 minutes to go thru all the categories and sub categories turning everything OFF..

Good luck!

Mitch

I believe it's SETTINGS: SYSTEM (should be the first choice): NOTIFICATIONS

towards the bottom of the screen you should see something like NOTIFICATIONS FROM OTHER APPS or words to that effect. you can turn them ALL off or individually.