It doesn't matter what your recovery email is. In fact, I would make it a non-MS account preferably so as not to put too many eggs in the same basket. I don't know what Steam Guard is, but it's so that when you try to add a "new" PC (including new Windows installations) to your collection of sync'd PCs via Microsoft Account, you have to confirm it to make it "Trusted". For the same reason as your Microsoft Account has a recovery email address, so that if someone highjacks your Microsoft Account but not your recovery email account, then they can add their own PC to your sync'd list AND make it "Trusted".
Do we have to turn every thread into "I hate W8!"? Go troll elsewhere or submit something useful and original. Meanwhile, back to reality. So far have installed it on my desktop that I built, and my laptop, and also my girlfriend's laptop. She hasn't had any complaints.
smartscreen is a feature since ie9 not from windows 8 and I doubt they know what the exe is.. its more an hash id to see if the id match the ones they know are bad..
This activity with installers is not anything new, it has been going on for several years, and this data isn't being inconspicuously sent just to microsoft. 3rd party or not, whether its built into the softwares exe itself, or its being tunneled via msiexec or svchost hooks (two of the most common), etc., unless you have a legitimate software firewall, something like Agnitum Outpost (not much out there can compare), this data and more is being leaked out to various organizations without your consent nor knowledge. Most other software firewalls permit literally all traffic by such subsystem services, and more. Even since Vista, check your task scheduler "Customer Experience Improvement Program" and even "Maintenance" aka Winsat (dunno this crap or similar is called in win8 - I refuse to install a rootkit), there are specific tasks that gather as much information about your computer and usage habits, that automatically send this data out! Microsoft isnt the only company that does this, various other common 3rd party software applications that people use do this as well (sometimes the opt-out is available or not). Implementing a driver based NDIS packet filter such as PeerBlock is another good step, granted you would have to have a ridiculous IP blacklist, customized of course, which is about the only way you are going to catch the various multitude of IP ranges these organizations use. Also... 1. You people have to remember that windows 8 was designed with the same exact rootkit technology that microsoft acquired when they bought skype shortly after skypes proprietary layer 2 tunnelling protocol was disclosed for what it really was (the original articles have since been adjusted by alphabet soup counterintel op intervention agencies to hide the facts). 2. MS patented that oh so desired rootkit, uh... i mean proprietary layer 2 tunneling protocol as "spying technology" (look it up!), thus its built directly into the kernel of the OS and its function is deceivingly documented as well (Think carrierIQ here x1000). 3. Every major news/advertising/sales/media/social networking/governmental/regulatory/ap2p/etc types of agencies/organizations in the world has invested in this OS to have their hands deep into the OS and desktop environment to deliver content to you... i mean harvest data from you in real time... So they have real time data mining/acquisition (keystrokes, audio, video, program/file access, etc) being streamed directly to/from your computer to every fusion center, alphabet soup agency, affiliated party (3rd or direct/private), and other invested data harvesting organizations throughout the world that want to retrieve statistical/logistical/relevant and highly private information from you. You have to be absolutely blind not to know what is going on here by this point. //just my 2 cents on the matter. Take it or leave it. You will be reading about it later depending on who blows the whistle first. Everyone should relay this information to non-affiliated security experts (if you know any), and on as many blog/forums/websites as possible to get the information out before this makes its official public release.
easy solution to this problem of Win 8 telling MSFT everything, install gay pr0n apps, MSFT will have a blast looking through that.
i think i'll stick with win 7,maybe there's an ulterior motive for offering win 8 at those discount prices,the more on board the merrier.
MS has more than enough technology to spy on users. What's keeping them from doing it? Just their goodwill and some public statements? Come on.
May you'll have to do your homework?! Some people didn't understand how it's spelled on right way: Let my work, or: Let me work! They all times thinking it's spelled: Let others work!
Whether True Or Not, You Should Disable The Guest User Account Whether these rumors are true or false has yet to be substantiated. However, everyone should disable their Guest User account. Guest User is enabled by default and could allow someone to access your computer using that account because Guest does not have a password. Most experts recommend disabling Guest User. To do so, Run, lusrmgr.msc. Open the Guest User account and check the box for account is disabled.
Don't get it how MS never able to create fair decent browsers. If they knew how to doing software, wouldn't Internet Explorer be among the best? In almost all years it's been among the worst to use and now this. Take a look in the Task scheduler, there's nothing else than spying eyes everywhere.