Posted by SDF on September 25, 2014 at 11:51:50:
In Reply to: Tech- Windows not shut down properly (and a question) posted by PD on September 21, 2014 at 14:32:49:
: Yesterday, my Windows 7 laptop wouldn’t startup. I was using it away from home and was not connected to the internet. Eventually, a “Windows not shut down properly” error message appeared on the screen. It gave me the option of running in safe mode, so I did that. The text on the screen was too large, but I was able to use the computer. When I got home, I connected it to the internet and started it. After a long delay, it finally started up normally and has been working normally ever since. So here is the question: is Microsoft monitoring the functioning of my Windows 7 laptop via the internet and automatically fixing problems?
Depends on which Microsoft products you are using. It is well known that some Microsoft products are tracked when you use them. As for them tracking your computer's problems, no one knows - but many suspect. Now, if you are using any computer program that is on the "cloud," then you should expect to be tracked. In fact, that is why Microsoft and many other companies are trying to get you to use "cloud" programs. It all goes back to pre-personal computer days, when every computer user was hooked to the company mainframe via a terminal. The management of those companies was very upset when employees started hooking personal computers to the mainframes to use as terminals. Why? Because other companies (ironically, like Microsoft) were selling programs that would reside on those personal computers instead of on the company mainframe. The management was afraid of losing control. And they did. People loaded up their personal computers with all kinds of programs. Now, with "the cloud," the companies are taking back that control. After all, what is "the cloud"? It is a big mainframe and server farm somewhere. If you go along with companies like Microsoft and use cloud versions of their software, you are actually "renting" those programs, and Microsoft maintains full control and knows everything you are doing. No more borrowing your friend's CD with a program and installing that version on your computer.
For those reasons, you will see an unrelenting effort to get you to use cloud version of all new software. Back to the days of the mainframe when the company had full control. (Also, we now know that companies like Microsoft are being forced to feed user information to the NSA.)