Unfortunately, you are correct. I have purposely set up a junk account for just this purpose. I usually get about 10 emails a day. 90% of the junk that goes into that account I block, otherwise it would get 100 emails a day. This week's haul:
* Fitbit
* Linksys support
* Bombas sock company
* Angel Sense (GPS locator)
* The White House (totally random spamming)
* A place for mom
Sans the Whitehouse, these are all businesses that REQUIRE an email address for the privilege of getting information, support, or using their services.
View attachment 98621
I've had this junk account for about 25 years.
Of which there is a TON with Windows 10...<:^0
About to go WAAAAY off topic here...
Well...they try. There's a way out of it. During the setup process, tucked away in the lower-left corner in an 8-point font is the option to set up a local account. I don't have the exact page, but it kind of looks like this:
View attachment 98622
To accomplish all your privacy objectives, you have to select the "Custom" option throughout the entire process. I don't have the "Let's set up an email account" page captured, but it looks similar to the above capture.
You can set up a "Local Account," like this:
View attachment 98623
As you can see, MS baits it's users by letting them know that "Windows is better" when you give away all your information. The good news is that you can reconfigure your daughter's boyfriend's computer BACK to a "Local Account." It's a bit tricky, but can be done.
Here's the best part...
You know all that privacy junk you turned off? Well you have to audit those settings about once a month because certain updates will turn them back on!! But there's more!
Under the hood of Windows 10 lives an evil little demon who sends a bunch of telemetry data to MS 24/7. You're not only giving away your privacy, but MS uses YOUR CPU, RAM and Internet bandwidth to do it!!
I use a utility to BLOCK all telemetry data being sent to MS.
View attachment 98624
And this...
View attachment 98625
Any of these can be turned back on at any time.
I also block Cortana (registry hack) so that my Windows search engine searches MY COMPUTER and NOT the friggin Internet! If I want to search the Internet, I'll open a GD browser and use the Google or DuckDuckGo search engines!
Notice how I type in "Team," and I get LOCAL results.
View attachment 98626
The thing is, LIKE YOU, I want a GD computer. NOT a "user experience." I do this same tuneup for every one of my customers. The result is a happy computer that doesn't idle at Mach 3:
View attachment 98628
As you can see, I can run Windows 10 on an old, crappy Celeron CPU with a mere 4GB of RAM (crash box used for testing Win 10). I'm remoted into the above computer, so the remote software is what's using 50% of the CPU.
View attachment 98632
Without the remote session, the CPU and SSD sit @ < 4% all the time.
Yep. It's maddening. The worse part is if your email account gets hacked, MS might REQUIRE that you change your password, which then BREAKS the password on your computer!! ARGH!! It takes me about an hour to break into a Win 10 machine and reset it to a local account (no data loss, of course). But it's a real hack.
And because I set up new computers for customers, I have to set up local accounts, which is what I always recommend anyway. Could you imagine calling customers asking them for their EMAIL account and password for the PRIVILEGE of setting up their Win-10 machines??? Insane.
Hehe....yep...my Linux Web/File server has been sitting under my desk running 24/7 for like 12 or 13 years now (running CentOS). My record Uptime is like 512 days. I only reason it wasn't longer is because we had a power outage (box is not on a UPS).
Phones apps are the WORST. You might as well just strip off all your clothes and walk around naked. I use a flip phone, so I don't do "apps." My iPads use apps, but are locked down (as much as one can possibly lock down an iPad) and turned off when not in use. It's a crazy world we live in. Everybody wants access to everything. I don't even allow the IRS access to my bank account. I'm going to set up a junk bank account for just that purpose next year....<:^/
Yeah...no worries. I get it. Hopefully, OTHER users of this forum don't mind our OT banter too much. But all this ties into our drones, which, like Microsoft, want to report everything we do and control us. So all my drones get the same treatment I give my computers, iPads, etc. I lock those jerks OUT.
D