7 ms·

Oh Frick Go Back: GUI Tool to Removes Ads from Various Places Around Windows 11

51 points by ajdude 2y ago

tardismechanic 2y ago
I don't get it. Why is it called that?
- Phiwise_ 2y ago
  I'd guess this: https://knowyourmeme.com/photos/2046415-upgrade-button https://knowyourmeme.com/photos/2046415-upgrade-button
- deleted 2y ago
  [deleted]
zachmu 2y ago
Microsoft cramming more and more ads in their OS could be the push we need to finally achieve the year of the Linux desktop
- lop 2y ago
  If these tools didn't exist, more sane people would switch to Mac or (even better) to Linux... (crazy world ;- )
- observationist 2y ago
  Good luck getting people to recognize that much of their frustration with computers is deliberate, and a consequence of software patents and the monopolistic games played by megacorps in order to suppress competition and ensure dependency. It's easier for people to learn to cope and put up with the small annoyances than to deal with a big disruption that pays off later, and Microsoft knows exactly where the limits are, and will push people for every tiny percent of exploitable territory that won't cause them to leave. Unless IP laws get overhauled, this is the way things will be - total surveillance, the user is the product, the customer is the megacorporations positioned to exploit adtech at scale. Infinite growth and endless passive income for the rich, everyone else gets to be frogs in some dystopian eternally-approaching-but-not-quite-boiling pot. Consumer rights and corporate limits in the context of modern technology bounded by fundamental civil liberties are the way to sanity. A lot of very wealthy people and their cadres of very influential cronies would lose wealth and influence if the system were to be repaired. So yeah, it's easier to just cope and let things more or less suck.
  - RIMR 2y ago
    It's wild to me how Linux continues to have such a bad reputation. Half of the criticisms I hear are at least a decade old, and don't reflect my experience with Linux at all. People complain that it is hard to install. You pretty much just boot from USB and install it. People complain that drivers are hard to install. Pretty much everything you need comes standard. The only real difficulty is with Nvidia drivers, but even that has become a lot easier to manage with the push towards AI. Most users don't need a GPU, so they won't ever have to touch a driver. People complain that it is too hard to use, and "you have to use the command line". No you fucking don't. All of the major DEs are idiot-proof and GUI-driven. It's the same UX as Windows and Mac. The biggest thing you need to do to acclimate to when moving from Windows to Linux is understanding UNIX filesystems. Just wrap your head around the fact that drive letters don't exist, everything is a file, and drives can be mounted to any directory, and you'll be fine. Most Windows users don't do much else than office programs and a web browser. They can even install Edge on Linux if that's what they like, and LibreOffice isn't lacking in features unless you're an enterprise power-user. Or you can just use Office Online or Google Docs in your browser if you really need more features.
    - micahdeath 2y ago
      The moment you run an uncommon configuration in Linux, you must search for fixes and get to rather deep configs in Linux... Windows usually just works with the same hardware.
      - joecot 2y ago
        There are numerous cases where stuff does not work in Windows. The difference is the support. If your device doesn't work in Windows, there's usually a help line to call for it. They might give you the runaround for an hour, but they'll try to help you, and if they don't they might end up giving you a refund. Or you can take your computer to a tech support person, even Geek Squad at best buy. If you are technically illiterate, there are people to help you. If your device doesn't work in Linux, it's probably not supported by any company. There are some linux distros that offer paid support, but people don't think to look for that. Even though your device is probably supported by Linux, Linux is not supported by the manufacturer, so if you have a problem, you're on your own. Your support is community support, reading forums and discords and github issues. Your only recourse is if you bought your computer from a Linux first company like System 76, but even then the support extends to the computer itself, not every random device you might buy without checking if it's supported on Linux. There used to also be local support for Linux, in the form of Linux User Groups and Local Community Teams for Ubuntu. But as Linux got more popular, it stopped being a hobby, so the volunteer work (and corporate assistance in that volunteer work in Ubuntu's case) disappeared.
- decremental 2y ago
  [dead]
- Groxx 2y ago
  I honestly kinda hope Microsoft doubles from on the garbage. Forcing normal people to try to use Linux is the only way to force Linux to shape up and be usable for normal people. It's gonna be an Eternal September 2.0, but Linux will be better because of it.
  - StableAlkyne 2y ago
    > Forcing normal people to try to use Linux Have you seen how many ads the average user puts up with?
    - micahdeath 2y ago
      Lol - phones are now just advertisement machines and trackers. I wonder when Linux Desktops follow?
    - Groxx 2y ago
      And how popular ad blockers are, and how much effort some people are willing to put into skipping YouTube ads, yes. Even a couple more % of the market would be an unbelievable increase in Linux users.
deleted 2y ago
[deleted]
rhplus 2y ago
Appears to be an exe. Any reason why not just a `.reg` file?
- fwip 2y ago
  Well, it's a GUI tool. So that's part of it.
- Quarrel 2y ago
  Mostly because those of us that know what a .reg file is, don't need this.
- Terr_ 2y ago
  As much as I appreciate this kind of work, I'm shocked and dismayed that anyone would even consider distributing it as an opaque binary. I mean, this problem-area has always been extremely fertile ground for sneaky hacks, trojan'ed knockoffs, and simply trusting the wrong people or files. Plus knowing exactly what things get changed--and how--is important in case you need to revert anything.
autoexec 2y ago
I get why people want things like this, but it's pointless to try to fight against a user-hostile OS that forces updates on you whenever they feel like it since any one of those updates can undo anything you've changed and introduce much worse. Microsoft has already decided that they will collect as much of your private data as they can in order to turn their Windows OS into an advertising platform. If that bothers you the only real solution is to stop using Windows.
- ProllyInfamous 2y ago
  >If that bothers you the only real solution is to stop using Windows. I don't know, Windows 7 Pro 64-bit is still a pretty great solution, personally.
  - babypuncher 2y ago
    There is lots of popular consumer software that no longer runs on Windows 7.
    - ProllyInfamous 2y ago
      Steam stopped working this year, forcing me to consider updating to Windows 10... but still hasn't happened, yet.
      - timw4mail 2y ago
        Last I checked (a month or 2 ago), Steam still works on Windows 7, but is unsupported.
        babypuncher 2y ago
        You can basically keep using the last supported version of Steam, but it will eventually break. However few if any new games support the old operating system at all. Windows 7 is a complete non-starter in 2024, it's too old.
  - 2y ago
bitwize 2y ago
Coming soon to Windows 11 update 24H2: "OFGB.exe has been blocked due to security and performance concerns..."
- jerf 2y ago
  I'd give this at least even odds. Based on some ancient personal experience you can also bet that the EULA will be rewritten to forbid people to use Windows 11 to develop this sort of workaround. Which is to say, if this is not a violation of the license today, it will be soon enough.
  - im3w1l 2y ago
    I'd bet to 2:1 that it won't happen. Few people will bother, and the people that do get this tool are the type of people that that cause disproportionate issues if you anger them.
- CLiED 2y ago
  Most people are so bombarded with ads on the web that they scarcely think it weird that their OS does the same, anyone who cares about this has been able to do something about it a long time ago, I have never seen an ad on my windows 10 installation.
everyone 2y ago
Windows 10 LTSC is the actual good version of Windows. Honestly it's one of my favourite OSes. Since MS don't sell it to regular people, it behooves one to pirate it.
- Quarrel 2y ago
  Win10 EOL 2025. Win10 LTSC EOL 2027. Doesn't seem that far away now ..
  - everyone 2y ago
    They're always going to have to maintain a good build of Windows for enterprise customers. Also LTSC 2019 will be supported until 2029. The newer LTSC 2022 has the the 2027 eol. They slashed the support time for the new LTSC from 10 years to 5 years. But yeah, whenever LTSC stops is when I switch 100% over to Linux, I'm sort of on the fence already.. Just as a game dev Windows is handy to have.
adastra22 2y ago
Does this (or a tool like this) actually remove ads and spy “features” without actually modifying the user experience otherwise? I've wanted a tool that would get rid of this nonsense, but leave my system as vanilla Windows 11 otherwise. The ones I looked into all seemed to apply various other UI/UX tweaks that the tool writer apparently preferred. I just want to remove the ads, nothing else.
halfcat 2y ago
What do people mean when they refer to ads on Windows? I’ve used Windows from 3.1 to 11 on PC, and NT 4 to 2022 on server, and I’ve never seen an ad. Granted I’ve only ever used local logins or locally hosted Active Directory, so is this a thing when you use a Microsoft login or what?
- Tool_of_Society 2y ago
  They are called 'suggestions" "recommended" or "tips" in the OS. They are just straight up ads..
- makeitdouble 2y ago
  "corporate" versions probably don't have them. Microsoft has a very clear segmentation between the business products and their generic "home" version they won't hesitate to shove any crap in.
mickelsen 2y ago
Now we need something to disable all the little annoyances, ML daemons, Siri, Apple Music and related in MacOS just as safely.
jasomill 2y ago
While most of these things can be disabled in a supported fashion using Group Policy, notable settings restricted to "non-consumer" Windows editions include: Enterprise and Education only: "Disable all apps from Microsoft Store", "Do not show Windows tips", "Turn off Microsoft consumer experiences" Enterprise, Education, and Server only: "Allow Diagnostic Data: Diagnostic data off", "Force a specific default lock screen and logon image" (?!?)

51 points by ajdude 2y ago

tardismechanic 2y ago

I don't get it. Why is it called that?

Phiwise_ 2y ago
I'd guess this: https://knowyourmeme.com/photos/2046415-upgrade-button https://knowyourmeme.com/photos/2046415-upgrade-button
deleted 2y ago
[deleted]

zachmu 2y ago

Microsoft cramming more and more ads in their OS could be the push we need to finally achieve the year of the Linux desktop

lop 2y ago
If these tools didn't exist, more sane people would switch to Mac or (even better) to Linux... (crazy world ;- )
observationist 2y ago
Good luck getting people to recognize that much of their frustration with computers is deliberate, and a consequence of software patents and the monopolistic games played by megacorps in order to suppress competition and ensure dependency. It's easier for people to learn to cope and put up with the small annoyances than to deal with a big disruption that pays off later, and Microsoft knows exactly where the limits are, and will push people for every tiny percent of exploitable territory that won't cause them to leave. Unless IP laws get overhauled, this is the way things will be - total surveillance, the user is the product, the customer is the megacorporations positioned to exploit adtech at scale. Infinite growth and endless passive income for the rich, everyone else gets to be frogs in some dystopian eternally-approaching-but-not-quite-boiling pot. Consumer rights and corporate limits in the context of modern technology bounded by fundamental civil liberties are the way to sanity. A lot of very wealthy people and their cadres of very influential cronies would lose wealth and influence if the system were to be repaired. So yeah, it's easier to just cope and let things more or less suck.
- RIMR 2y ago
  It's wild to me how Linux continues to have such a bad reputation. Half of the criticisms I hear are at least a decade old, and don't reflect my experience with Linux at all. People complain that it is hard to install. You pretty much just boot from USB and install it. People complain that drivers are hard to install. Pretty much everything you need comes standard. The only real difficulty is with Nvidia drivers, but even that has become a lot easier to manage with the push towards AI. Most users don't need a GPU, so they won't ever have to touch a driver. People complain that it is too hard to use, and "you have to use the command line". No you fucking don't. All of the major DEs are idiot-proof and GUI-driven. It's the same UX as Windows and Mac. The biggest thing you need to do to acclimate to when moving from Windows to Linux is understanding UNIX filesystems. Just wrap your head around the fact that drive letters don't exist, everything is a file, and drives can be mounted to any directory, and you'll be fine. Most Windows users don't do much else than office programs and a web browser. They can even install Edge on Linux if that's what they like, and LibreOffice isn't lacking in features unless you're an enterprise power-user. Or you can just use Office Online or Google Docs in your browser if you really need more features.
  - micahdeath 2y ago
    The moment you run an uncommon configuration in Linux, you must search for fixes and get to rather deep configs in Linux... Windows usually just works with the same hardware.
    - joecot 2y ago
      There are numerous cases where stuff does not work in Windows. The difference is the support. If your device doesn't work in Windows, there's usually a help line to call for it. They might give you the runaround for an hour, but they'll try to help you, and if they don't they might end up giving you a refund. Or you can take your computer to a tech support person, even Geek Squad at best buy. If you are technically illiterate, there are people to help you. If your device doesn't work in Linux, it's probably not supported by any company. There are some linux distros that offer paid support, but people don't think to look for that. Even though your device is probably supported by Linux, Linux is not supported by the manufacturer, so if you have a problem, you're on your own. Your support is community support, reading forums and discords and github issues. Your only recourse is if you bought your computer from a Linux first company like System 76, but even then the support extends to the computer itself, not every random device you might buy without checking if it's supported on Linux. There used to also be local support for Linux, in the form of Linux User Groups and Local Community Teams for Ubuntu. But as Linux got more popular, it stopped being a hobby, so the volunteer work (and corporate assistance in that volunteer work in Ubuntu's case) disappeared.
decremental 2y ago
[dead]
Groxx 2y ago
I honestly kinda hope Microsoft doubles from on the garbage. Forcing normal people to try to use Linux is the only way to force Linux to shape up and be usable for normal people. It's gonna be an Eternal September 2.0, but Linux will be better because of it.
- StableAlkyne 2y ago
  > Forcing normal people to try to use Linux Have you seen how many ads the average user puts up with?
  - micahdeath 2y ago
    Lol - phones are now just advertisement machines and trackers. I wonder when Linux Desktops follow?
  - Groxx 2y ago
    And how popular ad blockers are, and how much effort some people are willing to put into skipping YouTube ads, yes. Even a couple more % of the market would be an unbelievable increase in Linux users.

deleted 2y ago

[deleted]

rhplus 2y ago

Appears to be an exe. Any reason why not just a `.reg` file?

fwip 2y ago
Well, it's a GUI tool. So that's part of it.
Quarrel 2y ago
Mostly because those of us that know what a .reg file is, don't need this.
Terr_ 2y ago
As much as I appreciate this kind of work, I'm shocked and dismayed that anyone would even consider distributing it as an opaque binary. I mean, this problem-area has always been extremely fertile ground for sneaky hacks, trojan'ed knockoffs, and simply trusting the wrong people or files. Plus knowing exactly what things get changed--and how--is important in case you need to revert anything.

autoexec 2y ago

I get why people want things like this, but it's pointless to try to fight against a user-hostile OS that forces updates on you whenever they feel like it since any one of those updates can undo anything you've changed and introduce much worse. Microsoft has already decided that they will collect as much of your private data as they can in order to turn their Windows OS into an advertising platform. If that bothers you the only real solution is to stop using Windows.

ProllyInfamous 2y ago
>If that bothers you the only real solution is to stop using Windows. I don't know, Windows 7 Pro 64-bit is still a pretty great solution, personally.
- babypuncher 2y ago
  There is lots of popular consumer software that no longer runs on Windows 7.
  - ProllyInfamous 2y ago
    Steam stopped working this year, forcing me to consider updating to Windows 10... but still hasn't happened, yet.
    - timw4mail 2y ago
      Last I checked (a month or 2 ago), Steam still works on Windows 7, but is unsupported.
      - babypuncher 2y ago
        You can basically keep using the last supported version of Steam, but it will eventually break. However few if any new games support the old operating system at all. Windows 7 is a complete non-starter in 2024, it's too old.
- 2y ago

bitwize 2y ago

Coming soon to Windows 11 update 24H2: "OFGB.exe has been blocked due to security and performance concerns..."

jerf 2y ago
I'd give this at least even odds. Based on some ancient personal experience you can also bet that the EULA will be rewritten to forbid people to use Windows 11 to develop this sort of workaround. Which is to say, if this is not a violation of the license today, it will be soon enough.
- im3w1l 2y ago
  I'd bet to 2:1 that it won't happen. Few people will bother, and the people that do get this tool are the type of people that that cause disproportionate issues if you anger them.
CLiED 2y ago
Most people are so bombarded with ads on the web that they scarcely think it weird that their OS does the same, anyone who cares about this has been able to do something about it a long time ago, I have never seen an ad on my windows 10 installation.

everyone 2y ago

Windows 10 LTSC is the actual good version of Windows. Honestly it's one of my favourite OSes. Since MS don't sell it to regular people, it behooves one to pirate it.

Quarrel 2y ago
Win10 EOL 2025. Win10 LTSC EOL 2027. Doesn't seem that far away now ..
- everyone 2y ago
  They're always going to have to maintain a good build of Windows for enterprise customers. Also LTSC 2019 will be supported until 2029. The newer LTSC 2022 has the the 2027 eol. They slashed the support time for the new LTSC from 10 years to 5 years. But yeah, whenever LTSC stops is when I switch 100% over to Linux, I'm sort of on the fence already.. Just as a game dev Windows is handy to have.

adastra22 2y ago

Does this (or a tool like this) actually remove ads and spy “features” without actually modifying the user experience otherwise? I've wanted a tool that would get rid of this nonsense, but leave my system as vanilla Windows 11 otherwise. The ones I looked into all seemed to apply various other UI/UX tweaks that the tool writer apparently preferred. I just want to remove the ads, nothing else.

halfcat 2y ago

What do people mean when they refer to ads on Windows? I’ve used Windows from 3.1 to 11 on PC, and NT 4 to 2022 on server, and I’ve never seen an ad. Granted I’ve only ever used local logins or locally hosted Active Directory, so is this a thing when you use a Microsoft login or what?

Tool_of_Society 2y ago
They are called 'suggestions" "recommended" or "tips" in the OS. They are just straight up ads..
makeitdouble 2y ago
"corporate" versions probably don't have them. Microsoft has a very clear segmentation between the business products and their generic "home" version they won't hesitate to shove any crap in.

mickelsen 2y ago

Now we need something to disable all the little annoyances, ML daemons, Siri, Apple Music and related in MacOS just as safely.

jasomill 2y ago

While most of these things can be disabled in a supported fashion using Group Policy, notable settings restricted to "non-consumer" Windows editions include: Enterprise and Education only: "Disable all apps from Microsoft Store", "Do not show Windows tips", "Turn off Microsoft consumer experiences" Enterprise, Education, and Server only: "Allow Diagnostic Data: Diagnostic data off", "Force a specific default lock screen and logon image" (?!?)