I am considering removing Cortana from my system as I never have used it and I have always made sure I know where everything is on my system anyway.
Is there anything I might miss?
 
for those wondering, here is how to do it:
http://superuser.com/ques...ndows-10/942419#942419

What would be the advantage in removing it?
 
It is pain on my Windows phone because I keep accidentally touching the button and it wants me to use the voice recognition, but I have never used it on my DAW and it’s never intruded or done anything to make me want rid of it.

You have the option to use Cortana or not, and I expect that it will not have much effect on performance if it is not being used. You will still have indexed search of your computer available, but will lack the ability to use voice control to try to find a file you have misplaced and get six million internet hits instead. Oh and of course autocomplete for your searches served up from Bing.

Type "remove cortana" into a google search and you get half a million results. It's obviously a popular subject.
 
Why? Because Cortana gathers personal information such as search history and communicates it back to the mothership to facilitate targeted advertising. Because users resent intrusive software they can't turn off. Microsoft itself says Cortana makes systems "less secure", which is why it's not part of the EDU edition (despite being mandatory for Home and Pro users). Because the idea of extraneous audio software continually listening in on all audio (in case you say the magic words "Hey, Cortana") is just plain creepy, if not inefficient.
 
(Hmm, I wonder what happens if you record a vocal track that contains the lyric "Hey, Cortana!")
 
 

And if you switch off all the "phone home all the time" stuff in Win10 by picking the "customise" option while installing it you will find, despite all the switches on the screen saying "off" that when it finally boots the new install and you log in and dig around a bit in the settings windows....

That Windows has helpfully turned all that stuff back on again for you without bothering to ask you or even tell you.

And even with it all "off" there are still chunks that will be shipping some of your activities back to MS.

tlw

And even with it all "off" there are still chunks that will be shipping some of your activities back to MS.

So... what is the answer if we prefer privacy? Duckduckgo?
 
I imagine there is no good answer to having our shopping interests shared, too much money involved there but I doubt MS, Apple, Google or anyone would willingly go into the policing business. Whoever did would lose all trust and a lot of business. The internet is still too free for any betrayal of trust, even perceived betrayal, to not have huge consequences... still, I would like to be as private as possible. I do not want MS or anyone else knowing what I might shop for (I know, they will know anyway) and I do not want them receiving all my searches or websites. I come here more than anywhere but that is none of their business.
My sense tells me that no one really cares, on the other hand.. what if they did?
 
J

Win10 sends suff to MS whether you use Bing or not, whether you use Cortana or not. It just sends much, much less stuff if you shut down the 'send almost everything' function.

 
If Microsoft wants to send a Yellow Submarine up my A$$ to gather info .
 
They will need to come over here in person and show me the suppository  
 
I'm not cool with Cortana on any level ...
 
I have Cortana disabled in the first place for a reason ....Stop trying to get too know me babe .....I don't want too know you ...
 
Kenny

Apparently MS is making it more difficult to turn Cortana off.
http://www.zdnet.com/article/windows-10-tip-turn-off-cortana-completely/?ftag=TRE17cfd61&bhid=22965424546014440578610366214509
 

bitflipper
(Hmm, I wonder what happens if you record a vocal track that contains the lyric "Hey, Cortana!")
 

There was a recent episode of Mr Robot where one of the characters was calling out commands to her Alexa/Echo and it was waking up the viewers Alexa's.  Yeah, obscure but a coincidence that you brought it up...