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Edition is Windows 10 Pro 21H2.

Examples of specialized applets ‘back from the dead’ are Camera, Clock, Cortana, Maps, Phone (back as Phone Link).

Thanks.

You’re right, of course, Susan, but so is JMFTek.

Thanks to all the preceding posts I was able to control the Microsoft Edge shortcuts that prompted my initial posting.  My newest annoyance though are all of the applets populating the Start menu.  I try to keep a ‘clean’ Start menu by uninstalling items I have no use for, but I swear the little specialized applets keep coming back.  Where are these coming from?  If anyone knows how to permanently block these buggers, I’d appreciate hearing how.

This is an example of why I agree with JMFTek.  I use Microsoft software solely because my employer requires it.  Thus, it is a tool set that I use to earn a living.  But Microsoft keeps screwing around with my toolbox, changing/moving tools around or adding tools I don’t want or need, all of which are making it harder to do my job.  To get a sense of what the future holds in this respect, I bought a Windows 11 laptop.  It appears that in addition to “change for change sake”, Windows 11 users are going to be inundated with advertisements for which there will be no opt-outs.  Thank you, Satya Nadella.

Fortunately I am nearing retirement, so I’m taking JMFTek’s suggestion to setup a dual boot machine and start learning Linux.  Hopefully, the last time I logoff from my employer will also be the last time I logoff from anything Microsoft.

At the link Drcard:)) provided above at 1:24 pm , see alejr’s January 18, 2023 at 12:14 pm reply.

Also note Susan Bradley’s “I wouldn’t stop any browser from auto updating” warning immediately below alejr’s reply.

Each user on a Windows machine has a stored profile where things like their desktop settings, browser favorites, documents/music/picture file locations, etc are stored.

Thanks for all the replies.  For those who asked, I’m currently using mSecure5.  Switched to it on a colleague’s recommendation after LastPass was hacked in 2015.  It was easy to use and didn’t include password auto-fill.  I’ve been relatively satisfied with mSecure5.  But mSecure is switching to an annual fee, subscription-based business model.  Strike one.

Further, an mSecure6 ‘upgrade’ has been rolled out, which I’ve found underwhelming.  For example, logging into mSecure5 presents a Main View that is a simple list of all the items for which you have created a record.  To view more information for any one record, you have to click on that individual item listed.  But in mSecure6, the default Main View list also shows random fields such as logon IDs, email addresses, phone numbers (but not passwords) from each item listed, making this information readily visible on screen to any person or security camera shoulder-surfing you.  I could find no setting in mSecure6 to revert back to showing only the simple list of items in the Main View.  Eventually I had to go thru more than 200 item records, de-selecting all of the individual record fields to keep them from appearing in mSecure6‘s Main View.  Strike two.

Lastly, mSecure6 now includes password auto-fill as an ‘option’.  But in order to offer auto-fill as an ‘option’, wouldn’t mSecure6 have to be tracking the websites I visit to begin with?  I take several steps otherwise to protect my online privacy and limit tracking of my internet use.  I’m not willing to make that information ‘optionally’ available to password manager software that I’ve purchased to provide security and protect my privacy.  Strike three.

Thanks for tolerating my rant.  I will check out the other password managers mentioned here and welcome additional recommendations.

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oldfry

Thank you for responding.  No, I am not sure there wasn’t a new driver installed somewhere.  My primary objective was to get the machine back online.  Once I did that, I posted here for other folks’ experiences.

Is there a way to check for new drivers other than looking at every device in Device Manager?