the usefullness of a microsoft account

Hi.
A recent descussion appeared on one of the lists I am on on windows and a microsoft account.
The user asked for the usefulness of an ms vs local account.
The google ai subsystem put this general responce.
Yes, a Microsoft account is useful because it provides a single login for all Microsoft products and services, enables personalized experiences across devices, and offers enhanced security features like device encryption for Windows 11. It also allows for cloud storage via OneDrive, provides access to Microsoft 365 web apps, and stores important data like Windows licenses and BitLocker recovery keys. 

But is that what the user wants.
1. windows apps, lets face it we all have them, even xbox games I have as dusk falls which needs my xbox id to work.
If you are an insider you will need this to log your progress and data.
Your product keys are stored in an ms account.
If you use onedrive and office 365 then its usefull, probably not much if you don’t at least not to access the system anyway.
Then there are the features like recall, and lets face it that scares me a bit I mean I don’t want to be logged where I am going more than I am even if its going to make things easier.
I mean credit card access, passwords, etc right at my fingertips and if the system is broken into?
Then what.
Then we have cryptolocker.
Lets face it, maybe if I was a corperate monster or business I’d probably say go for it but even if I was, cryptolocker especially with the sillyness with the ssd drive disaster which microsoft is simply denying responsibility for or maybe its something else is neither here or there.
The reputation of microsoft messing up is enough for me at least to say they are directly responsible even if they are not.
Their updates have done enough dammage for me to say they are at fault to a point as it is.
I don’t trust them or anything.
I use their stuff because everyone in business uses them but doesn’t mean I like everything they do.
I wouldn’t encrypt my drive anyway, its not needed, I mean sure if you want to passwordprotect certain files just zip em and lock em and remember the word.
I know some use password managers but to be honest these are another source to be hacked but maybe I should go there.
Then there is content, lets face it, we all have some questionable materials on here.
Most of my music is payed for but how do you tell what is legal or not, I have a load of music, no I didn’t buy all of it.
Not all of it came down from torrents, some of it came from cds but there is no real way to know what is real or not is there.
Then there are software packages.
Granted vary few of mine are pirated, a few old audio games mainly, but most of my stuff is opensourced, free, or I did pay for it myself.
In fact I have few bits of alegal content, but lets face it, don’t deny it we probably have a few bits, no one is a saint me included.
Anyway what constitutes it is well who knows.
I wouldn’t trust ai and certainly not microsoft ai, I mean microsoft has a failure rate which in my mind is if not extremely high at least noticeable to the users at least with the bunch of stuff online.
Then there are features like timeline so you know what you are doing which I don’t get.
To be honest I do think it was a mistake microsoft dumpped unencrypted mp3s from their system because I did use that a load.
So is a microsoft account usefull?
Certainly it is.
Is it usefull enough to login to the system?
No, you don’t need to login all the time just your apps and anyway without the net you can’t use a bunch of online features as it is.
I mean I am a laptop user, and I have people that are remote and work away from the net.
A microsoft account, online anything encryption, stored keys online and online anything from files to security are useless out of range of a network.
Simply put I think an microsoft account is usefull for use as a seccondary but I’d never use it as a primary user.
Now if like my dad and friends that run 365 one of which iwho has family in a corperation with unlimited enterprise level storage on his side, can afford chaining their boxes together and running ms accounts generally.
The main workstation here is perminantly wired to the network and is on 365 and there is no question about being logged in.
Its even got some encrypted stuff but not an entire drive.
And thats another thing.
There is no reason to encrypt entire drives let alone the system drive.
I’ve actually had a system with a failing drive that needed transfering.
I transfered the drive, got it ready, then installed the new system.
The problem was the old drive got fried and well that was that.
It was encrypted which is no good if the user needs to get the data back and can’t easilly access it is it!
And while the tech we got had someone he trusted to hack that system, it was a real pain to do.
Encrypted drives are just asking for trouble at least for the home to small business user.
I have used local for as long as I can remember.
I don’t have any passwords but then I am the only user here.
I spend most of my time doing stuff on my desk and after all the crazyness globally I will no longer take my box away with me.
I mean even before trump it took me 10 minutes security checking.
Now I need to have everyone look at my networks and then my files?
True maybe I am being silly but who knows what happens if something is found.
Even the so called pirated stuff aint for sale.
I don’t give it away, its for my personal use and mine only.
Anyway I am 99.9% clean here and if you expect a 100% purity then you are out of luck.
Anyway if you can be deported for an error in your paperwork then what chance do I have taking my tech through security
The real question is an ms account usefull to login.
Well put it this way, I don’t run dropbox all day long, but I do run it from time to time to check and update things.
I don’t play games all day and I don’t run apps all day either.
Would I go without an microsoft account?
Well no, I mean product keys are easilly stored and retrieved.
I mean if I enter something in its there for life pritty much so I can go get it.
The only reason I’d encrypt my drive is if I could set it with a master password or an emergency release password, not a key, but a word.
Something I could put in to get rid of it and restore, never mind what I had.
I’d also like to choose what was encrypted.
One thing I am happy with an ms account on my dad’s workstation is I have configured the pin code to be the old passkey I used to login to his system.
I can use it on his account and system for his workstation only and it works.
I guess I could do that with mine.
But I have no real reason to.
99% of the time the most secure thing I do is game, or brouse blogs and a few adult story boards and forums.
Nothing alegal.
I email, and do a few tests and chats.
I do some torrent syncs but these are available things like chips, synths and a few other user content things.
I don’t do and haven’t done anything remotely alegal like I did when I was a teen and certainly haven’t done anything really dodgy for 10+ years or so.
Certainly after covid I cut back on a lot of activities.
On the other side of this, weather you use an microsoft account is quite user dependant.
Due to how my life has or hasn’t gone my computer use has reduced a mutherload since I graduated university with the little certificates I got and even those are worth jack.
I spend a couple hours reviewing old x feeds and wordpress sites as well as email.
I listen to audio books music and movies mostly described and on demand tv and radio streams.
A few podcasts are in the mix and a few games.
Out of all those listening to audio in general with a few games are my main push on the system.
I see no reason myself to go primary with microsoft anything though I don’t extensively use ai at least not all the time.
I should but don’t talk to any device to a point and that coming from a trecky like myself is a bit strange but I have used and will probably continue to use a board till the day I jump dementions.
Of course thats assuming I don’t become borg first
I mean once they get the implants stable enough I am so getting assimilated.
Anyway thats this thing sorted.