Which is a terrible app. I made the mistake of buying a HP printer and that app crashes more than it works (and the printer doesn't work without it, of course).
Wait, you have to have an app to print? On Windows? Can't you just install the driver and print using the Windows print interface? I understand that they have software that might have extra features, but basic printing should only require a driver, at most.
Epson is doing the same. I’m not sure if you can get scanner full features to work without their app.
Maybe not all the features, but basic scanning should work with just a driver. I have a Brother Multi-function that works on Mac OS without Brother software. I think I recall Windows having a scanner interface built-in.
Yes windows does but I reach for my work Mac when I need to scan because Apple did it much better than Microsoft in this case. It's much more reliable.
If it's a scanner too, you can't use half of it.
Most of HP’s printers have a “Basic Print and Scan Driver” that is listed as “For IT Professional use only” on their support page. I fear the day where HP Smart is the only option.
Try it.
On USB with the basic driver specifically, modern HP printers will let you use the device for exactly 10 print jobs before it locks all functionality and demands that the unit be connected to the network and an HP account registered.
Do not buy them. Find a brother instead.
Wasn't that on Wifi-only devices, where the USB was still there for mass production cost saving reasons?
But yeah, don't buy HP; message received years ago already.
Never use anything hp branded if you can help it
I told my girlfriend (now wife) when we moved in together that i had over rule: you're not allowed to purchase anything HP. May the company burn in hell.
Make messes, leave food sitting out, invite shady people over...just for God's sake don't bring an HP product into my home!
Imagine running an OS that doesn't even respect you. I use Arch btw.
Arch has disrespected me every time I've tried to install it.
The Arch Wiki spit in my mouth, pulled my pants up to my chest, and called me names.
And you liked it
For me it was the exact opposite. It did exactly what I told it to do.
You told it to disrespect you?
Autofellatio Linux crowd assemble!
I wondered what was happening. I got a notice my daughter installed this app (under 13 account) and was like why would she do that. We don't have any HP devices. Brother for life.
At work we pay Microsoft thousands for developer licensees, have windows pro, and there is still ads in the OS.... Windows exists to service them not us.
Yes they are in fact doing this. I noticed this (working in IT) recently across several machines. Fucking Microsoft. I removed and blocked it immediately.
Yeah Michaelsoft we get it, you own the OS not us. Now quit doing this shit before you get slapped with more anti-trust lawsuits.
I'll never install a legit copy of Windows anymore. For personal use I am using trusted enough modified versions that limit bloat and connections to Microsoft services. And I probably use those once a month.
I started messing with Linux to build a home server a few months ago. I am now fully in the Linux/FOSS cult, and as soon as I figure out how to either run Adobe on Linux or use the alternative software, I am nuking Windows on my personal computers. The bloatware is insufferable, not to mention shit like this.
The Windows machines I manage at work have been auto downloading all kinds of shit like this lately. Microsoft is becoming really trashy.
Becoming?
Always was
The EU to the rescue.
Install Linux. Saying it yet again. Be done with this crap, install Linux, if really really necessary, have wincrap in a VM, and now enjoy your computer
To anyone who reads this: I know everyone talks about Linux around Lemmy, and that you've already been offered to install Linux a million times.
I understand how much it puts you off.
But this time, give a try. For real. Try it, there's nothing to lose.
The reason we don't ever shut up about it is because Linux is just so much better that many of us don't imagine how we lived without it. Unironically.
Spend a week on Linux. Install Mint, or Manjaro, and run them - not in VM, use dualboot. You can easily delete Linux afterwards if you don't like it, straight out of Windows. Run it for a week.
And you'll be like us.
That would explain why my Win10 desktop recently had an HP popup. There is a HP printer in the building but I've never printed to it from the desktop.
11 now basically ARP scans any network you join, adds things like HP printers found on the LAN to Device Manager, as"unknown device" in some situations, likely auto installing drivers in others.
Can't think of a better example of malware.
Stay in school and don't use Windows.
at least if it's auto-installed, you don't need to have your windows tied to a microsoft account just to set up your damn printer. there's some models where the stand-alone driver installer just doesn't work worth a shit, and the 'app' is the only thing that works (there's also a few that go the other way, the 'app' fails but the stand-alone driver is fine).
If they let you install without a microsoft account. That's supposedly getting really hard to accomplish.
Seems like it's getting installed on PCs which have an HP printer nearby even though they never used it. I don't have any printer at home and none of them have any HP app in them.
oh is that where that came from
I removed the official Microsoft Store and use Bloatnosey. Seems much better. You do need to recheck after any update though. Sneaky stuff.
This doesn't super surprise me. I own a Tobii 5 eye tracker. Brilliant piece of tech, but it infuriates me that the one and only way to get the drivers and software for it is to plug it in and let the MS store just install them for you.
Technology
This is a most excellent place for technology news and articles.
Our Rules
- Follow the lemmy.world rules.
- Only tech related content.
- Be excellent to each another!
- Mod approved content bots can post up to 10 articles per day.
- Threads asking for personal tech support may be deleted.
- Politics threads may be removed.
- No memes allowed as posts, OK to post as comments.
- Only approved bots from the list below, to ask if your bot can be added please contact us.
- Check for duplicates before posting, duplicates may be removed