OSNewsSep 18, 2025

Dark patterns killed my wife’s Windows 11 installation

Last night, my wife looks up from her computer, troubled. She tells me she can't log into her computer running Windows 11, as every time she enters the PIN code to her account, the login screen throws up a cryptic error: "Your credentials could not be verified". She's using the correct PIN code, so that surely isn't it. We opt

https://www.osnews.com/story/143376/dark-patterns-killed-my-wifes-windows-11-installation/

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Dark patterns killed my wife’s Windows 11 installation – OSnews

Show threadDavid Chisnall (*Now with 50% more sarcasm!*)Sep 19, 2025

@osnews

I’m a bit confused about how this can happen. By default (unless something significant has changed in the two years since I was last forced to touch a Windows machine), OneDrive doesn’t download things by default. Files appear in Explorer, but aren’t downloaded unless you access them, unless you explicitly tell it to keep copies of specific folders or files local.

Show threadŁukasz Mróz
@david_chisnall @osnews I think OneDrive synces all files automatically with default settings. So sync starts when you log in to the system. At least this is how it worked couple of years ago
Sep 19, 2025 at 8:45amWeb
Show threadzbrandoSep 19, 2025
@fr0zi @david_chisnall @osnews I don't know if Microsoft made some changes but on all my PCs and phones OneDrive doesn't download the files automatically, only if I open them (probably to avoid the problem Thom had: a drive smaller than the online space)
On phones by default uploads only when connected to wifi and charging. Also there are banners on Android and an icon in the Windows tray showing when the app synchronize: no way it would get unnoticed on my devices. Something odd happened here.
Show threadŁukasz MrózSep 19, 2025
@zbrando @david_chisnall @osnews Ah, I see. Maybe my memory is not that good 🙂
Show threadSörenSep 19, 2025

@fr0zi @david_chisnall @osnews I don’t believe recent versions eagerly *download* at all; they show virtual files on your system (metadata), but you have to be online for the actual transfer to take placed.

I take some of Thom’s points — including: Windows should handle storage issues more gracefully — but some of this story doesn’t pass the smell test.