Re: Regarding Windows 10 file system access and privacy

Yes, this is the key point: Are UWP-capable apps more "safe"?  And how would one know this while using Windows?  I recently downloaded an app from the MS Store and was presented with the file access setting and had never seen it before, so I was very suspicious...why was just this one app asking for file access and why is it the only app in that list?  So I began searching the net for info.  Once again, searching for help with Windows rather than using it to be productive.

Even the MS https://support.microsoft.com/en-gb/windows/-windows-file-system-access-and-privacy-a7d90b20-b252-0e7b-6a29-a3a688e5c7be says:

"Not all apps will appear in the list where you can choose which apps can access your file system. Certain Windows programs, such as those that are downloaded from the internet or installed with some type of media (such as a CD, DVD, or USB storage device) won’t appear in that list and are not affected by the setting that lets apps access your file system."

Well duh, every program is downloaded / installed. So no help there, either.

My conclusion from reading through this thread: it seems there is the "old" technology that can essentially do whatever it likes with files and "new" tech (UWP) that allows / disallows file system access. And maybe -- just maybe -- apps from the MS Store use UWP but other sources not so much. But I'm still not 100% confident about all this. These are just my best guesses.

Enough with "how-to" information! "How-to" is often easy once you know the impact of your actions and understand--in this case--why the list of programs allowed access might be empty.

My graduate degree is Comp Sci, but I don't have time for this crap. And I feel sorry for those dealing with all the nonsense from MS without a tech background

End of rant.