1 minute ago, G-RFRY said:

MS [...] do not allow anything on the system that has not gone through them

Could you explain what you mean by that? As far as I'm aware, Windows 10 always has, and will for the foreseeable future, fully support third-party software.

11 minutes ago, leonardus said:

I didn't have that problem and was able to download while keeping a local account. However this article should be helpful for converting your PC back to a local account: https://www.windowscentral.com/how-switch-local-account-microsoft-account-windows-10

I followed those instructions, but was unable to reselect my name for my local account, because it "was already in use".. so I am now known as ADMIN.  Lets see what surprises lie ahead.. 😉

Just now, Bert Pieke said:

I followed those instructions, but was unable to reselect my name for my local account, because it "was already in use".. so I am now known as ADMIN.  Lets see what surprises lie ahead.. 😉

That's unfortunate. I'm really not a fan of how Microsoft tries to push users into signing into an online account like that.

4 minutes ago, leonardus said:

Could you explain what you mean by that? As far as I'm aware, Windows 10 always has, and will for the foreseeable future, fully support third-party software.

Third party`s support there own products not MS, but anything through MS account they have control so DLC will be .

16 hours ago, Bert Pieke said:

I followed those instructions, but was unable to reselect my name for my local account, because it "was already in use".. so I am now known as ADMIN.  Lets see what surprises lie ahead.. 😉

However, after the fact, I could go into Control Panel / User Account and change the name..

🙂

On 7/13/2020 at 6:22 PM, Dirk98 said:

Same here, Bert..

Same here, but now instead of the "no linked device" error (even though my device was linked) I get error "windows update is disabled, enable windows update" It is enabled and everything is up to date. Thinking about canceling my pre-order and trying again after the release.

On 7/15/2020 at 11:24 PM, desbean said:

Same here, but now instead of the "no linked device" error (even though my device was linked) I get error "windows update is disabled, enable windows update" It is enabled and everything is up to date. Thinking about canceling my pre-order and trying again after the release.

After completely uninstalling Microsoft store on my pc, then reinstalling, the no linked device and windows update errors still persisted. Cancelled my pre-order.

On 7/14/2020 at 2:32 PM, RXP said:

Wait until someone triggers a hacking service targeting your XBL account name and gets your account, and all your purchases, lost forever... I've experienced this but it goes to deaf ears...

In fairness, that can happen on any digital download service. And if you have your account security set up properly, it's usually not too hard to undo the damage.

Turns out I've been having the same problem as @Bert Pieke. It won't install. I investigated further and discovered my Windows installation is still sitting on build 1809, which is the famous one that was so messed up that MS killed it. The updater says I'm up to date, but am so out of date that my Windows build will lose support soon, which is kind of like having tea and no tea at the same time. Adams would have loved modern Microsoft. I've got it updating now to the latest build (which will probably screw something in P3d up because, hey, it's Microsoft) and will report back on if that solves it.

(edit) Yes, that worked. The frustrating bit was that it only told me that I didn't have any devices signed in with a Live account. Which is dumb, because I did. It should have said "the only device signed in is running an old version of Windows and needs to be updated before MSFS can install." 

 

Edited July 17, 20205 yr by eslader

3 hours ago, eslader said:

In fairness, that can happen on any digital download service. And if you have your account security set up properly, it's usually not too hard to undo the damage.

I'd agree except this is not like any digital download service. Please let me explain:

XBox Live terms of service are strongly enforced, which is good for the sake of sharing a good place to play within. Whenever there is an issue on your account, either because of their own monitoring or someone reporting you, you might get temporary suspensions which last from a few days to a month (IIRC).

However, should they suspect an activity worthy of their utmost attention, they can unilaterally perma-ban you. This means your account, all your XP points, your remaining credits, your games (even though they say otherwise and I'll explain later).

In this case they might offer, or not, an 'appeal' which is basically similar to turning the lottery wheel, I suspect they're not even reading the appeal for most case and are only offering the appeal process just for the sake of 'conforming to the law' (I have a first-hand experience of 2 perma-bans for same cause, 1 passed through, the other rejected, same appeal with the two...). If you get the chance to be asked for appealing, you can write something explaining the case or whatever you need to write, and then, there is no 2nd try, there is no them asking for more explanations, no nothing.

Now I'm all for it when it is about to perma-ban proven cheaters, scammers, etc... However, there exists 3rd party online service which can alter your XBox Live account and if using these, you get the chance to get immediate perma-ban (not always). It doesn't require your password or anything, just your account name. In other words, anyone can ban anyone else on XBox Live without a proper recourse to appeal.

Now I was mentioning you're loosing all your games too despite the XBL terms of service saying the contrary. In effect, if perma-ban you're loosing the account and the right to use the account online, but the console is still allowed to run your games and you can download your digital content to it again in the future (except if the console is banned too and in this case your only option is purchasing a new console). However, please understand most games are played online and without your account you can't.

But more importantly, the XBL terms of service provision granting you the right to continue using your digital content, albeit offline, is only true if your account is tied to the 'primary' console. In other words, if you have 2 consoles or devices, 1 is the primary, you've purchased and downloaded content on the 1st one, the primary, then you're acquired a new console and you're purchasing and downloading games and DLC on the 2nd console using your account until a perma-ban. Then you won't be able to retrieve your games at all because the 2nd console is not the primary and the 1st one is not the one with which you've purchased initially (or something like that).

This whole XBL police system is handled by a team, the XBLPET, which has no address, no phone number, no email, no website. They are master of the entire life or death on any XBox Live account.

You might not know it but there is a black market of XBL pseudos when you can purchase high in demand 1 or 2 symbols account names (like FU or GO)? Some of these account are using a single character you can't even create using the XBL account creation portals (like '$' or '!'). What is even more troubling is that I've gathered some strong indications some of the XBLPET employees are indeed participating on account name scams online and are actively policing not for XBL or Microsoft interests but for their own.

TL;DR: purchase XBL games and take the risk to permanently loose all your games and DLC without notice and without recourse, if someone is nasty and wants to hurt you anonymously without even knowing your account password, just your account name.

PS: in case this gets misinterpreted, I'm not starting a campaign against FS2020 nor XBL nor MSFT. I'm trying to raise awareness to a problem with the XBL system which can have dramatic impact on the simmer community, 3rd party vendors and more generally Microsoft/Asobo. I wouldn't want RXP customers to be loosing their hard earn money they've spent on our products because of this.

Edited July 17, 20205 yr by RXP

47 minutes ago, RXP said:

However, there exists 3rd party online service which can alter your XBox Live account and if using these, you get the chance to get immediate perma-ban (not always).

Can you expand on that? Are you saying there's a 3rd party service that I could use to edit *my* Xbox account and if I do so, I might get immediately permabanned, or are you saying that there's a 3rd party service that someone else can edit my account with, absent my permssion (including permission given when installing mods, etc) that could get me permabanned?

At any rate, you take the same risk of losing everything if you're banned on Steam, Epic, and any other digital gaming service with the exception of GOG (because you get DRM-free software from them, so even if you get your account locked, whatever you've already downloaded will still work). 

That said, I've been a Steam subscriber since the Orange Box came out on it, and I haven't gotten banned yet. But then I also tend to avoid drawing attention to myself by avoiding chat/the friends list/etc like the plague. 😉 

 

 

Edited July 17, 20205 yr by eslader

18 minutes ago, eslader said:

someone else can edit my account with, absent my permssion (including permission given when installing mods, etc) that could get me permabanned?

Without your permission indeed.

The issue is not much getting a ban because if it is not your wrongdoing you can get the chance to explain/prove it is not you.

The issue is the closed XBLPET system DOES NOT give you the chance to explain yourself and unilaterally ban you.

Worth reading (just a few examples, thousands similar stories online):

And another one:

Quote

I really appreciate Microsoft's work in banning cheaters, thieves, and general word not alloweds. I've even been that word not allowed once and deservedly received 24hr comms ban. But do I want to see someone lose all their games, forever, because of either a moments stupidity or through reasons entirely beyond their control? No!

https://www.reddit.com/r/xboxone/comments/8gol6c/microsofts_penalty_system_needs_updating_for_the/

 

 

Edited July 17, 20205 yr by RXP

Really do you want to risk your digital library because:

Quote

Permabanning someone because their ex-girlfriend decided to be an word not allowed and charge back some transactions on their acount, or because someone used a publicly viewable API loophole to get some free weapon skins (which had no affect on others) even after they tried to do the right thing and contact the developer and warn them first, or temp banned for capturing an image of their character flipping themselves off, literally using Xbox's features the way they should be in a mature rated game (top comment is a MS employee agreeing it's an unreasonable ban), these are all stupid reasons to permanently remove someone's digital library forever.

 

Edited July 17, 20205 yr by RXP

Gotcha. I'm "an old," so I take stuff posted to Reddit with a very big grain of salt. I used to post in a few subreddits there, but left because the place was a toxic cesspool full of lies and racism.

In the gaming subs I'd read, I often saw someone posting a "the devs banned me from (game) and I didn't do anything and the devs didn't investigate, they just banned me!" And more often than not it came out that yes, they did in fact do something to richly deserve their ban - everything from over the top griefing to racial harassment to actual sexual felonies. Not that Reddit is alone there. There was a recent-ish thread on the Ark Steam forums where some guy was complaining that the devs banned him and removed all his in-game assets for no reason, and the internet mob was getting pretty anti-dev until a dev popped in and provided evidence that the guy was running around doing everything he could to make every other player on the server miserable. People like that should be banned. They should also be tied to a red ant hill, but for some reason that's against the law.

Anyway, yeah, there's always a danger that your account might get banned. I've always had that in the back of my mind (and it gets more prevalent the more games I buy... My Steam library is a cause for some concern!)

But I view, personally for me, the Xbox thing as fairly low-risk. MSFS is the only product I will buy through it, and I don't anticipate that changing because MS isn't exactly known as a PC gaming powerhouse 😉 With the ability to not interact with people who aren't treating the sim the way I approach it, I would hope that conflicts between me and other users will be few and far between, and I'll just trust that MS will not ban me if I screw up and exceed 250 below 10,000. 😉

 

 

 

Edited July 17, 20205 yr by eslader

Did Apple buy MS? Seems like it 🙂

 

3 hours ago, RXP said:

Really do you want to risk your digital library because:

Permabanning someone because their ex-girlfriend decided to be an word not allowed and charge back some transactions on their acount, or because someone used a publicly viewable API loophole to get some free weapon skins (which had no affect on others) even after they tried to do the right thing and contact the developer and warn them first, or temp banned for capturing an image of their character flipping themselves off, literally using Xbox's features the way they should be in a mature rated game (top comment is a MS employee agreeing it's an unreasonable ban), these are all stupid reasons to permanently remove someone's digital library forever.

I think this all sounds like a conspiracy theory. 

I’ve been using xbox since the original console came out. Never really heard of people having problems.

You’re using a reddit post as evidence, which is terrible quality information. 1 of the “permanent” bans cited is not permanent. One is cheating, “but it wasn’t bad cheating”. The last is financial fraud, “but my ex-girlfriend did it”.

In short, I don’t think there is a significant risk that someone acting in good faith is going to have problems.