You clearly don't get the flash removal issue: I should have the option to run 'unsupported' software if I want to. There is nothing in the Flash license or Windows license that give these companies the right to delete software for which I hold a valid and current license from my machine at their whim. "Unsupported" merely means they don't have to answer questions when it quits working due to HW / SW compatibility issues.
Also, Flash was not just used for web pages. It was also used for applications. For example "HP Solution Center" software for controllingfunctions of various models of AIOs. I used it for the scanning function because it provided loads of control including scanning multiple 2-sided pages at a time from the doc feeder, auto de-skewing, I could also adjust contrast and brightness, the filetype to scan to and in the case of PDFs, weather to scan using OCR to create a document where the text could be searched / edited, and more. Now I've lost all abililty to control scanning of that unit. The Microsloth "Windows Fax and Scan" is a brain dead app designed primarily for small screen (i.e. phone) use which does not offer doc feeder, 2-sided, OCR, etc. control, and a preview that bears little resemblance to the actual output. Because MS forcibly removed Flash and prevented its reinstallation from a saved install pack, I've effectivly had control of the scanning function deleted from my AIO.
But you seem OK with this. Wonder if you'll feel the same when they decide - for whatever reason - to remove the ability to operate one of your peripherals even though it is still compatible with existing SW & HW just because they want to force you to purchase HW / SW that adds to their bottom line (which is REALLY what the entire Flash thing was about).
BUT AGAIN THIS HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH MS UPLOADING THE ENTIRE CONTENT OF YOUR HD TO THEIR DATA MINING SERVERS, ESPECIALLY IN A WAY THAT SO RADICALLY IMPACTS THE OPERATION OF USERS' SYSTEMS. That is what this discussion is about. WaasMedic and its spawned 'minions' provide the data so that the next time a third party says "unsupported" about a product, and it is one in which MS has competing interest, they will swoop onto your machine and remove that application, possibly compromising access to YOUR DATA AND YOUR PERIPHERALS!
That is the issue of this thread!
> CAUSES: The Flash removal update (totally unnecessary)
Fake news.
Two years ago, Adobe announced that they were ending all support for Adobe Flash Player, at the end of December 2020. So, the update from Microsoft removes this now-unsupported software. Web-pages that were coded to use Flash Player should be recoded to use modern technologies, such as HTML5.