*sigh*

Same computer. Same(???) OS (Windows 10) Same browser (Firefox). Same same same same same same same same same..... and then along comes Windows Updates and suddenly things change.

All of a sudden now I'm getting pop up box all the time telling me for example what's trending on reddit, or x-hockey something or other. Have no idea how or why they started, but they started a few weeks/couple of months ago. All I do know is I'm getting tired of them.

I think it's related to that damn "focus assist" but I'm not sure. I go into that thing and "turn off notifications" all the time... only to come back later and discover there it is again, showing up again, still there (see screenshot). It goes away briefly when I turn off notifications but just comes back a few minutes later.

Now if I understand Focus assist, it "sounds" like a good thing wherein it's supposed to block stuff from interrupting you, but it wouldn't surprise me that was just another Orwellian description of one of today's tools.

Look, I don't want that thing on. I don't want notification boxes popping up. This is MY GODDAMNED COMPUTER that I paid for with MY GODDAMNED MONEY and I ought to be able to have things the way I want them. So can i? And if so, can anyone tell me how to ensure no more pops up from Reddit or hockey something or other and can I just get rid of that goddamned focus assist?

Thanks for any help. I'll be damned If Microsoft ain't really done it now. Who knows how many dollars they've gotten from me over the years. But between our lack of control over our OWN OS and the games they break almost every time there is a Windows Update has absolutely, 100%, guaranteed NEVER ANOTHER DIME.

go to options > system > notifications. From there you can granularly disable most notifications.

thank you very much. I turned them off (notifications) but several still show up with "yes" being marked (most of them Windows OS related).

But thank you very much. Turning this to 100%off might help some. If all it does is stop those reddit and hockey pop up boxes (like i care what's trending on reddit or anywhere else for that matter) then I'm ahead of the game. Thank you so much.

That "focus assist" thing was NOT always on with Win 10. I know this because as I said in my OP, I'm on the same computer with the same OS and same browser and same same same same same everything and it didn't used to be there all the time. (I'm talking about the thing showing up in.... what's it called action center in my screenshot above?). Now it's there all the time. As a tech idiot I don't know what I'm doing with this stuff... but my powers of observation have worked reasonably well and I know for a fact this focus assist didn't always show up active in the action center. That changed at some point with a Windows Update.

Maybe microsoft needs more data gathering to feed their telemetry and 3rd party information leeches? W10 is the best OS they said... bah!

For whatever reason I can never get the focus assist settings to take when I change them in that notification that comes up. Always have to manually go into the settings for it to work.

Unless its just showing you an email you got, Im not sure why your getting reddit or x-hokey notifications. I never got anything like that ever.

There are ways you can disable the other operating system based notifications but they require a bit of work and a certain amount of comfort messing around in the registry on your computer. I wouldn't recommend it if you don't know what you're doing cause it can seriously damage the operating system if you do something wrong.

Focus Assist was added in the April 2018 update. If your not updating Windows 10, Microsoft tend to force you to when a certain version gets unsupported.

To turn it off go to Settings, System, Focus assist then mark the circle next to off.

(Its also worth checking that all the auto rules are off and the box marked Show me a summary is also unchecked.

My guess is that the reddit notifications are coming from an application he installed to provide a feed for reddit. Applications can be built with a hook for the windows notification bar. x-hotkey likely uses this as well as whatever app he's using for his reddit feed.

Yes, thank you very much. I did this too. Once again it's gone from the action center but it won't surprise me if it comes back again. I don't have a "reddit feed" or whatever that is. I never just "go" to reddit. The only time I've ever been to reddit is when I click on some links from somewhere else that I read then leave never planning to return again.... unless I see another link that seems interesting. I don't even post on forums much anymore. This one and very, very, very occasionally the one at OOTP Developments. That's it. I'm not a "member" of reddit (if there is such a thing) and if I have a "feed" from Reddit, can I turn that off too?

One more step to block anoying notificatios is on firefox optios -> privacy ->permissions, go to each individual setting (microphone, camera, etc) and check the box to block new requests.
Not sure if it helps with Windows notifications but in browser requests are also anoying.

Thank you very much to all who helped. Could I interest any of you in some steam codes I've gotten from bundles that I didn't use? I did go through and PLUS 1 all of you. I know it's not much, but for those of you who really do understand this stuff you have no idea how helpful you guys are (and just how thankful idiots like me are... if there are any other idiots like me) and I just know I have always, ALWAYS gotten really good and kind aid from folks here at gog.

If I see those reddit or hockey thing pop-ups I'll try and take a screenshot of it and post it back here in this thread. But the only way I know to do a screenshot is with the Snipping Tool... and that thing doesn't always "let you" decide what windows show up on the shot and which don't. For example, when I took the first screenshot for the OP I opened up action center to show focus assist sitting up there at the top.... but as soon as I would click on Snipping Tool that action center (window or whatever) would close so I had no way to take a screenshot of it.
Oh yes, thank you I'm going to try that too. THank you all so much.....

ADDED: there were three websites marked "ALLOW" on there. XFinity (my ISP), Black Agenda Report (which I read very often but never post at) and....... wait for it.... REDDIT; So I disabled all three of them. Might fix the pop up notices from Reddit. Still no idea about that hockey one I keep getting. I don't even follow hockey all that closely lol

ya there forcing people i think this month to update but to be honest it's really hard to say what micorsft does..
(APRIL 4, 2019) https://www.howtogeek.com/410183/microsoft-abandons-windows-10s-forced-updates/
then in

action center basiccly will tell you information instead of a pop up like a app trail ending in 4 days like net limiter, or people who use messgenger on windows 10 it will pop up saying you have a notification

but for focus assist have it as Priority only so only certain things in tell it to pop up also firefox you will have to turn that off because same with chrome it's mos likely your browser sending information to windows telling to pop up a notification
(July 17, 2019) https://www.techspot.com/news/81005-microsoft-starting-force-update-windows-10-machines-version.html

it gets really complicated becuase for me i don't have things problems and since windows 10 came for me nothing has been changed from off to on

edit looks like Dark_art_ beat me to it but follow what that person says, it's good and annoying in some cases
for snipping tool set it for 5s delay and keep the action center open with your mouse to keep it from closing

Try using snip and sketch. It's the newer version of the snipping tool and it makes individual window selection a little easier

So far as the codes. No thanks. Happy to help.

Click on the PrintScreen key on your keyboard (usually named PrtScn), open Paint and paste :D

if you have onedrive set up for that it will create a picture in the one drive folder as well, it can also be disabled for uploading so you can just keep the pictures offline but still don't even need paint unless it needs a edit which is this case would.

:P