# My girlfriend and my computer are paired. How did this happen? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 4, 2019, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-girlfriend-and-my-computer-are-paired-how-did-this-happen/830509 "2019-03-04T00:43:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![blood63](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/97f17d/32.png) [@blood63](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blood63)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2019, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-girlfriend-and-my-computer-are-paired-how-did-this-happen/830509/1 "2019-03-04T00:43:50Z")
I bought a refurbished computer. I picked it up on the way to my girlfriends so hers was the first network that I sign on to for WiFi. Everything worked great except that her internet bookmarks show up on my computer and all the sites that I have been bookmarking show up on her computer. I am back home now and this is still happening. How could this have happened and how do I undo it? ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2019, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-girlfriend-and-my-computer-are-paired-how-did-this-happen/830509/2 "2019-03-04T00:47:13Z")
It sounds like the web browser you’re using uses cloud profiles (Chrome, for instance), and that she logged in to her profile. ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2019, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-girlfriend-and-my-computer-are-paired-how-did-this-happen/830509/3 "2019-03-04T00:51:42Z")
What OS, what browser? All browsers have some means to save bookmarks to the cloud, so you must be logged in to her account/profile in the relevant manner and syncing. Just joining a WiFi network would not do this. She must have logged in to her account while using the computer. ---
**Author:** ![BeardOfBees](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c67d28/32.png) [@BeardOfBees](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BeardOfBees)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2019, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-girlfriend-and-my-computer-are-paired-how-did-this-happen/830509/4 "2019-03-04T00:59:26Z")
My first thought when I saw the thread title is that you came home to find your girlfriend in bed with the computer. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2019, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-girlfriend-and-my-computer-are-paired-how-did-this-happen/830509/5 "2019-03-04T01:13:23Z")
> [@BeardOfBees](#): > > My first thought when I saw the thread title is that you came home to find your girlfriend in bed with the computer. I thought the girlfriend had built-in Bluetooth. ---
**Author:** ![blood63](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/97f17d/32.png) [@blood63](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blood63)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2019, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-girlfriend-and-my-computer-are-paired-how-did-this-happen/830509/6 "2019-03-04T01:23:24Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > It sounds like the web browser you’re using uses cloud profiles (Chrome, for instance), and that she logged in to her profile. Right. I am using Google Chrome which I downloaded at her house but we did not share any login information. She has her own laptop and uses Chrome also. ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2019, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-girlfriend-and-my-computer-are-paired-how-did-this-happen/830509/7 "2019-03-04T02:10:37Z")
> [@blood63](#): > > Right. I am using Google Chrome which I downloaded at her house but we did not share any login information. She has her own laptop and uses Chrome also. She logged into her Chrome (Google) account on your computer. Look at the top right corner of your browser, you will see a little circular icon. Click on it and a menu appears. What does the first item on the menu say? ---
**Author:** ![blood63](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/97f17d/32.png) [@blood63](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blood63)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2019, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-girlfriend-and-my-computer-are-paired-how-did-this-happen/830509/8 "2019-03-04T03:36:36Z")
> [@Riemann](#): > > She logged into her Chrome (Google) account on your computer. Look at the top right corner of your browser, you will see a little circular icon. Click on it and a menu appears. What does the first item on the menu say? Well, we mucked around with sych since this post but it doesn’t say anything now. It’s asking me if I want to sych devices. I think her and I turned that off. I am still wondering how that could possibly happen without permissions. ---
**Author:** ![Petrobey\_Mavromihalis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/bcef8e/32.png) [@Petrobey\_Mavromihalis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Petrobey_Mavromihalis)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2019, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-girlfriend-and-my-computer-are-paired-how-did-this-happen/830509/9 "2019-03-04T04:00:40Z")
This could have been awkward . . . ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2019, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-girlfriend-and-my-computer-are-paired-how-did-this-happen/830509/10 "2019-03-04T04:15:47Z")
> [@blood63](#): > > Well, we mucked around with sych since this post but it doesn’t say anything now. It’s asking me if I want to sych devices. I think her and I turned that off. > I am still wondering how that could possibly happen without permissions. She must have logged into her account on your computer at some stage. If “your” bookmarks were only stored locally on your browser but were not associated with any Google account, I think one of the options when she first logged in on that machine would have been to merge all bookmarks stored locally with those associated with her account. She must have chosen that option, and presumably later logged out. Once that merge is done, it won’t be undone by logging out - that’s a feature, what she did is user error not a bug. She has merged all her bookmarks with yours, and that new large set of bookmarks are now all associated with her login and also all stored locally on your machine. There’s no way back unless you have backed up your bookmarks, which have now learned the hard way that you should do. You need to set up your own Google account if you don’t have one, and stay logged in to it on your machine. The you will “own” your own independent library of bookmarks that are associated with your own login, not just stored locally on your machine. If either of you are using each others’ machine, switch to your own account and your own bookmarks will appear and can be used or modified without interfering with the other person’s bookmarks. ---
**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2019, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-girlfriend-and-my-computer-are-paired-how-did-this-happen/830509/11 "2019-03-04T14:28:30Z")
The title reminded me of an old story that has been doing the rounds in various guises since the days a Windows 95. > [@](#): > > Dear Tech Support, > > Last year I upgraded from Girlfriend 7.0 to Wife 1.0 and noticed that the new program began running unexpected child processing that took up a lot of space and valuable resources. > > In addition, Wife 1.0 installs itself into all other programs and launches during system initialization, where it monitors all other system activity. Applications such as Poker Night 10.3, Night Out With The Lads 2.5 and Saturday Night football 5.0 no longer run, crashing the system whenever selected. > > I cannot seem to keep Wife 1.0 in the background while attempting to run some of my other favourite applications. I am thinking about going back to Girlfriend 7.0, but un-install does not work on this program. > Can you help me please? > Thanks, > Joe > ——————————————————– > Dear Joe: > This is a very common problem men complain about but is mostly due to a primary misconception. Many people upgrade from Girlfriend X.0 to Wife 1.0 with the idea that Wife 1.0 is merely a “UTILITIES & ENTERTAINMENT” program. Wife 1.0 is an OPERATING SYSTEM and designed by its creator to run everything. > > It is unlikely you would be able to purge Wife 1.0 and still convert back to Girlfriend 7.0. Hidden operating files within your system would cause Girlfriend 7.0 to emulate Wife 1.0 so nothing is gained. > > It is impossible to un-install, delete, or purge the program files from the system once installed. You cannot go back to Girlfriend 7.0 because Wife 1.0 is not designed to do this. Some have tried to install Girlfriend 8.0 or Wife 2.0 but end up with more problems than the original system. > > I recommend you keep Wife 1.0 and just deal with the situation. Having Wife 1.0 installed myself, I might also suggest you read the entire section regarding General Partnership Faults (GPFs). You must assume all responsibility for faults and problems that might occur, regardless of their cause. The best course of action will be to enter the command C:\APOLOGIZE. The system will run smoothly as long as you take the blame for all the GPFs. > > Wife 1.0 is a great program, but very high maintenance. Consider buying additional software to improve the performance of Wife 1.0. I recommend Flowers 2.1, Jewellery 2.2, and Chocolates 5.0. > Do not, under any circumstances, install Secretary With Short Skirt 3.3. This is not a supported application for Wife 1.0 and is likely to cause irreversible damage to the operating system. > Best of luck, > > Tech Support ---
**Author:** ![Doug\_K](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5ac83/32.png) [@Doug\_K](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doug_K)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2019, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-girlfriend-and-my-computer-are-paired-how-did-this-happen/830509/12 "2019-03-04T16:00:15Z")
> [@blood63](#): > > Well, we mucked around with sych since this post but it doesn’t say anything now. It’s asking me if I want to sych devices. I think her and I turned that off. > I am still wondering how that could possibly happen without permissions. It can’t, but permission can consist of simply clicking “OK” or pressing enter. I see this happen a lot at the school I work at. Students open Chrome on a school computer and get the “Log in to Chrome” popup. It’s not necessary to log in, but they don’t notice the skip button, just log in and blindly click OK on everything, not realizing that they’ve just told it to sync bookmarks. It also frequently causes their personal photos (which they may not want spread around) to get automatically synced to the school’s computer. ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2019, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-girlfriend-and-my-computer-are-paired-how-did-this-happen/830509/13 "2019-03-04T18:34:19Z")
> [@Doug\_K](#): > > It can’t, but permission can consist of simply clicking “OK” or pressing enter… Well, you do have to enter your Google password initially before those options are presented. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2019, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-girlfriend-and-my-computer-are-paired-how-did-this-happen/830509/14 "2019-03-04T19:06:42Z")
For what it’s worth, when I saw the thread title, I expected that whenever his girlfriend talked, the sound came out of his computer speakers. Or vice-versa. ---
**Author:** ![Wallaby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/dc4da7/32.png) [@Wallaby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wallaby)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2019, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-girlfriend-and-my-computer-are-paired-how-did-this-happen/830509/15 "2019-03-04T20:19:07Z")
> [@bob\_2](#): > > The title reminded me of an old story that has been doing the rounds in various guises since the days a Windows 95. I’ve been in the situation where both Girlfriend 7.0 and Wife 1.0 are inoperable and have been forced to go back to performing certain tasks manually. ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2019, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-girlfriend-and-my-computer-are-paired-how-did-this-happen/830509/16 "2019-03-05T18:40:24Z")
Wasn’t this a Dean Koontz novel?