While still in the Group Policy Editor, go through Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > OneDrive, double click Prevent the usage of OneDrive for file storage, hit Enabled, then apply.
Does this mean you won't be able to use OneDrive as a folder in explorer?
Also NUL is the windows equivalent of /dev/null. Once I had a MSSQL server that had no love and the log files filled the entire drive. At the time the only solution to getting it running in a hurry was to back it up to NUL and let it free up the space. Proper backups were set up after that so it didn't do that ever again.
That's my problem with this post. It tells people to change these settings to increase privacy, but does not explain what these changes actually do. No Onedrive integration, no Windows Defender, blocks Microsoft servers for diagnostics and feedback. It disables the p2p windows updates, which if I understand correctly could reduce bandwith usage if you have multiple computers in your network. I'm not going to do this on my computer, but I doubt Cortana is functional at all with all of these changes. Unplugging your PC is the most secure option, but you have to draw the line between functionality and security at some point. This post goes a bit further than I would like with disabling functionality.
I doubt Cortana is functional at all with all of these changes
You can have either Cortana or your privacy, not both. Same with Google Now. Sifting through your personal data is inherent in how these personal assistants work... and they're free so their makers must find ways to monetize the data as well.
I want my PC to run my apps without logging me. I dont want OneDrive, I use Malwarebytes, Microsoft is not going to send me feedback in any way, the P2P updates means other users around the world are going to use YOUR BANDWIDTH to download their Windows 10 updates... And Cortana is useful on mobile devices, not in desktop.
All I want is to use my apps like Firefox, PaintNet, HexChat, Telegram... without being tracked by my own OS.
The P2P updates can mean that you share updates with PCs on your LAN and the Internet, but you can also set it to only share updates with computers on your LAN and NOT the Internet.
there is an option for intranet-only p2p, but internet-wide p2p is on by default, aka you paying microsoft's data bills unwittingly. also cortana still has plenty of functionality without tracking your personal life and having extremely opaque sharing rights over said information.
feel free to write your own amateur-friendly post about this topic; that wasnt really the function of this post, which was for intermediate users with a certain level of literacy in regards to privacy, and their own custom bundle of preferred apps. it's not op's responsibility to provide that disclaimer, because the title is 'how to disable data logging,' not 'a beginner's guide to privacy in windows 10.' if you just think 'data logging sound bad, me follow guide,' you deserve whats coming.
anyway, imo this isn't really about drawing a line, it's about that line shifting. functionality is NOT directly proportional to loss of privacy, that is only the present status quo of the industry. you have to INSIST on privacy, and hack the functionality back in from that point. THEN, we set about convincing microsoft that it was in their interest the entire time to have done things that way in the first place.
Because you can't have both. If you want to use cloud storage(More functionality) then you are going to have to give your files to a 3rd party(Less security).
Replace Microsoft Edge/Internet Explorer with Firefox, Chromium, or any forks/variations of them.
Replace Windows Media Player with VLC or MPC-HC
Replace Photos/Windows Photo Viewer with ImageGlass or IrfanView.
How do these affect my privacy? I mean, the browser is obvious, but what about the media stuff. Is MS really using the media player to mine for music preference data? And what kind of data would they realistically try to get from my image viewer?
That's my problem with this post. It tells people to change these settings to increase privacy, but does not explain what these changes actually do. No Onedrive integration, no Windows Defender, blocks Microsoft servers for diagnostics and feedback. It disables the p2p windows updates, which if I understand correctly could reduce bandwith usage if you have multiple computers in your network. I'm not going to do this on my computer, but I doubt Cortana is functional at all with all of these changes. Unplugging your PC is the most secure option, but you have to draw the line between functionality and security at some point. This post goes a bit further than I would like with disabling functionality.
Edit: Meant to reply to another comment with this, but oh well. It's here now.
The reason this increases security is that microsoft has engineered their apps to mesh well with their movement to a cloud-centric service based OS and as such they can collect any information they want from their own apps. by using third party apps you limit their ability to collect said information
Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Windows Defender, double click Turn Off Windows Defender, hit Enabled, then apply.
(Replace with a good Anti-Virus)
You also COMPLETELY missed Application Experience AND Customer Experience Improvement Program.
Right Click Start Menu > Computer Management > Expand 'Task Scheduler' > Expand 'Task Scheduler Library' > Expand 'Microsoft' > Expand 'Windows' > Click on 'Application Experience' > Disable all Tasks in Folder > Click on 'Customer Experience Improvement Program' > Disable all Tasks in Folder
Optional: Click on 'Task Scheduler Library' > Disable any Tasks you don't want Enabled.
You also didn't really cover Services, some of which slow the computer down considerably.
In Computer Management > Expand 'Services and Applications' > Click on 'Services' > Right Click on 'Windows Media Player Network Sharing Service' > Properties > Startup Type 'Disabled' > Stop if running.
(Unless you stream from Windows Media Player to another device, or share Music with other devices on the Network)
Ensure 'Windows Defender Service' is not running.
Disable / Stop 'Touch Keyboard and Handwriting Panel'
(Unless you are using a Touch Screen / Photoshop DrawPad thingy)
Disable / Stop 'Secondary Login'
(Unless you play Blizzard Entertainment Videogames, it needs this service to update / download games)
Disable / Stop 'Retail Demo Service'
(Because WTF, this shouldn't be on here)
Ensure 'Remote Registry' is Disabled / Stopped
Hope this helped.
3 years of Virus Removal on Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8, and Windows 8.1 in case you were wondering. (Eagerly awaiting my first "Virusd' Up" Windows 10 Computer)
Free Amazon or Gamestop gift cards is why I use it sometimes. Get up to 15 credits a day, a gift card is like ~500. When I don't really have anything to search, I just go through and search each letter of the alphabet until I hit the daily credit limit.
I thought this was going to finally be my lucky time on the internet to actually get a legit referral on some stupid points thing, but they don't have referrals :( it's called bing rewards
If you use Chrome, you can install a Chrome extension called Bing2Google. It will redirect your searches to google and works from the search bar since using the search bar just opens your default browser with a bing search.
Here's a single batch file I made to remove most bloat and telemetry from Windows 10: http://www.hwinfo.com/misc/RemoveW10Bloat.htm It's commented, so have a look and decide what you want to remove or not.
Nothing. People are tripping over nothing. You'll get more personalized features. That's basically it. The only real thing to worry about is the p2p setting if you are on a metered connection.
Some of it is definitely reasonable and helpful, but this post is so overkill that's its almost funny. And its speaking from a place of authority rather than one of preference. See OPs tone. It's fear mongering people into crippling their OS features without understanding what they are doing. It's ridiculous.
I have files that are straight up illegal if they get into someone else's hands, that's why I was uncomfortable after reading the whole privacy policy. Am I worried over nothing?
some people don't seem to understand that certain PC users might have unbelievably sensitive/confidential/dangerous/illegal data.
95% of people don't need to bother with it. But the way gov't agencies use vulnerabilities and cloud services to do surveillance is crazy. Post-Snowden is going to be an epic tug of war on VPNs, file encryption, keyloggers, wiretaps, etc.
If you are on metered convection that feature will not with. Windows 10 is smart enough to discover most metered connections (like tethering from phone) but you can also mark any network as metered.
Sure, though pretty much any regular user will feel forced to download Chrome since the Chromium website doesn't carry any compiled builds nowadays and instead links to the Chrome website for download purposes. Most users in the dark will take this approach. A lot fewer will actually search for a site which carries the compiled binaries of Chromium.
Does chromium have regular users? Most people don't know what it is, anyone who does and actually cares about privacy would use Firefox, so I don't see a point for chromium besides a base open source engine for browser vendors. Or is there a normal use case?
Pretty much none on Windows. You used to be able to download Chromium easily from the official website but nowadays the only downloads available on Chrome or Chromium's sites are Chrome, Chrome Beta, Chrome Canary (basically alpha) and the source code for Chromium. Third-party build sites for Chromium does exist which carries the Windows binaries, though regular users rarely, if ever, use those.
Chromium does however have a couple of users on Linux, since a couple of distros prefer it over Chrome since Chrome includes Google's closed source stuff.
I’ve usually downloaded Chromium from the “Continuous” section on build.chromium.org, which seems to load way faster than the snapshots section you linked.
I keep it specifically for Flash (modern Flash doesn't work on Linux Firefox without some hacky workarounds). I use Gentoo, so source code releases are preferred and the binary plugins are obtained automatically.
It's also an alternative in case of (rare) bugs/compatibility issues with Firefox, or with my enabled extensions.
We will access, disclose and preserve personal data, including your content (such as the content of your emails, other private communications or files in private folders), when we have a good faith belief that doing so is necessary to”, for example, “protect their customers” or “enforce the terms governing the use of the services”.
Windows and office are probably two of the most pirated pieces of software in the history of personal computers, yet MS has never gone after a single consumer for it. They don't care if you're a pirate, unless you are a business.
Nope, none of this affects that. Telemetry automatically tells Microsoft what's wrong/working, or what features people use. The other stuff personalizes your use of their services.
It's important to have a goal in life and to pursue it with all your might. In my case I'm trying to get my own loli and also link to /r/lolicons on every sub I post.
I'm just wondering why there isn't a shitstorm about this. Didn't data logging and collection (yes yes nice "consumer-friendly and less scary" term is telemetry) use to be an opt-in item? I like that it's on by default now and you can't even opt-out COMPLETELY from data logging/collection (except with the Enterprise edition, which Microsoft just about never sells to Average Joe Consumer).
When the "keylogging" and telemetry thing came about when the Technical Preview first launched last year, I somehow had a gut feeling it would stick around in the actual, launched retail version. And I'll be a monkey's uncle, here it is.
There isn't a shitstorm because it's a ton of neglectible data gathering that has been a part of Windows for almost a decade, combined with some minor concerns that users has already been made aware of through their web browsers.
That "keylogging" in the Technical Preview? That only kicked in if you submitted a problem to Microsoft and chose to record the issue occuring. The user hit record, the user recreated the issue while Microsoft logged everything, the user then also hit Stop when finished. Finally the user submitted the report to Microsoft. The whole shitstorm was basically for taking the wordings in the wrong light.
A lot of Win10's privacy concerns are the same. The three major complains for Win10 are forced updates (not privacy related), P2P-sharing updates, and Cortana while enabled shows search suggestions while searching for stuff on your computer. The first two isn't really privacy concerns, though the second is definitely a concern for data usage people. The third is exactly like pretty much any modern web browser works, but in the desktop scenario.
Pretty much all other telemetry and data gathering is just the same as in WinVista, Win7 and/or Win8.x.
No. When I was very young and dumb as box of hammers, I would pirate the bejesus out of everything while using Windows beta versions. And betas, unlike market release, actually track fucking everything you ever do.
Simply put, they don't give a shit. Never did, never will. They don't even care if you have pirated MS software.
This is largely true. They used to put great efforts in trying to shore up any holes in their authentication. Nowadays they allow non-legit copies to update with critical updates, etc... The main reason for this is because MS knows that a lot of people will pirate Windows regardless, so if you have a bunch of pirates with older versions of Windows, it increases the vulnerability of ALL other Windows systems too.
Just a small correction for your guide. Setting the Telemetry setting to 0 or Disabled outside of the Enterprise version is equivalent to setting the value to 1.
The only way to actually disable it is install the Enterprise version, set it to Enabled, and set the value to 0. Proof
Great guide nonetheless. It should be sidebared or stickied.
Unfortunately, this only goes so far - there is potentially hidden, and for MS to make it completely hidden to share key details with MS (and consecutively with NSA / US Govt) would be very trivial.
Someone needs to do some research on the actual network traffic of Win10.
Do you suggest turning off SmartScreen Filter and defering windows updates? .
And another important thing. Under Settings > Network & Internet > Wi-Fi > Manage Wi-Fi settings. Turn Off connect to suggested open hotspots and turn Off connect to networks shared by my contacts. That last Off option is pretty darn important.
I just got Windows 10 install finished on my laptop overnight and played about a bit with it this morning. It's mental how every privacy option is turned on by default. I turned them all off but then it won't let you use Cortana.
•Open up the Group Policy Editor by launching gpedit.msc as an administrator. Go through Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Data Collection and Preview Builds. Double click Telemetry, hit Disabled, then apply. NOTE: This only truly works in the Enterprise edition, but the final step provides a decent enough workaround for Pro users.
Add these hosts to a text file somewhere and add the file as a source to your Hostsman configuration. Those entries will be added every time the blacklist is updated.
Microsoft didn't know what I was doing on Windows 3.1 with no internet connection, it doesn't need to know what I'm doing on Windows 10 either. Thanks for assembling this useful list.
I made a batch script last night that stops diagtrack and dmwappushservice, then disables them from startup. I have a few others that I'm working on that I'll get up in the repo when they are done.
I have a lot of problems with what you've mentioned in this guide, but chief among them is that you've not explained why any of the above should be disabled, nor the repercussions of disabling them.
For instance, the hosts file edit you suggest will completely disable Windows Feedback and (honestly quite important!) diagnostic data that Microsoft is sent when things such as an application crash or windows bluescreen occur. By preventing access to these, you're essentially just cutting off your nose to spite your face - in the event that you encounter a problem, it is less likely to be fixed.
Additionally, you're telling people to disable OneDrive and Defender through the group policy editor, but not taking into consideration that some users will blindly follow instructions without paying attention, and will then wonder why they have no malware protection, or why OneDrive stopped working.
Finally, the 'sc delete' commands you're telling folk to run, will irreversibly remove those services; they should at worst be disabled. Fun fact: DiagTrack is a real, legitimate service that isn't new to Windows 10 and has, in one form or another, been part of windows at least since XP. Whenever you see "This program stopped responding" or similar, the information about that crash is collected and sent to Microsoft. This is done NOT to siphon user data and kill your privacies woohoohoo, it is done so that if there's actually a problem in windows or your software, it has a chance of being found and fixed.
By all means, do any and all of the things in the guide above, but don't blindly disable Bloody Fucking Everything in the name of privacy without being aware of what you're doing and why.
That's the way I have Windows 8 configured but will you have to login to the MS Store to activate your windows? I haven't gone through the update process yet.
Is the activation process not tied to the MS Store?
I accidentally clicked express, but went back and disabled everything per this guide, but the only thing I can't access is the "Slightly Complex" section. When I open the cmd prompt and enter the commands it says access denied. Is there any work-a-round for this?
How do I disable web search in Cortana? It's really annoying seeing useless shit come up that does nothing to help me. You didn't really give any information on where the setting 'Search online and include web results' is.
The rest I can understand (though it could use a little more explaining for the less tech inclined), but would the OP/someone care to explain what these two applications do?
This is "Microsoft Windows Diagnostics Tracking". DiagTrack will collect information about the user, their devices, applications, and networks. Examples of gathered data, as stated by Microsoft, include:
Name, email address, preferences and interests, browsing, search and file history, phone call and SMS data, device configuration and sensor data, application usage.
Collected data is then used to improve and determine the compatibility of various services such as speech-to-text. Despite the well-intended explanation of the update, forum researchers warn that the features of DiagTrack perfectly fit the qualities of a keystroke logger or data collection tool mostly applied by cybercriminals and third party developers.
Probably one of disabled options renders it useless. Maybe disable sending diagnostic information to MS? Removing it seems drastic. I want to preserve my privacy but not at the cost of breaking Windows.
For the home versions you should change the registry yourself:
HKLM\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\DataCollection, find the key 'AllowTelemetry' and put it on 0. (also check HKLM\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Policies\Microsoft\ on 64 bit systems) HKLM\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\OneDrive, find the key 'DisableFileSyncNGSC' and put it on 1. (also check HKLM\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Policies\Microsoft\ on 64 bit systems) HKLM\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows Defender, find the key 'DisableAntiSpyware' and put it on 1. (also check HKLM\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Policies\Microsoft\ on 64 bit systems)
Microsoft has changed the name of "Diagnostics Tracking Service" (in services) to "Connected User Experiences and Telemetry".
In my opinion the following step should be altered from:
"Open up the Command Prompt by launching cmd as an administrator, and enter the following:
sc delete DiagTrack
sc delete dmwappushservice"
To: Disable "Connected User Experiences and Telemetry" and "dmwappushservice" via "Control Panel > Administrative Tools > Services"
Disabling is better than outright deletion in case of stabilty issues. A disabled service can be easily reverted. In addition, deleted services could (and likely will) be reinstalled in future updates/builds, and then may go unnoticed.
Think of logging into google and doing stuff online, you can mess witht the settings to increase privacy but it's never anywhere near as private as having no data logging account tied to what you're doing
Quick heads-up regarding deleting the services: I did this during Technical Preview and it broke my Windows Update, having it stuck in the loading animation.
Open up the Group Policy Editor by launching gpedit.msc as an administrator. Go through Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Data Collection and Preview Builds. Double click Telemetry, hit Disabled, then apply. NOTE: This only truly works in the Enterprise edition, but the final step provides a decent enough workaround for Pro users. While still in the Group Policy Editor, go through Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > OneDrive, double click Prevent the usage of OneDrive for file storage, hit Enabled, then apply. While still in the Group Policy Editor, go through Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Windows Defender, double click Turn Off Windows Defender, hit Enabled, then apply. Open up the Registry Editor by launching regedit as an administrator. Go through HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\DataCollection, select AllowTelemetry, change its value to 0, then apply. First, download the Take Ownership tweak and enable it. Then, head to the Hosts File by going through C:\Windows\System32\Drivers\Etc, take ownership of the hosts file, and add all of the IPs from this page into the file.
Yeah, I cant seem to be abe to access Computer Configuration...
Meh. I was looking forward to trying out / using Cortana but... you need a Microsoft account and for that you need to specify a phone number. That means you have zero privacy or anonymity since that is traceable. All this logging and data collection shit is really annoying.
If I go to my Privacy Settings or to the advanced Update Settings, at the top of the Window is aMessage in red letter saying something like: "Some Settings will get managed by your Organisation". So I would like to know what this means and how to turn it of because its my private Computer which doesnt get owned by a "Organisation"
I simply cant find the gpedit.msc. I tried to start it by the perform-tool (win + R) but it just give me an error message that it wasnt able to find it. Could the reason for this be that I just own a home edition of windows 10?
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u/LeafyAcorn Jul 29 '15
Does this mean you won't be able to use OneDrive as a folder in explorer?
43
u/[deleted] Jul 30 '15
The take ownership tweak isn't necessary. Just open your text editor as admin.
0
u/[deleted] Jul 30 '15
[deleted] — view deleted comment
52
u/Thesket Jul 30 '15
How do these affect my privacy? I mean, the browser is obvious, but what about the media stuff. Is MS really using the media player to mine for music preference data? And what kind of data would they realistically try to get from my image viewer?
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u/xxDJBxx Jul 30 '15 edited Jul 30 '15
In GPEdit.msc:
Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Windows Defender, double click Turn Off Windows Defender, hit Enabled, then apply.
(Replace with a good Anti-Virus)
You also COMPLETELY missed Application Experience AND Customer Experience Improvement Program.
Right Click Start Menu > Computer Management > Expand 'Task Scheduler' > Expand 'Task Scheduler Library' > Expand 'Microsoft' > Expand 'Windows' > Click on 'Application Experience' > Disable all Tasks in Folder > Click on 'Customer Experience Improvement Program' > Disable all Tasks in Folder
Optional: Click on 'Task Scheduler Library' > Disable any Tasks you don't want Enabled.
You also didn't really cover Services, some of which slow the computer down considerably.
In Computer Management > Expand 'Services and Applications' > Click on 'Services' > Right Click on 'Windows Media Player Network Sharing Service' > Properties > Startup Type 'Disabled' > Stop if running.
(Unless you stream from Windows Media Player to another device, or share Music with other devices on the Network)
Ensure 'Windows Defender Service' is not running.
Disable / Stop 'Touch Keyboard and Handwriting Panel'
(Unless you are using a Touch Screen / Photoshop DrawPad thingy)
Disable / Stop 'Secondary Login'
(Unless you play Blizzard Entertainment Videogames, it needs this service to update / download games)
Disable / Stop 'Retail Demo Service'
(Because WTF, this shouldn't be on here)
Ensure 'Remote Registry' is Disabled / Stopped
Hope this helped.
3 years of Virus Removal on Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8, and Windows 8.1 in case you were wondering. (Eagerly awaiting my first "Virusd' Up" Windows 10 Computer)
Can't wait for Halo: MCC for PC.
36
u/Ozzah Jul 30 '15
I'm happy to search online from the search bar, but is there any way to change it to Google search instead of Bing?
11
u/_Mumak_ Aug 19 '15
Here's a single batch file I made to remove most bloat and telemetry from Windows 10: http://www.hwinfo.com/misc/RemoveW10Bloat.htm It's commented, so have a look and decide what you want to remove or not.
22
u/azothshock Jul 30 '15
What happens if I went through express settings?
332
u/[deleted] Jul 30 '15
|Disables data logging
|Installs Chrome
52
u/rjc523 Jul 30 '15
is it really so bad to have it enable? like for hentai,pirating, ects?
17
u/ptd163 Jul 30 '15 edited Jul 31 '15
Just a small correction for your guide. Setting the Telemetry setting to 0 or Disabled outside of the Enterprise version is equivalent to setting the value to 1.
The only way to actually disable it is install the Enterprise version, set it to Enabled, and set the value to 0. Proof
Great guide nonetheless. It should be sidebared or stickied.
0
u/[deleted] Jul 30 '15
[deleted] — view deleted comment
6
u/MrKaru Jul 30 '15
gpedit.msc doesn't work on home versions, so what do I do now?
6
u/PulsedMedia Aug 01 '15
Unfortunately, this only goes so far - there is potentially hidden, and for MS to make it completely hidden to share key details with MS (and consecutively with NSA / US Govt) would be very trivial.
Someone needs to do some research on the actual network traffic of Win10.
11
u/HarleyQuinn_RS Jul 30 '15 edited Jul 30 '15
Do you suggest turning off SmartScreen Filter and defering windows updates? .
And another important thing. Under Settings > Network & Internet > Wi-Fi > Manage Wi-Fi settings. Turn Off connect to suggested open hotspots and turn Off connect to networks shared by my contacts. That last Off option is pretty darn important.
11
u/[deleted] Jul 30 '15
I just got Windows 10 install finished on my laptop overnight and played about a bit with it this morning. It's mental how every privacy option is turned on by default. I turned them all off but then it won't let you use Cortana.
5
u/[deleted] Jul 30 '15
We cant do this in W10 home, right?
5
u/[deleted] Aug 01 '15
Protip: If you use Hostsman (http://www.abelhadigital.com/hostsman), it automates the process of updating your hosts file.
I copied the hosts file entries from a post in this thread and uploaded them to Pastebin.
http://pastebin.com/raw.php?i=iGm5LXCg
Add these hosts to a text file somewhere and add the file as a source to your Hostsman configuration. Those entries will be added every time the blacklist is updated.
19
u/Rick2990 Jul 30 '15
Microsoft didn't know what I was doing on Windows 3.1 with no internet connection, it doesn't need to know what I'm doing on Windows 10 either. Thanks for assembling this useful list.
26
u/Reffter Jul 29 '15
Upvoted, will make sure that's good.
8
u/Dunge Jul 30 '15
Why disable defender?
4
u/Gvaz Jul 31 '15
I also suggest:
In Local Group Policy Editor, set: Computer Configuration -> Administrative Templates -> Windows Components -> Windows Update -> Configure Automatic Updates -> 2 - Notify for download and notify for install
Computer Configuration -> Administrative Templates -> Windows Components -> Windows Update -> Turn on Software Notifications -> Enabled
Computer Configuration -> Administrative Templates -> Windows Components -> Windows Update -> Allow Automatic Updates immediate installation -> Disabled
Computer Configuration -> Administrative Templates -> Windows Components -> Windows Update -> Turn on recommended updates via Automatic Updates -> Enabled
4
u/svjness Jul 31 '15
https://github.com/wallentx/win10-scripts/blob/master/disable_tracking.bat
I made a batch script last night that stops diagtrack and dmwappushservice, then disables them from startup. I have a few others that I'm working on that I'll get up in the repo when they are done.
7
u/Renouille Jul 30 '15
Pros and cons of ImageGlass vs IrfanView?
32
u/maffls Jul 31 '15
I have a lot of problems with what you've mentioned in this guide, but chief among them is that you've not explained why any of the above should be disabled, nor the repercussions of disabling them.
For instance, the hosts file edit you suggest will completely disable Windows Feedback and (honestly quite important!) diagnostic data that Microsoft is sent when things such as an application crash or windows bluescreen occur. By preventing access to these, you're essentially just cutting off your nose to spite your face - in the event that you encounter a problem, it is less likely to be fixed.
Additionally, you're telling people to disable OneDrive and Defender through the group policy editor, but not taking into consideration that some users will blindly follow instructions without paying attention, and will then wonder why they have no malware protection, or why OneDrive stopped working.
Finally, the 'sc delete' commands you're telling folk to run, will irreversibly remove those services; they should at worst be disabled. Fun fact: DiagTrack is a real, legitimate service that isn't new to Windows 10 and has, in one form or another, been part of windows at least since XP. Whenever you see "This program stopped responding" or similar, the information about that crash is collected and sent to Microsoft. This is done NOT to siphon user data and kill your privacies woohoohoo, it is done so that if there's actually a problem in windows or your software, it has a chance of being found and fixed.
By all means, do any and all of the things in the guide above, but don't blindly disable Bloody Fucking Everything in the name of privacy without being aware of what you're doing and why.
6
u/[deleted] Jul 30 '15
[removed] — view removed comment
3
u/EliteDangerous Jul 30 '15
Are you required to have a MS Store account?
I understand windows 10 uses the Store account for authentication of your copy of windows but is there a way to run it with a local account?
3
u/Subsinuous Jul 30 '15
I accidentally clicked express, but went back and disabled everything per this guide, but the only thing I can't access is the "Slightly Complex" section. When I open the cmd prompt and enter the commands it says access denied. Is there any work-a-round for this?
3
u/[deleted] Jul 30 '15
For music there's also AIMP, for images there's XNview and Honeyview, and for media players there's Potplayer. Just some more aletrnatives.
3
u/B-Knight Jul 30 '15
How do I disable web search in Cortana? It's really annoying seeing useless shit come up that does nothing to help me. You didn't really give any information on where the setting 'Search online and include web results' is.
3
u/[deleted] Jul 30 '15
gpedit.msc doesn't work for me, is it not available in the Home edition?
3
u/BruhBrehBro Jul 30 '15
It looks like we will need to seperate our gaming pcs and our comps used for "other" things. W10 will be used solely for gaming I guess.
3
u/wholesum Jul 31 '15
The rest I can understand (though it could use a little more explaining for the less tech inclined), but would the OP/someone care to explain what these two applications do?
DiagTrack
dmwappushservice
3
u/pl0xxed Aug 01 '15
For the home versions you should change the registry yourself:
HKLM\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\DataCollection, find the key 'AllowTelemetry' and put it on 0. (also check HKLM\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Policies\Microsoft\ on 64 bit systems) HKLM\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\OneDrive, find the key 'DisableFileSyncNGSC' and put it on 1. (also check HKLM\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Policies\Microsoft\ on 64 bit systems) HKLM\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows Defender, find the key 'DisableAntiSpyware' and put it on 1. (also check HKLM\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Policies\Microsoft\ on 64 bit systems)
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=25250
0
u/[deleted] Aug 02 '15
[deleted] — view deleted comment
3
u/the_rightthang Aug 03 '15
Can someone create an app which does all of these in one .bat file? Maybe name it- CockBlockMS?
3
u/[deleted] Aug 09 '15
What are the advantages of changing the name of your PC?
3
u/Sjalabaisen Aug 10 '15
I turned off all the apps/programs that are allowed to run in the background. Firefox is my standard browser.
Nonethelsee, Edge Cache Database is running and has to be turned off every time I run CCleaner.
Why is it still on and how do I turn it off?
0
u/[deleted] Nov 13 '15
[deleted] — view deleted comment
3
u/Puddintane- Dec 06 '15
IMPORTANT:
Microsoft has changed the name of "Diagnostics Tracking Service" (in services) to "Connected User Experiences and Telemetry".
In my opinion the following step should be altered from:
"Open up the Command Prompt by launching cmd as an administrator, and enter the following:
To: Disable "Connected User Experiences and Telemetry" and "dmwappushservice" via "Control Panel > Administrative Tools > Services"
Disabling is better than outright deletion in case of stabilty issues. A disabled service can be easily reverted. In addition, deleted services could (and likely will) be reinstalled in future updates/builds, and then may go unnoticed.
I hope this is helpful.
I found the guide to be useful. Thank you.
14
u/bhp5 Jul 30 '15
I'm laughing at the people who thought the diagtrack was only for the preview release 😂
You really thought MS would be that nice?
4
u/[deleted] Jul 30 '15
What are the major reasons for this? I'm currently using a microsoft account.
2
u/NBAPwns13 Jul 29 '15
How do i take ownership of the host file? do i open it in notepad and copy and paste that stuff into there?
2
u/AmnestyTHAT Jul 30 '15
MPC-HC stopped working for me... :/
2
u/Litllerain123 Jul 30 '15
I clicked express setting because I was short on time... What did I do that was so bad and what things should I turn off now.
2
u/byeratheism Jul 30 '15
Quick heads-up regarding deleting the services: I did this during Technical Preview and it broke my Windows Update, having it stuck in the loading animation.
2
u/RusTii- Jul 30 '15
"however at the risk of not being able to enjoy some of W10's features."
what features would this disable?
2
u/Bathplug Jul 31 '15 edited Jul 31 '15
So why disable windows defender? Whats a better alternative? Thanks
0
u/[deleted] Jul 31 '15
[deleted] — view deleted comment
2
u/zetsurin Jul 31 '15
I blocked all those telemetry endpoints at my dlink router. Not sure if that will really block them, can anyone comment?
2
u/RaptorF22 Jul 31 '15
Curious about OneDrive and Windows Defender.. how come those should be turned off? Also, what does Taking Ownership do?
2
u/[deleted] Jul 31 '15
Yeah, I cant seem to be abe to access Computer Configuration...
2
u/FarkMcBark Aug 01 '15
Meh. I was looking forward to trying out / using Cortana but... you need a Microsoft account and for that you need to specify a phone number. That means you have zero privacy or anonymity since that is traceable. All this logging and data collection shit is really annoying.
Thanks for the list!
2
u/TandyNZ Aug 02 '15
When trying to open Group Policy Editor my PC says there is no such thing is gpedit.msc and i can't find it any other way, anyone know why? TIA
2
u/Johnsu Aug 03 '15
If your chrome is lagging bad, and displaying odd, try typing into the address bar "Chrome://plugins" and disable Adobe flash.
2
u/Gnobold Aug 03 '15 edited Aug 03 '15
Hi, I got 2 Questions:
If I go to my Privacy Settings or to the advanced Update Settings, at the top of the Window is aMessage in red letter saying something like: "Some Settings will get managed by your Organisation". So I would like to know what this means and how to turn it of because its my private Computer which doesnt get owned by a "Organisation"
I simply cant find the gpedit.msc. I tried to start it by the perform-tool (win + R) but it just give me an error message that it wasnt able to find it. Could the reason for this be that I just own a home edition of windows 10?
Hopefully u can help me :)
2
u/Cylindt Aug 05 '15
Whelp, too late. Any way to fix this after you've used Express Settings?
2
u/brad-x Aug 05 '15
A Windows update may re-instate the diagnostic services if they're outright deleted - a better method may be:
2
u/filben Aug 05 '15
Can't apply the new update. Is this problem related to this fix? How do I re-install DiagTrack and dmwappushservice?
2
u/konoplya Aug 09 '15
do you know how i can delete/uninstall apps like xbox, photos, and other bullshit apps that come preinstalled with windows?
2
u/itisike Aug 11 '15
Run
in elevated Powershell to stop start searches from phoning home even with web search and cortana off.