NoelC

You can just start PowerShell and do this command to see what packages are installed: Get-AppXPackage -AllUsers You can safely remove every package except the two my script specifically avoids: Microsoft.Windows.ShellExperienceHost - Necessary to run any App windows.immersivecontrolpanel - Necessary to configure Windows -Noel

The horse is VERY MUCH alive as long as Microsoft needs to survive in the business world. -Noel

Thanks for testing. Open the CMD window (elevated) first, then run it in the folder where you've extracted the support executables. Where are you seeing those errors? 14251 seems to run fine for me without Cortana. Notably the files remain on the disk in C:\Windows\SystemApps\Microsoft.Windows.Cortana_cw5n1h2txyewy, among other places. -Noel

Here's a little something on how to get it looking better... http://www.msfn.org/board/topic/173976-craving-an-updated-ui-experience-re-skin-windows-81/ -Noel

What are folks doing for a theme atlas now when running insider builds? Since Aero Glass seems to work okay, the "no theme atlas" appearance is actually not too bad right at the moment, save for the fact that there are no borders on the sides and bottoms of windows. There's the hint of a light line of pixels around the edge which makes it almost okay. -Noel

Don't fret - Windows 8.1 can be rendered safe (and stable, and fairly nice looking). It can be fully re-themed, for example, and it responds to having all the Apps removed just as Win 10 does. I can say this with confidence because I'm living the dream. I even have it configured to where it goes days without trying to spill the beans online now. It's basically like a slightly better Windows 7, with a more distant end of support date. -Noel

Version 1.2 of CortanaAndAppsRemoval.bat is available. -Noel

For me the saga of checking for updates on my older systems is pretty much over. I'll still read about them, and I'll consider installing those that purport to solve problems I may encounter, but no more "This update improves Windows (for Microsoft, because it helps us make more money off you)". -Noel

Note: Make sure you see Ident: 1.1 near the top of CortanaAndAppsRemoval.bat, not 1.0. I just updated it due to a small bug. -Noel

OK, here you go... CortanaAndAppsRemoval.bat is a batch file that employs a number of tools I've added to my environment to increase the power. Specifically, in this batch file I've used: CortanaAndAppsRemoval.bat, ShowTime.exe and Repeat.exe by me (http://Noel.ProDigitalSoftware.com/files/Tools.zip) sleep.exe, and tail.exe from GnuWin32 Toolkit (http://gnuwin32.sourceforge.net/packages/coreutils.htm) which.exe from GnuWin32 Toolkit (http://gnuwin32.sourceforge.net/packages/which.htm) grep.exe from GnuWin32 Toolkit (http://gnuwin32.sourceforge.net/packages/grep.htm) sed.exe from GnuWin32 Toolkit (http://gnuwin32.sourceforge.net/packages/sed.htm) SQLite3.exe from (https://www.sqlite.org/download.html) SetACL.exe from Helge Klein (https://helgeklein.com/download/) Other than the first two (SHOWTIME and REPEAT) I am not allowed by licensing agreements to package the above executables in. So... If you'd like to try this, here's what you do: Create a new folder in which to run CortanaAndAppsRemoval. Visit each of the above listed pages, and extract the named Windows binaries into the folder. Start an elevated CMD prompt (Run As Administrator), CD to the folder you created, run CortanaAndAppsRemoval, and follow the prompts. Let me know how it works for you. -Noel

Thanks for the pointer. However, I've just gone through a run where I removed the following keys: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Component Based Servicing\Packages\Microsoft-Windows-Cortana-Package~31bf3856ad364e35~amd64~~10.0.14251.1000 HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Component Based Servicing\Packages\Microsoft-Windows-Cortana-Package~31bf3856ad364e35~amd64~en-US~10.0.14251.1000 HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Component Based Servicing\Packages\Microsoft-Windows-Cortana-PAL-Desktop-Package~31bf3856ad364e35~amd64~~10.0.14251.1000 Cortana still tried to come back after the run. I liked your idea of comparing registries, as I somehow managed to create a setup before that doesn't try to reinstall Cortana on its own, and I still have that snapshot. Beyond Compare 3 does a pretty quick job of comparing registry exports. EDIT: I think I've found the magic key, whose removal (before doing the Remove-AppXPackage commands) stops Cortana from auto-reinstalling: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Appx\AppxAllUserStore\ InboxApplications\Microsoft.Windows.Cortana_10.0.14251.1000_neutral_neutral_cw5n1h2txyewy I just need to generalize the procedure now so that name doesn't have to be hard-coded (and thus changed for every new release). -Noel

OK, I'm managing to get Cortana rooted out using database prep immediately followed by Remove-AppXPackage Microsoft.Windows.Cortana_1.7.0.212_neutral_neutral_cw5n1h2txyewy Right after it's done, a Get-AppXPackage -AllUsers shows just the two packages remaining that I expect: Microsoft.Windows.ShellExperienceHost windows.immersivecontrolpanel But something swings into action right after the procedure is done and reinstalls Cortana in just a few seconds! Any ideas what the magic registry entry might be that stops this? I think maybe it's something install_wim_tweak does that Remove_AppXPackage doesn't do, since I'm not doing install_wim_tweak. It caught a process running a command that might be doing the deed: rundll32.exe AppXDeploymentExtensions.dll,ShellRefresh Now to figure out how to keep it from happening... -Noel

Nice!! Thumbs up for that. It just serves to prove that the older Windows systems still have value and are very stable. Thank you for posting your results. I actually chose to install an update about 2 months ago and it required a reboot so my continuous uptime on my stable Win 7 server is a bit lower than yours at this point. As you can see, my reliability monitor tells a good tale. The furor has died down some, but given that we small businesses DO have these important applications for systems that need to just run and run without interruption, the disconnect between the need for months of trouble-free runtime vs. having to reboot Windows 10 whenever Microsoft wants it is still HUGE. On the original subject of this thread, since you bumped it anyway... My Windows 7 and 8.1 systems kept from calling the mothership (by firewall configuration) continue to run for me, and still show permanent activation. -Noel

By the way, intika's linked (github) instructions have us altering the StateRepository-Machine.srd file using a GUI database tool (SQLite), which works fine, but is difficult to embed into a script. As I'm trying to code a Re-Tweaker script to help with the recovery time after each new Windows 10 in-place upgrade, I'm wondering... Is there a better way to make the changes in this database file? Ideas that come to mind: Find a scriptable command line tool for altering the database contents (I'm unfamiliar with this realm). It's possible SQLite already has this, I don't know. Pre-build a database file with only the desired two entries remaining, as the successful App uninstall removes the others, then just restore it to "re-tweak" the system. I don't know whether that leaves the Apps removable or makes it look like they're already removed, or even maybe corrupts the system. Thoughts? Edit: I have achieved a good measure of success with SQLite3.exe - the command line interface to the SQLite database browser. Am working to tidy up my Re-Tweaker script using this approach. So far it seems promising as a turnkey "remove all Apps" tool. I'll post it here for testing when I get it a bit more mature. Setting a VMware snapshot to the point right after having upgraded from 10586 to 14251 is giving me a very easy way to test this Re-tweaker. All I have to do is restore a snapshot and run the command. A test cycle literally takes seconds. Gotta love virtualization. -Noel

Out of curiosity, if you have a Windows 7 or 8 system you're trying to protect from being updated to Windows 10, what do you have in this file? C:Windows\Logs\Gwx\ConfigManager.log I have a Win 7 system that I turned up in April, 2015 with all updates, and even back then Microsoft was already pre-loading GWX. Later in the year I swept through that system, after having uninstalled all the GWX that I could find, leaving nothing but a couple of logs. The dates and data I found in the file I named above are interesting... 2015-09-08 00:19:26, Info Initialized logging. Cmdline: /RefreshContent 2015-09-08 00:19:26, Info MUID: {B968A68C-2175-45A0-AF45-1AA25031DE35} 2015-09-08 00:19:26, Info Using Prod content FwLink https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=526867. 2015-09-08 00:19:26, Info Port: [443], Secure -> [TRUE] 2015-09-08 00:19:26, Info IE specifies auto-detect. 2015-09-08 00:19:26, Info Trying auto-detect 2015-09-08 00:19:28, Info Unable to retrieve proxy info for URL -> [0x2f94]. 2015-09-08 00:19:28, Info Continuing without proxy 2015-09-08 00:19:28, Info Continuing with download for url https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=526867. 2015-09-08 00:19:31, Info ConfigManager failed with error [0x80072efd]. If you're concerned that GWX activity may still be happening on your system that you're not aware of, have a look in this log. I'm curious to see what you see there. -Noel

Oh, and by the way, one can find evidence out there that there is already a secret, behind-the-scenes, no user action required method for Microsoft to push updates on people. E.g., http://www.zdnet.com/article/confirmation-of-stealth-windows-update/ http://windowssecrets.com/top-story/microsoft-updates-windows-without-users-consent/ http://windowssecrets.com/top-story/protect-yourself-from-silent-windows-updates/ Also keep in mind that Windows Defender can download antivirus definitions, which are normally delivered via Windows Update, by itself. How deep do Defender's update installing capabilities go? Will Microsoft co-opt Defender to "defend" against people running older versions of Windows? It might be time to take another hard look at Defender as well. -Noel

Do people still trust the "normal" settings provided by the very same company that's trying to push Windows 10 on us? The answer is, of course, to TAKE CONTROL of what you're allowing to run on your system. It's not magic. -Noel

You may find yourself in an unpopular, yet completely justified, technically correct position. So what? Popularity does not rule reality. Downvotes for sharing how-to information? Time to move on from whatever place that is. Let the weak-minded stew in a cauldron with their own kind. That doesn't mean you can't be better or do better. We can choose to know exactly what Windows 10 is capable of, and how far it can be tweaked with the skills we can muster (both by our own knowledge and by using the accumulated knowledge of others, such as what can be found in this thread). Only THEN can a proper decision be made about whether it's worth trying to actually USE it. Kind of makes you wonder about the folks who just choose to do things on blind faith, or because it's "popular" to do so. -Noel

Yes, and being adept managers of mediocrity, they realize they can't get there by making theirs actually better, so they go the nefarious route and they feel they can get away with it. -Noel

THAT is the right question indeed! It used to be the answer was "whatever would facilitate professional users' work". Now it's "whatever will reap the greatest profits from consumers". This single fundamental shift is what has got us all SO upset with Microsoft's change in direction. I honestly don't know what really SHOULD be in there. Certainly Windows accumulated a lot of stuff over time. I'm sure I never used 80% of it, but it's nice to discover, say, just the right NET STOP command or Remove-AppXPackage when you finally do learn enough to want it. -Noel

My first 8080 kit system had 2 kBytes of RAM at first (but to be fair 1 kByte of it was mapped to the 16 line x 64 column screen, so...). Now a single scalable icon at 256 x 256 pixels x 4 bytes per pixel takes up 4 times the space that old system could ever hope to address with its 16 bit memory pointer... All so we can support different high dpi monitors... -Noel

I find the graphics for big icons (to support display scalability) represent the biggest size impact. And no, I don't relish the idea of writing a program to generate each icon independently just to save that space. In 1985 I co-designed and wrote the software for a controller that managed all the airport surveillance radar data traffic in the US for 23 years. It was 8080 code that fit into 48 kBytes of ROM with room to spare. It had a keypad/screen/sound generator UI as well as remote control interfaces, watched traffic on 16 comm lines, and would switch spare hardware as needed to overcome failures. People do tend to forget how complex a program even tens of thousands of instructions can represent. -Noel

Out of curiosity, what do you mean "without supporting it in vcpp/vb"? I have a quarter million LOC project based on Win32 in Visual C++ and while a lack of integration (and quality) of the documentation could be considered sort of a lack of support, it IS actually possible to find the documentation... And yes, my installer is 34 MB (which has both 32 and 64 bit builds). :-) -Noel

Well, to be fair it costs big $$$ to be on the enterprise path. Not that I'm against paying for a good OS, but what we'd get is just Windows 10 with a slight improvement (no need to reinstall every 4 months isn't exactly a feature, more like a slight reduction of pain near the chair). Nope, I will not be paying for Windows 10. It may be a long time - if ever - before I run it in any fashion except as a curiosity in a virtual machine, even IF I get this re-tweaker I'm working on in good working order. -Noel

Sometimes - and admittedly not often - new API calls do things that make your software more valuable. There are often ways an author could code around the need for a new API call, but that's expensive. It boils down to a business decision: Do I continue to support the older OS and work extra hard / spend extra time to do so - in an ongoing fashion - or do I drop support for the older OS and take advantage of new things that have been added in the latest OS. Continuing to maintain functionality for an operating system that's old and has few actual users could cause the code to be more complex, and thus buggier. Software engineering can be about balancing how much you can accomplish technically against an inability to manage anything more complex. -Noel