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Uninstall Cortana from Windows 10


maxXPsoft

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Hey Noel was looking at your batch file and I was wondering if you could maybe add an something that spits out what packages the script removed? I think it would be handy list of what to remove from my ISOs' install.wim.

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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

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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

 

Skylake and newer processors will only run Win 10.

 

http://www.theverge.com/2016/1/16/10780876/microsoft-windows-support-policy-new-processors-skylake

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That's kind of an overstatement.  Any competent hacker can get Win 7 or 8 installed on a Skylake-based system.  It's already been done.

 

I hope you don't think Microsoft's "support" is necessary.

 

And for what it's worth I have a 12 core workstation running Win 8.1 that's powerful enough to be pertinent for quite a while.  Probably until 2020 at least.  At that time, who knows what'll be available.  Maybe Microsoft will have had to make Windows 10 useful.

 

-Noel

Edited by NoelC
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Thanks for testing.  Open the CMD window (elevated) first, then run it in the folder where you've extracted the support executables.

 

Got hold of 14257

Once again. I cannot stress enough you need CD /D "%~dp0" as first line to Change Directory to folder this resides in OK

otherwise

'which' is not recognized as an internal or external command,

operable program or batch file.

 

Now trying to run just as you have it I get all kinds of errors about missing files, Dependencies

D23nfUY.png

 

3H4BZfO.png

 

GFYqVmh.png

 

I go get the Dependencies files and extract same dir it runs

Uninstalled from Start in fact nothing left in Start but but they still there in Powershell

Reboot, still there in Powershell

 

EDIT: Ran second time then they are gone from  Powershell. weird

Edited by maxXPsoft
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Thanks.

 

So one has to actually install the Gnu Toolkit or at least carry a few more components along in the .zip file. My bad.

 

I can't explain the reappearance of the Apps in Powershell after a reboot yet.  At the end of the batch file it lists the Apps and Provisioned Apps.  Did it list them for you the first time?  Or did they actually come back?

 

Correct me if I'm wrong, but if I CD to somewhere then the current directory won't be in the place where the rest of the files are, assuming the user has extracted them all into a particular place.

 

Besides, All I get from CD /D "%~dp0" is an error ("The system cannot find the path specified.").  What am I missing here?  Is this something that only works on UAC-enabled systems?

 

Edit:  Did some research.  I see,  CD /D "%~dp0" puts you in the folder with the batch file.  Perfect!  Thanks for sticking with me while I got over that particular episode of being dense.

 

-Noel

Edited by NoelC
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I can't explain the reappearance of the Apps in Powershell after a reboot yet.  At the end of the batch file it lists the Apps and Provisioned Apps.  Did it list them for you the first time?  Or did they actually come back?

No it listed them First Run being still there and in _WRT_RemainingPackages.txt, I didn't copy whole list cause it was big and didn't think about backing it up.

After second run it changed

 

Glad we got that straight CD /D "%~dp0"  I tried folder on desktop, root of D but kept error

 

These are 1 Depends I added grep-2.5.4-dep.zip. Copy all dll from Bin to root

 

All in all it removed them so this was easier by far than playing with Git method

Edited by maxXPsoft
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All in all it removed them so this was easier by far than playing with Git method

 

Thank you.  I aim to make it turnkey.

 

Jaclaz has been suggesting that I make less use of 3rd party tools, though of course SetACL and SQLite3 will be needed.  Generally speaking it's a good idea, as ultimately the thing really should be utterly self-contained.

 

I welcome specific suggestions (i.e., code snippets to replace the code that's there).  Meanwhile, I'm still trying to get all the "meat" needed into the thing.  It doesn't yet, for example, disable services and scheduled tasks that are certainly not needed after the Apps are removed.

 

-Noel

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Thank you.  I aim to make it turnkey.

 

Jaclaz has been suggesting that I make less use of 3rd party tools, though of course SetACL and SQLite3 will be needed.  Generally speaking it's a good idea, as ultimately the thing really should be utterly self-contained.

 

 

14251 ran on first time removing all even from powershell.

Don't know what the difference was with 14257

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MaxXPsoft, I wasn't able to reproduce the issue where you saw the procedure run through and leave the Apps installed.  For me they were all removed the first time.  I'll keep looking, but for now the only thing I can think of is that I did put several different versions of the batch file online...  It's possible you didn't use the very latest one.  I've updated it at the link I posted above.

 

Jaclaz has made some good suggestions that I'm still going through.  There will likely be further updates.

 

-Noel

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MaxXPsoft, I wasn't able to reproduce the issue where you saw the procedure run through and leave the Apps installed.  For me they were all removed the first time.  I'll keep looking, but for now the only thing I can think of is that I did put several different versions of the batch file online...  It's possible you didn't use the very latest one.  I've updated it at the link I posted above.

 

Jaclaz has made some good suggestions that I'm still going through.  There will likely be further updates.

 

-Noel

 

I'm not a rook I was using last you had uploaded at the time and last link post 148 has same 1.2

You have something newer? Maybe need a live link to latest in your SIG

:: Name:        CortanaAndAppsRemoval

:: Ident:       1.2

 

I've figured out my VirtualBox 5.0.14 problems seems Insider releases won't work MS screwed something up. I am on 14251 but 14257 started working again so will have to switch back to that and see or my LTSB. I know its easier to switch around and test with VM but after 8 came out I dropped testing.

Edited by maxXPsoft
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No no, I wasn't being critical of you; sorry you took it that way.  I was wondering maybe whether I'd neglected to upload my latest.  Even thinking that, I don't know of a reason Apps should have reappeared after having been removed.  Could be a sin of omission.  I need to study what aviv00 posted a bit.

 

I do remove a registry entry that seems to keep Cortana from coming back, but I don't do anything similar to try to keep the other Apps from coming back as I didn't see a need.

 

It's possible the script is simply working against something in the system set to actively try to "heal" the changes to the database file, and thus timing could matter.  It's not system protection, though...  An SFC check comes up normal after App removal.

 

For the moment I can only suggest persistence (i.e., run it again, as you did), until the list at the end shows only two items. 

 

-Noel

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For the moment I can only suggest persistence (i.e., run it again, as you did), until the list at the end shows only two items. 

 

-Noel

OK M8, i'm not a newcomer to this mess. I'm a diehard hack this MS to crap to make it work the way I want

 

well I put on LTSB 10240 as a test and as a stable I can do VM from hopefully as all I have at the moment is VirtualBox.

Ran script and It worked and removed everything fine. Will try VM 14257 maybe tomorrow as it its a bit late

Many years I been jacking with this mess there is one little thing, may not work in VM as it does in Actual Install. More testing is needed

 

Also is your account an Administrator on your VM? I mean actual Administrator? Does make a difference however slight

Edited by maxXPsoft
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