9 ms·

Disable Windows 10 Tracking

148 points by SoMuchToGrok 11y ago

b3h3moth 11y ago
download 'exe' ? Oh my God!
nerdy 11y ago
Be careful with this! From the README under the "HOSTS" section: "Append known tracking domains to the HOSTS file located in C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc" However there are other articles which suggest changing the hosts file can cause instability[1]: "Of course, the first thing that comes to mind is disabling communication with these servers (by introducing the server into the hosts file and settings to 127.0.0.1 localhost), but as I tried, after disabling the Windows 10 start acting suspiciously otherwise. Error messages pop up, sometimes the message of "service failure", there are problems with Skype, it is not possible to maintain a stable connection. The problem is with VPN connections that fall. But it is possible that this is just some incompatibilities and nevyladěnost new OS. Apparently, it is necessary not to prohibit certain sites and have available to make things work, but I had no time to analyze them one by one, what causes them off in the long run in Windows 10" Of course, there are a whole bunch of other potentially dangerous things the tool does like change services and edit the registry. Take care! [1] https://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=cs&tl=en&u=http%3A%2F%2Faeronet.cz%2Fnews%2Fanalyza-windows-10-ve-svem-principu-jde-o-pouhy-terminal-na-sber-informaci-o-uzivateli-jeho-prstech-ocich-a-hlasu%2F https://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=cs&tl=en&u=h...
- userbinator 11y ago
  I'm not surprised that MS is making it harder to disable these things. It should be possible to patch them out completely, but then you also have to deal with signing, system file protection, and updates which could re-enable them again... MS is putting up a much stronger fight now than they did with the previous versions of Windows.
  - gr3yh47 11y ago
    if something is free, you are not the customer, you are the product
    - naringas 11y ago
      Windows 10 is not free, it's a free upgrade for customers that already payed for a previous version.
      - userbinator 11y ago
        ...which is unlike all the previous versions of Windows.
      - naringas 11y ago
        paid
    - joshuapants 11y ago
      Windows 10 is not free. The cost is built-in to the hardware you buy. They threw their users a bone to get some goodwill and hopefully entice some of them off old OSes, but the OS is not free, and this canard needs to stop. Linux is free. Do you mean to imply that Linux is nothing more than an advertising/tracking platform? I pay for cable TV, so I guess I'm not the product there right? Oh wait, even though I pay the real money comes from being able to direct my eyeballs at ads. The world is not that simple, and I keep seeing people parrot this exact line at everything. It is applicable in some cases and not in others, so don't whip it to death.
      - FilterSweep 11y ago
        That's comparing enterprised apples to open-sourced oranges.
        tarpherder 11y ago
        Yes, but the comment above his simplifies both into "fruit" so it's valid to call it out on that.
- timmytokyo 11y ago
  This is a list of the domains added by the script to the hosts file: adnxs.com, c.msn.com, g.msn.com, h1.msn.com, msedge.net, rad.msn.com, ads.msn.com, adnexus.net, ac3.msn.com, c.atdmt.com, m.adnxs.com, rad.msn.com, sO.2mdn.net, ads1.msn.com, ec.atdmt.com, flex.msn.com, rad.live.com, ui.skype.com, msftncsi.com, a-msedge.net, a.rad.msn.com, b.rad.msn.com, cdn.atdmt.com, m.hotmail.com, ads1.msads.net, a.ads1.msn.com, a.ads2.msn.com, apps.skype.com, b.ads1.msn.com, view.atdmt.com, watson.live.com, preview.msn.com, aidps.atdmt.com, preview.msn.com, static.2mdn.net, a.ads2.msads.net, b.ads2.msads.net, db3aqu.atdmt.com, secure.adnxs.com, www.msftncsi.com, cs1.wpc.v0cdn.net, live.rads.msn.com, ad.doubleclick.net, bs.serving-sys.com, a-0001.a-msedge.net, pricelist.skype.com, a-0001.a-msedge.net, a-0002.a-msedge.net, a-0003.a-msedge.net, a-0004.a-msedge.net, a-0005.a-msedge.net, a-0006.a-msedge.net, a-0007.a-msedge.net, a-0008.a-msedge.net, a-0009.a-msedge.net, choice.microsoft.com, watson.microsoft.com, feedback.windows.com, aka-cdn-ns.adtech.de, cds26.ams9.msecn.net, lb1.www.ms.akadns.net, corp.sts.microsoft.com, az361816.vo.msecnd.net, az512334.vo.msecnd.net, telemetry.microsoft.com, msntest.serving-sys.com, secure.flashtalking.com, telemetry.appex.bing.net, pre.footprintpredict.com, pre.footprintpredict.com, vortex.data.microsoft.com, statsfe2.ws.microsoft.com, statsfe1.ws.microsoft.com, df.telemetry.microsoft.com, oca.telemetry.microsoft.com, sqm.telemetry.microsoft.com, telemetry.urs.microsoft.com, survey.watson.microsoft.com, compatexchange.cloudapp.net, feedback.microsoft-hohm.com, s.gateway.messenger.live.com, vortex-win.data.microsoft.com, feedback.search.microsoft.com, schemas.microsoft.akadns.net , watson.telemetry.microsoft.com, choice.microsoft.com.nsatc.net, wes.df.telemetry.microsoft.com, sqm.df.telemetry.microsoft.com, settings-win.data.microsoft.com, redir.metaservices.microsoft.com, i1.services.social.microsoft.com, vortex-sandbox.data.microsoft.com, diagnostics.support.microsoft.com, watson.ppe.telemetry.microsoft.com, msnbot-65-55-108-23.search.msn.com, telecommand.telemetry.microsoft.com, settings-sandbox.data.microsoft.com, sls.update.microsoft.com.akadns.net, fe2.update.microsoft.com.akadns.net, vortex-bn2.metron.live.com.nsatc.net, vortex-cy2.metron.live.com.nsatc.net, oca.telemetry.microsoft.com.nsatc.net, sqm.telemetry.microsoft.com.nsatc.net, reports.wes.df.telemetry.microsoft.com, corpext.msitadfs.glbdns2.microsoft.com, services.wes.df.telemetry.microsoft.com, watson.telemetry.microsoft.com.nsatc.net, statsfe2.update.microsoft.com.akadns.net, i1.services.social.microsoft.com.nsatc.net, telecommand.telemetry.microsoft.com.nsatc.net
  - userbinator 11y ago
blackbeard 11y ago
One KB or sfc run later and that'll all be turned back on again...
kozukumi 11y ago
Far better is to not use Windows 10 and tell Microsoft why.
- sparaker 11y ago
  Couldn't agree more.
- userbinator 11y ago
  I wonder if Windows 7 support might last even longer than XP... no doubt there will be plenty of anger when MS decides to end support for 7/8 like they did with XP, but the best way to delay that is to vehemently refuse to "upgrade". ...and I am writing this on a machine running (a much customised version of) XP, which remains completely silent on the network and never produces any traffic unaccounted for.
  - scholia 11y ago
    > when MS decides to end support for 7/8 Microsoft doesn't suddenly decide to end support for something: it has a well-established, pre-published software life-cycle where operating systems are supported for 10 years. http://windows.microsoft.com/en-GB/windows/lifecycle http://windows.microsoft.com/en-GB/windows/lifecycle There's always a chance that a date will be extended, but it wouldn't be a good plan to bet on it. Otherwise, I feel deeply sorry for you. Nobody should have to use inferior systems like Windows XP in this day and age. Presumably some badly-programmed bit of corporate junkware prevented you from upgraded to Windows 7 in 2009 .. ;-)
    - whoopdedo 11y ago
      XP is a solid enough system for limited use cases. Keep it behind a firewall and don't ever touch a browser, it will run forever without a glitch. I wouldn't call it "inferior". There may be things it can't do but if you're not going to use those features, so what? Upgrading a system just for the sake of upgrading is a waste of money. It's not just software tying a machine to XP but the hardware. A particular card may not have a 7 compatible driver. A penny-pinching executive will look at the very long number that is the cost of upgrading and decide to stay on XP and just replace parts (hard drive, monitor, etc.) as they break. Which may not be the smartest thing in the long run. I can see 7 lasting longer than XP as it's the last OS built primarily for traditional Win32 (Desktop) applications. 8 and 10 are transitioning to an OS for managed code and virtualization. If you have a legacy application you'll get the best experience on 7 (or XP, or Server 200X). All of the improvements to Windows are meant to make C# based programs work better. There isn't much to gain by upgrading an older codebase to the new OS. Of course people whose primary business is creating software think nothing of upgrading. To everyone else, writing new software is an expense. If the software you have does everything you need it to do, you're not going to rewrite it unless there is something to gain.
mtgx 11y ago
Yeah, so I've been using that since a few days ago along with DoNotSpy10, and disabled almost everything. Then I installed a traffic monitoring tool and I still found Cortana to be calling home, even though I checked and both web searches (search box) and Cortana were disabled. I think this article is right - you can't fully stop Windows 10 from calling home, no matter what you do or how many thing you disable. http://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2015/08/even-when-told-not-to-windows-10-just-cant-stop-talking-to-microsoft/ http://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2015/08/even-w... And according to this article, Microsoft has an OS-level keylogger that catches all of your typed characters (all passwords, all "secure" communications) even from the virtual keyboard, for "no good reason". http://localghost.org/posts/a-traffic-analysis-of-windows-10 http://localghost.org/posts/a-traffic-analysis-of-windows-10
- Lendal 11y ago
  Of course the OS catches all your keystrokes. If it didn't, the keyboard wouldn't function. EDIT: Except for BIOS. The keyboard would work in BIOS and that's it.
- cronjobber 11y ago
  > for "no good reason" A "National Security Letter" or moral equivalent would count as good reason, I guess. The recent renaming of Google may the farthest they can and will ever come to openly stating who's calling the shots around US tech sector.
- Silhouette 11y ago
  That OS-level keylogger would be extremely worrying, as would various other monitoring mentioned in your second link. However, it's worth pointing out that the same link now starts with this warning: Note: Some readers have commented that the original source for the article is of questionably validity. If anyone can confirm or refute the original author's finding with actual data, please let me know in the comments, and I'll update this post accordingly. As I write this, no-one has in fact provided any additional sources for confirmation.
  - 11y ago
nly 11y ago
Checked my parents PC on a visit this morning to find the latest Patch Tuesday set of updates hadn't installed automatically because Windows Update was too busy advertising Windows 10. I was also greeted with a balloon popup rather than just the subtle GWX icon in the tray nagging me to install it. Microsoft are pushing this OS fervently and, given their aggressive service integration, I've recently been musing about whether the Microsoft of today are really 'better' just because they've become more open with their software, or whether they're actually just a different, possibly nastier, kind monopolistic threat. We could look back in 5 years and see the majority using Bing (via the Start Menu), Cortana, IE, OneDrive, and syncing all their devices through MS servers and cringe. Microsoft can't win on the strength of their brand when it comes to consumer facing services (except for Xbox), so maybe integration will see them break through and muscle out the likes of Chrome, Google, Gmail, Android, and Dropbox.... if W10 on mobile takes off that is. Oddly, despite not owning and having never owned any Apple product, I find myself comforted these days that they are there with an almost bottomless pile of money.
- _pmf_ 11y ago
  > just because they've become more open with their software Visual Studio Community Edition is unsuitable for any medium sized company. dotNET's openness does not extend to the actually interesting parts (WPF, WinForms). The new openness is purely a communication effort; they take care to communicate their openness without changing anything. It's disconcerting to see that they need developers more than developers need them.
  - manigandham 11y ago
    Any medium sized company probably shouldn't be using Visual Studio Community Edition... also it goes pretty far in what it can do from what I've seen.
    - _pmf_ 11y ago
      > also it goes pretty far in what it can do from what I've seen I'm not talking about the features; the license restricts usage by company size.
davexunit 11y ago
Best way to disable Windows 10 tracking: Switch to GNU/Linux.
- vezzy-fnord 11y ago
  Or just about any free operating system, barring ones that voluntarily ship adware or similar.
- teacup50 11y ago
  Unfortunately, that's also the best way to not get any work done because: 1) None of the software most people need is available for Linux, and 2) "GNU/Linux" sucks at providing a rich and stable API/ABI on which proprietary software can be built and supported, and 3) Usability of what does exist generally sucks, because unsurprisingly, not charging for your work makes it very hard to hire artists and designers. Also unfortunately, that means the majority of people are stuck choosing between relinquishing privacy to either Apple, MS, or Google.
  - sarciszewski 11y ago
    > 2) "GNU/Linux" sucks at providing a rich and stable API/ABI on which proprietary software can be built and supported, and Care to elaborate on this one? I don't see what sucks about it. You can build proprietary software and run it on Linux. See also: Steam games. > 3) Usability of what does exist generally sucks, because unsurprisingly, not charging for your work makes it very hard to hire artists and designers. I've personally found the latest editions of Debian-based OSes (such as Linux Mint) to be very intuitive and beautiful.
    - userbinator 11y ago
      Care to elaborate on this one? I don't see what sucks about it. You can build proprietary software and run it on Linux. See also: Steam games. I've run into this before many times. Binaries for proprietary apps, from 20 years ago, will probably still work today on Windows 10 if they didn't do anything too crazy or need low-level system functions (e.g. disk defragmenters). I don't think the same can be said of proprietary apps on Linux; there, the vast amount of diversity is also its greatest weakness and apps tend to have these massive (version-locked) dependency chains attached to them.
pilif 11y ago
> Set the AllowTelemetry string in HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\DataCollection to 0 AFAIK, setting this to 0 only has meaning in the Enterprise edition. In the consumer edition, 0 has the same meaning as 1. Here's a screenshot from the group policy editor of my Windows 10 VM: http://i.imgur.com/3s3AT9p.png http://i.imgur.com/3s3AT9p.png as you can see, 0 only does something in Enterprise builds.
- merb 11y ago
  Only in enterprise builds x.X not in Pro.. I should definitly start using Windows 10 Enterprise LTSB again..
Spearchucker 11y ago
Is the tracking limited to Home edition, or does this also apply to Pro and Enterprise? Nothing I've read definitively confirms which versions are affected to what extent. Knowing this is useful in that I'd happily pay to not have the spying. Paying is also preferable to downloading an .exe that disables tracking that has dependencies I haven't installed (Python, for example). I'm more likely to trust a PowerShell script, but(for now) haven't the time to invest to create my own.
- nathanaldensr 11y ago
  See my top-level comment. I did just that--created a PowerShell script.
huhtenberg 11y ago
Keep in mind that Windows filters the contents of etc/hosts and basically ignores (some) entries for its own domains. For example, you cannot null-route Windows Update servers this way.
- bloaf 11y ago
  And so for those sites you break out the firewall settings.
juliangregorian 11y ago
Personally, I'd rather fuzz their servers with terabyte after terabyte of garbage, but to each his own.
- cautious_int 11y ago
  Can you also fake/spoof the appropriate signatures/headers? Otherwise separating that data is going to be very easy. Unless you do it on a higher level like emulating input, but then you won't have a very useful machine.
  - marcosdumay 11y ago
    He probably can. His computer is able to create those signatures, and he didn't lose low level access to it once he installed Windows 10. It's probably not easy, but might be a very interesting thing to do. Will the US start to criminally persecute everybody that does that? And also, the most important question. Will people still be able to do that on newer computers that ship with Windows 10?
talles 11y ago
Kudos for stating on the README what it does.
mesozoic 11y ago
Apparently you can't fully disable it so it looks like it's Windows 7 for me for another 5 years or so.
andrewmcwatters 11y ago
This is really crudely put together, completely disregards recent findings from news articles proving you cannot completely disable W10 telemetrics, and the author acknowledges he doesn't want to support reversing destructive processes with it. You shouldn't bother using this.
- nathanaldensr 11y ago
  See my top-level comment. I was unhappy with the author's reply in the GitHub issue about undoing changes. I decided to write a PowerShell script to fix those problems.
  - andrewmcwatters 11y ago
    This is much cleaner and preferable for deployment to enterprise environments. That all being said, I highly doubt anyone is fully aware of the information passed through the list of hostnames in any of these projects. It's been claimed OS and app functionality breaks by blocking access to some of these domains, and I'm curious as to why. Blasting a wall of hosts out of access is not a very refined way of going about this purging of telemetrics, but your project is a great example of OSS being improved upon. Good script!
    - nathanaldensr 11y ago
      Before I read your comment, I added more information in the README that says I have not personally tested the HOSTS entries. Since PowerShell is so accessible, it's my hope that those with more time than me can create an exhaustive, accurate list, and perhaps submit a pull request. My only intent with this project was to convert the original author's work into a more accessible, Windows-friendly tool. Thank you for the kind words. :)
thescrewdriver 11y ago
You have to know that your privacy defaults are batshit crazy when people start developing tools to automate correcting them.
deleted 11y ago
[deleted]
crystalgiver 11y ago
I run Windows as a guest with vga passthrough and completely disable networking (though a very strict firewall could also work, e.g. For online games).
nathanaldensr 11y ago
I wrote a PowerShell script that enables or disables various Windows 10 tracking components. https://github.com/nathan-alden/windows-10-tracking https://github.com/nathan-alden/windows-10-tracking I based the script on the https://github.com/10se1ucgo/DisableWinTracking https://github.com/10se1ucgo/DisableWinTracking repository, but the code in that repository is Python and compiles to a Windows executable. I much prefer PowerShell so that the code can be more easily changed and deployed in automated environments. Additionally, that Python code doesn't undo changes, whereas my PowerShell script does. I'd appreciate any feedback (probably as a GitHub issue).
kn9 11y ago
Can anyone please share the list of GPO's to block in enterprise environment
EugeneOZ 11y ago
With such "open" system don't even think about large or government companies, especially non-US.

148 points by SoMuchToGrok 11y ago

download 'exe' ? Oh my God!

nerdy 11y ago

Be careful with this! From the README under the "HOSTS" section: "Append known tracking domains to the HOSTS file located in C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc" However there are other articles which suggest changing the hosts file can cause instability[1]: "Of course, the first thing that comes to mind is disabling communication with these servers (by introducing the server into the hosts file and settings to 127.0.0.1 localhost), but as I tried, after disabling the Windows 10 start acting suspiciously otherwise. Error messages pop up, sometimes the message of "service failure", there are problems with Skype, it is not possible to maintain a stable connection. The problem is with VPN connections that fall. But it is possible that this is just some incompatibilities and nevyladěnost new OS. Apparently, it is necessary not to prohibit certain sites and have available to make things work, but I had no time to analyze them one by one, what causes them off in the long run in Windows 10" Of course, there are a whole bunch of other potentially dangerous things the tool does like change services and edit the registry. Take care! [1] https://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=cs&tl=en&u=http%3A%2F%2Faeronet.cz%2Fnews%2Fanalyza-windows-10-ve-svem-principu-jde-o-pouhy-terminal-na-sber-informaci-o-uzivateli-jeho-prstech-ocich-a-hlasu%2F https://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=cs&tl=en&u=h...

userbinator 11y ago
I'm not surprised that MS is making it harder to disable these things. It should be possible to patch them out completely, but then you also have to deal with signing, system file protection, and updates which could re-enable them again... MS is putting up a much stronger fight now than they did with the previous versions of Windows.
- gr3yh47 11y ago
  if something is free, you are not the customer, you are the product
  - naringas 11y ago
    Windows 10 is not free, it's a free upgrade for customers that already payed for a previous version.
    - userbinator 11y ago
      ...which is unlike all the previous versions of Windows.
    - naringas 11y ago
      paid
  - joshuapants 11y ago
    Windows 10 is not free. The cost is built-in to the hardware you buy. They threw their users a bone to get some goodwill and hopefully entice some of them off old OSes, but the OS is not free, and this canard needs to stop. Linux is free. Do you mean to imply that Linux is nothing more than an advertising/tracking platform? I pay for cable TV, so I guess I'm not the product there right? Oh wait, even though I pay the real money comes from being able to direct my eyeballs at ads. The world is not that simple, and I keep seeing people parrot this exact line at everything. It is applicable in some cases and not in others, so don't whip it to death.
    - FilterSweep 11y ago
      That's comparing enterprised apples to open-sourced oranges.
      - tarpherder 11y ago
        Yes, but the comment above his simplifies both into "fruit" so it's valid to call it out on that.
timmytokyo 11y ago
This is a list of the domains added by the script to the hosts file: adnxs.com, c.msn.com, g.msn.com, h1.msn.com, msedge.net, rad.msn.com, ads.msn.com, adnexus.net, ac3.msn.com, c.atdmt.com, m.adnxs.com, rad.msn.com, sO.2mdn.net, ads1.msn.com, ec.atdmt.com, flex.msn.com, rad.live.com, ui.skype.com, msftncsi.com, a-msedge.net, a.rad.msn.com, b.rad.msn.com, cdn.atdmt.com, m.hotmail.com, ads1.msads.net, a.ads1.msn.com, a.ads2.msn.com, apps.skype.com, b.ads1.msn.com, view.atdmt.com, watson.live.com, preview.msn.com, aidps.atdmt.com, preview.msn.com, static.2mdn.net, a.ads2.msads.net, b.ads2.msads.net, db3aqu.atdmt.com, secure.adnxs.com, www.msftncsi.com, cs1.wpc.v0cdn.net, live.rads.msn.com, ad.doubleclick.net, bs.serving-sys.com, a-0001.a-msedge.net, pricelist.skype.com, a-0001.a-msedge.net, a-0002.a-msedge.net, a-0003.a-msedge.net, a-0004.a-msedge.net, a-0005.a-msedge.net, a-0006.a-msedge.net, a-0007.a-msedge.net, a-0008.a-msedge.net, a-0009.a-msedge.net, choice.microsoft.com, watson.microsoft.com, feedback.windows.com, aka-cdn-ns.adtech.de, cds26.ams9.msecn.net, lb1.www.ms.akadns.net, corp.sts.microsoft.com, az361816.vo.msecnd.net, az512334.vo.msecnd.net, telemetry.microsoft.com, msntest.serving-sys.com, secure.flashtalking.com, telemetry.appex.bing.net, pre.footprintpredict.com, pre.footprintpredict.com, vortex.data.microsoft.com, statsfe2.ws.microsoft.com, statsfe1.ws.microsoft.com, df.telemetry.microsoft.com, oca.telemetry.microsoft.com, sqm.telemetry.microsoft.com, telemetry.urs.microsoft.com, survey.watson.microsoft.com, compatexchange.cloudapp.net, feedback.microsoft-hohm.com, s.gateway.messenger.live.com, vortex-win.data.microsoft.com, feedback.search.microsoft.com, schemas.microsoft.akadns.net , watson.telemetry.microsoft.com, choice.microsoft.com.nsatc.net, wes.df.telemetry.microsoft.com, sqm.df.telemetry.microsoft.com, settings-win.data.microsoft.com, redir.metaservices.microsoft.com, i1.services.social.microsoft.com, vortex-sandbox.data.microsoft.com, diagnostics.support.microsoft.com, watson.ppe.telemetry.microsoft.com, msnbot-65-55-108-23.search.msn.com, telecommand.telemetry.microsoft.com, settings-sandbox.data.microsoft.com, sls.update.microsoft.com.akadns.net, fe2.update.microsoft.com.akadns.net, vortex-bn2.metron.live.com.nsatc.net, vortex-cy2.metron.live.com.nsatc.net, oca.telemetry.microsoft.com.nsatc.net, sqm.telemetry.microsoft.com.nsatc.net, reports.wes.df.telemetry.microsoft.com, corpext.msitadfs.glbdns2.microsoft.com, services.wes.df.telemetry.microsoft.com, watson.telemetry.microsoft.com.nsatc.net, statsfe2.update.microsoft.com.akadns.net, i1.services.social.microsoft.com.nsatc.net, telecommand.telemetry.microsoft.com.nsatc.net
- userbinator 11y ago

blackbeard 11y ago

One KB or sfc run later and that'll all be turned back on again...

kozukumi 11y ago

Far better is to not use Windows 10 and tell Microsoft why.

sparaker 11y ago
Couldn't agree more.
userbinator 11y ago
I wonder if Windows 7 support might last even longer than XP... no doubt there will be plenty of anger when MS decides to end support for 7/8 like they did with XP, but the best way to delay that is to vehemently refuse to "upgrade". ...and I am writing this on a machine running (a much customised version of) XP, which remains completely silent on the network and never produces any traffic unaccounted for.
- scholia 11y ago
  > when MS decides to end support for 7/8 Microsoft doesn't suddenly decide to end support for something: it has a well-established, pre-published software life-cycle where operating systems are supported for 10 years. http://windows.microsoft.com/en-GB/windows/lifecycle http://windows.microsoft.com/en-GB/windows/lifecycle There's always a chance that a date will be extended, but it wouldn't be a good plan to bet on it. Otherwise, I feel deeply sorry for you. Nobody should have to use inferior systems like Windows XP in this day and age. Presumably some badly-programmed bit of corporate junkware prevented you from upgraded to Windows 7 in 2009 .. ;-)
  - whoopdedo 11y ago
    XP is a solid enough system for limited use cases. Keep it behind a firewall and don't ever touch a browser, it will run forever without a glitch. I wouldn't call it "inferior". There may be things it can't do but if you're not going to use those features, so what? Upgrading a system just for the sake of upgrading is a waste of money. It's not just software tying a machine to XP but the hardware. A particular card may not have a 7 compatible driver. A penny-pinching executive will look at the very long number that is the cost of upgrading and decide to stay on XP and just replace parts (hard drive, monitor, etc.) as they break. Which may not be the smartest thing in the long run. I can see 7 lasting longer than XP as it's the last OS built primarily for traditional Win32 (Desktop) applications. 8 and 10 are transitioning to an OS for managed code and virtualization. If you have a legacy application you'll get the best experience on 7 (or XP, or Server 200X). All of the improvements to Windows are meant to make C# based programs work better. There isn't much to gain by upgrading an older codebase to the new OS. Of course people whose primary business is creating software think nothing of upgrading. To everyone else, writing new software is an expense. If the software you have does everything you need it to do, you're not going to rewrite it unless there is something to gain.

mtgx 11y ago

Yeah, so I've been using that since a few days ago along with DoNotSpy10, and disabled almost everything. Then I installed a traffic monitoring tool and I still found Cortana to be calling home, even though I checked and both web searches (search box) and Cortana were disabled. I think this article is right - you can't fully stop Windows 10 from calling home, no matter what you do or how many thing you disable. http://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2015/08/even-when-told-not-to-windows-10-just-cant-stop-talking-to-microsoft/ http://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2015/08/even-w... And according to this article, Microsoft has an OS-level keylogger that catches all of your typed characters (all passwords, all "secure" communications) even from the virtual keyboard, for "no good reason". http://localghost.org/posts/a-traffic-analysis-of-windows-10 http://localghost.org/posts/a-traffic-analysis-of-windows-10

Lendal 11y ago
Of course the OS catches all your keystrokes. If it didn't, the keyboard wouldn't function. EDIT: Except for BIOS. The keyboard would work in BIOS and that's it.
cronjobber 11y ago
> for "no good reason" A "National Security Letter" or moral equivalent would count as good reason, I guess. The recent renaming of Google may the farthest they can and will ever come to openly stating who's calling the shots around US tech sector.
Silhouette 11y ago
That OS-level keylogger would be extremely worrying, as would various other monitoring mentioned in your second link. However, it's worth pointing out that the same link now starts with this warning: Note: Some readers have commented that the original source for the article is of questionably validity. If anyone can confirm or refute the original author's finding with actual data, please let me know in the comments, and I'll update this post accordingly. As I write this, no-one has in fact provided any additional sources for confirmation.
- 11y ago

nly 11y ago

Checked my parents PC on a visit this morning to find the latest Patch Tuesday set of updates hadn't installed automatically because Windows Update was too busy advertising Windows 10. I was also greeted with a balloon popup rather than just the subtle GWX icon in the tray nagging me to install it. Microsoft are pushing this OS fervently and, given their aggressive service integration, I've recently been musing about whether the Microsoft of today are really 'better' just because they've become more open with their software, or whether they're actually just a different, possibly nastier, kind monopolistic threat. We could look back in 5 years and see the majority using Bing (via the Start Menu), Cortana, IE, OneDrive, and syncing all their devices through MS servers and cringe. Microsoft can't win on the strength of their brand when it comes to consumer facing services (except for Xbox), so maybe integration will see them break through and muscle out the likes of Chrome, Google, Gmail, Android, and Dropbox.... if W10 on mobile takes off that is. Oddly, despite not owning and having never owned any Apple product, I find myself comforted these days that they are there with an almost bottomless pile of money.

_pmf_ 11y ago
> just because they've become more open with their software Visual Studio Community Edition is unsuitable for any medium sized company. dotNET's openness does not extend to the actually interesting parts (WPF, WinForms). The new openness is purely a communication effort; they take care to communicate their openness without changing anything. It's disconcerting to see that they need developers more than developers need them.
- manigandham 11y ago
  Any medium sized company probably shouldn't be using Visual Studio Community Edition... also it goes pretty far in what it can do from what I've seen.
  - _pmf_ 11y ago
    > also it goes pretty far in what it can do from what I've seen I'm not talking about the features; the license restricts usage by company size.

davexunit 11y ago

Best way to disable Windows 10 tracking: Switch to GNU/Linux.

vezzy-fnord 11y ago
Or just about any free operating system, barring ones that voluntarily ship adware or similar.
teacup50 11y ago
Unfortunately, that's also the best way to not get any work done because: 1) None of the software most people need is available for Linux, and 2) "GNU/Linux" sucks at providing a rich and stable API/ABI on which proprietary software can be built and supported, and 3) Usability of what does exist generally sucks, because unsurprisingly, not charging for your work makes it very hard to hire artists and designers. Also unfortunately, that means the majority of people are stuck choosing between relinquishing privacy to either Apple, MS, or Google.
- sarciszewski 11y ago
  > 2) "GNU/Linux" sucks at providing a rich and stable API/ABI on which proprietary software can be built and supported, and Care to elaborate on this one? I don't see what sucks about it. You can build proprietary software and run it on Linux. See also: Steam games. > 3) Usability of what does exist generally sucks, because unsurprisingly, not charging for your work makes it very hard to hire artists and designers. I've personally found the latest editions of Debian-based OSes (such as Linux Mint) to be very intuitive and beautiful.
  - userbinator 11y ago
    Care to elaborate on this one? I don't see what sucks about it. You can build proprietary software and run it on Linux. See also: Steam games. I've run into this before many times. Binaries for proprietary apps, from 20 years ago, will probably still work today on Windows 10 if they didn't do anything too crazy or need low-level system functions (e.g. disk defragmenters). I don't think the same can be said of proprietary apps on Linux; there, the vast amount of diversity is also its greatest weakness and apps tend to have these massive (version-locked) dependency chains attached to them.

pilif 11y ago

> Set the AllowTelemetry string in HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\DataCollection to 0 AFAIK, setting this to 0 only has meaning in the Enterprise edition. In the consumer edition, 0 has the same meaning as 1. Here's a screenshot from the group policy editor of my Windows 10 VM: http://i.imgur.com/3s3AT9p.png http://i.imgur.com/3s3AT9p.png as you can see, 0 only does something in Enterprise builds.

merb 11y ago
Only in enterprise builds x.X not in Pro.. I should definitly start using Windows 10 Enterprise LTSB again..

Spearchucker 11y ago

Is the tracking limited to Home edition, or does this also apply to Pro and Enterprise? Nothing I've read definitively confirms which versions are affected to what extent. Knowing this is useful in that I'd happily pay to not have the spying. Paying is also preferable to downloading an .exe that disables tracking that has dependencies I haven't installed (Python, for example). I'm more likely to trust a PowerShell script, but(for now) haven't the time to invest to create my own.

nathanaldensr 11y ago
See my top-level comment. I did just that--created a PowerShell script.

huhtenberg 11y ago

Keep in mind that Windows filters the contents of etc/hosts and basically ignores (some) entries for its own domains. For example, you cannot null-route Windows Update servers this way.

bloaf 11y ago
And so for those sites you break out the firewall settings.

juliangregorian 11y ago

Personally, I'd rather fuzz their servers with terabyte after terabyte of garbage, but to each his own.

cautious_int 11y ago
Can you also fake/spoof the appropriate signatures/headers? Otherwise separating that data is going to be very easy. Unless you do it on a higher level like emulating input, but then you won't have a very useful machine.
- marcosdumay 11y ago
  He probably can. His computer is able to create those signatures, and he didn't lose low level access to it once he installed Windows 10. It's probably not easy, but might be a very interesting thing to do. Will the US start to criminally persecute everybody that does that? And also, the most important question. Will people still be able to do that on newer computers that ship with Windows 10?

talles 11y ago

Kudos for stating on the README what it does.

mesozoic 11y ago

Apparently you can't fully disable it so it looks like it's Windows 7 for me for another 5 years or so.

andrewmcwatters 11y ago

This is really crudely put together, completely disregards recent findings from news articles proving you cannot completely disable W10 telemetrics, and the author acknowledges he doesn't want to support reversing destructive processes with it. You shouldn't bother using this.

nathanaldensr 11y ago
See my top-level comment. I was unhappy with the author's reply in the GitHub issue about undoing changes. I decided to write a PowerShell script to fix those problems.
- andrewmcwatters 11y ago
  This is much cleaner and preferable for deployment to enterprise environments. That all being said, I highly doubt anyone is fully aware of the information passed through the list of hostnames in any of these projects. It's been claimed OS and app functionality breaks by blocking access to some of these domains, and I'm curious as to why. Blasting a wall of hosts out of access is not a very refined way of going about this purging of telemetrics, but your project is a great example of OSS being improved upon. Good script!
  - nathanaldensr 11y ago
    Before I read your comment, I added more information in the README that says I have not personally tested the HOSTS entries. Since PowerShell is so accessible, it's my hope that those with more time than me can create an exhaustive, accurate list, and perhaps submit a pull request. My only intent with this project was to convert the original author's work into a more accessible, Windows-friendly tool. Thank you for the kind words. :)

thescrewdriver 11y ago

You have to know that your privacy defaults are batshit crazy when people start developing tools to automate correcting them.

deleted 11y ago

[deleted]

crystalgiver 11y ago

I run Windows as a guest with vga passthrough and completely disable networking (though a very strict firewall could also work, e.g. For online games).

nathanaldensr 11y ago

I wrote a PowerShell script that enables or disables various Windows 10 tracking components. https://github.com/nathan-alden/windows-10-tracking https://github.com/nathan-alden/windows-10-tracking I based the script on the https://github.com/10se1ucgo/DisableWinTracking https://github.com/10se1ucgo/DisableWinTracking repository, but the code in that repository is Python and compiles to a Windows executable. I much prefer PowerShell so that the code can be more easily changed and deployed in automated environments. Additionally, that Python code doesn't undo changes, whereas my PowerShell script does. I'd appreciate any feedback (probably as a GitHub issue).

kn9 11y ago

Can anyone please share the list of GPO's to block in enterprise environment

EugeneOZ 11y ago

With such "open" system don't even think about large or government companies, especially non-US.