Woody’s Windows Watch: Beware the crapware in Win10 version 1903

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When Microsoft releases Win10 version 1903 – expected any day now – it’s going to bring along a bumper crop of junk that you don’t want: Candy Crush,
[See the full post at: Woody’s Windows Watch: Beware the crapware in Win10 version 1903]

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abbodi86, Elly

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The article suggests “Remove from start” but I have the impression that only removes the tile, not the program. If you go to the the full list mode and right-click on a program title, the Uninstall option is available, which I assume—naively?—frees up the hard disk space properly.

Oddly, two of my uninstall programs, e.g., Geek and Wise, don’t show MS apps like Taptiles and Pinball, unless I missed a setting, so whether the garbage actually gets removed may be an open question.

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Most of the crapware is just a tile – the program doesn’t actually load until you click on the tile. Thus, almost all of them are removed by a right-click and Remove from Start.

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Doesn’t load or doesn’t install until you click on the tile? Isn’t the tile simply a link, same as a desktop icon, that leads to an installed program that takes up space on the hard drive? Uninstalling the program entirely should be the aim, not just removing a tile for less clutter.

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Doesn’t install. The tile is just clickbait (if you’ll forgive my perversion of the term). The game itself doesn’t download or install until you click on the tile, or on the link in the Start menu.

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wavy, Elly, Wayne

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Is this “content” going to be included in Enterprise version too? Is it possible to have “bussiness ready” instalation without these so called clickbaites?

Dell Latitude 3420, Intel Core i7 @ 2.8 GHz, 16GB RAM, W10 22H2 Enterprise

HAL3000, AMD Athlon 200GE @ 3,4 GHz, 8GB RAM, Fedora 29

PRUSA i3 MK3S+

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I attach a screenshot from the Enterprise Evaluation version, using a local account.

An admin will have the ability to block installation of all of the really cr***y apps. And a (fairly complex) PowerShell script will take them out, too.

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But this is WAY BEYOND the average (and even some of the geeky) user’s knowledge or ability. Why should they be saddled with all the junk?
It would make a lot more sense to give the User a series of check boxes at install, and let them choose which apps they want. Even the non-techy (no, I didn’t use the “d” word)” User can handle check boxes.

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Elly, Steve S., Bluetrix, woody, doriel

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I just hoped, that there will be version for customers, that dont want this “junk” in their OS installed from scratch. This link promises a solution (to do custom image)
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-hardware/manufacture/desktop/system-builder-deployment-of-windows-10-for-desktop-editions
But… I dont wanna do this periodically for every semmi-annual major upgrade :/

Dell Latitude 3420, Intel Core i7 @ 2.8 GHz, 16GB RAM, W10 22H2 Enterprise

HAL3000, AMD Athlon 200GE @ 3,4 GHz, 8GB RAM, Fedora 29

PRUSA i3 MK3S+

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I believe LTSB meets that description – IF you can meet the qualifications AND IF you can afford it when you do.

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Elly, Bluetrix, doriel, woody

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Actually, this might be the thing, that I am looking for. Thank you for your reply, I will learn more about it.
In our company, we aim to start Enterprise E5 licensing. This means migrate to Azure too, I suppose.

I have to say it is expensive (just for desktop PC – something like 22EUR/ month/ user), but this inst coming from my pocket, its idea of our management, so I dont care 😉

Dell Latitude 3420, Intel Core i7 @ 2.8 GHz, 16GB RAM, W10 22H2 Enterprise

HAL3000, AMD Athlon 200GE @ 3,4 GHz, 8GB RAM, Fedora 29

PRUSA i3 MK3S+

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Most of this has gone on forever on Windows PC’s. Either PC makers load up new PC’s with crapware or now Microsoft does with every feature upgrade. I see some reasoning to all of this with Home versions as much of these apps are related to games or apps consumers would use. What confuses me is why do Pro or Enterprise also get these apps? They are easy enough to uninstall but sort of hypocritical of Microsoft to do this since they complained a lot about PC makers cluttering up a new PC. Hence the reason Microsoft created their Signature line of PC’s without all that bloatware. How ironic they replaced that with their own.

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woody wrote:

When Microsoft releases Win10 version 1903 – expected any day now – it’s going to bring along a bumper crop of junk that you don’t want:

We’re likely to see a lot of junk on Version 1903’s new, slimmed-down Start menu.

New installations only, right? Not the feature update via Windows Update that the vast majority of Windows 10 users will do? (Or even an MCT/ISO update with “keep my files/apps” selected?)

woody wrote:

Fortunately, it’s easy to remove all this crap from your desktop: just right-click the offensive tile and choose Remove from start.

Remove from start or Unpin from start?

Why the need to “beware” if it’s that easy?

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GCG1000

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Ok its not that hard, ignore what they put on windows 10 and just grab a copy of Start Is Back. Install this and you can make it look like anything from XP all the way up to windows 8.1 if you want.

problem solved. no muss no fuss.

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woody wrote:

Fortunately, it’s easy to remove all this crap from your desktop: just right-click the offensive tile and choose Remove from start.

@woody,
There is a difference between ‘Remove from start’ and uninstalling the junk completely.

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Asked and answered above. I agree that some of the more esoteric VIPs’ comments are hard to wade through—what are Groups A and B, for example—but reading the whole thread prior to commenting is usually instructive . . .

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b, Bluetrix

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Since September 2016 Windows 10 will not re-install any of the pre-installed apps that have been uninstalled. From Announcing Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 14926 :

“Improving your PC upgrade experience: One of the ongoing feedback items we’ve heard is how the apps that come preinstalled with Windows will reinstall after each upgrade – particularly noticeable for our Insiders that receive multiple flights per month. We’ve heard your feedback, and starting with Build 14926, when your PC updates it will check for apps that have been uninstalled, and it will preserve that state once the update has completed. This means if you uninstall any of the apps included in Windows 10 such as the Mail app or Maps app, they will not get reinstalled after you update to a newer build going forward.”

From October 2016, see Announcing Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 14942 :

“Improving the PC upgrade experience: Starting with build 14926, we announced that if you uninstall one of the preinstalled apps on Windows, that state will now be preserved after upgrade. With today’s build, we’re happy to let you know that we’ve taken that work a step further: after upgrading from 14942, if an IT-Pro has de-provisioned an app from your OS image (and you haven’t reinstalled it yourself), that provisioning status will now be preserved after upgrade, and the app will not reinstall. We appreciate everyone who shared feedback with us about this – if you have any other feedback about your upgrade experience, please don’t hesitate to log it – we’re listening!”

If you see something different on an UPGRADE use the Feedback Hub and report it.

--Joe

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On a clean install I would expect all the in-box apps to show up. After all a clean install is supposed to be a new installation.

--Joe

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Do I want any of this stuff?  No.  But how long have we had Windows 10?  Three or four years?  I actually don’t remember, but we’re probably nearing the point where traditionally Microsoft would be trying to convince us to buy Windows 11.  Is getting this junk a fair tradeoff if that doesn’t happen?  I’m not sure, but it’s a thought.

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I’m sure I read somewhere in Win10’s history that people were complaining that Windows no longer seems to ship with some games bundled. I guess it’s a case of be careful what you wish for…

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Ah, yes, it does seem that at one time the complaint was the absence solitaire.

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And don’t forget that Microsoft is not always the bad guy, some of the bloatware can come from the OEM or Vendor of the computer, HP including WildTangent games is one that comes to mind.

Before you wonder "Am I doing things right," ask "Am I doing the right things?"

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My complaint about the Windows 10 Start Menu is not the way it looks but its rigidity. All the titles are in alphabetical order; there is no easy way to rearrange them. If I want all of my art & scanning programs in one folder, it requires going to two places on file explorer, just to locate them. When I do manage to move a folder, all of the info in the sub-subfolders gets dumped on the main tree so I now have dozens of read-me files, uninstall files, etc. with no way of knowing what they belong to. The start menu in Win XP was perfect but they broke it, in my opinion, to make it fit on a cell phone.

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I am very thankful for the bevy of bloatware removal PowerShell scripts that are available on GitHub and tech blogs. We create fresh reference image of Windows 10 to slipstream monthly updates for the OS and Office. I get a warm sense of satisfaction watching that script rip out all of this foistware. It’s a benefit of geekdom. 🙂

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For interest I downloaded Win 10 Pro 1903 x64 (18362.86) from UUP Dump and carried out a clean install. However, I stopped the installation halfway through the Out Of the Box Experience (OOBE), entered Sysprep’s Audit Mode, ran a PowerShell script called Windows 10 Decrapifier then rebooted and carried out the OOBE again. Result? A wonderfully clean Start menu, free of pinned ‘clickbait’ tiles and crapware:

Pros:

• All the hard work is done for you by the PowerShell script.
• Neither the initial account nor subsequent accounts created get the crapware so the Start menu’s default app list is minimal.
• Similarly – as a new, clean Start menu template is provided as a default – neither the initial nor subsequent accounts get any pinned ‘clickbait’ tiles.
• The PowerShell script also reduces telemetry by disabling a couple of services and scheduled tasks.

Cons:

• To get access to the Windows 10 Decrapifier script you have to subscribe to a Spiceworks Community discussion group (which is why this is the only link I can provide).
• The script is designed for Pro/Enterprise editions.
• The script is designed for clean installs, not in-place upgrades.
• Whilst not at all complex (just follow the step-by-step instructions provided – with screenshots), it does add a little time to download the PowerShell script, pause the clean install to run the script then continue the clean install – approx. 20-30 mins. to carry out the 8 or 9 steps once you have the script.
• Although the script disabled OneDrive, an entry for it (that now does nothing) remained in the Start menu. (Whilst I know how to remove the Start menu entry with a REG file, I have a query in with the discussion group about how to remove it within the structure of the PowerShell script).

Overall: Whilst the Windows 10 Decrapifier script was created for use within a business deployment scenario, I’ve proved to my own satisfaction that it can also be used  at home to create the basis of crapware-free accounts. (Accounts can be further tailored on a ‘per user’ basis using any number of ‘normal’ methods.)

I ended up doing a second clean install just to add 3 pinned apps to the Start menu. (I could have just created them for my own account but I wanted to see how easy it was to amend the PowerShell script myself so the 3 pinned apps became the default for all accounts).

It will be interesting to see what the Windows 10 Decrapifier script does on a Win 10 Home 1903 clean install (which I’m currently downloading from UUP Dump).

Hope this helps…

EDIT: I’ve just carried out the same exercise using the Home version of 1903 and the results are identical… the PowerShell script works perfectly, even though ‘officially’ it has only been tested by the developer with Pro and Enterprise editions of 1803 and 1809.

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NetDef

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Rick Corbett wrote:

Whilst not at all complex (just follow the step-by-step instructions provided – with screenshots), it does add a little time to download the PowerShell script, pause the clean install to run the script then continue the clean install – approx. 20-30 mins. once you have the script.

I realize your method affects all users, but in comparison how long does it take to unpin six tiles?

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Here’s the direct link to the page that links the download, although to get the script (as mentioned by Rick) you need to be a Spiceworks member. Membership is free, and if you tick off all the optin boxes you won’t get spammed.

https://community.spiceworks.com/scripts/show/4378-windows-10-decrapifier-1803-1809

As of today, the script is being validated / tested for 1903, but is blessed for 1809 and lower versions.

Reasons to use: large deployments where multiple workstations that support multiple users at work. Intolerant business owners who don’t want their employees seeing Candy Crush. Etc.

Having said all that, in our tests with 1903 so far on Active Domain environments — it appears that much of the cruft no longer gets installed by default anyway.

~ Group "Weekend" ~

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woody wrote:

When Microsoft releases Win10 version 1903 – expected any day now – it’s going to bring along a bumper crop of junk that you don’t want: Candy Crush, Forza something or another, “Seeker Notes,” Dragon Marsh, and a zillion other pieces of crapware that should make Microsoft embarrassed.

I demand a recount of that zillion! Looks like one or two to me.

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Barry

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