Windows 7/8/8.1 might get telemetry

Microsoft recently launched windows 10. They didn't even bother hiding the fact that all versions of windows 10 (even enterprise at some extent) would be constantly spied on. Many who feared these features as Microsoft likes to call them, decided to stay on windows 7 or 8.1 (no reason to stay on 8, it sucks) and not upgrade. Microsoft couldn't have it. So they launch a series of optional/recommended updates on those platforms as well (mainly to spy on them as well). These are the list of updates/hotfixes and their descriptions.

• KB3068708 Update for customer experience and diagnostic telemetry
• KB3022345 Update for customer experience and diagnostic telemetry
• KB2952664 Compatibility update for upgrading Windows 7
• KB2990214 Update that enables you to upgrade from Windows 7 to a later version of Windows
• KB3035583 Update installs Get Windows 10 app in Windows 8.1 and Windows 7 SP1
• KB2971033 Description of the update for Windows Activation Technologies
• KB3021917 Update to Windows 7 SP1 for performance improvements
• KB3044374 Update that enables you to upgrade from Windows 8.1 to a later version of Windows

Checking all your windows updates for those eight pesky ones could be a bit cumbersome. Fortunately, we can use powershell to check for us.


Get-WmiObject -Class "win32_quickfixengineering" | Select-Object -Property "HotFixID" | Where-Object {$_ -match "KB3068708|KB3022345|KB2952664|KB2990214|KB3035583|KB2971033|KB3021917|KB3044374"} 

If you don't have any of the above mentioned updates, then it will not show anything. Otherwise, it will show the name of the update you have installed.

Hint: to open up powershell, you just open up cmd and type in powershell and then enter. 

 

In my case, it shows nothing. If you also get nothing, then you are lucky. In other scenarios, you will need to uninstall those specific updates.  

Control panel -> Programs -> Uninstall a program -> View Installed Updates

Find the corresponding updates in that huge lists and uninstall them.

Next up we must delete the corresponding services (if you had telemetry installed). Simply run these two commands in cmd:

sc stop Diagtrack 

sc delete Diagtrack 

Disable a couple of tasks in task scheduler.

Task Scheduler Library/ Microsoft/ Windows/ Application Experience - disable all 3 of the things in there. 

Next time you do a windows update, hide the above mentioned updates. (right click, hide update).

This should be enough for now to avoid telemetry in windows 7/8/8.1. If you are on vista, you are lucky.


Microsoft, why you gotta make our life so difficult?