List of Windows 7 telemetry updates to avoid

KB2952664 Compatibility update for upgrading Windows 7
KB2990214 Update that enables you to upgrade from Windows 7 to a later version of Windows
KB3021917 Update to Windows 7 SP1 for performance improvements
KB3022345 Update for customer experience and diagnostic telemetry
KB3035583 Update installs get windows 10 app in Windows 8.1 and Windows 7 SP1
KB3068708 (replaces KB3022345) Update for customer experience and diagnostic telemetry
KB3075249 Update that adds telemetry points to consent.exe in Windows 8.1 and Windows 7
KB3080149 Update for customer experience and diagnostic telemetry

 

Checked- Thanks

 

Is there somewhere a list for Windows 8.1?

 

Thanks. I've hidden all these but it's good to see a list.

 

Thanks for the list Stefan , having it neatly formatted like that makes for an easy search in the Update history.

Only KB3021917 slipped past me but I'm wary of uninstalling it.
Last time I tried to remove one , the process was left hanging , and on reboot , all of Update history was gone !

It's almost as if M$ had intentionally made uninstalling updates problematic .... or is that simply paranoia ? -

edit
PS - even after carefully avoiding all GWX updates , I notice that a resource hogging process runs as an svchost.exe
for the first 5 minutes after booting .
Process Explorer shows it to be a service called "AeLookupSvc" .
Has anybody else seen this ?
M$ meddling again .... or just more paranoia ?

 

Thanks for that stapp , I've not come across that website before .

Like many people on here , I give windows updates a 2 week "quarantine" before even thinking about installing.
It was during this period that AeLookupSvc got my attention.

Killing the process caused a second windows update icon to appear in the notification area .... Weird !

 

Good thread, thanks.

 

Turned @Stefan Froberg KB list into a batch file for everyone, along with some GWX KB files that may be installed.

Code:

ECHO OFF
REM --- remember to invoke from ELEVATED command prompt!
REM --- or start the batch with context menu "run as admin".
SETLOCAL

REM --- (as of 2015-08-26):
REM  KB3012973 - Upgrade to Windows 10 Pro
REM  KB3021917 - Update to Windows 7 SP1 for performance improvements
REM  KB3035583 - GWX Update installs Get Windows 10 app in Windows 8.1 and Windows 7 SP1
REM  KB2952664 - Compatibility update for upgrading Windows 7
REM  KB2976978 - Compatibility update for Windows 8.1 and Windows 8
REM  KB3022345 - Telemetry [Replaced by KB3068708]
REM  KB3068708 - Update for customer experience and diagnostic telemetry
REM  KB2990214 - Update that enables you to upgrade from Windows 7 to a later version of Windows
REM  KB3075249 - Update that adds telemetry points to consent.exe in Windows 8.1 and Windows 7
REM  KB3080149 - Update for customer experience and diagnostic telemetry

REM --- uninstall updates
echo uninstalling updates ...
start "title" /b /wait wusa.exe /kb:3012973 /uninstall /quiet /norestart
echo  - done.
start "title" /b /wait wusa.exe /kb:3021917 /uninstall /quiet /norestart
echo  - done.
start "title" /b /wait wusa.exe /kb:3035583 /uninstall /quiet /norestart
echo  - done.
start "title" /b /wait wusa.exe /kb:2952664 /uninstall /quiet /norestart
echo  - done.
start "title" /b /wait wusa.exe /kb:2976978 /uninstall /quiet /norestart
echo  - done.
start "title" /b /wait wusa.exe /kb:3022345 /uninstall /quiet /norestart
echo  - done.
start "title" /b /wait wusa.exe /kb:3068708 /uninstall /quiet /norestart
echo  - done.
start "title" /b /wait wusa.exe /kb:2990214 /uninstall /quiet /norestart
echo  - done.
start "title" /b /wait wusa.exe /kb:3075249 /uninstall /quiet /norestart
echo  - done.
start "title" /b /wait wusa.exe /kb:3080149 /uninstall /quiet /norestart
echo  - done.

timeout 10

echo ... COMPLETED (please remember to REBOOT, and Hide the Following KB Updates)
echo ...3012973
echo ...3021917
echo ...3035583
echo ...2952664
echo ...2976978
echo ...3022345
echo ...3068708
echo ...2990214
echo ...3075249
echo ...3080149
echo  - done.


pause
REM --- EOF

 

Nice, thanks. I've been manually uninstalling updates.

 

you are a good person, thanks

this guy https://www.hackread.com/microsoft-updates-spy-on-windows7-8-users/ recommends the following be removed

If you want to stick to Windows 7, 8 or 8.1 and want to remain untracked then we will recommend you to stay away from the following updates:

KB2876229 SKYPE, If you want Skype then install it.

KB2923545 RDP

KB2970228

KB3035583

KB2990214

KB3021917

KB3068708 Telemetry

KB2592687

KB2660075

KB2506928

KB2952664 x2

KB3050265

KB2726535

KB2994023

KB3022345 Replaced by KB3068708 Telemetry

KB3022345 Caused false sfc result

KB2545698 (IE9)

KB3065987

 

@Holysmoke ill look into these KB's as well and will update the batch file accordingly.

Much appreciated.

 

So based on @Holysmoke list, the majority are fixes for the Botched Windows updates that have been occurring over the last year or so. Some are from 2011 and are for remote desktop sharing. As im not focusing on creating a batch file to remove botched updates, these will not be included.

I will only focus this list on Telemetry and W10 notifications or upgrades that are being forced on us.

Updated list, added 4 KBs

KB 3068707 - Customer experience telemetry points
KB 3050265 - Windows Update service updated to accept upgrade to W10
KB 2977759 - W10 Diagnostics Compatibility telemetry
KB 3044374 - W8,8.1 Nagware for W10

Code:

ECHO OFF
REM --- remember to invoke from ELEVATED command prompt!
REM --- or start the batch with context menu "run as admin".
SETLOCAL

REM --- (as of 2015-08-26):
REM  KB3012973 - Upgrade to Windows 10 Pro
REM  KB3021917 - Update to Windows 7 SP1 for performance improvements
REM  KB3035583 - GWX Update installs Get Windows 10 app in Windows 8.1 and Windows 7 SP1
REM  KB2952664 - Compatibility update for upgrading Windows 7
REM  KB2976978 - Compatibility update for Windows 8.1 and Windows 8
REM  KB3022345 - Telemetry [Replaced by KB3068708]
REM  KB3068708 - Update for customer experience and diagnostic telemetry
REM  KB2990214 - Update that enables you to upgrade from Windows 7 to a later version of Windows
REM  KB3075249 - Update that adds telemetry points to consent.exe in Windows 8.1 and Windows 7
REM  KB3080149 - Update for customer experience and diagnostic telemetry
REM  KB3044374 - W8,8.1 Nagware for W10
REM  KB2977759 - W10 Diagnostics Compatibility Telemetry
REM  KB3050265 - Windwos Update services update to upgrade to W10
REM  KB3068707 - Customer experience telemetry point. W7,8,8.1


REM --- uninstall updates
echo uninstalling updates ...
start "title" /b /wait wusa.exe /kb:3012973 /uninstall /quiet /norestart
echo  - done.
start "title" /b /wait wusa.exe /kb:3021917 /uninstall /quiet /norestart
echo  - done.
start "title" /b /wait wusa.exe /kb:3035583 /uninstall /quiet /norestart
echo  - done.
start "title" /b /wait wusa.exe /kb:2952664 /uninstall /quiet /norestart
echo  - done.
start "title" /b /wait wusa.exe /kb:2976978 /uninstall /quiet /norestart
echo  - done.
start "title" /b /wait wusa.exe /kb:3022345 /uninstall /quiet /norestart
echo  - done.
start "title" /b /wait wusa.exe /kb:3068708 /uninstall /quiet /norestart
echo  - done.
start "title" /b /wait wusa.exe /kb:2990214 /uninstall /quiet /norestart
echo  - done.
start "title" /b /wait wusa.exe /kb:3075249 /uninstall /quiet /norestart
echo  - done.
start "title" /b /wait wusa.exe /kb:3080149 /uninstall /quiet /norestart
echo  - done.
start "title" /b /wait wusa.exe /kb:3044374 /uninstall /quiet /norestart
echo  - done.
start "title" /b /wait wusa.exe /kb:2977759 /uninstall /quiet /norestart
echo  - done.
start "title" /b /wait wusa.exe /kb:3050265 /uninstall /quiet /norestart
echo  - done.
start "title" /b /wait wusa.exe /kb:3068707 /uninstall /quiet /norestart
echo  - done.

timeout 10

echo ... COMPLETED (please remember to REBOOT, and Hide the Following KB Updates)
echo ...3012973
echo ...3021917
echo ...3035583
echo ...2952664
echo ...2976978
echo ...3022345
echo ...3068708
echo ...2990214
echo ...3075249
echo ...3080149
echo ...3044374
echo ...2977759
echo ...3050265
echo ...3068707
echo  - done.


pause
REM --- EOF

Still working on way to automatically hide these KB entries in Windows Update. Work in progress...

regards.

 

Thanks a lot for this, just tried the new script here.

 

Microsoft intensifies data collection on Windows 7 and 8 systems - gHacks Tech News

 

Many thanks TS4H, Stefan, and Holysmoke Makes life a lot easier.

 

No problem @RJK3 if you hear of any more please post and ill update the list accordingly.

On another note, does anyone know of the KB that is responsible for the *%#& Smiley in Internet Explorer?

 

the following paragraph infuriates me from the ghacks article above about MS...........

While users may disable some, for instance by using privacy tools (of which there are plenty), others cannot be disabled or stopped that easily, for instance because of hardcoded host and IP address information that bypass the Hosts file of the operating system.

a long time member at dslreports says the following:


www.msdn.com
msdn.com
www.msn.com
msn.com
go.microsoft.com
msdn.microsoft.com
office.microsoft.com
microsoftupdate.microsoft.com
wustats.microsoft.com
support.microsoft.com
www.microsoft.com
microsoft.com
update.microsoft.com
download.microsoft.com
microsoftupdate.com
windowsupdate.com
windowsupdate.microsoft.com
You can't block above names with hosts file. They all were hardcoded in this DLL:
%WINDIR%\system32\dnsapi.dll

more terror about MS from long time poster at dslreports:

All text typed on the keyboard is stored in temporary files, and sent (once per 30 mins) to:
oca.telemetry.microsoft.com.nsatc.net
pre.footprintpredict.com
reports.wes.df.telemetry.microsoft.com

Telemetry is sent once per 5 minutes, to:
vortex.data.microsoft.com
vortex-win.data.microsoft.com
telecommand.telemetry.microsoft.com
telecommand.telemetry.microsoft.com.nsatc.net
oca.telemetry.microsoft.com
oca.telemetry.microsoft.com.nsatc.net
sqm.telemetry.microsoft.com
sqm.telemetry.microsoft.com.nsatc.net

Typing the name of any popular movie into your local file search starts a telemetry process that indexes all media files on your computer and transmits them to:
df.telemetry.microsoft.com
reports.wes.df.telemetry.microsoft.com
cs1.wpc.v0cdn.net
vortex-sandbox.data.microsoft.com
pre.footprintpredict.com

When a webcam is first enabled, ~35mb of data gets immediately transmitted to:
oca.telemetry.microsoft.com
oca.telemetry.microsoft.com.nsatc.net
vortex-sandbox.data.microsoft.com
i1.services.social.microsoft.com
i1.services.social.microsoft.com.nsatc.net

Everything that is said into an enabled microphone is immediately transmitted to:
oca.telemetry.microsoft.com
oca.telemetry.microsoft.com.nsatc.net
vortex-sandbox.data.microsoft.com
pre.footprintpredict.com
i1.services.social.microsoft.com
i1.services.social.microsoft.com.nsatc.net
telemetry.appex.bing.net
telemetry.urs.microsoft.com
cs1.wpc.v0cdn.net
statsfe1.ws.microsoft.com


While the inital reflex may be to block all of the above servers via HOSTS, it turns out this won't work: Microsoft has taken the care to hardcode certain IPs, meaning that there is no DNS lookup and no HOSTS consultation. However, if the above servers are blocked via HOSTS, Windows will pretend to be crippled by continuously throwing errors, while still maintaining data collection in the background. Other than an increase in errors, HOSTS blocking did not affect the volume, frequency, or rate of data being transmitted.

 

https://social.msdn.microsoft.com/F...nd-line?forum=windowsgeneraldevelopmentissues What Do you think about this?

 

@Holysmoke Im not sure where in this forum I said W10 was quiet privacy wise once configured according but going what you just posted I might need to retract my statement. This is just unbelievable... I must admit that there is a lot of controversy around privacy in W10. Some are absolute lies and have no merit and some are plausible. But when you start to see info like this, even if its unfounded you start to think otherwise.

Behind every lie there is some merit of truth

Even this some merit is enough for me to question whether I should just move away from MS, and Google/Android for that matter. Ill be sure to add/double check those domains to my Hosts batch file.

@Lil Geek Thanks for that link. Im really no good with Script but ill have a go. The information in that link plus some others gives me enough to go off with some modification.

regards.

 

This is a .bat to uninstall some telemetry KB and more...
Not tested
https://github.com/WindowsLies/BlockWindows

 

@Holysmoke - it sounds to me very much like this is crying out for an independent verification of what is actually happening (currently reports are hearsay and appear to apply to W10 not W7, though the same concerns might apply with a subset of information). Controls and monitoring could clearly be set up via a distinct firewall/dns, and IP addresses accessed and correlated with reverse lookup. Any hardcoded IP addresses or hosts file bypass could be trapped that way.
If nothing sufficiently trustworthy and rigorous shows up, I'll probably do this myself with a pfsense setup and packet capture.
However, it's not clear to me that you'll ever be playing anything other than whack-a-mole with blocking urls and ip, and, for example, they could easily tunnel information through ssl to an "essential" url and unpack it there.
It's also worth mentioning a factor noted in the discussion you reference, namely that it may be that, if the ipv4 connections are unavailable, the client machine may attempt outbound connection via ipv6 and toredo. A reminder, if any were needed, to turn ipv6 off everywhere unless you actually need it and know the implications.

 

I am surprised that we haven't heard something a lot more concrete by now with packet info and actual documentation of what's going on. Surely someone of a tech type has done some investigating by now.. Which leads me to think that perhaps nothing much is going on after all, since we haven't seen direct proof of anything devious. Not sure... but I would indeed like to see some down to Earth investigation of things documenting exactly what IS going on..

 

G'day Mate.
Looking all over various forums for someone that maintain and update such a list, and with details of what those things can do.
You and all other guys involved made my day.
Thanks a lot indeed.
VS

 

This is great material.
It would be most useful if the lists were clearly segregated into applying to
Windows 7
Windows 8
Windows 8.1
Windows 10

As I was reading through, it was hard to pick out which ones apply to my OS; at places, the discussion is unclear which it applies to, or jumps from one to another. Not being critical--this is great stuff-- just suggesting a possible improvement.

I have one 7 machine and one 8.1. I want to stop ALL of the spying.