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How to get rid of Candy Crush Soda Saga and other Windows 10 Start Menu junk for good!

Arthur

By Arthur
in Windows 10

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Garacesh

Garacesh

Posted
Posted
Hmm, never seen that, of course I block exes from running from c:\users, so it never installs, because that way lies ransomware.

 

And in GPO:User>Admin>System> Don't run specified Windows applications I put onedrive.exe, to avoid an error.

 

Might have to add that just to be safe.

 

Did anyone ever find a way of removing the OneDrive link from the Start Menu? Even with a redirected start menu it shows up for us. Same with Settings (though with the 'deny access to control panel' GPO enabled, the Settings icon doesn't actually do anything)

ADMaster

ADMaster

Posted
Posted

Here is my one drive removal script. I also have the gpo set.

I do not have anything about one drive in explore or in the start menu.

It's been a while, but I think the runone uninstall may remove it from start.

 

$OSDISK=$env:OSDISK
REG LOAD HKLM\DEFAULT $OSDISK\Users\Default\NTUSER.DAT
REG DELETE HKLM\default\software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run /v OneDriveSetup /f 
REG DELETE "HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{018D5C66-4533-4307-9B53-224DE2ED1FE6}" /f 
REG DELETE "HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Wow6432Node\CLSID\{018D5C66-4533-4307-9B53-224DE2ED1FE6}" /f 
REG ADD "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnce" /v removeonedrive /t REG_SZ /d "%SystemRoot%\SysWOW64\OneDriveSetup.exe /uninstall" /f
REG UNLOAD HKLM\DEFAULT

 

Hope this helps

  • Thanks 2
thatley

thatley

Posted
Posted (edited)

Hi all. This is related to this post so forgive me if you think I'm going off track.

 

Does anyone know if 1709 has changed what tiles actually show if you're joined to a domain?

 

I pretty much perfected 1703 with the help from this thread (especially Arthur - stellar work!) I've now moved onto 1709 and did a fresh build in WDS (no apps removed) to see what would happen and I've used brand new roaming profiles to test.

 

If you log on locally, you get all the apps/tiles etc (xbox, groove, Skype and all the rest of the crud that belongs on a home pc) as expected. However, log on as a domain user and the start tiles are in order (as in no broken tiles) but you only get what you'd expect in an office environment (calendar, mail, store, edge, photos), all the crap has gone, even in the start menu!)

 

I don't have any policies removing any of this or tilelayout.xml in place. The only thing in place is a Default User.v6 profile in Netlogon, which I made in 1703 but no apps were removed when I made it. I've taken it out, but I still get the same result when logging on as a new user. (on that note, do you have to make a new Default User profile every time you upgrade to a later windows release to match it?)

 

Is this by design? Have MS finally put some intelligence in this release? I doubt it, but I've tested over the last 2 days and get the same results.

 

Anyone seen this?

 

Thanks all.

 

------EDIT-----------

 

Just found out that 1709 actually has a bug where it removes apps "https://www.windowscentral.com/windows-10-fall-creators-update-user-problems-and-complaints" Microsoft have acknowledged this and working on it. I then installed windows update KB4043961 which seems to have brought back the apps and tiles! Maaaaaaaaaan this is so flakey!! :mad:

Edited by thatley
Koldov

Koldov

Posted
Posted

OK thanks for all the help though, so far... I really appreciate it! Getting there slowly, I think! Feels like one step forward and two back....

 

I'd be lost (read 'out of a job') without EDUGEEK!. Feels like I'm standing on the shoulders of giants!

 

I'm wondering how long I can hold off this rollout... Think they are going to have to pry the Windows 7 install USB out of my cold dead hands....

 

Anyway, to save turning this into FFS Microsoft.... thread. Just a couple more quickies!

 

Paint 3D can be removed if you delete Microsoft.MSPaint

 

This doesn't remove mspaint? Just paint 3D?

 

Also any idea on how to remove 'Connect' and the 'Mixed Reality Portal' without going through hoops after install?

 

Not using MDT or anything just good old USB for now, so I'm wondering if there is anyway to build an answer file for the questions after install (the ones on data collection etc).

mrwoberts

mrwoberts

Posted
Posted
Also any idea on how to remove 'Connect' and the 'Mixed Reality Portal' without going through hoops after install?

 

I'm actually working on a solution for this, or should I say, following others instructions and trying to simplify the process - the best way seems to involve setting a 1 to a 0 in a database file to inform Microsoft that Mixed Reality and others can be uninstalled (They are currently treated as 'forced install' apps...)

Back soon...

  • Thanks 1
CHiLL

CHiLL

Posted
Posted

I have removed the built-in apps using the script on Windows 10 Education 1709 but so far have the following items in the Start Menu that I cannot seem to remove:

Cortana

Microsoft Edge

Microsoft Store

Mixed Reality Portal

Settings

Windows Accessories (folder)

Windows Administrative Tools (folder)

Windows Defender Security Centre

Windows System (folder)

 

My 'WhiteListedApps' in the script are:

        # AppX Package Whitelist. These are the apps you want to keep
       $WhiteListedApps = @(
           'Microsoft.MicrosoftStickyNotes',
           'Microsoft.MSPaint',
           'Microsoft.Windows.Photos',
           'Microsoft.WindowsCalculator',
           'Microsoft.WindowsStore'

 

Anyone able to remove the above from their Start Menu?

Arthur

Arthur

Posted
  • Author
Posted (edited)
I have removed the built-in apps using the script on Windows 10 Education 1709 but so far have the following items in the Start Menu that I cannot seem to remove:

The Windows Store can be removed by deleting it from the $WhiteListedApps variable. i.e.

 

        # AppX Package Whitelist. These are the apps you want to keep
       $WhiteListedApps = @(
           'Microsoft.MicrosoftStickyNotes',
           'Microsoft.MSPaint',
           'Microsoft.Windows.Photos',
           'Microsoft.WindowsCalculator'

 

The Windows Store is harder to reinstall should you need it the future so I normally don't bother removing it and disable it through Group Policy.

 

Unless you want a broken Start Menu/search you should keep the Cortana app and disable it through Group Policy.

 

Microsoft doesn't officially support removal of apps like Edge, Connect, Settings, Mixed Reality Portal so the best thing to do is use AppLocker to block them.

Edited by Arthur
Koldov

Koldov

Posted
Posted

Having the same issues, but getting there....

 

Just out of interest, after using the script (which I can't seem to get to work on the WIM only on the ISO) can anyone recommend a way to return the new WIM to an ISO so I can load it in a VM to test?

 

Also, it appears the Photos app is broken once the script is run even after watching tell me it has left it in (whitelisted). When I check in the new Win 10 install it won't open the app and trying to set a default app for .jpeg only gives me Paint or Paint 3D....

mavhc

mavhc

Posted
Posted
Having the same issues, but getting there....

 

Just out of interest, after using the script (which I can't seem to get to work on the WIM only on the ISO) can anyone recommend a way to return the new WIM to an ISO so I can load it in a VM to test?

 

Also, it appears the Photos app is broken once the script is run even after watching tell me it has left it in (whitelisted). When I check in the new Win 10 install it won't open the app and trying to set a default app for .jpeg only gives me Paint or Paint 3D....

 

https://www.techwalla.com/articles/how-to-convert-a-wim-file-to-an-iso-file

 

Photos app has companion apps, might be the issue.

CHiLL

CHiLL

Posted
Posted (edited)
The Windows Store can be removed by deleting it from the $WhiteListedApps variable. i.e.

 

        # AppX Package Whitelist. These are the apps you want to keep
       $WhiteListedApps = @(
           'Microsoft.MicrosoftStickyNotes',
           'Microsoft.MSPaint',
           'Microsoft.Windows.Photos',
           'Microsoft.WindowsCalculator'

 

The Windows Store is harder to reinstall should you need it the future so I normally don't bother removing it and disable it through Group Policy.

 

Unless you want a broken Start Menu/search you should keep the Cortana app and disable it through Group Policy.

 

Microsoft doesn't officially support removal of apps like Edge, Connect, Settings, Mixed Reality Portal so the best thing to do is use AppLocker to block them.

Cheers, I think I will remove the store. The likelihood of us using it is slim to on, given we're using SCCM at the moment.

 

I'll leave the others in. Any ideas with the other items?

 

Edit: I enabled the setting: 

User Configuration > Policies > Administrative Templates > Start Menu and Taskbar > Remove common program groups from Start Menu

However that has also removed all items configured on my Start Layout (configured with the XML) that are located in %ProgramData%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs.

Edited by CHiLL
Arthur

Arthur

Posted
  • Author
Posted
I'm actually working on a solution for this, or should I say, following others instructions and trying to simplify the process - the best way seems to involve setting a 1 to a 0 in a database file to inform Microsoft that Mixed Reality and others can be uninstalled (They are currently treated as 'forced install' apps...)

Have you seen the following script? It might save you some work? :)

 

https://github.com/10se1ucgo/DisableWinTracking/issues/48#issuecomment-228178072

jmak

jmak

Posted
Posted

I've been using @Arthur's excellent script (thanks again - can't give enough rep) and with the latest version have successfully removed the apps I don't want from the iso and imported a custom wim into MDT. I can successfully deploy this to either a VM or a physical machine, but I want to add applications in to create a base image to deploy across the school. When I run a sysprep and capture task sequence it always fails at sysprep. If I log on to the machine, I can run sysprep from the command line or GUI. Any suggestions on where I should start looking?

 

Running latest MDT with latest ADK on Server 2012R2

mavhc

mavhc

Posted
Posted
I've been using @Arthur's excellent script (thanks again - can't give enough rep) and with the latest version have successfully removed the apps I don't want from the iso and imported a custom wim into MDT. I can successfully deploy this to either a VM or a physical machine, but I want to add applications in to create a base image to deploy across the school. When I run a sysprep and capture task sequence it always fails at sysprep. If I log on to the machine, I can run sysprep from the command line or GUI. Any suggestions on where I should start looking?

 

Running latest MDT with latest ADK on Server 2012R2

 

Just script everything so you can start with an original WIM every 8 months

Koldov

Koldov

Posted
Posted

So......

 

Am I the only one with a broken photos app?

 

What am I doing wrong?!

 

Also, I appear to be a little slow on the uptake (guess it's my age), but I get the impression that...

 

Just script everything so you can start with an original WIM every 8 months

 

...means people are seriously going to reinstall their whole estate every 8 months.... I am confused! :confused:

jmak

jmak

Posted
Posted
Just script everything so you can start with an original WIM every 8 months

I did start playing with that and have spotted (at least one place) where I went wrong meaning that the script didn't run, so giving it another go now.

 

I used the guide I found here: http://www.scconfigmgr.com/2016/03/01/remove-built-in-apps-when-creating-a-windows-10-reference-image/

 

However it seems like it takes a lot longer in the deployment stage and I'm concerned it will swamp the network if I try and deploy multiple machines at a time. The task sequence I created did successfully install Office, but missed the others. I can work on that, but even if I automate it, as the script and the installations run after deployment it looks like it could take at least 40 minutes and significantly more if I want to run multiple installations at a time as all of the applications need to transmit across the network. Deploying the customised wim seems to run in about 10 minutes.

 

So......

 

Am I the only one with a broken photos app?

 

What am I doing wrong?!

 

Also, I appear to be a little slow on the uptake (guess it's my age), but I get the impression that...

 

 

 

...means people are seriously going to reinstall their whole estate every 8 months.... I am confused! :confused:

 

I found that photos doesn't work with whatever I've done so far - didn't get as far as trying to establish what dependencies I've missed as I re-enabled the classic photo viewer application by regedit (more thanks to @Arthur :) )

 

You might not re-install your whole estate every eight months, although there are at least twice yearly versions released, however it will be at a minimum every 18 months as that's the limit of how long MS support each release. 1511 has just gone out of support - meaning no more security updates. I'm looking at pushing 1709 out ASAP for new installs as if I use 1703 (which people seem have just about sorted the niggles on) I might find that I need to re-image in less than a year... The exception is 1607 which is supported until 2023 as that's the last version which will support original Atom processors....

CHiLL

CHiLL

Posted
Posted
I did start playing with that and have spotted (at least one place) where I went wrong meaning that the script didn't run, so giving it another go now.

 

I used the guide I found here: http://www.scconfigmgr.com/2016/03/01/remove-built-in-apps-when-creating-a-windows-10-reference-image/

 

However it seems like it takes a lot longer in the deployment stage and I'm concerned it will swamp the network if I try and deploy multiple machines at a time. The task sequence I created did successfully install Office, but missed the others. I can work on that, but even if I automate it, as the script and the installations run after deployment it looks like it could take at least 40 minutes and significantly more if I want to run multiple installations at a time as all of the applications need to transmit across the network. Deploying the customised wim seems to run in about 10 minutes.

I deploy some applications during the TS using SCCM. For example, I have an Application in SCCM for Google Chrome, which is deployed across the site. I used the 'Install Application' action in the TS and selected 'Install the following applications'. I then added each application I want to deploy via the TS into the list. I've been using this method for a while and it's been working fine.

 

Sure, it does mean it's more content for each client to download during the TS, but generally when I'm imaging multiple machines at once, it's either during the holidays or outside of school hours, so impact on the network is minimal.

Koldov

Koldov

Posted
Posted (edited)
The exception is 1607 which is supported until 2023 as that's the last version which will support original Atom processors....

 

Hmmmm.

 

So it would appear that if I use version 1607 (and try to stop the version updates) I would not only have a version with most of the kinks already ironed out, but would also have less work to do for deployment as it appears with each new version more crud appears.

 

Interesting...

 

Is this not a no-brainer? What am I missing here people?!

Edited by Koldov
CHiLL

CHiLL

Posted
Posted
Hmmmm.

 

So it would appear that if I use version 1607 (and try to stop the version updates) I would not only have a version with most of the kinks already ironed out, but would also have less work to do for deployment as it appears with each new version more crud appears.

 

Interesting...

 

Is this not a no-brainer? What am I missing here people?!

Yes, we've deployed 1607 as our Windows 10 version. For those machine not running 1607, they're still on Windows 8.1.

 

1703 was too much of a ballache to get working, so I left it alone. 1709 isn't perfect, but a lot better than 1703.

jmak

jmak

Posted
Posted
Hmmmm.

 

So it would appear that if I use version 1607 (and try to stop the version updates) I would not only have a version with most of the kinks already ironed out, but would also have less work to do for deployment as it appears with each new version more crud appears.

 

Interesting...

 

Is this not a no-brainer? What am I missing here people?!

 

You'll miss out on new features, which might not seem like a huge issue now as they're incremental, but by 2023 you'll be missing a lot. The obvious one this time around is the ability to "map" Onedrive and sync files on demand. That's why I like the approach @mavhc is taking; once I get the deployment method sorted, I'll be able to deploy whatever version of Windows 10 I like. Not quite there yet though...

Koldov

Koldov

Posted
Posted (edited)
1703 was too much of a ballache to get working, so I left it alone. 1709 isn't perfect, but a lot better than 1703.

 

Interesting, I have a test laptop set-up with 1703 and haven't had any major problems so far.

 

I suppose that's part of the issue, everybody wants it to do different things, or get it to work how they want. It's a shame but I guess they cannot easily be all things to all people, as much as they are trying to cram it with as many features as possible and future proof it.... All they need to do is work out a way that it's all easily removed (hard when the apps come as a core part of the OS with many dependacies, but not impossible surely) without all of the reg hacks, removal scripts, etc...

 

You'll miss out on new features, which might not seem like a huge issue now as they're incremental, but by 2023 you'll be missing a lot. The obvious one this time around is the ability to "map" Onedrive and sync files on demand.

 

Yeah, I do understand what you mean. However, it's all down to very individual needs and school IT ethos. We don't even use OneDrive and unless there is a dramatic change in the way we work, which with nearly 7 years of Win 7 and no major issues - (all nicely locked down with minimal GPO's and no extra crud needing to be removed) would prove doubtful, then I think missing out on 'features' which a lot of people are trying to remove, is something we'll live with.

 

And by 2023 we'll be worrying about Windows 11 or something (unless 10 is the last Windows version ever)...

Edited by Koldov
mavhc

mavhc

Posted
Posted
And by 2023 we'll be worrying about Windows 11 or something (unless 10 is the last Windows version ever)...

 

It's called "Windows (version 10.0)" in WSUS

sted

sted

Posted
Posted
I suppose that's part of the issue, everybody wants it to do different things, or get it to work how they want. It's a shame but I guess they cannot easily be all things to all people, as much as they are trying to cram it with as many features as possible and future proof it.... All they need to do is work out a way that it's all easily removed (hard when the apps come as a core part of the OS with many dependacies, but not impossible surely) without all of the reg hacks, removal scripts, etc...

 

the best of it is windows 95/98/me had a way of doing this you could configure a sysprep file that if it was present during install told the machine to install say solitaire or not if the file wasnt there iirc it just installed the default apps. it wouldnt be hard i wouldnt of thought to have a predetermined file you could roll out during deployment that said on initial boot dont install x/y/z as it has to install them as part of the hi were glad youre here junk so surely a config file basically saying no to xbox for example isnt beyond ms

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