[1709, fcu] Removing Apps at Startup

[CraigM]

Thanks for confirming.

 

I don't remove the Windows Store either.

 

It's annoying how removing other apps broke it for me in 1709. MS must have changed something?

 

I also don't remove the Windows Store, I've read too many horror stories of what doing that ends up breaking.

 

Something must have changed for sure, as 1703 worked fine for me with the removal script. Why one of the removed apps would take the .NET runtime package with it is beyond me, as that is a system level app package. I've removed the user visible Xbox App, which is good enough for now. The other Xbox related apps aren't directly user facing, so they'll live on for now.

[sted]

I also don't remove the Windows Store, I've read too many horror stories of what doing that ends up breaking.

 

Something must have changed for sure, as 1703 worked fine for me with the removal script. Why one of the removed apps would take the .NET runtime package with it is beyond me, as that is a system level app package. I've removed the user visible Xbox App, which is good enough for now. The other Xbox related apps aren't directly user facing, so they'll live on for now.

 

im wondering if leaving the xbox stuff in isnt a good idea just for the game bar and recording features

[Patrick]

I removed all the xbox junk and the store still works. Sort of, i have it disabled via GP.

[jmak]

If you have MDT you can do it during deployment with the following script...

 

www.scconfigmgr.com/2016/03/01/remove-built-in-apps-when-creating-a-windows-10-reference-image

 

That's why I also mentioned OSD.

 

I've managed to deploy 1709 using the script linked in @Arthur's post above with MDT/WDS (feeling pleased with myself #standing_on_shoulders_of_giants)

 

Most of the crud has gone, but I got some errors in the post deployment report, which make sense when I look at what's left in the Start Menu. Any ideas on what's causing the problem?

 

Error is: Get-WindowsCapability failed = 0x800f0950

 

The location in the script that gives the error is the line:

 

$OnDemandFeatures = Get-WindowsCapability -Online | Where-Object { $_.Name -notmatch $WhiteListOnDemand -and $_.State -like "Installed"} | Select-Object -ExpandProperty Name

 

Once deployed, the initial login for the built-in Administrator account looks like this:

[ATTACH=CONFIG]46157[/ATTACH] - so the On Demand Features clearly aren't removed

 

My Start Menu GPO seems to be working, because when logged in as a domain user (even with local admin rights) I see this:

 

[ATTACH=CONFIG]46161[/ATTACH]

 

Obviously I'd like to get the script working properly, but in the mean time, does the collective think there's any risk of anyone coming across the items that aren't removed? They don't appear in the list of programs either. (The tile with the error is for Smart Notebook, which doesn't error once the application is installed.)

 

My Task Sequence also needs work - only the first application on the list installs and I need to sort out the answer file to further automate, but at the minute it feels like something I could deploy to a limited set of users.

[speckytecky]

Thanks, given above to @sted for posting the PS Script he developed. We are rolling out some out of the box new Dells and I'm very much a newbie to PowerShell - any chance please that someone could give me a pointer as to how to adapt the script and get it to run so we can be rid of X-Box ect.

[sted]

Thanks, given above to @sted for posting the PS Script he developed. We are rolling out some out of the box new Dells and I'm very much a newbie to PowerShell - any chance please that someone could give me a pointer as to how to adapt the script and get it to run so we can be rid of X-Box ect.

1 its batch not powershell (but batch commands work in powershell)

2 its hardly developed its pretty much a copy paste from ms

run

Get-AppXProvisionedPackage -Online | Select PackageName >c:\appx.txt

 

on a test pc running win10 version whatever you need it finds the appx's that are installed and dumps them to a text file, remove the apps you want to keep from the text file, add Dism /online /Remove-ProvisionedAppxPackage /PackageName: infront of the ones you want to kill save file lol