[1809, ou] Disabling manufacturer's app and custom icons

[caffrey]

New install of Windows 10 automatically downloads the Konica Minolta Print Experience and puts it in the start menu, is there a GPO setting to stop this ?

[Arthur]

Canon and Kyocera also install their own utilities automatically on Windows 10. I haven't found a way to stop it, so I just block them with AppLocker.

[caffrey]

Wonder why there isn't a GPO setting, I know you can turn it off in Control Panel\Hardware and Sound\Devices and Printers right click on the PC and change it under Device Installation settings

 

I think this is the regkey, change search order config to 0 ?

 

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\DriverSearching]
"SearchOrderConfig"=dword:00000001

Edited November 20, 2018 by caffrey

[ID-10-T]

Xerox also adds this "feature" without asking nicely. I've tried the above registry hack and it works on our 1709 builds but doesn't seem to work on our 1803 builds. We haven't moved up to 1809 yet, so I can't say what happens there. I haven't tried AppLocker but if that works, it's on my radar now. Seems to me there used to be a Lexmark one as well, but I haven't seen it in awhile. There's been some concern from our printer team that these utilities may, at some point, cause issues with the embedded print system we use although that hasn't actually happened yet that I've heard.

[caffrey]

I've just applied these with GPO and the app appears to not install anymore

 

Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Windows Update > Do not include drivers with Windows Update > Enabled
Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > System Device Installation > Prevent device metadata retrieval from the Internet > Enabled
Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > System > Device Installation > Specify search order for device driver source locations > Enabled (Do not search Windows Update)

[rosslaing]

I've just applied these with GPO and the app appears to not install anymore

 

Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Windows Update > Do not include drivers with Windows Update > Enabled
Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > System Device Installation > Prevent device metadata retrieval from the Internet > Enabled
Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > System > Device Installation > Specify search order for device driver source locations > Enabled (Do not search Windows Update)

 

We also do not have this problem, the only GPO setting we have applied is the metedata one. This also quickens up printer installation in my experience which was the main reason for us setting it.

[Arthur]

We also do not have this problem, the only GPO setting we have applied is the metadata one.

Thanks. I am going to try the metadata retrieval GPO since searching Windows Update for drivers is actually quite useful.

[NumberSix]

Hi @Arthur,

Did you have any joy with applying the metadata GPO? I'm having an issue where a 'Canon printer utility app' automatically gets installed and pinned to the start menu on first login - it doesn't persist on subsequent logins because I have these GPOs set:

 

Pin Apps to Start when installed = Disabled

Remove common program groups from Start Menu = Enabled

 

So on the next login the 'Canon printer utility app' is no longer in the start menu - BUT, I don't want it there in the first place because I know there will be a time when a student will click on it with a potential to change settings.

Just wondering if the 'Prevent device metadata retrieval from the Internet' GPO will stop these utility apps from being installed but not prevent other drivers (display drivers, etc) from being updated?

Thanks

Edited February 14, 2019 by NumberSix

[NumberSix]

* bump

 

Update - the Canon printer utility app is persisting on subsequent logins which is going to be a bit of a problem.

[Arthur]

the Canon printer utility app is persisting on subsequent logins which is going to be a bit of a problem.

Enabling the "Prevent device metadata retrieval from the Internet" GPO worked for me (at least for the Kyocera app), but I found I had to delete any cached user profiles on the PCs for it to take effect.

[NumberSix]

Many thanks for the update @Arthur