Disable / remove cortana please?

Notice: Page may contain affiliate links for which we may earn a small commission through services like Amazon Affiliates or Skimlinks.

DrStein99

If it does not exist ? I am probably building it.
Feb 3, 2018
115
4
18
50
New Jersey, USA
This dumb thing is evasive. I search google for answers "disable cortana" and get results that explain how to HIDE Cortana, or disable FEATURES in Cortana. Still this annoying parasite is in my task-manager.

I put off upgrading to Windows 10 for the longest time since this pre-loaded junk on there is really too much of a distraction. Like for example, from this link:

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/4028014/windows-manage-cortana-settings

Explains:

Well thank you Microsoft - if I had known that before I loaded my operating system I would have chosen Windows "Education" edition. I am a fool for believing "PRO" edition would be for PROFESSIONALS, such a stupid decision on my behalf. If I did not need this workstation to run Inventor and 3d-studio, I just run Linux - where I'm not bothered "microsoft store" and "feedback hub" contaminating my memory and cpu time.

Is CORTANA merged with the windows 10 operating system? Is it possible to be removed ? I do not know. Am I inviting a world of trouble with editing these registry settings, changing my policy, removing the Cortana folder? I do not know that either.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: Joel and Monoman

Joel

Active Member
Jan 30, 2015
850
191
43
42
Heh. Windoze...

So the thing that pisses me off most about Windows 10 is the forced updates. My laptop continues to try to update to 1709 (Fall Creators Update) but it fails every time. Sometimes it would even WAKE FROM SLEEP WHILE UNPLUGGED, burning through half my battery to do this!! It's even caused "hot bag" syndrome.

So I disable automatic updates with gpedit, and now it pops up and "helpfully" tries to tell me I have to perform updates every day or two (annoying, but only a few clicks to make it go away). On top of that, it still seems to restart randomly, with no indication why (I suspect it still tries to update). Of course while this happens it shuts off my Virtualbox Ubuntu VM without saving anything. What did he do to you??

So I have two programs that require windows: Ableton, and Lightroom. Both of these programs have potential issues with running in a VM or WINE: Ableton relies on ultra-low latency sound, and doesn't do well virtualized. Lightroom gets weird in the color department in a VM.
 
  • Like
Reactions: DrStein99

StevenDTX

Active Member
Aug 17, 2016
493
173
43
Heh. Windoze...

So the thing that pisses me off most about Windows 10 is the forced updates. My laptop continues to try to update to 1709 (Fall Creators Update) but it fails every time. Sometimes it would even WAKE FROM SLEEP WHILE UNPLUGGED, burning through half my battery to do this!! It's even caused "hot bag" syndrome.

So I disable automatic updates with gpedit, and now it pops up and "helpfully" tries to tell me I have to perform updates every day or two (annoying, but only a few clicks to make it go away). On top of that, it still seems to restart randomly, with no indication why (I suspect it still tries to update). Of course while this happens it shuts off my Virtualbox Ubuntu VM without saving anything. What did he do to you??

So I have two programs that require windows: Ableton, and Lightroom. Both of these programs have potential issues with running in a VM or WINE: Ableton relies on ultra-low latency sound, and doesn't do well virtualized. Lightroom gets weird in the color department in a VM.

Download the Windows Update Troubleshooter from here: http://download.microsoft.com/download/f/2/2/f22d5fdb-59cd-4275-8c95-1be17bf70b21/wushowhide.diagcab

Then run it, click Hide Updates, and select 1709.
 
  • Like
Reactions: T_Minus

kapone

Well-Known Member
May 23, 2015
1,095
642
113
IF you have access to MSDN (which is not common)...there is a version of Windows 10 called LTSB (Long Term Support Branch). It comes out of the box with....No Cortana, none of the bloatware, no funky live tiles, not even Edge.

That's what Windows 10 should have been.
 
  • Like
Reactions: DrStein99

BlueLineSwinger

Active Member
Mar 11, 2013
176
66
28
There's also this thread about the script to disable/remove a lot of the annoying Win10 crap. It's basically just a consolidation of a bunch of the Powershell routines out there to change various configs. I ran it a few days ago (with some of its stock options disabled/changed) on a fresh reinstall (system was getting really wonky). So far, so good. Win10 (well Windows in general) still annoys me with lots of little things, but a bit less so now. Cortana is at least hidden/disabled, but I haven't checked to see if it's actually removed (I don't think it is).

I wanted to try NTLite, but it's basically useless unless you're willing to pay the $45 for it.

I like the idea of the non-bloat of LTSB, just not the actual wait for new features. The Win10 installer, at least at the Pro level, should give more options for what's installed.
 
  • Like
Reactions: DrStein99

DrStein99

If it does not exist ? I am probably building it.
Feb 3, 2018
115
4
18
50
New Jersey, USA
IF you have access to MSDN (which is not common)...there is a version of Windows 10 called LTSB (Long Term Support Branch). It comes out of the box with....No Cortana, none of the bloatware, no funky live tiles, not even Edge.

That's what Windows 10 should have been.
OR - label "Windows 10 HOME" home user, for Suzie Home-maker who wants to shop, chat, and needs a computer to make decisions for her. And leave "Windows 10 PRO" for professionals who do not need to be asked every time if it's ok to save a file, and be forced to use Steven Hawking's handicap Cortana assistant software.
 
  • Like
Reactions: dswartz

Joel

Active Member
Jan 30, 2015
850
191
43
42
Arrgh!! So this morning Windows apparently overrode my decision to disable updates, and shut down this morning, with ZERO notice, to try to update again. And surprise surprise, it failed. :mad: (This emoji doesn't even cut it... need one with steam coming out the ears!)
 
  • Like
Reactions: DrStein99

DrStein99

If it does not exist ? I am probably building it.
Feb 3, 2018
115
4
18
50
New Jersey, USA
I had an unscheduled unauthorized update and reboot too. Thanks Microsoft for deciding for me when that time was good, since your software is specifically waiting until my u/i controls went idle and ignored the fact my processor was over 50% DOING SOMETHING besides being idle.

I can not understand this new Windows 10 ! Very much every new thing on it defies everything I want out of an operating system, as a developer. I go to Microsoft and TRY and learn the difference between the 50+ WINDOWS 10 types, and the descriptions are written as if a lawyer from the IRS tax publications was assigned.

What the hell was wrong with "AUTOMATIC UPDATES: YES/NO" checkbox? Why is there a whole dialog maze for this ? I can't STAND seeing how much CPU time CORTANA uses after about 30 hours of my wasted time to figure out how to get rid of it. Windows Store, XBOX, PEOPLE-TALK, the list goes on too many. Is this my computer or someone else is letting me borrow their operating system and allow me to use a small percent of my computing power to myself while they log every move ? I can not tell anymore.
 

msg7086

Active Member
May 2, 2017
423
148
43
36
I personally use DWS_Lite to disable whole bunch of sh*t, and it works nicely most of the time.

Basically it will block all access to microsoft IPs, and also will block all access initiated from explorer etc.

Use with caution, but it is effective.

The only last thing I think it should have added, is to add a system task to disable the windows update service every hour or so.
 

DrStein99

If it does not exist ? I am probably building it.
Feb 3, 2018
115
4
18
50
New Jersey, USA
According to this link you can disable Cortona via GPO if you are running Professional. Not tried it tho for that flavour - I use Enterprise or Education
Does Enterprise or Education come pre-installed with the STORE, XBOX, thrones games, and all that happy nonsense ?
 

DrStein99

If it does not exist ? I am probably building it.
Feb 3, 2018
115
4
18
50
New Jersey, USA
IF you have access to MSDN (which is not common)...there is a version of Windows 10 called LTSB (Long Term Support Branch). It comes out of the box with....No Cortana, none of the bloatware, no funky live tiles, not even Edge.

That's what Windows 10 should have been.
Is there any difference between "WINDOWS 10 ENTERPRISE LTSB 2015" and "WINDOWS 10 ENTERPRISE LTSB 2016" ? Someone selling the keys on eBay it cost $30 for 2016, and $13.00 for 2015. I feel I should not have to pay for any of them, since I have already wasted $6 of my whole dollars on this piece of trash "WINDOWS 10 PROFESSIONAL" key on my workstation now that offers me coupons, XBOX titles, store applications, and wants to talk to me and spy on my conversations. Bill Gates needs to take a pay cut, I simply can not afford for him to travel the entire earth and solve water crisis and healthcare for other countries.
 

kapone

Well-Known Member
May 23, 2015
1,095
642
113
Is there any difference between "WINDOWS 10 ENTERPRISE LTSB 2015" and "WINDOWS 10 ENTERPRISE LTSB 2016" ? Someone selling the keys on eBay it cost $30 for 2016, and $13.00 for 2015. I feel I should not have to pay for any of them, since I have already wasted $6 of my whole dollars on this piece of trash "WINDOWS 10 PROFESSIONAL" key on my workstation now that offers me coupons, XBOX titles, store applications, and wants to talk to me and spy on my conversations. Bill Gates needs to take a pay cut, I simply can not afford for him to travel the entire earth and solve water crisis and healthcare for other countries.
I'm sorry, I can't comment on the legality or the operational effectiveness of Ebay software keys. All else being equal, any Windows edition should update to the latest version, as long as the updates are available.
 
  • Like
Reactions: DrStein99

DrStein99

If it does not exist ? I am probably building it.
Feb 3, 2018
115
4
18
50
New Jersey, USA
From what I read, the updates (for LTSB) are limited to yearly updates. So hopefully only once a year my server workstation would reboot itself at the tail end of processing a 3-day long file and need to start from scratch again.