Microsoft recently reissued patches for Windows 7 and 8.1 with which it attempts to collect telemetry data from your computer.
One of the main issues that Windows users have serious objections to with telemetry is that Microsoft does not disclose exactly what it collects and what data is transferred to the company.
The following tutorial provides suggestions for limiting data collection and transfer in Windows. There is no guarantee that these steps will no longer collect anything, but at least we guarantee that data transfer is strictly limited to a minimum.
Before proceeding, make sure you have backed up your data.
Block telemetry in Windows 7 and 8.1
The following Windows updates are related to telemetry and diagnostic data.
- KB971033— Description of the update for Windows Activation Technologies
- KB2952664 – Compatibility update to keep Windows up-to-date on Windows 7
- KB2976978 – Compatibility update to keep Windows up-to-date on Windows 8.1 and Windows 8
- KB2990214 – Update that enables you to upgrade from Windows 7 to a newer version of Windows
- KB3021917 – Update for Windows 7 SP1 to improve performance
- KB3022345 – Customer Experience and Diagnostic Telemetry Update
- KB3035583 – Update that installs the “Get Windows 10” app on Windows 8.1 and Windows 7 SP1
- KB3044374 – Update that enables you to upgrade from Windows 8.1 to Windows 10
- KB3068708 – Customer Experience and Diagnostic Telemetry Update
- KB3075249 – Update that adds telemetry points to Consent.exe in Windows 8.1 and Windows 7
- KB3080149 – Customer Experience and Diagnostic Telemetry Update
- KB3123862 – Feature Update for Windows 8.1 and Windows 7 Upgrade
You can remove any of the above updates using two methods:
Method 1:
Press the Windows key, type Windows Update and press Enter.
From the pop-up window, select Installed updates.
Right-click on the updates you are interested in and select “uninstall” to remove them from the system.
Method 2 (using the command prompt):
Press the Windows key, type cmd.exe, hold down the Shift and Ctrl keys, and press Enter. An elevated command prompt will open.
Use the command wusa /uninstall /kb:3080149 /quiet /norestart to remove the specific update.
Replace the number after kb: to remove the update you want.
Make sure you "hide" any updates you've uninstalled, otherwise Windows will read them again when Windows Update checks for updates. See how here.
Turn off the Customer Experience Improvement Program
To disable the Customer Experience Improvement Program, click the Start button, type “customer experience,” and select the “Change Customer Experience Improvement Program settings” result. Select “No, I don’t want to participate in the program” when the new settings window opens.
Remove the Telemetry Service
The next thing on the list is to remove the Diagnostic Monitoring Service. Open an elevated command prompt and run the following commands:
sc stop Diagtrack
sc delete Diagtrack
The first command stops the Diagtrack service, the second deletes it.
Block Microsoft servers
Note: The following servers cannot be blocked using the hosts file. You will need to block them using another means, such as a router firewall or an installed firewall.
- onesettings-hk2.metron.live.com.nsatc.net
- onesettings-bn2.metron.live.com.nsatc.net
- onesettings-cy2.metron.live.com.nsatc.net
- vortex-hk2.metron.live.com.nsatc.net
- vortex-db5.metron.live.com.nsatc.net
Other servers you may want to block are:
- 134.170.30.202
- 137.116.81.24
- 204.79.197.200
- 23.218.212.69
- 65.39.117.230
- 65.55.108.23
- a-0001.a-msedge.net
- choice.microsoft.com
- choice.microsoft.com.nsatc.net
- compatexchange.cloudapp.net
- corp.sts.microsoft.com
- corpext.msitadfs.glbdns2.microsoft.com
- cs1.wpc.v0cdn.net
- df.telemetry.microsoft.com
- diagnostics.support.microsoft.com
- fe2.update.microsoft.com.akadns.net
- feedback.microsoft-hohm.com
- feedback.search.microsoft.com
- feedback.windows.com
- i1.services.social.microsoft.com
- i1.services.social.microsoft.com.nsatc.net
- oca.telemetry.microsoft.com
- oca.telemetry.microsoft.com.nsatc.net
- pre.footprintpredict.com
- redir.metaservices.microsoft.com
- reports.wes.df.telemetry.microsoft.com
- services.wes.df.telemetry.microsoft.com
- settings-sandbox.data.microsoft.com
- settings-win.data.microsoft.com
- sls.update.microsoft.com.akadns.net
- sqm.df.telemetry.microsoft.com
- sqm.telemetry.microsoft.com
- sqm.telemetry.microsoft.com.nsatc.net
- statsfe1.ws.microsoft.com
- statsfe2.update.microsoft.com.akadns.net
- statsfe2.ws.microsoft.com
- survey.watson.microsoft.com
- telecommand.telemetry.microsoft.com
- telecommand.telemetry.microsoft.com.nsatc.net
- telemetry.appex.bing.net
- telemetry.appex.bing.net:443
- telemetry.microsoft.com
- telemetry.urs.microsoft.com
- vortex.data.microsoft.com
- vortex-sandbox.data.microsoft.com
- vortex-win.data.microsoft.com
- watson.live.com
- watson.microsoft.com
- watson.ppe.telemetry.microsoft.com
- watson.telemetry.microsoft.com
- watson.telemetry.microsoft.com.nsatc.net
- wes.df.telemetry.microsoft.com
Delete Scheduled Tasks
Windows 7 and 8.1 run many tasks that send data to Microsoft.
Press the Windows key, type Task Scheduler, and press Enter.
Navigate to Microsoft > Windows and delete (or disable) the following tasks:
- All jobs with Application Experience.
- All tasks with Autochk.
- All work with the Customer Experience Improvement Program.
- DiskDiagnosticDataCollector under DiskDiagnostic.
- WinSAT under Maintenance.
- Disable all Media Center tasks.
Automatic installation
There is always a chance that new updates will add new services or tasks. That is why it is recommended to configure Windows Update to update but not to download and install them automatically.
This way you can choose which ones to install and which ones not.
