Lock down Windows

AgitatedRiot

Lock down Windows. I do what I can.

Microsoft goes and lets Edge load on Startup. The latest update will load Microsoft Edge in the background causing problems with other browsers. Microsoft added Edge to the startup applications without your knowledge because it is losing people using Edge.

Fix One

• Right-click on the Start button and select Settings.
• Click on Apps, then click Default apps on the left panel.

Scroll down and click on the Web browser. Then, choose your preferred browser.

Fix Two

• Right-click on the Start button and select Settings.
• Click on Apps, then click Startup.
• Scroll down until you see Microsoft Edge and toggle the slider next to it to the off position.

namffuak

I've gone a step farther - I run a local proxy server (privoxy, formerly Internet Junk Buster). Firefox is conffigured to use this for all web access, as is Edge. It's just that I've configured Edge to use the wrong port, so every time a Microsoft link ignores my preferred browser setting and fires up Edge I get a notice my proxy server is refusing connections. I copy the url from Edge, paste into Firefox and connect. Then I shut down Edge.

SofaCitizen

Why can't Operating Systems go back to being Operating Systems and just doing what you tell them to?

My Windows machine decided to install and run Spotify the other day. I don't need that, I don't want that. I put Steam, Daz and Blender on that machine and that is all I want it to run.

Thanks for the info. I have shut down my windows box for the day now but will follow these steps tomorrow.

inception8

Hmm. Running Windows 11 and performed the recent update. You didn't specify which version of Windows, 10 or 11.

I did notice Windows 11 that Edge is in the Startup but I think Edge is actually tied to the Windows 11 weather widget mouse over menu in the left corner of the taskbar. Firefox was still set as the default browser.

When you click on anything from that menu pane it opens Edge and not the default browser.

Edit: Weird. I Turned off Edge at Startup (then rebooted) and it did change the Weather hover over at Startup. You get a blank panel with just the time. But if you hit reload in that panel it just goes back to normal and will open Edge. Interesting. So turn off the widgets.

kyoto kid

SofaCitizen said:

Why can't Operating Systems go back to being Operating Systems and just doing what you tell them to?

My Windows machine decided to install and run Spotify the other day. I don't need that, I don't want that. I put Steam, Daz and Blender on that machine and that is all I want it to run.

Thanks for the info. I have shut down my windows box for the day now but will follow these steps tomorrow.

...I've been saying that since 2012 when they wanted to turn my workstation into a desktop smartphone.

...and it only went downhill from there.

AgitatedRiot

inception8 said:

Hmm. Running Windows 11 and performed the recent update. You didn't specify which version of Windows, 10 or 11.

I did notice Windows 11 that Edge is in the Startup but I think Edge is actually tied to the Windows 11 weather widget mouse over menu in the left corner of the taskbar. Firefox was still set as the default browser.

When you click on anything from that menu pane it opens Edge and not the default browser.

Edit: Weird. I Turned off Edge at Startup (then rebooted) and it did change the Weather hover over at Startup. You get a blank panel with just the time. But if you hit reload in that panel it just goes back to normal and will open Edge. Interesting. So turn off the widgets.

I was talking about Win 10. I assume Win 11 already did that. Unfortunately, I can't get into all the settings you can safely turn off without hamstrings windows. There are just so many of them. Both Win 10 and 11. Everyone has a guy. Well, my guy strips Win 10 and 11 of all telemetry. Builds lean Windows installs very lean. It works, but I don't trust hackers. He is really good at it. Ph.D. Computer Science.

AgitatedRiot

inception8 said:

Hmm. Running Windows 11 and performed the recent update. You didn't specify which version of Windows, 10 or 11.

I did notice Windows 11 that Edge is in the Startup but I think Edge is actually tied to the Windows 11 weather widget mouse over menu in the left corner of the taskbar. Firefox was still set as the default browser.

When you click on anything from that menu pane it opens Edge and not the default browser.

Edit: Weird. I Turned off Edge at Startup (then rebooted) and it did change the Weather hover over at Startup. You get a blank panel with just the time. But if you hit reload in that panel it just goes back to normal and will open Edge. Interesting. So turn off the widgets.

Right-click taskbar>news and interests>turn off.

inception8

AgitatedRiot said:

inception8 said:

Hmm. Running Windows 11 and performed the recent update. You didn't specify which version of Windows, 10 or 11.

I did notice Windows 11 that Edge is in the Startup but I think Edge is actually tied to the Windows 11 weather widget mouse over menu in the left corner of the taskbar. Firefox was still set as the default browser.

When you click on anything from that menu pane it opens Edge and not the default browser.

Edit: Weird. I Turned off Edge at Startup (then rebooted) and it did change the Weather hover over at Startup. You get a blank panel with just the time. But if you hit reload in that panel it just goes back to normal and will open Edge. Interesting. So turn off the widgets.

Right-click taskbar>news and interests>turn off.

Yeah that's in Windows 10. Had that turned off immediately. That one is kind of annoying. MS making choices for you. In my brief stint on a company Helpdesk I was turning that off when I could for just about everyone that didn't even notice it was there.

Windows 11 taskbar settings/behaviour is completely different.

Robert Freise

Here's how to disable that [stuff].  Open regedit.exe and go to:

Computer\HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\ContentDeliveryManager

Look for the following entry:
SilentInstalledAppsEnabled

Right click on it and choose Modify to change the value from

1 = enabled
to

0 = disabled

Then close regedit.

This is for apps like Spotify and Clipchamp which Microsoft recently aquired and is installing without your permission 

shadowhawk1

inception8 said:

Hmm. Running Windows 11 and performed the recent update. You didn't specify which version of Windows, 10 or 11.

I did notice Windows 11 that Edge is in the Startup but I think Edge is actually tied to the Windows 11 weather widget mouse over menu in the left corner of the taskbar. Firefox was still set as the default browser.

When you click on anything from that menu pane it opens Edge and not the default browser.

Edit: Weird. I Turned off Edge at Startup (then rebooted) and it did change the Weather hover over at Startup. You get a blank panel with just the time. But if you hit reload in that panel it just goes back to normal and will open Edge. Interesting. So turn off the widgets.

After the last update, my machine started doing the same thing until I went into my apps and deleted it. I also keep getting notifications that my machine is WIN 11 ready keeps trying to install it so I have to keep going in and telling it that I am not interested. I wish M$ would just leave well enough alone and quit installing unneeded and unwanted applications during scheduled updated. 

AgitatedRiot

Robert Freise said:

Here's how to disable that [stuff].  Open regedit.exe and go to:

Computer\HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\ContentDeliveryManager

Look for the following entry:
SilentInstalledAppsEnabled

Right click on it and choose Modify to change the value from

1 = enabled
to

0 = disabled

Then close regedit.

This is for apps like Spotify and Clipchamp which Microsoft recently aquired and is installing without your permission 

I didn't want to go into reg editing. That is the best way. Then take a chance of some people not knowing how dangerous it is if you don't know what you are doing.