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Forum Index : Microcontroller and PC projects : How to squish MS Copilot.....

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Grogster

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Joined: 31/12/2012
Location: New Zealand
Posts: 9306
Posted: 11:22pm 29 Aug 2024
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This bloody thing was automatically installed and enabled by the latest update, and I have read some really horrible things about how copilot can spy on your system, by taking screenshots of whatever you are doing, without your knowledge or consent, and send metadata from those images back to MS, for them to sell to advertisers so they can customize pop-up ads to try to hook you better.

I want to REMOVE copilot - not just disable it, I want it GONE.
I am so sick of the MS spying tactics, I can't tell you.
Yet AGAIN, I hear Linux calling me, and if not for my Windoze-only CAD...

However, you can't remove it from add/remove programs, so we need some kind of hacking way to squish it like the bug that I consider it to be.

There are plenty of posts and threads etc about how to DISABLE copilot and/or prevent it from loading at boot-up, but I want it GONE, not just disabled, as MS are really rather good at re-enabling stuff like this during the next update, if the updater discovers it has been turned off.

Sigh.....
Smoke makes things work. When the smoke gets out, it stops!
 
SimpleSafeName

Guru

Joined: 28/07/2019
Location: United States
Posts: 319
Posted: 01:42am 30 Aug 2024
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I got tired of Windows, yet again, and have been living in Linux Land exclusively for a couple of months. And AutoTRAX is the only major loss for me. But I think that a VM would fix that for me. Wine certainly isn't getting it done.
 
gadgetjack
Senior Member

Joined: 15/07/2016
Location: United States
Posts: 142
Posted: 02:06am 30 Aug 2024
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This was the best i could find.....
If you want to completely remove Copilot from your system, you will need to use either the Group Policy Editor or the Registry Editor. These methods are more advanced and require caution, as they can affect your system settings and performance. Before you proceed, make sure you back up your registry or create a restore point in case something goes wrong.



To remove Copilot using the Group Policy Editor, you will need to have Windows 11 Pro, Enterprise, or Education editions. The Group Policy Editor is a tool that allows you to configure various policies and settings for your computer and user accounts. To access the Group Policy Editor, type gpedit.msc in the Start menu or the Run command and hit Enter. Then, navigate to the following folder using the left panel: User Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Windows Copilot. On the right-side pane, double-click on the policy ‘Turn off Windows Copilot’ and select ‘Enabled’. Then, click ‘Apply’ and ‘OK’. This will disable Copilot entirely and remove it from the Settings app as well.



To remove Copilot using the Registry Editor, you can use any edition of Windows 11. The Registry Editor is a tool that allows you to view and modify the registry, which is a database that stores information about your system and applications. To access the Registry Editor, type regedit in the Start menu or the Run command and hit Enter. Then, navigate to the following key using the left panel: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced. On the right-side pane, right-click on an empty space and select ‘New > DWORD (32-bit) Value’. Name it ‘ShowCopilotButton’ and set its value data to 0. Then, click ‘OK’. This will hide the Copilot button from the taskbar and disable its functionality.

Jack
 
Grogster

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Joined: 31/12/2012
Location: New Zealand
Posts: 9306
Posted: 03:59am 30 Aug 2024
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Excellent, thanks.  

I need to have another play with Linux(probably Mint), and a VM with just enough Windoze to run the CAD.  PlayOnLinux or WINE don't like the CAD software I use.
I CAN run the CAD software in WINE on Linux, but it is unstable, so that is no use.
Better off just using a SMALL VM.

My CAD stuff will run on anything WinXP or higher, so I might just setup a wee Win7 VM and play about.  Last time I did that, the CAD ran perfectly inside the VM, but I could not figure out how to get the VM to PRINT to the printer that Linux could see.
Last time I tried that, was with an XP VM though, and I think it was simply too old to want to co-operate inside a VM.  

I could even use Win8.

I actually quite liked Win8 PROVIDED that the first thing you did with a clean install of it, was to NUKE the awful Metro GUI and use something like Classic Shell to put back a standard START menu.  That done, Win8 was perfectly usable, but I'd never use Win8 with the default Metro GUI....yuck!  

I'm now also on dual monitor setup no matter what, so that works well - one monitor for the Linux Mint system, and the VM can run on the other monitor.  I am sure that would work quite well.  

I feel the urge to download Mint and have a play over the weekend!  
Edited 2024-08-30 14:00 by Grogster
Smoke makes things work. When the smoke gets out, it stops!
 
CaptainBoing

Guru

Joined: 07/09/2016
Location: United Kingdom
Posts: 2075
Posted: 08:34am 30 Aug 2024
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you guys need this:

https://christitus.com/windows-tool/

I also use OpenShell (was ClassicShell but continued support) and you can get rid (mostly) of all the ghastly UI nonsense MS introduced after Win 7

https://github.com/Open-Shell/Open-Shell-Menu
Edited 2024-08-30 18:40 by CaptainBoing
 
PhenixRising
Guru

Joined: 07/11/2023
Location: United Kingdom
Posts: 857
Posted: 09:33am 30 Aug 2024
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  CaptainBoing said  you guys need this:

https://christitus.com/windows-tool/

I also use OpenShell (was ClassicShell but continued support) and you can get rid (mostly) of all the ghastly UI nonsense MS introduced after Win 7

https://github.com/Open-Shell/Open-Shell-Menu


 

Plus:

Grogs...wasn't it you who brought Superlite to our attention?

I have been running it ever since and I am totally free of clap-trap.
I went from loathing to loving Windoze.
 
Grogster

Admin Group

Joined: 31/12/2012
Location: New Zealand
Posts: 9306
Posted: 10:59pm 30 Aug 2024
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Yes, it could have been me.  I believe there are risks to running superlite, but then, there are risks to running the full default MS install!!!  

I might dig out the superlite thing again.
I do recall that the superlite W11  I made, was pretty much everything W11 should have been, with all that crap stripped out totally.  I need to go have another look at it.
Smoke makes things work. When the smoke gets out, it stops!
 
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