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Yep well that might also be coming soon no more local user accounts unless you use enterprise...
Yep well that might also be coming soon no more local user accounts unless you use enterprise...
Originally you could only use Cortana on an MS account, but Cortana is enabled on local accounts now too. Can't remember when they introduced it though. Might be with the Anniversary update, although I'm sure it was introduced before that.
The only thing I've done with Cortana was block with group policy and if that and web search is not blockable I'm out.
I'm reinstalling 8.1 tomorrow on my acer don't need 10 on it with this stuff going on
Don't really need 8 on it either but that's the way the cookie will crumble :)
I don't have Cortana on my W10 machine. I am using a local account and I have the search-related services disabled. I doubt that the upcoming update will force me to create a Microsoft account. I doubt it will enable the search either. So, I'm thinking I'm quite free of that particular worry.
That's part of my problem with 10, most of the new features that make the OS so wonderful (apparently), are the first things I disable in VM's!
Like many things, over the years, I've had to develop my own "kill switch" for Cortana, which I didn't want to have left running on my PC. That was right after I killed WUDO. But that's another conversation.
Like so many things (services) in Windows, Cortana depends on a .dll file loading when you boot up your PC. I found the Cortana.DLL file and took control of it with "Grant Admin Full Control" and then I changed the name of the file's DLL suffix to something not recognized by Windows. DDD will do the trick nicely. On reboot after the name change, Cortana will not load and run. Problem solved.
There was a fix that I saw posted somewhere, that involved totally removing the entire Cortana program and all its associated files from the computer. The problem with that attack is that it disables some other Windows functions too. So now I just change the name of Cortana's DLL file and leave it at that. It's kind of like unplugging a lamp that has a broken ON-OFF switch.
When setting up Windows 10 for someone, I always explain Cortana to them and then I ask them if they want it. So far everyone has said "NO", so I kill it and move on with the SETUP which includes killing WUDO.
Yep darn anniversary build added a 450mb partition
This is a sort of easy workaround for the lock screen bit
Lock Screen - Enable or Disable in Windows 10 - Windows 10 Forums
Cortana seems to still be in check or not any different than my already blocked in gpedit ?
Last edited by Brink; 05 Aug 2016 at 16:13. Reason: updated link