Original title: Microsoft is installing SPYWARE thru Windows Updates? Windows updates installed something called "Diagnostics Tracking Service" in my Windows 8.1 Pro. Take a look at THIS website. http://thepcwhisperer.blogspot.in/2014/10/microsofts-windows-10-preview-has-built.html It says what this service does in Windows 10 TP. Data We Collect When you acquire, install and use the Program, Microsoft collects information about you, your devices, applications and networks, and your use of those devices, applications and networks. Examples of data we collect include your name, email address, preferences and interests; browsing, search and file history; phone call and SMS data ; device configuration and sensor data; and application usage. For example, when you: install the Program, we may collect information about your device and applications and use it for purposes such as determining or improving compatibility, use voice input features like speech-to-text, we may collect voice information and use it for purposes such as improving speech processing, open a file, we may collect information about the file, the application used to open the file, and how long it takes and use it for purposes such as improving performance, or enter text, we may collect typed characters and use them for purposes such as improving auto complete and spell check features. While this might make some sense in a TP (although I consider collecting so much personal information as email addresses and keystrokes to be extreme), it makes no sense in a released Windows version. It's not like I have downloaded it myself from their website as a loving gesture and I want to share whatever I do in my personal life with Microsoft. They slipped it in as an "update" to Windows 8.1 This is definitely spyware behavior in some sense. It's collecting too much personal data. I don't want to share ANYTHING with Microsoft. I have NOT turned on the customer improvement program thing in Windows. WHY IS MICROSOFT DOING THIS? WHICH KB DO I NEED TO UNINSTALL AND BLOCK IN ORDER TO GET RID OF THIS? WHY IS MY ANTIVIRUS NOT REMOVING THIS? HAS MS PAID THE ANTIVIRUS VENDORS? SHOULD I DISABLE AUTOMATIC UPDATES? I'M LOSING TRUST ON MICROSOFT. THEY CAN INSTALL SPYWARE ANY MOMENT, I CANNOT INDIVIDUALLY CHECK THE KB ARTICLE ON EVERY UPDATE JUST TO MAKE SURE IT'S NOT SOMETHING THAT'LL SEND PERSONAL INFORMATION BACK TO MS. I'm really upset about this. :(

i noticed this abomination recently and search led me here, thank you for this information. because this is not the first or last time, this is what i usually do: I do not uninstall, because some of these have a strong power to return, so in task bar right click on process and open services, there i find it in the list, properties, startup type:disabled if it was not from windows i would uninstall windows update has been disabled for a long time on my pc, but its microsoft and they know how to slip malicious software on your pc ever since different uninvited Microsoft processes repeatedly suck internet traffic and processor power i stopped updating. I would even return to older versions of windows if my games would be working on them.

Well, you might have removed that one, but there's another one chugging away quietly in the background which you may not know about. Open File Explorer and navigate to **C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Diagnosis\ETLLogs\AutoLogger**If you can see AutoLogger-Diagtrack-Listener.etl in there, then Microsoft has ignored your wishes to opt out of the CEIP (assuming you did) and continues to monitor everything you do on the machine. The registry key which controls it is this one: * HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Control\WMI\Autologger\AutoLogger-Diagtrack-Listener* To call a halt to its antics, click AutoLogger-Diagtrack-Listener and then in the right hand pane right click Start and click Modify . Change the 1 into 0 and click OK. Next, scroll down to {DD17FA14-CDA6-7191-9B61-37A28F7A10DA} and in the right hand pane right click Enabled and click Modify . Change the figure 1 into a 0 as well. Click OK and then reboot the machine. Here's a couple of screenshots showing the registry entries. In the second one, I already made the change on my own machine which is why Enabled shows as (0). ![](http://fud.community.services.support.microsoft.com/Fud/FileDownloadHandler.ashx?fid=ad0ffa65-75cd-4c4d-bc2d-42d6b076e91b) ![](http://fud.community.services.support.microsoft.com/Fud/FileDownloadHandler.ashx?fid=4caa579d-755a-4926-8b80-014144849e1b) After you've done that, hit Windows key + R and type (or copy/paste) taskschd.msc and click OK. This will launch Windows Task Scheduler. Expand Task Scheduler Library ---> Microsoft ---> Windows and click Application Experience . Right click Microsoft Compatibility Appraiser in the centre pane and click Disable .

KB3022345 does not show up when I search, but utcsvc.exe still is running. So, where else did they sneak it in?

AutoLogger-Diagtrack-Listener.etl is not present but utcsvc still is running. Now what?

I just tried to shut down that process in Task Manager and got this reply: "Ending this process will cause Windows to become unstable or shut down, causing you to lose any data that hasn’t been saved. Are you sure you want to continue?" There are two choices: “Abandon data and shut down” and “Cancel” What kind of **** is this? This is absolutely unacceptable. I did a search for utcsvc under Windows and found nothing. I did another search under "Program Data." Nothing. So, where is this little bugger? This is yet another good reason never to install any "Optional" updates for Windows.

What is Diagnostics Tracking Service which was installed from Windows Updates?

Anonymous

Original title: Microsoft is installing SPYWARE thru Windows Updates?

Windows updates installed something called "Diagnostics Tracking Service" in my Windows 8.1 Pro.

Take a look at THIS website.

http://thepcwhisperer.blogspot.in/2014/10/microsofts-windows-10-preview-has-built.html

It says what this service does in Windows 10 TP.

Data We Collect

When you acquire, install and use the Program, Microsoft collects information about you, your devices, applications and networks, and your use of those devices, applications and networks. Examples of data we collect include your name, email address, preferences and interests; browsing, search and file history; phone call and SMS data; device configuration and sensor data; and application usage. For example, when you:

install the Program, we may collect information about your device and applications and use it for purposes such as determining or improving compatibility,
use voice input features like speech-to-text, we may collect voice information and use it for purposes such as improving speech processing,
open a file, we may collect information about the file, the application used to open the file, and how long it takes and use it for purposes such as improving performance, or
enter text, we may collect typed characters and use them for purposes such as improving auto complete and spell check features.

While this might make some sense in a TP (although I consider collecting so much personal information as email addresses and keystrokes to be extreme), it makes no sense in a released Windows version.

It's not like I have downloaded it myself from their website as a loving gesture and I want to share whatever I do in my personal life with Microsoft. They slipped it in as an "update" to Windows 8.1

This is definitely spyware behavior in some sense. It's collecting too much personal data.

I don't want to share ANYTHING with Microsoft. I have NOT turned on the customer improvement program thing in Windows.

WHY IS MICROSOFT DOING THIS?

WHICH KB DO I NEED TO UNINSTALL AND BLOCK IN ORDER TO GET RID OF THIS?

WHY IS MY ANTIVIRUS NOT REMOVING THIS? HAS MS PAID THE ANTIVIRUS VENDORS?

SHOULD I DISABLE AUTOMATIC UPDATES? I'M LOSING TRUST ON MICROSOFT. THEY CAN INSTALL SPYWARE ANY MOMENT, I CANNOT INDIVIDUALLY CHECK THE KB ARTICLE ON EVERY UPDATE JUST TO MAKE SURE IT'S NOT SOMETHING THAT'LL SEND PERSONAL INFORMATION BACK TO MS.

I'm really upset about this. :(

Locked Question. This question was migrated from the Microsoft Support Community. You can vote on whether it's helpful, but you can't add comments or replies or follow the question.

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51 answers

Anonymous

2016-05-09T13:00:08+00:00

i noticed this abomination recently and search led me here, thank you for this information. because this is not the first or last time, this is what i usually do:

I do not uninstall, because some of these have a strong power to return, so in task bar right click on process and open services, there i find it in the list, properties, startup type:disabled

if it was not from windows i would uninstall

windows update has been disabled for a long time on my pc, but its microsoft and they know how to slip malicious software on your pc

ever since different uninvited Microsoft processes repeatedly suck internet traffic and processor power i stopped updating. I would even return to older versions of windows if my games would be working on them.
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Anonymous

2016-05-09T17:15:31+00:00

Well, you might have removed that one, but there's another one chugging away quietly in the background which you may not know about.

Open File Explorer and navigate to **C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Diagnosis\ETLLogs\AutoLogger**If you can see AutoLogger-Diagtrack-Listener.etl in there, then Microsoft has ignored your wishes to opt out of the CEIP (assuming you did) and continues to monitor everything you do on the machine.

The registry key which controls it is this one: *HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Control\WMI\Autologger\AutoLogger-Diagtrack-Listener*

To call a halt to its antics, click AutoLogger-Diagtrack-Listener and then in the right hand pane right click Start and click Modify. Change the 1 into 0 and click OK.

Next, scroll down to {DD17FA14-CDA6-7191-9B61-37A28F7A10DA} and in the right hand pane right click Enabled and click Modify. Change the figure 1 into a 0 as well. Click OK and then reboot the machine.

Here's a couple of screenshots showing the registry entries. In the second one, I already made the change on my own machine which is why Enabled shows as (0).![](http://fud.community.services.support.microsoft.com/Fud/FileDownloadHandler.ashx?fid=ad0ffa65-75cd-4c4d-bc2d-42d6b076e91b)

![](http://fud.community.services.support.microsoft.com/Fud/FileDownloadHandler.ashx?fid=4caa579d-755a-4926-8b80-014144849e1b)

After you've done that, hit Windows key + R and type (or copy/paste) taskschd.msc and click OK. This will launch Windows Task Scheduler.

Expand Task Scheduler Library ---> Microsoft ---> Windows and click Application Experience. Right click Microsoft Compatibility Appraiser in the centre pane and click Disable.
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Anonymous

2016-07-09T16:56:35+00:00

KB3022345 does not show up when I search, but utcsvc.exe still is running. So, where else did they sneak it in?
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Anonymous

2016-07-09T17:00:10+00:00

AutoLogger-Diagtrack-Listener.etl is not present but utcsvc still is running. Now what?
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Anonymous

2016-07-09T18:10:01+00:00

I just tried to shut down that process in Task Manager and got this reply:

"Ending this process will cause Windows to become unstable or shut down, causing you to lose any data that hasn’t been saved. Are you sure you want to continue?"

There are two choices: “Abandon data and shut down” and “Cancel”

What kind of **** is this? This is absolutely unacceptable.

I did a search for utcsvc under Windows and found nothing. I did another search under "Program Data." Nothing. So, where is this little bugger?

This is yet another good reason never to install any "Optional" updates for Windows.
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1 person found this answer helpful.

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