JoeMamaAME

Thanks for letting me know. Here's a shorter link that hopefully works: https://www.beyondtrust.com/assets/documents/BeyondTrust-Mic...

I see, thank you for the detailed reply. One solution could have been uninstalling open-shell, that way the start menu would be normal again. Some of open-shells search behavior can be changed, although it can be a pain.

As far as WU goes, personally I think it is overrated. The only real use for them is security, however I've found that even that is really not necessary at all. Just from my own experience I've never seen anyone run into issues/get infected purely because they didn't update, and I think that if you're tech literate it really is unnecessary, to a certain point that is.

It is still a tradeoff, but I personally find the benefits and peace of mind more valuable than missing out on security updates.

I see, thank you for the information.

It removes certain executables, instead of just changing some settings or registry values.

It's not that deep. I agree it is definitely not ideal, and in future this will no longer be required.

If you ever try it out again and run into issues, consider asking for help in the group chat: https://t.me/+QQO5yu0wJxwyOGVh

If you have the time, I am curios about what stopped working. Thanks for your input nonetheless

I think you severely overestimate how important security updates are.

I do agree removing Windows Update does pose some security risk, however I don't think said risk is nearly as bad as some make it out to be, and I personally think the benefits of Windows Ameliorated greatly outweigh any security downsides.

Spyware is not the same as local system logs. Spyware in this case is software that sends unnecessary or intrusive information to Microsoft. The goal of Windows Ameliorated is to remove spyware, not prove your innocence in court.

You used Windows Defender as an example of a security benefit. There are alternatives to Windows Defender, and IMO If you're a tech literate power user, an AV isn't useful in most cases. If you have the time, consider reading this: https://wiki.ameliorated.info/doku.php?id=antivirus Personally I believe antivirus software in general does more harm than good, as they are generally quite resource hungry and privacy intrusive.

Also, AME does greatly help to mitigate the attack surface of Windows:

Windows Ameliorated ships with a non-administrator user account by default, which mitigates ~70% of Windows vulnerabilities. (Source: https://web.archive.org/web/20210618023509/https://www.beyon...). Of course you can still do admin actions, it just requires the admin password.

Windows Ameliorated does not require installing from an ISO. That was merely made for convenience, and for those without the basic technical knowledge required to perform a manual amelioration. There is detailed documentation for performing a manual amelioration, it uses fully open-source scripts, and is legal if you use a license key before running the scripts. (https://wiki.ameliorated.info/doku.php?id=documentation_21h1)

I do agree removing Windows Update does pose some security risk, however I don't think said risk is nearly as bad as some make it out to be, and I personally think the benefits of Windows Ameliorated greatly outweigh any security downsides.

Also, AME does greatly help to mitigate the attack surface of Windows:

Windows Ameliorated ships with a non-administrator user account by default, which mitigates ~70% of Windows vulnerabilities. (Source: https://web.archive.org/web/20210618023509/https://www.beyon...). Of course you can still do admin actions, it just requires the admin password.

The ISO was merely made for convenience, and for those without the basic technical knowledge required to perform a manual amelioration. Also, Microsoft already tried without success to shut it down in the past, after Linus made a video on Windows Ameliorated.

There is detailed documentation for performing a manual amelioration, it uses fully open-source scripts. (https://wiki.ameliorated.info/doku.php?id=documentation_21h1)

I do agree removing Windows Update does pose some security risk, however I don't think said risk is nearly as bad as some make it out to be, and I personally think the benefits of Windows Ameliorated greatly outweigh any security downsides.

Also, AME does greatly help to mitigate the attack surface of Windows:

Windows Ameliorated ships with a non-administrator user account by default, which mitigates ~70% of Windows vulnerabilities. (Source: https://web.archive.org/web/20210618023509/https://www.beyon...). Of course you can still do admin actions, it just requires the admin password.

Using group policy or registry edits does NOT fully remove Windows spyware or telemetry. Windows Ameliorated is different in this regard, as it actually gets rid of the spyware on an executable level, meaning the functionality of the spyware is not just disabled, but completely removed.

Also, as a personal testimony, my whole family and I have been running AME as a daily driver for awhile now, and haven't run into any significant issues (funnily enough, I've had less issues with Windows Ameliorated than I have with Windows). From my experience it really is stable, and IMO even more stable than stock Windows.

I ask that you actually try out a project before making claims about it.

Windows Ameliorated does not require installing from an ISO. That was merely made for convenience, and for those without the basic technical knowledge required to perform a manual amelioration. There is detailed documentation for performing a manual amelioration, it uses fully open-source scripts.(https://wiki.ameliorated.info/doku.php?id=documentation_21h1)

The ISO has been used by hundreds of people, with no sign of malicious intent, so personally I'm willing to trust that as well.

There is good reason for all of those.

1. ~70% of the Windows attack surface as of 2020 is caused by using an administrator user (Source: https://web.archive.org/web/20210618023509/https://www.beyon...). This does not mean you cannot do administrator actions, it only requires the admin password on each UAC prompt.

2. This is for legal reasons. You're not going to get in trouble if you don't follow it, and many people don't. (Unless you're a business)

3. Windows activation has telemetry, and there's no real reason to have it in the first place. If you still wish to activate with a license key, you can activate Windows before performing a manual amelioration (Guide here: https://wiki.ameliorated.info/doku.php?id=documentation_21h1)

Windows Ameliorated does not require installing from an ISO. That was merely made for convenience, and for those without the basic technical knowledge required to perform a manual amelioration. There is detailed documentation for performing a manual amelioration, and it's all open-source. (https://wiki.ameliorated.info/doku.php?id=documentation_21h1)

The script you mentioned does NOT fully disable or remove the spyware within Windows. Windows Ameliorated gets rid of the spyware on an executable level, meaning the functionality of the spyware is not just disabled, but completely removed.

Tron is very different from Windows Ameliorated, and doesn't remove all the spyware on an executable level like Ameliorated does.

Windows can be ameliorated completely legally by doing the amelioration process manually and entering the key before running the scripts. (Guide on the ameliorated.info site)

Not at all, please do research into projects before making unfounded claims. Windows can be ameliorated completely legally by doing the amelioration process manually and entering the key before running the scripts. (Guide on the ameliorated.info site)

It's not illegal if you enter a Windows key before a manual amelioration, and even if you use the pre-made ISO, it's extremely unlikely anyone is going to go after you for it, unless you're a business. I disagree that it is "bonkers" to remove those. Both are a threat to privacy.

As far as Windows Defender goes, I believe antivirus software in general does more harm than good. They are generally quite resource hungry, and won't prevent most zero-days or unknown malware. If you're a tech literate power user, I don't think an AV is useful to you.

I do agree removing Windows Update does pose some security risk, however I don't think said risk is nearly as bad as some make it out to be, and I personally think the benefits of Windows Ameliorated greatly outweigh any security downsides.

Also, AME does greatly help to mitigate the attack surface of Windows:

Windows Ameliorated ships with a non-administrator user account by default, which mitigates ~70% of Windows vulnerabilities. (Source: https://web.archive.org/web/20210618023509/https://www.beyon...). Of course you can still do admin actions, it just requires the admin password.

Cool project, and a good middle ground. Keep in mind it's goals are different compared to Windows Ameliorated, and I highly doubt it truly gets rid of all the spyware.

Give Windows Ameliorated a shot man, it truly does get rid of the BS. Not just with some registry edits and cosmetic settings options, but it actually gets rid of the spyware on an executable level, meaning the functionality of the spyware is not just disabled, but completely removed.

My whole family and I have been running AME as a daily driver for awhile now, and haven't run into any significant issues (funnily enough, I've had less issues with Windows Ameliorated than I have with Windows). From my experience it really is stable, and IMO even more stable than stock Windows.

For some it is necessary to use Windows. Windows Ameliorated is for those who both need (or desire) Windows, but don't want the intrusive spyware that comes with it.

Technically using AME from the pre-built ISO is illegal, however realistically no one will ever go after you for it, unless you're a business. You can however legally do it by self-ameliorating and entering a key before the amelioration process.

It does lack Windows Update yes, as WU is a threat to privacy. Windows Ameliorated helps mitigate this by shipping a non-administrator user account by default. Of course you can still do admin actions, it just requires the admin password. ~70% of Windows vulnerabilities are caused by using an admin user (Source: https://web.archive.org/web/20210618023509/https://www.beyon...)

P.S. Personally I think security updates are a bit overrated, as in all practicality, there's extremely little chance of getting attacked unless you download FreeFortniteVbucks.exe

There's still spyware on LTSC. Windows Ameliorated removes said spyware on an executable level, not just by using policy or registry edits.

What makes you think most people would be better off running LTSC? For privacy, Windows Ameliorated is by far the best option.

Curios, what makes you prefer LTSC over Windows Ameliorated?

There's still spyware on LTSC. Windows Ameliorated removes said spyware on an executable level, not just by using policy or registry edits.

Windows Ameliorated does much more than what O&O ShutUp does. It completely removes spyware on an executable level, not by just using registry or policy edits.

Hundreds if not thousands of people have installed it, with no sign of malicious intent. If you still don't trust it, you can manually ameliorate using the open source scripts. (Located on the ameliorated.info site)

There's still spyware on LTSC. Windows Ameliorated removes said spyware on an executable level, not just by using policy or registry edits.

Some people require Windows, or prefer to use it over Linux. And some of those don't want the included spyware that comes with it. Windows Ameliorated is for those people.

It's not always as simple as "want privacy? Switch to Linux!". Some people want Windows as well as privacy.

Using LTSC or using policy changes never truly gets rid of the telemetry/spyware.

The main goal of Windows Ameliorated is to restore privacy, and it does this by removing said spyware on an executable level, not by just simply using registry edits or what have you.

Some people desire or require Windows, but they don't want the included spyware. Windows Ameliorated is for those people.