how to uninstall new "Windows Backup" bloat app?

Edwin · Aug 2, 2024

Didn't work for me!

JamieT · Aug 2, 2024

Yeah, sorry. It worked on my test VM. But I think I need to make it a bit more robust.
I'll hopefully have a better version ready to go on Monday.

TairikuOkami · Aug 2, 2024

I honestly wonder why are people are so afraid of a cloud system backup? :think:

During System Restore, people kept making as many restore points as possible.

JamieT · Aug 2, 2024

I'm more coming at this from just tidying up the all apps area of the start menu.
The clients I'm building are quite locked down and don't have Internet access so those 3 things on the start menu just don't work.

Edwin · Aug 2, 2024

JamieT said:
I'll hopefully have a better version ready to go on Monday...
... I'm more coming at this from just tidying up the all apps area of the start menu.

Don't rush on my account, I have a tidy Start Menu.

TairikuOkami said:
I honestly wonder why are people are so afraid of a cloud system backup?

I'm not afraid of it, I just don't use it, so, I don't need the link in the Start Menu.

antspants · Aug 2, 2024

TairikuOkami said:
I honestly wonder why are people are so afraid of a cloud system backup?
During System Restore, people kept making as many restore points as possible.

View attachment 102908

I’m more confused why having something one never uses, in the start menu, is a problem? Perhaps OCD, which is fine.
But then, in your mind, you know it’s still there on your PC, I wonder if that will be a niggling after fact?

garlin · Aug 2, 2024

"Because it's there."

antspants · Aug 2, 2024

That’s right, whether you remove the entry or not.

I don't begrudge someone wanting to remove it from sight. I didn’t even know it was there until this thread. I don’t ever use Windows Start Menu.

Edwin · Aug 2, 2024

garlin said:
"Because it's there."

Absolutely! Most heavy users are damn picky about their PC's

Edwin · Aug 2, 2024

Remember how we always used to create the nameless folder Toolbar to center our pinned Icons...

... then MS jumped all over that..., and ruined it!!!

JamieT · Aug 3, 2024

Well I just had another quick look at this and I got it to work on my laptop.

I'm not sure if it was the remove package not working or how I was running it. But I put back in the ugly remove AppX package function.

Anyway.. be sure to use the PowerShell that comes with Windows 11, not the one you can install after the fact. It seems the newer one has issues if installed via the store.

Run PowerShell as Administrator then type:
$szEP = Get-ExecutionPolicy -Scope CurrentUser
Set-ExecutionPolicy -Force Bypass -Scope CurrentUser
& Remove_CBSStartMenuRubbish.ps1
Set-ExecutionPolicy -Force $szEP -Scope CurrentUser

Powershell:

Function Restart-Process
{
    Param(    [Parameter(ValueFromPipelineByPropertyName)]$Name,
            [Parameter(ValueFromPipelineByPropertyName)]$Wait,
            [Parameter(ValueFromPipelineByPropertyName)]$Timeout,
            [Parameter(ValueFromPipelineByPropertyName)]$Kill,
            [Parameter(ValueFromPipelineByPropertyName)]$Start )
    Process
    {
        If ( $Kill )
        {
            $szSystem32Path = [Environment]::GetFolderPath("System")
            $szTaskKillBinary = "$szSystem32Path\taskkill.exe"
            Write-Host -ForegroundColor White "Killing the process '$Name'..."
            # Note, stopping Explorer like this will cause it to not automatically restart
            Start-Process -WindowStyle Hidden -Wait -FilePath $szTaskKillBinary -ArgumentList "/F /IM $Name"
        }
        Else
        {
            Write-Host -ForegroundColor White "Stopping the process '$Name'..."
            Stop-Process -Name $Name -Force    # Note, stopping Explorer like this will cause it to automatically restart
            Write-Host -ForegroundColor White "Waiting for the process '$Name' to stop..."
            Wait-Process -Name $Name -Timeout $Timeout
        }
        If ( $Start )
        {
            Write-Host -ForegroundColor White "Starting the process '$Name'..."
            If ( $Name -Eq "explorer.exe" )
            {
                Start-Process -WindowStyle Hidden -FilePath "cmd" -ArgumentList "/c start /wait $Name"
            }
            Else
            {
                # Wait doesn't work on explorer
                Start-Process -WindowStyle Hidden -Wait -FilePath $Name
            }
        }
        $szNameWithoutExtension = [io.path]::GetFilenameWithoutExtension( $Name )
        Write-Host -ForegroundColor White "Waiting for the process '$szNameWithoutExtension' to start..."
        $iCount = 0
        While ( ((Get-Process -Name $szNameWithoutExtension -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue).Count -Eq 0) -And ($iCount -lt $Timeout) )
        {
            Start-Sleep -Seconds 1
            $iCount++
        }
        Write-Host -ForegroundColor White "Waiting $Wait seconds..."
        Start-Sleep -Seconds $Wait
    }
}

Function Remove_NonRemovablePackage
{
    Param(     [Parameter(ValueFromPipelineByPropertyName)]$Name )
    Process
    {
        $remove_appx = $Name; $provisioned = get-appxprovisionedpackage -online; $appxpackage = get-appxpackage -allusers; $eol = @()
        $store = 'HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Appx\AppxAllUserStore'
        $users = @('S-1-5-18'); if (test-path $store) {$users += $((dir $store -ea 0 |where {$_ -like '*S-1-5-21*'}).PSChildName)}
        foreach ($choice in $remove_appx) { if ('' -eq $choice.Trim()) {continue}
          foreach ($appx in $($provisioned |where {$_.PackageName -like "*$choice*"})) {
            $next = !1; foreach ($no in $skip) {if ($appx.PackageName -like "*$no*") {$next = !0}} ; if ($next) {continue}
            $PackageName = $appx.PackageName; $PackageFamilyName = ($appxpackage |where {$_.Name -eq $appx.DisplayName}).PackageFamilyName
            ni "$store\Deprovisioned\$PackageFamilyName" -force >''; $PackageFamilyName
            foreach ($sid in $users) {ni "$store\EndOfLife\$sid\$PackageName" -force >''} ; $eol += $PackageName
            dism /online /set-nonremovableapppolicy /packagefamily:$PackageFamilyName /nonremovable:0 >''
            remove-appxprovisionedpackage -packagename $PackageName -online -allusers >''
          }
          foreach ($appx in $($appxpackage |where {$_.PackageFullName -like "*$choice*"})) {
            $next = !1; foreach ($no in $skip) {if ($appx.PackageFullName -like "*$no*") {$next = !0}} ; if ($next) {continue}
            $PackageFullName = $appx.PackageFullName;
            ni "$store\Deprovisioned\$appx.PackageFamilyName" -force >''
            foreach ($sid in $users) {ni "$store\EndOfLife\$sid\$PackageFullName" -force >''} ; $eol += $PackageFullName
            dism /online /set-nonremovableapppolicy /packagefamily:$PackageFamilyName /nonremovable:0 >''
            remove-appxpackage -package $PackageFullName -allusers >''
          }
        }
    }
}

Function Remove_StartMenuCBSItems
{
    Param(     [Parameter(ValueFromPipelineByPropertyName)]$Reinstall = $True,
            [Parameter(ValueFromPipelineByPropertyName)]$RestartExplorer = $True )
    Process
    {
        $szCBSName = "MicrosoftWindows.Client.CBS"
        $szCBSAppName = "$($szCBSName)_cw5n1h2txyewy"
        $szWindowsPath = [Environment]::GetFolderPath( "Windows" )
        $szCBSXMLPath = "$szWindowsPath\SystemApps\$($szCBSAppName)\appxmanifest.xml"
        Write-Host -ForegroundColor White "Creating a backup of the Appx manifest file for '$szCBSAppName'..."
        $szCurrentTime = (Get-Date).ToString( "yyyy-MM-dd_HH-mm-ss" )
        $szBackFilePath = "$($szCBSXMLPath)_$($szCurrentTime).xml"
        Copy-Item -Force -Path $szCBSXMLPath -Destination "$($szCBSXMLPath)_$($szCurrentTime).xml"
        Write-Host -ForegroundColor White "Reading the Appx manifest file for '$szCBSAppName'..."
        $xmlCBS = [XML]( Get-Content $szCBSXMLPath )
        Write-Host -ForegroundColor White "Removing the Start menu item 'Get Started'..."
        $xmlCBSNodes = $xmlCBS.Package.Applications.Application | Where-Object { $_.Id -Eq "WebExperienceHost" }
        $xmlCBSNodes.VisualElements.SetAttribute( "AppListEntry", "none" )
        Write-Host -ForegroundColor White "Removing the Start menu item 'Windows Back up'..."
        $xmlCBSNodes = $xmlCBS.Package.Applications.Application | Where-Object { $_.Id -Eq "WindowsBackup" }
        $xmlCBSNodes.VisualElements.SetAttribute( "AppListEntry", "none" )
        Write-Host -ForegroundColor White "Removing the Start menu item 'Continue from Phone'..."
        $xmlCBSNodes = $xmlCBS.Package.Applications.Application | Where-Object { $_.Id -Eq "CrossDeviceResumeApp" }
        $xmlCBSNodes.VisualElements.SetAttribute( "AppListEntry", "none" )
        $szUser = "Administrators"
        Write-Host -ForegroundColor White "Setting '$szUser' to have full control of '$szCBSXMLPath'..."
        $arPath = New-Object System.Security.AccessControl.FileSystemAccessRule( $szUser, "FullControl", $([System.Security.AccessControl.InheritanceFlags]::None), "None", "Allow" )
        $aclPath = $aclOrig = Get-Acl $szCBSXMLPath
        $aclPath.SetAccessRule( $arPath )
        Set-Acl $szCBSXMLPath $aclPath
        Write-Host -ForegroundColor White "Saving the updated Appx manifest file for '$szCBSAppName'..."
        $objUTF8WithoutBOM = New-Object System.Text.UTF8Encoding( $False )
        $objUTF8WithoutBOMSW = New-Object System.IO.StreamWriter( $szCBSXMLPath, $False, $objUTF8WithoutBOM )
        $xmlCBS.Save( $objUTF8WithoutBOMSW )
        $objUTF8WithoutBOMSW.Close()
        Write-Host -ForegroundColor White "Resetting permissions on '$szCBSXMLPath'..."
        Set-Acl $szCBSXMLPath $aclOrig
        If ( $Reinstall )
        {
            Remove_NonRemovablePackage -Name $szCBSName
            Write-Host -ForegroundColor White "Installing package '$szCBSAppName'..."
            Add-AppxPackage -ForceApplicationShutdown -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register $szCBSXMLPath
        }
        If ( $RestartExplorer )
        {
            Restart-Process -Name "explorer.exe" -Wait 0 -Timeout 5 -Kill:$True -Start:$True
        }
        Write-Host -ForegroundColor White "Restoring the original AppX manifest file..."
        Move-Item -Force -Path $szBackFilePath -Destination $szCBSXMLPath
    }
}

Remove_StartMenuCBSItems

JamieT · Aug 3, 2024

Oh, if you ran the first script I posted. Restore the original appxmanifest.xml file first before running this one.
At: C:\Windows\SystemApps\MicrosoftWindows.Client.CBS_cw5n1h2txyewy
appxmanifest_[earliest date/time].xml -> appxmanifest.xml

JamieT · Aug 3, 2024

I put the original appxmanifest.xml file back after reinstalling the tweaked appx package. So hopefully future CBS package updates will install OK.
You will have to re-run the script to remove the Start menu items again. Not ideal, but we're getting there!

JamieT · Aug 5, 2024

OK, so some more testing and I've made if more robust. The permissions on the appxmanifest.xml file weren't being reset correctly so I fixed that.

I also tested a Windows update that installed a new version of the CBS package and it failed, so I've added another option to revert back to the original CBS package. When you revert the update installs ok.

Just call the script without parameters and it will remove the start menu items.

To revert back to the unmodified CBS package run the script with the RemoveStartMenuItems param set to $False.

Powershell:

Param(     [Parameter(ValueFromPipelineByPropertyName)]$RemoveStartMenuItems = $True,
        [Parameter(ValueFromPipelineByPropertyName)]$RestartExplorer = $True )

Function Restart-Process
{
    Param(    [Parameter(ValueFromPipelineByPropertyName)]$Name,
            [Parameter(ValueFromPipelineByPropertyName)]$Wait,
            [Parameter(ValueFromPipelineByPropertyName)]$Timeout,
            [Parameter(ValueFromPipelineByPropertyName)]$Kill,
            [Parameter(ValueFromPipelineByPropertyName)]$Start )
    Process
    {
        If ( $Kill )
        {
            $szSystem32Path = [Environment]::GetFolderPath("System")
            $szTaskKillBinary = "$szSystem32Path\taskkill.exe"
            Write-Host -ForegroundColor White "Killing the process '$Name'..."
            # Note, stopping Explorer like this will cause it to not automatically restart
            Start-Process -WindowStyle Hidden -Wait -FilePath $szTaskKillBinary -ArgumentList "/F /IM $Name"
        }
        Else
        {
            Write-Host -ForegroundColor White "Stopping the process '$Name'..."
            Stop-Process -Name $Name -Force    # Note, stopping Explorer like this will cause it to automatically restart
            Write-Host -ForegroundColor White "Waiting for the process '$Name' to stop..."
            Wait-Process -Name $Name -Timeout $Timeout
        }
        If ( $Start )
        {
            Write-Host -ForegroundColor White "Starting the process '$Name'..."
            If ( $Name -Eq "explorer.exe" )
            {
                Start-Process -WindowStyle Hidden -FilePath "cmd" -ArgumentList "/c start /wait $Name"
            }
            Else
            {
                # Wait doesn't work on explorer
                Start-Process -WindowStyle Hidden -Wait -FilePath $Name
            }
        }
        $szNameWithoutExtension = [io.path]::GetFilenameWithoutExtension( $Name )
        Write-Host -ForegroundColor White "Waiting for the process '$szNameWithoutExtension' to start..."
        $iCount = 0
        While ( ((Get-Process -Name $szNameWithoutExtension -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue).Count -Eq 0) -And ($iCount -lt $Timeout) )
        {
            Start-Sleep -Seconds 1
            $iCount++
        }
        Write-Host -ForegroundColor White "Waiting $Wait seconds..."
        Start-Sleep -Seconds $Wait
    }
}

Function Remove_NonRemovablePackage
{
    Param(     [Parameter(ValueFromPipelineByPropertyName)]$Name )
    Process
    {
        Write-Host -ForegroundColor White "Getting details for package '$Name'..."
        $objAppx = Get-AppxPackage -AllUsers -Name $Name
        If ( $objAppx.Count -Gt 1 ) { $objAppx = $objAppx[0] }
        $szStoreRegKey = "HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Appx\AppxAllUserStore"
        $aszUserSIDs = @( "S-1-5-18" )
        If ( Test-Path -Path $szStoreRegKey )
        {
            $aszUserSIDs += $((Get-ChildItem -Path $szStoreRegKey -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue | Where {$_ -Like '*S-1-5-21*'}).PSChildName)
        }
        Write-Host -ForegroundColor White "Setting package '$($objAppx.PackageFamilyName)' to Deprovisioned..."
        $objDeprovisionedRegKey = New-Item -Force -Path "$szStoreRegKey\Deprovisioned\$objAppx.PackageFamilyName"
        ForEach ( $szUserSID in $aszUserSIDs )
        {
            Write-Host -ForegroundColor White "Setting package '$($objAppx.PackageFullName)' to End-of-life for user SID '$szUserSID'..."
            $objEOLRegKey = New-Item -Force -Path "$szStoreRegKey\EndOfLife\$szUserSID\$($objAppx.PackageFullName)"
        }
        Write-Host -ForegroundColor White "Removing package '$($objAppx.PackageFullName)' for all users..."
        $objRemovedPackage = Remove-AppxPackage -AllUsers -Package $($objAppx.PackageFullName)
    }
}

Function Remove_StartMenuCBSItems
{
    Param( [Parameter(ValueFromPipelineByPropertyName)]$RestartExplorer )
    Process
    {
        $szCBSName = "MicrosoftWindows.Client.CBS"
        $szCBSAppName = "$($szCBSName)_cw5n1h2txyewy"
        $szWindowsPath = [Environment]::GetFolderPath( "Windows" )
        $szCBSXMLPath = "$szWindowsPath\SystemApps\$($szCBSAppName)\appxmanifest.xml"
        Write-Host -ForegroundColor White "Creating a backup of the Appx manifest file for '$szCBSAppName'..."
        $szCurrentTime = (Get-Date).ToString( "yyyy-MM-dd_HH-mm-ss" )
        $szBackFilePath = "$($szCBSXMLPath)_$($szCurrentTime).xml"
        Copy-Item -Force -Path $szCBSXMLPath -Destination "$($szCBSXMLPath)_$($szCurrentTime).xml"
        Write-Host -ForegroundColor White "Reading the Appx manifest file for '$szCBSAppName'..."
        $xmlCBS = [XML]( Get-Content $szCBSXMLPath )
        $xmlCBSNode = $xmlCBS.Package.Applications.Application | Where-Object { $_.Id -Eq "WebExperienceHost" }
        If ( $xmlCBSNode.VisualElements )
        {
            Write-Host -ForegroundColor White "Hiding the Start menu item 'Get Started'..."
            $xmlCBSNode.VisualElements.SetAttribute( "AppListEntry", "none" )
        }
        $xmlCBSNode = $xmlCBS.Package.Applications.Application | Where-Object { $_.Id -Eq "WindowsBackup" }
        If ( $xmlCBSNode.VisualElements )
        {
            Write-Host -ForegroundColor White "Hiding the Start menu item 'Windows Back up'..."
            $xmlCBSNode.VisualElements.SetAttribute( "AppListEntry", "none" )
        }
        $xmlCBSNode = $xmlCBS.Package.Applications.Application | Where-Object { $_.Id -Eq "CrossDeviceResumeApp" }
        If ( $xmlCBSNode.VisualElements )
        {
            Write-Host -ForegroundColor White "Hiding the Start menu item 'Continue from Phone'..."
            $xmlCBSNode.VisualElements.SetAttribute( "AppListEntry", "none" )
        }
        $szUser = "Administrators"
        $aclOrig = Get-Acl $szCBSXMLPath
        $aclPath = Get-Acl $szCBSXMLPath
        Write-Host -ForegroundColor White "Setting '$szUser' to have full control of '$szCBSXMLPath'..."
        $arPath = New-Object System.Security.AccessControl.FileSystemAccessRule( $szUser, "FullControl", $([System.Security.AccessControl.InheritanceFlags]::None), "None", "Allow" )
        $aclPath.SetAccessRule( $arPath )
        Set-Acl $szCBSXMLPath $aclPath
        Write-Host -ForegroundColor White "Saving the updated Appx manifest file for '$szCBSAppName'..."
        $objUTF8WithoutBOM = New-Object System.Text.UTF8Encoding( $False )
        $objUTF8WithoutBOMSW = New-Object System.IO.StreamWriter( $szCBSXMLPath, $False, $objUTF8WithoutBOM )
        $xmlCBS.Save( $objUTF8WithoutBOMSW )
        $objUTF8WithoutBOMSW.Close()
        Remove_NonRemovablePackage -Name $szCBSName
        Write-Host -ForegroundColor White "Installing package '$szCBSAppName'..."
        Add-AppxPackage -ForceApplicationShutdown -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register $szCBSXMLPath
        If ( $RestartExplorer ) { Restart-Process -Name "explorer.exe" -Wait 0 -Timeout 5 -Kill:$True -Start:$True }
        Write-Host -ForegroundColor White "Restoring the original AppX manifest file..."
        Move-Item -Force -Path $szBackFilePath -Destination $szCBSXMLPath
        Write-Host -ForegroundColor White "Resetting permissions on '$szCBSXMLPath'..."
        Set-Acl $szCBSXMLPath $aclOrig
    }
}

Function Restore_StartMenuCBSItems
{
    Param( [Parameter(ValueFromPipelineByPropertyName)]$RestartExplorer )
    Process
    {
        $szCBSName = "MicrosoftWindows.Client.CBS"
        $szCBSAppName = "$($szCBSName)_cw5n1h2txyewy"
        $szWindowsPath = [Environment]::GetFolderPath( "Windows" )
        $szCBSXMLPath = "$szWindowsPath\SystemApps\$($szCBSAppName)\appxmanifest.xml"
        Remove_NonRemovablePackage -Name $szCBSName
        Write-Host -ForegroundColor White "Installing package '$szCBSAppName'..."
        Add-AppxPackage -ForceApplicationShutdown -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register $szCBSXMLPath
        If ( $RestartExplorer ) { Restart-Process -Name "explorer.exe" -Wait 0 -Timeout 5 -Kill:$True -Start:$True }
    }
}

If ( $RemoveStartMenuItems )
{
    Remove_StartMenuCBSItems -RestartExplorer:$RestartExplorer
}
Else
{
    Restore_StartMenuCBSItems -RestartExplorer:$RestartExplorer
}

garlin · Aug 8, 2024

JamieT said:
OK, so some more testing and I've made if more robust. The permissions on the appxmanifest.xml file weren't being reset correctly so I fixed that.

I also tested a Windows update that installed a new version of the CBS package and it failed, so I've added another option to revert back to the original CBS package. When you revert the update installs ok.

Just call the script without parameters and it will remove the start menu items.

To revert back to the unmodified CBS package run the script with the RemoveStartMenuItems param set to $False.

LCU's are cumulative, so after Client.CBS gets updated for whatever reason -- it'll always be touched until patch support ends.

Which means every time a Monthly Update is applied, you need to repeat this process. Uninstall Client.CBS, rewrite manifest, re-install Client.CBS, revert to backup manifest so the next LCU can be installed. Is it annoying? Yes. But there isn't a better solution because of how Appx package integrity works.

JamieT · Aug 9, 2024

It feels like this is probably the best 'solution' for now. I plan to leave this now as it sorts out my particular issue for my standalone clients. But I'm keen to hear if anyone finds a way to remove this stuff in a 'fire and forget' type of way.
I hope this helps pave the way for a more permanent solution.
Glad I could contribute a bit to the quest for less rubbish in the Start menu!!

garlin · Aug 16, 2024

After doing two days of testing, I found there's a race condition that can happen between the unregistering and re-install. Sometimes you end up with no apparent changes.

If you insert a short delay between commands, then the script never fails.

Code:

Remove-AppxPackage -AllUsers -Package $PackageFullName -Verbose
Start-Sleep 1

Add-AppxPackage -ForceApplicationShutdown -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register $ManifestFile
Start-Sleep 1

taskkill /f /im explorer.exe 2>&1 | Out-Null
Start-Process explorer

antspants · Aug 16, 2024

garlin said:
After doing two days of testing, I found there's a race condition that can happen between the unregistering and re-install. Sometimes you end up with no apparent changes.

If you insert a short delay between commands, then the script never fails.

Code:

Remove-AppxPackage -AllUsers -Package $PackageFullName -Verbose Start-Sleep 1 Add-AppxPackage -ForceApplicationShutdown -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register $ManifestFile Start-Sleep 1 taskkill /f /im explorer.exe 2>&1 | Out-Null Start-Process explorer

So is that a batch script? As it doesn’t say at the top of your code box.

garlin · Aug 16, 2024

Sorry, I was providing feedback on @JamieT's script.

Basically you would drop a couple of "Start-Sleep 1" lines in between where the original script calls Remove-AppxPackage and Add-AppxPackage. Otherwise, Windows gets ahead of itself and stomps on the package re-provisioning.

antspants · Aug 16, 2024

I’d like to check out the finished compile when Jamie completes it.

how to uninstall new "Windows Backup" bloat app?

♦ ♦

My Computers

New member

My Computer

Microsoft 365 Basic

My Computer

New member

My Computer

♦ ♦

My Computers

Like a rolling drone.

My Computers

Well-known member

My Computer

Like a rolling drone.

My Computers

♦ ♦

My Computers

♦ ♦

My Computers

New member

Attachments

My Computer

New member

My Computer

New member

My Computer

New member

Attachments

My Computer

Well-known member

My Computer

New member

My Computer

Well-known member

My Computer

Like a rolling drone.

My Computers

Well-known member

My Computer

Like a rolling drone.

My Computers