Category Archives: Windows 10

SMB Guest Share Access

After Upgrading to Windows 10 1709 (Fall Creators Update) you may not be able to connect to network shares or your NAS with the guest account.  Windows 10 1709 onwards (including Server 2016 and Server 2019) Cannot Access SMB2 Shares via the Guest account.  The following error may be shown:

An error occurred while reconnecting X: to Share
Microsoft Windows Network: You can’t access this shared folder because your organization’s security policies block unauthenticated guest access. These policies help protect your PC from unsafe or malicious devices on the network.

Cause

Starting with Windows 10 1709, Windows prevents you from accessing network shares with guest access enabled. Guest access means connecting to network shares without authentication, using the built-in “guest” account.

This has no reference to the SMB1 protocol which was disabled in the latest Windows 10 release and all new Server installs from 2016.

Resolution

To enable guest access again, configure the following GPO:

Computer configuration > administrative templates > network > Lanman Workstation: "Enable insecure guest logons" = Enabled

 

Registry Key

The corresponding registry key is located under:

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESYSTEM>CurrentControlSet>Services>LanmanWorkstationParameters]"AllowInsecureGuestAuth"=dword:1

Download

You can also download the reg file to simply click and set the registry key from here: AllowInsecureGuestAuth

MDM Policy

There is also an MDM Policy available, starting with Windows 10 1803: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/client-management/mdm/policy-csp-lanmanworkstation

About guest access

Guest access is often used to access data stored on Network Attached Storage, e.g. on a Synology NAS. Every user from any device has access to these shares. Generally it’s never recommended to use guest access because it’s a huge security risk. Within the time of ransomware, encrypting whole drives it’s definitely not a good idea. I strongly recommend to use LDAP Support to authenticate against your NAS.

Reference

Remove everything from Win 10 except Calculator and Store

To remove almost all the modern apps in windows 10 except calculator and store

open powershell (as administrator)
Set-ExecutionPolicy Unrestricted
Get-AppxPackage -AllUsers | where-object {$_.name -notlike "*Microsoft.WindowsStore*"} | where-object {$_.name -notlike "*Microsoft.WindowsCalculator*"} | Remove-AppxPackage
Get-AppxProvisionedPackage -online | where-object {$_.packagename -notlike "*Microsoft.WindowsStore*"} | where-object {$_.packagename -notlike "*Microsoft.WindowsCalculator*"} | Remove-AppxProvisionedPackage -online

To restore almost all the modern apps in windows 10

open powershell (as administrator)
Set-ExecutionPolicy Unrestricted
Get-AppXPackage | Foreach {Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register "$($_.InstallLocation)AppXManifest.xml"}

Disable GwX Notifications via SRP GPO

1. Under Computer Configuration, go to Policies, Windows Settings, Security Settings, then Software Restriction Policies.

2. If you haven’t activated Software Restriction Policies, do it now. Once done, you’ll see the following in the main area when Software Restriction Policies is clicked.
21

3. Right-click on Additional Rules and choose New Path Rule…

4. Create the SRP by copying my configuration below and click OK. Make sure the Path is C:WindowsSystem32GWXGWX.exe and the Security Level is Disallowed.
DisableGwx2

From here on, you can try running a gpupdate /force or restarting a computer that was affected by Microsoft’s GwX popup. The Windows 10 notification icon should be gone on those affected computers.

Disable or Uninstall OneDrive Embedded in Windows 10

OneDrive (previously SkyDrive, Windows Live SkyDrive and Windows Live Folders) is a personal cloud file hosting, storage and sync service from Microsoft. In Windows 10, the OneDrive desktop app is installed and comes natively with the operating system. And if you sign into Windows 10 with a Microsoft Account (MSA), OneDrive is also enabled by default.

However, not everyone uses OneDrive. Some may prefer other similar cloud storage services such as Dropbox, Google Drive, Apple iCloud Drive, Box and many more. Or many may simply not using any cloud storage service or file hosting service at all, especially at computers used in businesses, corporations, enterprises, schools and educational institutions.

Unlike Windows 8.1, Windows 8, Windows 7 or earlier Windows operating systems, OneDrive desktop app is tightly integrated with Windows 10. OneDrive folder is in File Explorer’s navigation pane right from the moment you starting to use Windows 10. In fact, by default Windows 10 does not provide a way for users to uninstall and remove OneDrive app, whether it’s from “Programs and Features” of “Control Panel” or Windows Store. You simply won’t find any OneDrive entry to initiate the uninstallation process.

However, there are several ways available in Windows 10 to deal with OneDrive app, depending on whether you want to hide, disable, remove or uninstall the OneDrive. The tutorial provides all the options available with step-by-step guide.

Disable OneDrive Everywhere in Windows and Apps Completely

  1. Press Win + R keyboard accelerator to open Run dialog box.
  2. Type GPedit.msc and hit Enter or OK to open Local Group Policy Editor.
  3. Navigate to Local Computer Policy -> Computer Configuration -> Administrative Templates -> Windows Components-> OneDrive.
  4. In the right pane, double click on policy named Prevent the usage of OneDrive for file storage.
  5. Select the Enabled radio button.disable-onedrive-windows
  6. Click or tap OK when done.

That’s it. OneDrive icon is hidden from Explorer, and OneDrive app is completely disabled and prevented from running, and access or work with files on OneDrive from any desktop apps or modern apps is blocked. For example:

  • Can’t access OneDrive from the OneDrive app and file picker.
  • Windows Store apps can’t access OneDrive using the WinRT API.
  • OneDrive doesn’t appear in the navigation pane in File Explorer.
  • OneDrive files aren’t kept in sync with the cloud.
  • Can’t automatically upload photos and videos from the camera roll folder.
  • Sign out and sign in again, or restart the computer.
Registry Settings

The policy above is actually set a setting in Registry, which is useful for people who prefer to use Registry Editor. In addition, Windows 10 Home does not come with Group Policy Editor too.Here’s how to use Registry Editor to turn off OneDrive everywhere completely:

  1. Press Win + R keyboard accelerator to open Run dialog box.
  2. Type RegEdit.exe and hit Enter or OK to open Registry Editor.
  3. Navigate to the following registry key:HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows
  4. Right click on Windows and select New -> Key. Name the new key as OneDrive.Note: If OneDrive key already exists, skip this step.
  5. Right click on OneDrive registry key, and select New -> DWORD (32-bit) Value. Name the new value name asDisableFileSyncNGSC
  6. Set the data for DisableFileSyncNGSC registry value as 1.DisableFileSyncNGSCNote: DisableFileSync registry value only works in Windows 7, Windows 8 and Windows 8.1 and does not work in Windows 10.
  7. Close Registry Editor.
  8. Sign out and sign in again, or restart the computer.

Hide and Remove OneDrive from Navigation Pane of Windows Explorer

If you just want to remove the OneDrive entry in the navigation pane (also known as side panel or folder tree) in the File Explorer, or the OneDrive folder still exists in File Explorer after disabling OneDrive, follow the guide to remove OneDrive from Windows 10 File Explorer Navigation Side Panel.

Complete Remove and Uninstall OneDrive

It’s impossible to manually uninstall and remove OneDrive in Windows 10 by the step-by-step guide below. Run the commands to be executed in the process below in an Administrator Command Prompt.

Uninstall OneDrive

  1. Terminate any process of OneDrive by running the following command: 
    taskkill /f /im OneDrive.exe
  2. Uninstall OneDrive app by running one of the following command:In 32-bit Windows 10 (x86): 
    %SystemRoot%\System32\OneDriveSetup.exe /uninstall

    In 64-bit Windows 10 (x64):

    %SystemRoot%\SysWOW64\OneDriveSetup.exe /uninstall

One you ran the above command, OneDrive desktop app is uninstalled completely and cleanly. Most of the time, no progress bar nor confirmation dialog is shown. However, when you search for OneDrive, the app no longer be found.

Cleaning and Removing OneDrive Remnants

However, as OneDrive is a cloud storage service which is dealing with user data, there are remnants and leftovers from OneDrive app that are still available on the system as uninstallation does not remove user data, most prominently been the OneDrive folder. Run the commands below to clean up those remnants by deleting OneDrive related folders and their contents:

Important
Make sure that the following folders no longer contain any user data before proceeding with the following commands.
rd "%UserProfile%\OneDrive" /Q /S
rd "%LocalAppData%\Microsoft\OneDrive" /Q /S
rd "%ProgramData%\Microsoft OneDrive" /Q /S
rd "C:\OneDriveTemp" /Q /S

Delete and Remove OneDrive in File Explorer Folder Tree Registry Key

OneDrive has registry keys which add itself to the Navigation Pane of File Explorer in Windows 10. After uninstalling OneDrive, these registry keys are orphaned, and can be removed.

REG Delete "HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{018D5C66-4533-4307-9B53-224DE2ED1FE6}" /f
REG Delete "HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Wow6432Node\CLSID\{018D5C66-4533-4307-9B53-224DE2ED1FE6}" /f

You May Also Interested

Remove Windows 10 Builtin Apps

So you’ve installed Windows 10 on an older device and want to get rid of some of the bloat, or you just want your Windows 10 installation to be less complicated or cluttered you can remove most of the inbuilt applications that ship wit the OS.

To remove the applications, Open a PowerShell window as Admin and run he following commands:

Get-AppxPackage *3dbuilder* | Remove-AppxPackage
Get-AppxPackage *windowsalarms* | Remove-AppxPackage
Get-AppxPackage *windowscommunicationsapps* | Remove-AppxPackage
Get-AppxPackage *officehub* | Remove-AppxPackage
Get-AppxPackage *skypeapp* | Remove-AppxPackage
Get-AppxPackage *getstarted* | Remove-AppxPackage
Get-AppxPackage *zunemusic* | Remove-AppxPackage
Get-AppxPackage *windowsmaps* | Remove-AppxPackage
Get-AppxPackage *bingfinance* | Remove-AppxPackage
Get-AppxPackage *zunevideo* | Remove-AppxPackage
Get-AppxPackage *bingnews* | Remove-AppxPackage
Get-AppxPackage *onenote* | Remove-AppxPackage
Get-AppxPackage *people* | Remove-AppxPackage
Get-AppxPackage *windowsphone* | Remove-AppxPackage
Get-AppxPackage *bingsports* | Remove-AppxPackage
Get-AppxPackage *bingweather* | Remove-AppxPackage
Get-AppxPackage *xboxapp* | Remove-AppxPackage
Get-AppxPackage *soundrecorder* | Remove-AppxPackage
Get-AppxPackage *photos* | Remove-AppxPackage
Get-AppxPackage *windowsstore* | Remove-AppxPackage
Get-AppxPackage *solitairecollection* | Remove-AppxPackage
Get-AppxPackage *windowscamera* | Remove-AppxPackage
Get-AppxPackage *windowscalculator* | Remove-AppxPackage

You can use any or all of the above commands to remove specific packages.

Customise the System Tray Icons in Windows 10

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In Windows 7 and 8, you could customise icons in the “system tray” to permanently show on the taskbar, or hide them away in the pop-up drawer. These options have moved in Windows 10.

Previously, you could click the “Customize” button at the bottom of the system tray popup. In Windows 10, you have to right-click on the Taskbar, choose Properties, and then click the Customize button.

From here, click “Select which icons appear on the taskbar”. Now you can switch an app to “on” to permanently show it on the right-hand side of the taskbar. You can also move items like Network and Volume to the system tray popup. You can also select “Turn System Icons On or Off” from the original Customize screen to remove icons like Volume or Notifications entirely.

Strangely, these options aren’t as flexible as they were in Windows 7 or 8—there’s no “Show Only Notifications” option like there was before—but at least most of the main options are still available. They’ve just moved.