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Update KB2952664:

Compatibility update for upgrading Windows 7

This update performs diagnostics on the Windows systems that participate in the Windows Customer Experience Improvement Program. These diagnostics help determine whether compatibility issues may be encountered when the latest Windows operating system is installed. This update will help Microsoft and its partners ensure compatibility for customers who want to install the latest Windows operating system.

Said otherwise Microsoft uses your CPU and power to detect potential problems they may encounter if you move to Windows 10 (or if they force you to move to this version because it suits they agenda for not loosing against Google and Apple smartphones OSes).

They scan your files, and send the analysis to their servers. The problem is that users who "participate in the Windows Customer Experience Improvement Program" have seen their system slowed a lot with e.g. 70% CPU monopolized by the MS scanner, a program named Compattelrunner.exe. The latter can be launched on 100 or more concurrent threads.

enter image description here
(Source: Microsoft Community)

At some point users want to stop being used as Microsoft's auxiliaries at their own expenses and discomfort.

The usual way to remove an update, and prevent it from reinstalling is (details on Microsoft's site:

  • Switch Windows Update in manual mode
  • Uninstall KB2952664
  • Reboot
  • Get new Windows updates
  • In the new updates "hide" KB2952664.
  • Switch Windows Update back to your usual mode.

Problem: In some cases this doesn't work. As soon as the system is rebooted, the KB2952664 update is reinstalled automatically, in spite of it being on the "hidden updates" list, even if you are in manual mode. Said otherwise it installs without your permission. Some have filled a complaint to the FTC (US Federal Trade Commission) to try and stop this:

Microsoft updates install a program called compattelrunner.exe on my computer without my authorization even though my update settings say, "Download important updates but let me choose whether to install them." Compattelrunner.exe serves no legitimate or beneficial purpose, and causes serious performance problems (applications running slowly or freezing up); I caught it on my computer this afternoon consuming 71% of my computer's CPU (central processing unit) capacity. I have previo...

(Source: Microsoft Community)

Question: Is there a way to get rid of the update, without it reinstalling at the next reboot?


I'm posting a solution, as I believe it will be useful for others in the same situation. There are many online endless posts and useless suggestions. This question and its solution should save time. Self-answered questions don't add to reputation, feel free to post better answers.

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  • I always disable automatic install of updates, I set it to download updates but ask me when to install, and never had your issue using that setting, its the first setting I change on a new install, sorry I missed that in your question. Oh, I also deselect "give me recommended updates the same way i receive important updates"
    – Moab
    Apr 24, 2016 at 18:20
  • @Moab: That's not relevant to the question, is it?
    – mins
    Apr 24, 2016 at 19:30
  • Actually it is but not going to argue about it.
    – Moab
    Apr 24, 2016 at 22:00
  • It is said that the root of 99% of computer problems is between the chair and the monitor. And 99% of those affected people blame Microsoft instead! If this is happening on your computer, you have willingly opted in to CEIP. And now that compattelrunner.exe has found a problem and is trying to find a solution for it, you want to shoot the proverbial messenger. So, forgive me for not being positive that a US-FTC complaint goes anywhere. I have deployed this update to 66 Windows 7 computers via WSUS. But because none have opted in to CEIP, there has been no complaints.
    – user477799
    May 23, 2018 at 12:10
  • 1
    Today MS is trying to install it again. I've seen it "offered" in two machines with this KB uninstalled, its previous "patches" hidden & opt-out of Customer Experience "Improvement" Program. So watch out.
    – cdlvcdlv
    Jul 11, 2018 at 15:03

7 Answers 7

36

A simpler way to stop the CPU usage is to disable the Microsoft Compatibility Appraiser task in Task Scheduler under \Microsoft\Windows\Application Experience.

3
  • Why would I use a bypass when there is a known solution? Disabling is not the solution to remove an application that was installed multiple times. Uninstalling it is possible, see selected answer.
    – mins
    Oct 27, 2016 at 22:13
  • 6
    because Windows update will offer it again and here you have to skip/hide it all time. so simply disable the execution is the faster way to get rid of it Oct 28, 2016 at 4:11
  • 1
    I think the service might automatically re-enable itself in Windows 10, I'm pretty sure I disabled every service under /Microsoft/Windows/Application Experience and today I checked it and it's back and enabled again.
    – jrh
    Jul 11, 2019 at 18:51
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Symptoms: It seems the Windows update is reinstalled automatically without your permission, in spite you prevented it, and stopped any automatic updates.

Actual situation: The update has been installed multiple times (possibly 10 times or more) each time with a new version number, removing it remove only one version.

Solution: Use PowerShell to list and remove versions.

If you really don't know what Powershell is, or don't have technical knowledge about Windows, then it's better you learn better going further. Powershell is a powerful tool to do anything on your filesytem and configuration, including harm. You need to use it with Administrator privileges, meaning you won't have the usual system safety net.


The solution comes from this Microsoft Community thread: Unable to uninstall update KB2952664.

Launch PS with administrator rights.

List installed versions of the update:

dism /online /get-packages | findstr KB2952664

Remove one by one the versions:

dism /online /remove-package /PackageName:Package_for_KB2952664~31bf3856ad364e35~amd64~~6.1.1.3

Confirm everything is gone:

 Get-HotFix -id KB2952664

It should display a cannot find hot-fix error.

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  • A note: When I tried this, I had to apply them in order starting from the bottom, or I got "access denied" errors. Mar 2, 2017 at 19:48
  • Maybe someone could make a small tool with just one big button saying "Get rid of Windows Customer Experience Improvement Program".
    – cdlvcdlv
    Jul 6, 2017 at 6:44
  • After these steps and rebooting, Windows Update offers it to me again under "Important updates". I hide it and... it appears again under "Optional updates"!
    – cdlvcdlv
    Jul 6, 2017 at 6:50
  • You don't need PowerShell, do you?. dism works from command line and, to confirm the result, you can just reuse the findstr command.
    – cdlvcdlv
    Dec 29, 2017 at 11:24
  • @cdlvcdlv: Oh, six months later you are still dealing with this issue?
    – mins
    Dec 29, 2017 at 11:32
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From my blog http://nonsumhircum.livejournal.com/883.html, you need to stop "participating in the Windows Customer Experience Improvement Program", which you can do (for W7 & W8) when running as admin, by:

  1. Start the control panel and click Action Center > Change Action Center settings.
  2. Click Customer Experience Improvement Program settings.
  3. Select No, I don't want to participate in the program and click Save changes.

Next, disable the scheduled tasks, thus:

  1. Start the control panel and click Administrative Tools > Task Scheduler.
  2. In the Task Scheduler (Local) pane of the Task Scheduler dialog box, expand the Task Scheduler Library > Microsoft > Windows nodes and open the Application Experience folder:
    • Disable the AITAgent and ProgramDataUpdater tasks:
  3. In the Task Scheduler Library > Microsoft > Windows node, open the Customer Experience Improvement Program folder.

    • Disable the Consolidator, KernelCEIPTask, and UsbCEIP tasks.

Obviously disabling the above means you don't get the benefits of being in the WCEI Program(me).

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  • 2
    @Ramhound My answer will help removal and prevent auto re-installation. Feel free to move it to a comment if you prefer - I thought it might be too long for that.
    – Jool
    Nov 16, 2016 at 13:27
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    Should Use CEIP be UsbCeip actually?
    – superjos
    Mar 27, 2017 at 9:31
  • @superjos Yes, thanks, took me a while to notice your comment.
    – Jool
    Nov 21, 2017 at 12:25
  • I had selected the "No, I don't want..." but the system took no notice of it. Just out of curiosity, what are "the benefits of being in the WCEI Program"? Could you provide an MS page listing such benefits? For the only difference I can attest is the hogging of my CPU (the origin of my attention to this process), what I'd hardly describe as a benefit.
    – cdlvcdlv
    Jan 26, 2018 at 20:16
  • Actually VMWare has the same info docs.vmware.com/en/VMware-Horizon-7/7.0/… Jul 3, 2020 at 0:50
2

Using PowerShell with elevated privileges, you can disable Microsoft Compatibility Appraiser with the following command:

Disable-ScheduledTask -TaskName "Microsoft Compatibility Appraiser" -TaskPath "\Microsoft\Windows\Application Experience"
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  • Thanks for the command. However wanted to uninstall KB2952664, not disable it.
    – mins
    Oct 27, 2016 at 17:41
  • Sorry, I've missed that. I guess I was blinded by the cpu issue :-) Oct 27, 2016 at 18:01
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Maybe related ot not, but i was experiencing near the same but not in CPU, it was I/O and arround 1h30'.

The cause was near similar, same place on Task Schedule, but different task.

Under \Microsoft\Windows\Application Experience there are three (on my case) tasks: Microsoft Compatibility Appraiser, ProgramDataUpdater and StartupAppTask

I had first and second Disabled but third was Enabled, and seen last time execution i can see it runs more than once on each reboot.

Also i could see it running for one hour and a half on each reboot, making all I/O to disk be very hard for other apps, so computer was really slow.

I have also Disabled the third one, so now all three are Disabled and the I/O problem on each reboot just disapear.

Now my PC can be used in less than a minute, instead of having to wait more than ninty (90) minutes, yes one hour and thirty minutes; that is a great win!

Notes:

  • The start time of that task represents the last run on each reboot and in my case is near two hours after reboot (in the meantime that time is changing some times, so i can see it runs more than once on each reboot).
  • ProgramDataUpdater and StartupAppTask has no triggers, but when they are enabled they are run on each reboot
  • The value of StartupAppTask last time run is updated on each reboot near ten times or more, and after two hours since reboot seems not to be launched again
  • After disable all three tasks, Windows starts without 100% I/O and can be used in less than a minute, having any of them enabled the I/O at starts goes for 1.5 hours or more, so i can not do anything on that time, except wait for it to finish.

So my solution is to disable all tasks under \Microsoft\Windows\Application Experience; sorry M$, but i will not allow you to use my PC on each reboot for near two hours, when i power it on i need to use it, i can not wait each time so much time!

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  • "Application Experience": This kind of sentence like "user experience" or "service improvement" often hides behind a vague teaser the real purpose of obtaining from you something you really wouldn't want to give if you took time to read the license. 90 minutes, it could be a world record :(
    – mins
    Feb 22, 2017 at 19:49
0

It was the CompatTelRunner.exe that was crashing my 8 Gig PC 4 CPU each startup after 3 minutes. I created a batch loop that swats their bug with > taskkill /T /F /IM CompatTelRunner.exe each 8 seconds by CHOICE delay. That saved my PC from repeated Microsoft induced crashes(Blue Screens) to my Hard Drive.

"CompatTelRunner.exe","3472","Services","0","3,736 K","Unknown","NT AUTHORITY\SYSTE "CompatTelRunner.exe","3500","Services","0","43,852 K","Unknown","NT Killing Suspect Tasks - SUCCESS: The process with PID 3500 (child process of PID 3472) has been terminated. SUCCESS: The process with PID 3472 (child process of PID 564) has been terminated.

I now used the disables of Experience Tasks posted above ( From http://nonsumhircum.livejournal.com/883.html ) to see if I can now stop my task swatter too.

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  • 1
    Signatures are unnecessary noise and shouldn't be included in answers
    – Ramhound
    Jun 16, 2017 at 22:12
0

Based on mins answer, this is my one-liner version of the big button saying "Get rid of Windows Customer Experience Improvement Program":

  1. Open a Command prompt with administrator privileges.

  2. Copy the following insane line, paste it on the Command Prompt window and press Enter.

    @for /f "usebackq tokens=2 delims=:" %a in (`dism /online /get-packages^|findstr KB2952664`) do @(@set "pckgnm=%a"&@call start "" /b /wait dism /norestart /online /remove-package /PackageName:%pckgnm:~1%&@set pckgnm=)

  3. If the machine is slow or you do this for the first time, it's likely going to last a long while.

  4. With the /norestart option, you will not be prompted to restart if needed, so you should just in case. Time for point-threeing your life more point-threeing more point 3(?).

  5. Anyway, check that all the "updates" are gone. Right after the insane command if you answered n or when/if you return if you answered y. (Remember you can do the 3 again.)

    dism /online /get-packages | findstr KB2952664

  6. Enjoy your a-little-less-bloated system.

  7. I'll suppose you have the system not configured to install automatically updates. From time to time MS will "offer" you to install a new version of this "hotfix". From my experience (see the comments to mins answer), just after uninstalling them, it appeared again in important hotfixes and, when I hid it reappeared in optional updates. After that, I've seen this KB number appear several times. You must remember it or part of the number to avoid reinstalling.

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