Check yourself removing all components and run the WU and then after reboot check in Program Files, SystemApps, all removed components will be present.
If everything deleted is restored, then you need to disable Windows Update through the Toolkit. But through WU also come important updates for the Office and the necessary drivers without which you can not do. It turns out a vicious circle.
@MSMG I backup AppxAllUserStore before updates, then restored AppxAllUserStore.reg after updates (before i restart the computer), then i run rd /s /q commands to remove all unwanted folders (after restarting the computer). How do i remove dead icons like Edge, Windows Security, from StartMenu. Please and Thanks. .
That's the problem it takes more steps to remove metro related components from live system. Try this method : - Using a NSudo command prompt navigate to the below path C:\Users\<UserName>\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\Explorer - Using Task manger kill the explorer.exe - In the opened command prompt, find and delete the iconcache*.db files - Using Task manager re-launch the explorer.exe or restart the system. This will re-create the Icon cache.
So I tried it again, and this time opened the install.wim with 7zip and yes, all the apps are still there after removing ALL windows components. *EDIT* I think I found the problem... for some reason, when creating the image and an ISO in the toolkit, it deleted my ei.cfg and PID.txt file, so it installed Windows 10 Home! I'm now trying it again with those files in the sources folder to see what happens. If need be, I can open the install.wim with 7zip and delete all the other installations except number 6, which is Windows 10 Pro. Fun stuff @MSMG !
If had used [4] Remove -> [1] Remove Windows Components -> [5] System -> [4] Manual Setup (InPlace Upgrade), this will remove all files required for doing In-Place upgrade from with-in Windows and this won't remove the EI.cfg or PID.txt files. EI.cfg and PID.txt are used to specify the Windows product key and the Windows edition during Windows installation without it the Setup will display the edition list to choose.
@MSMG Have just tested the above files again, but with a slightly different method - I did not apply any Windows Updates. Spoiler: METHOD Extract ISO (1 > 3) Select source (1 > 1) (also mount boot and recovery images) Integrate Win32 calculator (3 > 3 > B) Cleanup (6 > 1) Remove all metro apps (4 > 1 > 7 > 8) Remove Connect, Onedrive, People, Skype, Store, Xbox, Game bar, Xbox ID (4 > 1 > 6 > E/N/P/T/Z/1/2/3) Apply SSU and CU updates (3 > 4 > 2 > 1 > 4) Apply setup media update (3 > 4 > 2 > 2) Tweaks for Task View, App Downloads, Photo Viewer (5 > 5 > B/D/J) Cleanup (6 > 1) Apply changes to image (6 > 2) Rebuild (6 > 1) Convert WIM to ESD (2 > 4) Make ISO (7 > 1) I did NOT do the steps in red and SFC /SCANNOW was successful.
@ MSMG, well I'm running W10 Enterprise LTSC x64 with Toolkit V9.4 without any error or problem during component removal operation, I used rufus to install the system the system was like a charm but when installing the game "games from Windows 7 to Windows 8.1 & Windows 10" the game just doesn't open! I still usually have to first install .NETFX3 first and then I install DirectX 9.0C also all updated VCPP so finally I restart the machine and then install all the games I like without exception except the above mentioned game which will be what could have happened ?? if you have any solution I am very grateful right now thank you
@MSMG Good info to know, but I don't ever do an In-Place upgrade of an OS. I always start from fresh... Of course I have all my data backed up on a 1TB Sata drive, but yeah... no in-place upgrades here lol. Also, I can just use DISM++ to remove all the other versions of Windows 10 and just leave Pro.
So if I am looking in the Toolkit at the Remove menu. If I remove anything from options 1-6, after a WU these will all be restored?? Or is it only components in option 6?
@ MSMG well I reworked the operation using the same image W10 LTSC x64 and that's when I found out where I made a gross mistake (maybe very sleepy and tired) because when I was removing components in the multimedia item I removed item number 2 this way an M $ FT game of course would not run; This way I humbly ask you to disregard my post and still do not get tired of stating that Toolkit V 9.4 is the state of the art in programming congratulations once again Tiger-1
msmg, instead of removing, is it possible to disable all the garbage instead? would that satisfy windows