How to Stop Microsoft From Testing New Features in Edge

[steven36]

The Chromium-based Edge will launch later this month and Microsoft has started sharing essential information about the browser, including how to disable various features in your environment.

 

 

Microsoft says the new Edge will be pushed via Windows Update to supported versions of Windows 10 and it replaces the existing Edge as the default web browser.

 

When installed, Microsoft plans to use 'Experimentation and Configuration Service (ECS)' in Edge to request and receive different kinds of configurations, feature rollouts, and experiments.

 

In other words, Experimentation and Configuration Service (ECS) allows Microsoft to turn on and test experimental Edge's features, improvements and bug fixes without a user's knowledge or permission.

 

While ECS experiments aim to improve the browsing experience, they can also create problems for enterprises and administrators.

 

For example, in November Google used a similar concept to enable an experimental WebContent Occlusion feature that caused the browser to show a white screen for enterprise users. The experimental feature was rolled back after furious admins complained.

 

If you want to be on a safer side, you can disable Microsoft Edge's communication with the experiment service by installing the Microsoft Edge group policies.

Disable A/B testing service in Microsoft Edge

• Download and install the Microsoft Edge Policy file from the Microsoft Edge Enterprise site.
• Once installed, open the Group Policy Editor via Start menu or search.
• In Group Policy Editor, under Computer Configuration, right-click on Administrative Templates and select Add/Remove Templates.
• When the Add/Remote Templates window appears, click on Add and navigate to the C:\Windows\PolicyDefinitions\en-US folder and select msedge.adm as shown below. Then click on the Open button.

 

Add Microsoft Edge Template

 

 

• Close the Add/Remove Templates window.
• Now go to Computer Configuration -> Administrative Templates -> Classic Administrative Templates and then click on Microsoft Edge.
• Look through the list of policies and double-click on the Control communication with the experimentation and configuration service option.
• You can then select one of the following three configurations depending on what you wish to do — Retrieve configurations only, Retrieve configurations and experiments, and Disable communication with the service. Descriptions of what each setting does can be found here.

 

Configure Policy

 

• Once you select the option you wish to use, you can close the Group Policy Editor and the policy will be configured.

 

Microsoft warns that disabling the communication with this service could affect the company's ability to patch bugs in the Edge browser.

 

Source

[Kalju]

Not all is gold that shines or glitters.
The new features and so-called experiments are being tested in Canary and Dev, not even in beta, so it doesn't affect users of the stable version in any way.

[dMog]

best way, DON'T  use EDGE.

 

[steven36]

25 minutes ago, Kalju said:

Not all is gold that shines or glitters.
The new features and so-called experiments are being tested in Canary and Dev, not even in beta, so it doesn't affect users of the stable version in any way.

Google Chrome  has Canary and Dev  too and that  didn't stop them from pushing out a experiment  on enterprise users costing them lots of money for downtime .  If Microsoft  didn't see it as it could be problem they would not made a way to turn it off for enterprise users. Enterprise users dont want no part of bleeding edge Windows 10 features . Microsoft have been pushing out experimental features to Windows 10 users every since it existed .  Insiders are dev  testers , consumers are beta testers  and   by the time Enterprise upgrades most of the bugs have been fixed and they even have versions that don't get upgraded for 10 years.

[Kalju]

24 minutes ago, steven36 said:

......

...  and   by the time Enterprise upgrades most of the bugs have been fixed and they even have versions that don't get upgraded for 10 years.

Do you really think so ???

[steven36]

1 hour ago, Kalju said:

Do you really think so ???

I know so  just because you a Windows 10 fanboy  don't mean everyone is . All Businesses have ITs  that test that beta crap before it goes live   . Were my Mom worked the IT put block in place for years so Windows 7  would not update to IE 11  because the Federal goverment still was using XP with  old IE  long  before and long after they made Edge . They not updated  there website since the early 2000s were you could use IE 11 even,  the rest of there work my mom used google chrome . Any updates  the only the  ITs  done  they have paid help not hobbyist  insiders. That  why i dont  beta test/ use a consumer version anymore of Windows 10    for Microsoft  because  many Businesses  pay people to test  Enterprise   versions  for months before they go live with it ,  they  can just set them to not to upgrade  while consumers  cant easily  do it. it's big difference  in having a few PCs testing with  it than 100s of PCs. 

 

Businesses use it to get paid only there PCs are  tools  they have to have . They dont use them   to get Brownie points from Microsoft  like fanboys do  . They still have full control over  there OS  unlike consumers  do,  because  they pay  Microsoft billions a year for there services . Microsoft dont care  about consumers who not paid for windows since Windows 7 was new   . They gave  them a free version upgrade with ads  and things and push botched updates on them . There no such thing as free commercial  software unless it stolen from them . 

 

I was talking to a  person  on the internet were there Work that uses  Windows 10 and they have pre loaded SSDs with Windows 10 images . If Microsoft  pushes out a bad update  to them  they just switch  the SSD  with a  new image and the IT   takes the Old SSD and repairs it. Most people  that use Windows 10 at work hate it because it breaks from time to time. But it  lots of money for ITs.

 

I been using the same image of Windows 8.1  and Ubuntu for almost  2 years since i never  go in  windows  much i had 0 problems  out of windows 8.1  and the 2 or 3 problems i had with linux i fixed by punting a few commands in the terminal very easy stuff for me.  You can keep that bleeding edge  crap i dont have the  time for that no more.