Visual-Studio-Telemetry-Disable-Tool/CHANDELOG.md

Changelog

All notable changes to this project will be documented in this file.

The format is based on Keep a Changelog, and this project adheres to Semantic Versioning.

[Unreleased]

Added

• Initial project structure
• Comprehensive documentation

[1.0.0] - 2024-12-01

Added

• PowerShell 7.0+ Enhanced Script (off_telemetry_ps7.ps1)

  • Advanced registry backup and restore functionality
  • Color-coded output with comprehensive status reporting
  • Smart detection of installed Visual Studio versions
  • Enhanced error handling and validation
  • PowerShell 7 specific optimizations

• PowerShell 5.1 Compatible Script (off_telemetry_ps5.ps1)

  • Full compatibility with Windows PowerShell 5.1
  • Core telemetry disable functionality
  • Backup and restore capabilities

• Interactive Launcher (Launcher.bat)

  • Automatic PowerShell version detection
  • Administrator privilege validation
  • User-friendly interactive interface
  • Smart script selection based on available PowerShell versions

• Comprehensive Telemetry Disable Support:

  • Visual Studio 2015, 2017, 2019, 2022
  • Visual Studio Code settings configuration
  • .NET CLI telemetry opt-out
  • NuGet telemetry disable
  • Windows SQM Client disable
  • VS Standard Collector Service management

• Safety Features:

  • Registry backup creation with timestamps
  • Registry restore functionality
  • Only modifies existing registry paths
  • Comprehensive validation and error handling
  • Administrator privilege requirements

• Advanced Features:

  • Environment variable management
  • Telemetry directory cleanup
  • Service management (stop/disable)
  • VS Code settings.json privacy configuration
  • Detailed status reporting with color coding

Features by Component

Visual Studio Support

• ✅ Visual Studio 2015 (14.0)
• ✅ Visual Studio 2017 (15.0)
• ✅ Visual Studio 2019 (16.0)
• ✅ Visual Studio 2022 (17.0)
• ✅ Customer Experience Improvement Program disable
• ✅ Feedback dialog disable
• ✅ Crash reporting disable

Visual Studio Code Support

• ✅ Telemetry reporting disable
• ✅ Crash reporter disable
• ✅ Experiments disable
• ✅ Automatic updates control
• ✅ Extension recommendations control
• ✅ Privacy-focused settings configuration

.NET and NuGet Support

• ✅ .NET CLI telemetry opt-out (DOTNET_CLI_TELEMETRY_OPTOUT=1)
• ✅ NuGet telemetry opt-out (NUGET_TELEMETRY_OPTOUT=true)
• ✅ PowerShell telemetry opt-out (POWERSHELL_TELEMETRY_OPTOUT=1)

System Services

• ✅ VS Standard Collector Service 150 management
• ✅ Windows SQM Client disable
• ✅ Application Insights data collection disable

Registry Areas Modified

• HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\VSCommon\*\SQM
• HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\VSCommon\*\SQM
• HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\VisualStudio
• HKCU:\Software\Microsoft\VisualStudio
• HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\SQMClient
• HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\SQMClient

Telemetry Directories Cleaned

• %APPDATA%\vstelemetry
• %LOCALAPPDATA%\Microsoft\VSApplicationInsights
• %PROGRAMDATA%\Microsoft\VSApplicationInsights
• %TEMP%\Microsoft\VSApplicationInsights
• %TEMP%\VSFaultInfo
• %TEMP%\VSFeedbackIntelliCodeLogs
• %TEMP%\VSFeedbackPerfWatsonData
• %TEMP%\VSFeedbackVSRTCLogs
• %TEMP%\VSRemoteControl
• %TEMP%\VSTelem
• %TEMP%\VSTelem.Out

Technical Improvements

• PowerShell 7.0+ Optimizations:

  • Using namespace declarations for better performance
  • Enhanced error handling with detailed reporting
  • Modern PowerShell cmdlets usage
  • Improved JSON handling for VS Code settings

• Cross-Platform PowerShell Support:

  • Separate scripts for PS 5.1 and PS 7.0+
  • Automatic version detection in launcher
  • Fallback mechanisms for different PowerShell versions

• Enhanced User Experience:

  • Color-coded output for better readability
  • Progress indicators and status reporting
  • Interactive confirmations and user choices
  • Comprehensive help and usage examples

Documentation

• 📖 Comprehensive README.md with usage examples
• 📋 CONTRIBUTING.md for developers
• 🔒 SECURITY.md for security considerations
• 📄 MIT License
• 📝 Detailed inline code documentation

Supported Platforms

• ✅ Windows 10 (all editions)
• ✅ Windows 11 (all editions)
• ✅ Windows 7 SP1
• ✅ Windows 8/8.1

• ✅ Windows Server 2016+

• ✅ PowerShell 5.1 (Windows PowerShell)

• ✅ PowerShell 7.0+ (Cross-platform PowerShell)

[0.9.5] - 2025-06-26 (Pre-release)

Added

• Initial script development
• Basic telemetry disable functionality
• Registry modification capabilities

Changed

• Improved error handling
• Enhanced output formatting

Fixed

• Registry path validation issues
• Service management permissions

Release Notes

Version 1.0.0 Highlights

This is the first stable release of the Visual Studio Telemetry Disable Tool. Key highlights include:

1. Production Ready: Thoroughly tested on multiple Windows configurations
2. Comprehensive Coverage: Supports all major Microsoft development tools
3. Safety First: Built-in backup and restore functionality
4. User Friendly: Interactive launcher and clear status reporting
5. Developer Friendly: Well-documented code and contribution guidelines

Upgrade Instructions

This is the initial release. Future versions will include upgrade instructions here.

Breaking Changes

None in this initial release.

Deprecations

None in this initial release.

Known Issues

• Some registry changes may require a system restart to take full effect
• VS Code must be closed during settings modification for changes to apply
• Administrator privileges are required for all operations

Future Roadmap

See README.md for planned features and improvements.

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Note: This changelog follows the Keep a Changelog format. Each release includes:

• Added for new features
• Changed for changes in existing functionality
  
• Deprecated for soon-to-be removed features
• Removed for now removed features
• Fixed for any bug fixes
• Security for vulnerability fixes