How do I stop Windows Vista from "calling home"

Steve Turner wrote:
> A prompt keeps coming up asking me to join a routine that collects
> information from my machine and sends it to Microsoft. I do not like
> letting Windows call home unnecessarily. They don't need my input; they
> seem to be doing a good enough job without it. How do I turn this
> feature off?

Get a good firewall and when prompted say no to whatever outbound
application wants to phone home.

This free one does a great job (i.e. better than the Vista one)

http://www.sphinx-soft.com/Vista/index.html

Go to the download page and grab your version (32 or 64 Bit). A
reasonable learning curve with all firewalls, so be prepared to get a
bunch of prompts until it is settled down and has learnt what you want
and don't. You can manually add programs to be blocked.

Frenchy

"Frenchy" <invalid RemoveThis @invalid.com> wrote in message
news:g7a5mf$td9$1@registered.motzarella.org...
> Steve Turner wrote:
>> A prompt keeps coming up asking me to join a routine that collects
>> information from my machine and sends it to Microsoft. I do not like
>> letting Windows call home unnecessarily. They don't need my input; they
>> seem to be doing a good enough job without it. How do I turn this feature
>> off?
>
> Get a good firewall and when prompted say no to whatever outbound
> application wants to phone home.
>
> This free one does a great job (i.e. better than the Vista one)
>
> http://www.sphinx-soft.com/Vista/index.html
>
> Go to the download page and grab your version (32 or 64 Bit). A
> reasonable learning curve with all firewalls, so be prepared to get a
> bunch of prompts until it is settled down and has learnt what you want and
> don't. You can manually add programs to be blocked.
>
> Frenchy

Merci. So I install that and disable the Windows Firewall? Or do I keep it
active?

Steve Turner wrote:
> "Frenchy" <invalid DeleteThis @invalid.com> wrote in message
> news:g7a5mf$td9$1@registered.motzarella.org...
>> Steve Turner wrote:
>>> A prompt keeps coming up asking me to join a routine that collects
>>> information from my machine and sends it to Microsoft. I do not like
>>> letting Windows call home unnecessarily. They don't need my input;
>>> they seem to be doing a good enough job without it. How do I turn
>>> this feature off?
>>
>> Get a good firewall and when prompted say no to whatever outbound
>> application wants to phone home.
>>
>> This free one does a great job (i.e. better than the Vista one)
>>
>> http://www.sphinx-soft.com/Vista/index.html
>>
>> Go to the download page and grab your version (32 or 64 Bit). A
>> reasonable learning curve with all firewalls, so be prepared to get a
>> bunch of prompts until it is settled down and has learnt what you want
>> and don't. You can manually add programs to be blocked.
>>
>> Frenchy
>
> Merci. So I install that and disable the Windows Firewall? Or do I keep
> it active?

Others have replied and told you only one firewall needed. As I recall,
this switches the Windows FW off when it installs. It is MUCH more
robust that the built in Vista Firewall. Just go and look at a few of
the test sites to see what they think of them!

Frenchy

On Tue, 5 Aug 2008 16:14:20 -0700, "Steve Turner"
<stevezygote.RemoveThis@hotmail.com> wrote:

>"Frenchy" <invalid.RemoveThis@invalid.com> wrote in message
>news:g7a5mf$td9$1@registered.motzarella.org...
>> Steve Turner wrote:
>>> A prompt keeps coming up asking me to join a routine that collects
>>> information from my machine and sends it to Microsoft. I do not like
>>> letting Windows call home unnecessarily. They don't need my input; they
>>> seem to be doing a good enough job without it. How do I turn this feature
>>> off?
>>
>> Get a good firewall and when prompted say no to whatever outbound
>> application wants to phone home.
>>
>> This free one does a great job (i.e. better than the Vista one)
>>
>> http://www.sphinx-soft.com/Vista/index.html
>>
>> Go to the download page and grab your version (32 or 64 Bit). A
>> reasonable learning curve with all firewalls, so be prepared to get a
>> bunch of prompts until it is settled down and has learnt what you want and
>> don't. You can manually add programs to be blocked.
>>
>> Frenchy
>
>Merci. So I install that and disable the Windows Firewall? Or do I keep it
>active?

ONE firewall at a time.

On Tue, 5 Aug 2008 16:14:20 -0700, "Steve Turner"
<stevezygote.RemoveThis@hotmail.com> wrote:

> "Frenchy" <invalid.RemoveThis@invalid.com> wrote in message
> news:g7a5mf$td9$1@registered.motzarella.org...
> > Steve Turner wrote:
> >> A prompt keeps coming up asking me to join a routine that collects
> >> information from my machine and sends it to Microsoft. I do not like
> >> letting Windows call home unnecessarily. They don't need my input; they
> >> seem to be doing a good enough job without it. How do I turn this feature
> >> off?
> >
> > Get a good firewall and when prompted say no to whatever outbound
> > application wants to phone home.
> >
> > This free one does a great job (i.e. better than the Vista one)
> >
> > http://www.sphinx-soft.com/Vista/index.html
> >
> > Go to the download page and grab your version (32 or 64 Bit). A
> > reasonable learning curve with all firewalls, so be prepared to get a
> > bunch of prompts until it is settled down and has learnt what you want and
> > don't. You can manually add programs to be blocked.
> >
> > Frenchy
>
> Merci. So I install that and disable the Windows Firewall? Or do I keep it
> active?


You should run *either* the Windows firewall or a third-party
firewall, not both. With two firewalls you achieve no extra
protection, you incur the extra overhead of running two firewalls, and
you run the risk (probably small, but not zero) of conflicts between
them.

I disagree with Frenchy, by the way, and recommend that you run the
Windows firewall, not the third-party one he recommends nor any other
third-party firewall.

--
Ken Blake, Microsoft MVP - Windows Desktop Experience
Please Reply to the Newsgroup

The "VistaFirewallControl" from Sphinx Software is nothing more than a
friendly user interface for the Vista Firewall. It allows you to allow/block
in or out communications with the internet without you having to get into
the nuts and bolts of advanced Vista Firewall control settings.

It is ***NOT*** a separate firewall. You leave the Vista Firewall running.

--

Richard Urban
Microsoft MVP
Windows Desktop Experience



"Steve Turner" <stevezygote.DeleteThis@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:B20F3327-CED9-4B7A-8461-BBADDB896BC0@microsoft.com...
> "Frenchy" <invalid.DeleteThis@invalid.com> wrote in message
> news:g7a5mf$td9$1@registered.motzarella.org...
>> Steve Turner wrote:
>>> A prompt keeps coming up asking me to join a routine that collects
>>> information from my machine and sends it to Microsoft. I do not like
>>> letting Windows call home unnecessarily. They don't need my input; they
>>> seem to be doing a good enough job without it. How do I turn this
>>> feature off?
>>
>> Get a good firewall and when prompted say no to whatever outbound
>> application wants to phone home.
>>
>> This free one does a great job (i.e. better than the Vista one)
>>
>> http://www.sphinx-soft.com/Vista/index.html
>>
>> Go to the download page and grab your version (32 or 64 Bit). A
>> reasonable learning curve with all firewalls, so be prepared to get a
>> bunch of prompts until it is settled down and has learnt what you want
>> and don't. You can manually add programs to be blocked.
>>
>> Frenchy
>
> Merci. So I install that and disable the Windows Firewall? Or do I keep it
> active?