...Every ...single ...day, some issue rears its ugly head in Windows
10 and I wind up wasting time trying to deal with it. I absolutely
detest Windows 10 and all the associated bullshit that this crappy OS requires in order to spy on me and cause me problems. The continual
feature degradation and regressions in functionality as well.
Unlike a lot of other people, I turn my cable modem and router off
whenever I don't need to be on the internet. Today I noticed for the
second day in a row, that there is a Microsoft executable named DeviceCensus.exe which runs briefly whenever I start up those two devices.
So what is this "DeviceCensus.exe" executable (file path is C:\Windows\System32\DeviceCensus.exe, at least on my system)? The
internet says:
"DeviceCensus.exe is a legitimate system file in Windows 10, signed by Microsoft. It is part of the Telemetry Framework and is located in the System32 folder. Its primary function is to collect data on your
device's hardware usage, _including webcam usage_, and report it back to Microsoft. This helps Microsoft optimize Windows for future updates and
fix any bugs.
If you notice that DeviceCensus.exe is using a lot of CPU or accessing your webcam, it is generally safe to keep it running. However, if you
want to disable it temporarily, you can do so through the Task Scheduler.
If you have any concerns about privacy or security, it's always a good idea to run a thorough antivirus scan to ensure that your system is not infected with malware."
"Legitimate" in whose eyes? And how, exactly, does monitoring my webcam
usage serve any purpose in determining which future version of Windows
10 I need?
Telemetry is just a euphemism for "Spyware" IMO.
Microsoft: "Your privacy is important to us"
Sure it is. As in "it's important that we rape your privacy as much as possible."
...Every ...single ...day, some issue rears its ugly head in Windows
10 and I wind up wasting time trying to deal with it. I absolutely
detest Windows 10 and all the associated bullshit that this crappy OS requires in order to spy on me and cause me problems. The continual
feature degradation and regressions in functionality as well.
Unlike a lot of other people, I turn my cable modem and router off
whenever I don't need to be on the internet. Today I noticed for the
second day in a row, that there is a Microsoft executable named DeviceCensus.exe which runs briefly whenever I start up those two devices.
So what is this "DeviceCensus.exe" executable (file path is C:\Windows\System32\DeviceCensus.exe, at least on my system)? The
internet says:
"DeviceCensus.exe is a legitimate system file in Windows 10, signed by Microsoft. It is part of the Telemetry Framework and is located in the System32 folder. Its primary function is to collect data on your
device's hardware usage, _including webcam usage_, and report it back to Microsoft. This helps Microsoft optimize Windows for future updates and
fix any bugs.
If you notice that DeviceCensus.exe is using a lot of CPU or accessing
your webcam, it is generally safe to keep it running. However, if you
want to disable it temporarily, you can do so through the Task Scheduler.
If you have any concerns about privacy or security, it's always a good
idea to run a thorough antivirus scan to ensure that your system is not infected with malware."
"Legitimate" in whose eyes? And how, exactly, does monitoring my webcam
usage serve any purpose in determining which future version of Windows
10 I need?
I went into the Task Scheduler and disabled the piece of shit:
Open Task Scheduler
Click on the carat next to "Task Scheduler Library"
Same on "Microsoft"
Same on "Windows"
Left click on "Device Information"
Right click on "Device" in the right hand upper pane
Select "Disable".
If there's another task named "Device User" under "Device" do the same
to it as well.
Telemetry is just a euphemism for "Spyware" IMO.
Microsoft: "Your privacy is important to us"
Sure it is. As in "it's important that we rape your privacy as much as possible."
https://www.thewindowsclub.com/device-census-in-windows-10
These descriptions are a bit on the funny side.
It could be accessing the webcam, to collect PNP info, but
that story is weak sauce. Unless the device has firmware
it loads each time, and there are likely better ways to determine
what firmware is being used, without probing the device.
The device has already been probed as part of hardware enumeration.
And that effort should be all that is needed. If Microsoft
wanted to use their command line version of Device Manager to
dump the hardware details, they could do that, and then the
webcam would never be blocked.
So what is this "DeviceCensus.exe" executable (file path is >C:\Windows\System32\DeviceCensus.exe, at least on my system)? The
The internet says:
"DeviceCensus.exe is a legitimate system file in Windows 10, signed by >Microsoft. It is part of the Telemetry Framework and is located in the >System32 folder. Its primary function is to collect data on your
device's hardware usage, _including webcam usage_, and report it back to >Microsoft. This helps Microsoft optimize Windows for future updates and
fix any bugs.
If you notice that DeviceCensus.exe is using a lot of CPU or accessing
your webcam, it is generally safe to keep it running. However, if you
want to disable it temporarily, you can do so through the Task Scheduler.
If you have any concerns about privacy or security, it's always a good
idea to run a thorough antivirus scan to ensure that your system is not >infected with malware."
In alt.comp.os.windows-10, on Wed, 5 Mar 2025 05:13:51 -0800, "John C." <r9jmg0@yahoo.com> wrote:
So what is this "DeviceCensus.exe" executable (file path is
C:\Windows\System32\DeviceCensus.exe, at least on my system)? The
Interestingly, I have the file too, 24KB, from 11/17/2024, but it's
address is: C:\Windows\servicing\LCU\Package_for_RollupFix~31bf3856ad364e35~amd64~~19041.5371.1.9\amd64_microsoft-windows-devicecensus_31bf3856ad364e35_10.0.19041.5198_none_2445ede1afad7996\f
I wonder what the difference in locations means.
I haven't checked if it runs or not. I'm not sure what else besides
starting the router would cause it to perk up.
The internet says:
"DeviceCensus.exe is a legitimate system file in Windows 10, signed by
Microsoft. It is part of the Telemetry Framework and is located in the
System32 folder. Its primary function is to collect data on your
device's hardware usage, _including webcam usage_, and report it back to
Microsoft. This helps Microsoft optimize Windows for future updates and
fix any bugs.
If you notice that DeviceCensus.exe is using a lot of CPU or accessing
your webcam, it is generally safe to keep it running. However, if you
want to disable it temporarily, you can do so through the Task Scheduler.
If you have any concerns about privacy or security, it's always a good
idea to run a thorough antivirus scan to ensure that your system is not
infected with malware."
On Wed, 3/5/2025 8:13 AM, John C. wrote:
...Every ...single ...day, some issue rears its ugly head in Windows
10 and I wind up wasting time trying to deal with it. I absolutely
detest Windows 10 and all the associated bullshit that this crappy OS
requires in order to spy on me and cause me problems. The continual
feature degradation and regressions in functionality as well.
Unlike a lot of other people, I turn my cable modem and router off
whenever I don't need to be on the internet. Today I noticed for the
second day in a row, that there is a Microsoft executable named
DeviceCensus.exe which runs briefly whenever I start up those two devices. >>
So what is this "DeviceCensus.exe" executable (file path is
C:\Windows\System32\DeviceCensus.exe, at least on my system)? The
internet says:
"DeviceCensus.exe is a legitimate system file in Windows 10, signed by
Microsoft. It is part of the Telemetry Framework and is located in the
System32 folder. Its primary function is to collect data on your
device's hardware usage, _including webcam usage_, and report it back to
Microsoft. This helps Microsoft optimize Windows for future updates and
fix any bugs.
If you notice that DeviceCensus.exe is using a lot of CPU or accessing
your webcam, it is generally safe to keep it running. However, if you
want to disable it temporarily, you can do so through the Task Scheduler.
If you have any concerns about privacy or security, it's always a good
idea to run a thorough antivirus scan to ensure that your system is not
infected with malware."
"Legitimate" in whose eyes? And how, exactly, does monitoring my webcam
usage serve any purpose in determining which future version of Windows
10 I need?
I went into the Task Scheduler and disabled the piece of shit:
Open Task Scheduler
Click on the carat next to "Task Scheduler Library"
Same on "Microsoft"
Same on "Windows"
Left click on "Device Information"
Right click on "Device" in the right hand upper pane
Select "Disable".
If there's another task named "Device User" under "Device" do the same
to it as well.
Telemetry is just a euphemism for "Spyware" IMO.
Microsoft: "Your privacy is important to us"
Sure it is. As in "it's important that we rape your privacy as much as
possible."
https://www.thewindowsclub.com/device-census-in-windows-10
These descriptions are a bit on the funny side.
It could be accessing the webcam, to collect PNP info, but
that story is weak sauce. Unless the device has firmware
it loads each time, and there are likely better ways to determine
what firmware is being used, without probing the device.
The device has already been probed as part of hardware enumeration.
And that effort should be all that is needed. If Microsoft
wanted to use their command line version of Device Manager to
dump the hardware details, they could do that, and then the
webcam would never be blocked.
This all started with FrameServe, a subsystem that has no reason
to exist. I caught a thread a couple weeks ago, which mentioned
that two video conferencing softwares did not work, because
"FrameServe does NOT serve frames" :-) which I thought was
a hilarious declaration. The Device Census, would be part of
identifying new webcams, and also for preparing the "generic"
hardware support that replaces the custom driver your
webcam manufacturer provided.
My webcam never worked properly, after FrameServe came out.
When I want to use my webcam, I use it in Windows 7. It
stays *disconnected* in W10/W11, because it's really useless
to me. The custom software had digital pan and zoon, and in a
conference with my doctor, I could "center myself" in the picture
before the session started. So I would not look like I was slouching
in my chair or whatever. I can't do that in W10/W11. Feature is not there
in the generic driver.
I don't think enabling or disabling that, is going to make
that much difference to the operation of the machine. No magical
fairy is going to repair your webcam, based on a hundred million
broken webcam reports landing on some schmucks desk at Microsoft.
*******
For the longest while, I did not pick up the pattern. Each "Improvement"
had a different back story, throwing me off the path. What they're doing,
is Microsoft *wants to write all the drivers for everything*. They are replacing the drivers. They don't want to allow the RealTek jumbo sound driver to install. Instead, they install their lame version of a driver
with less features. That's the actual plan. So it wasn't "FrameServe"
after all, it was "break their existing drivers, feed them dreck
to replace it". That was the plan.
Paul
I went into the Task Scheduler and disabled the piece of shit:
Open Task Scheduler
Click on the carat next to "Task Scheduler Library"
Same on "Microsoft"
Same on "Windows"
Left click on "Device Information"
Right click on "Device" in the right hand upper pane
Select "Disable".
If there's another task named "Device User" under "Device" do the same
to it as well.
You're right, Paul. And they did the same thing to the popular Twain
driver for most scanners built within the last 20 years or so. The
disabled support for Twain drivers in W10 and for scanner and digital
camera in-box drivers, Microsoft accepts only WIA drivers.
On 3/6/2025 8:40 PM, John C. wrote:
I went into the Task Scheduler and disabled the piece of shit:
Open Task Scheduler
Click on the carat next to "Task Scheduler Library"
Same on "Microsoft"
Same on "Windows"
Left click on "Device Information"
Right click on "Device" in the right hand upper pane
Select "Disable".
If there's another task named "Device User" under "Device" do the same >>>> to it as well.
Thanks for that. Mine was disabled but there was a Device User
entry. I have most things in TS disabled. Though I also use
Simplewall to block callinghome. There are numerous processes
that try to call out.
You're right, Paul. And they did the same thing to the popular Twain
driver for most scanners built within the last 20 years or so. The
disabled support for Twain drivers in W10 and for scanner and digital
camera in-box drivers, Microsoft accepts only WIA drivers.
To be fair, WIA works in XP, with a supporting printer.
Printer makers have been slow to add support, but MS
came out with WIA a long time ago. My somewhat old
HP Envy supports both TWAIN and WIA. It supported
WIA on XP. Though it was a bit spotty. For example,
there's no way to ask whether it supports a given file
extension. PNG? "Sure, bring it on." It gives me a PNG file,
but it's actually a JPG. That wasn't WIA's fault. HP just
hadn't done the whole job of supporting WIA. I don't know
whether that's HP's fault for being half-assed or Microsoft's
fault for designing a buggy interface.
We get spoiled on Windows. Up until a year ago I was
still running XP. A lot of software developers were still
supporting it, 23 years after it came out. What if you
were on a Mac? You'd have support only for the current and
one earlier version. "Don't be a cheapskate. People stand
in line for our toys. You should, too." Linux? Don't even try
to imagine it. In 2001 you would have been lucky to get
a program on Linux that could produce something to print.
On current Linux they have no time for the past. Backward
compatibility is an oxymoron. They worship at the alter of
The Future. Hardware support is generally
pretty good, but any kind of commitment to support is
missing. Linux OS support? I think it's typically 6-18 months.
I had to replace the OS on my Raspberry Pi 4 because it
wouldn't support newer Chromium. Luckily I was able to
install the latest Raspbian on the hardware. Of course,
most people wouldn't be able to do that. But the OS was
only 3 years old to begin with.
micky wrote on 3/6/2025 4:45 PM:
In alt.comp.os.windows-10, on Wed, 5 Mar 2025 05:13:51 -0800, "John C."- that folder was a deploymenent location for a monthly update.
<r9jmg0@yahoo.com> wrote:
So what is this "DeviceCensus.exe" executable (file path is
C:\Windows\System32\DeviceCensus.exe, at least on my system)? The
Interestingly, I have the file too, 24KB, from 11/17/2024, but it's
address is:
C:\Windows\servicing\LCU\Package_for_RollupFix~31bf3856ad364e35~amd64~~19041.5371.1.9\amd64_microsoft-windows-devicecensus_31bf3856ad364e35_10.0.19041.5198_none_2445ede1afad7996\f
- the functionality of DeviceCensus.exe in Windows does not use that
location.
- the folder only indicates that the folder was created sometime in the
past for updating Windows.
- Windows 10 22H2 or earlier(19041 is Win10 20H2 base, though 19041 files
are still in use on later Win10 versions).
e.g Win10 22H2's DeviceCensus.exe is still 19041 version, and its
DeviceCensus.exe should be 19041.5438 at the minimum 22H2 updated through
Feb 2025(019041.5487)
and its file date should be the date that the last LCU(monthlyupdate) was installed(i.e. if you installed February's LCU today on March
7, then the DeviceCensus.exe file Creatrion and Modified Date should be
March 7 2025. The exe file's Digital Signature should have a date in Jan.
or Feb 2025(when Win10 has been updated with the latest(Feb) LCU.> I
wonder what the difference in locations means.
I haven't checked if it runs or not.In your case, it does not mean much for running an exe. That location is >unused for the installed Windows version.
No reason to check.
- If you wish to run DeviceCensus.exe find the exe in
C:\Windows\System32 and double click to run it...but doing so won't
provide much information.
Linux OS support? I think it's typically 6-18 months.
On 3/7/25 05:31, Newyana2 wrote:
Linux OS support? I think it's typically 6-18 months.
Interminably supported rolling releases are typical too.
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