Google Chrome Auto updates

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1

Hi Everyone,
Please help me with a fix to disable google Chrome from automatically updating at all.

I have tried using the native fixlet for this and after the fixlet, chrome still auto-updates.

i used this custom fixlet too albeit unsuccessful.

// ===============================
// 1. Chrome Browser Policy
// ===============================
regset "[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Google\Chrome]" "UpdatePolicyOverride"=dword:00000001

// ===============================
// 2. Google Update Engine Policies
// ===============================
regset "[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Google\Update]" "UpdateDefault"=dword:00000000
regset "[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Google\Update]" "AutoUpdateCheckPeriodMinutes"=dword:00000000
regset "[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Google\Update]" "DisableAutoUpdateChecksCheckboxValue"=dword:00000001

// ===============================
// 3. Disable Google Update Services
// ===============================
waithidden sc config gupdate start= disabled
waithidden sc stop gupdate

waithidden sc config gupdatem start= disabled
waithidden sc stop gupdatem

// ===============================
// 4. Disable Google Update Scheduled Tasks
// ===============================
waithidden schtasks /Change /TN "GoogleUpdateTaskMachineCore" /Disable
waithidden schtasks /Change /TN "GoogleUpdateTaskMachineUA" /Disable

// Ensure Google Update services are stopped before registry operations
waithidden sc stop gupdate
waithidden sc stop gupdatem

// Disable services to prevent them from recreating keys
waithidden sc config gupdate start= disabled
waithidden sc config gupdatem start= disabled

// Delete 64-bit Google Update subkeys safely
waithidden reg delete "HKLM\Software\Google\Update\ClientState" /f
waithidden reg delete "HKLM\Software\Google\Update\ClientStateMedium" /f
waithidden reg delete "HKLM\Software\Google\Update\Clients" /f
waithidden reg delete "HKLM\Software\Google\Update" /f

// Delete 32-bit Google Update subkeys safely
waithidden reg delete "HKLM\Software\WOW6432Node\Google\Update\ClientState" /f
waithidden reg delete "HKLM\Software\WOW6432Node\Google\Update\ClientStateMedium" /f
waithidden reg delete "HKLM\Software\WOW6432Node\Google\Update\Clients" /f
waithidden reg delete "HKLM\Software\WOW6432Node\Google\Update" /f

Please Help.

2

My guess is that you are running into the issue of Wow Redirection.

BigFix is a 32 bit app, and will run under the redirected WOW. You can use the regset64 command or you can turn off redirection, by putting this before you create your reg entries...

action uses wow64 redirection false

Let me know if that works for you.

3

@D.Dean Okay, thank you so much. I will try this and let you know

4

Hi @D.Dean , I did this and auto updates still blast right through, So annoying.

5

Hi , i believe you need to disable the service to make it work.

image

Google Update Service (update)

6

First thing i'd recommend is go to one of the machines that is auto-updating that isn't supposed to be and do the following:

  1. Navigate to the registry path: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Google\Update
  2. See if you have a key values for either of these two items.
    "UpdateDefault" set to 1
    or
    Update{8A69D345-D564-463C-AFF1-A69D9E530F96} set to 1
    If those are set to 0 then i'd recommend checking to see if there is an initial_preferences.json file under C:\Program Files\Google\Chrome\Application. Based on my understanding registry policies or GPO are supposed to take precedence over the configuration in the initial_preferences.json file but I would want to make sure that your registry keys are getting set correctly on the machine AND any removals you are doing are actually removed on the machine your looking at.
7

Hi @Jstev I have UpdateDefault set 0.

and also a master_preferences file in C:\Program Files (x86)\Google\Chrome\Application

8

Out of curiousity, what version of Chrome are you trying to use?
Also confirm that you don't have Update{8A69D345-D564-463C-AFF1-A69D9E530F96} set to 1
But I would look in the master preferences file to see if there are any settings configured for auto update but My understand was that they changed from using the master preferences files to the initial preference file in Chrome 91, And I don't think that chrome even recognizes the master_preferences file any more after Chrome 107.

9

Hi @shabircse Thank you. I will confirm this

10

This machine is currently on version 146 but i never wanted the 146 version as it breaks a web application I need.

Update{8A69D345-D564-463C-AFF1-A69D9E530F96} isn’t in the registry at all.

This is the content of the master_preference file. {"distribution":{"create_all_shortcuts":false,"skip_first_run_ui":true,"msi":true,"system_level":true,"verbose_logging":true,"msi_product_id":"xxxxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxxxxxxxxx","allow_downgrade":false}}

Do you think I should replace the master_preference file with the initial_preference. ?

This i what HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Google\Update looks like

image
image543×125 47.5 KB

11

can you check for policies in this registry key to see if they exist there?
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\Policies\Google\Update

12

It doesn’t exist there. It just looks exactly like the 64 bit registry,

13

maybe check in a chrome://policy on the chrome browser and see if it's listing anything under Google Update Policies that it's detecting