The official privacy statement for installation features in Windows 8.1 and Windows Server 2012 R2 details how Microsoft collects and uses data during the initial setup. 🔗 Key Privacy Link
: The system transmits a hardware hash paired with the installation product key to verify licensing compliance. Deployment Key Verification and Privacy
Configure Oobe.xml or Unattend.xml to skip internet driver searches Opt-in during express setup Set CEIPEnable to 0 in your automated deployment script Enterprise Deployment: Automating Privacy Controls
Software with Internet-enabled features typically sends "standard computer information" to websites and online services they connect to. Microsoft uses this information to provide Internet-enabled services, improve products and services, and for statistical analysis. The official privacy statement for installation features in
If you are concerned about data collection and use, you can:
CEIP collects telemetry data regarding how you interact with the operating system.
This privacy statement explains what data may be collected, how it is used, and how it is protected when installing or enabling features in Windows 8.1 and Windows Server 2012 R2, and when using the associated online key/link activation services. : Inspects your hardware and downloads the latest
: Inspects your hardware and downloads the latest setup files, critical drivers, and patches.
You can inject the following component into your answer file to ensure telemetry is turned off automatically during the Specialized configuration pass:
For organizations requiring strict privacy controls or operating in air-gapped environments, consider these approaches: improve products and services
The privacy statement highlights that, generally, the data collected during installation is used to: Verify software genuineness (Activation).
While the primary link is the recommended entry point, additional resources and language-specific pages are available. The table below provides a curated list of the most important links.