Boxstarter Not Cleaned Up After Installation

[runewake2]

• Version: 10.13.0
• Platform: Windows 10 64bit

After installing Node.JS Boxstarter is installed on the PC and permanent changes are made to the PC. This includes a permanent installation of the Boxstarter powershell module and the creation of a group policy for the current computer.

Enrolling in Group Policy is not an expected behavior of installing Node.JS and should not happen. Disabling Windows Update is an even larger red flag.

Please either remove Boxstarter or address these side effects during installation.

[Trott]

@nodejs/platform-windows

[runewake2]

Seems tied to this PR: #22645

[seishun]

It has been reverted in #24344, so this can be closed.

[runewake2]

Thanks! Will a repair tool be released to address the damaged systems from this feature? I have no clue what else has been changed beyond disabled Windows Updates, a few custom powershell modules and the enrollment of my account in a newly created Group Policy. Boxstarter does not have a clean uninstall process: chocolatey/boxstarter#336 and I have no idea how to manage/remove a Group Policy cleanly and safely. How can we recover our systems from this tool short of a clean install?

[refack]

Thanks! Will a repair tool be released to address the damaged systems from this feature?

IMHO a cleanup solution should come via @chocolatey, as they are much more proficient in the internals of the tool.

[bnoordhuis]

Closing per @seishun's comment.

[MPagel]

Thanks! Will a repair tool be released to address the damaged systems from this feature?

IMHO a cleanup solution should come via @chocolatey, as they are much more proficient in the internals of the tool.

It takes quite a bit to clear out the taste of rancid chocolate from my computational pallette. Chocolatey's hijacking of the UAC system as well as prompt- and timer-free reboots feel very much like using a sledgehammer to drive a staple into a kimwipe.

[ferventcoder]

It takes quite a bit to clear out the taste of rancid chocolate from my computational pallette. Chocolatey's Boxstarter's hijacking of the UAC system as well as prompt- and timer-free reboots feel very much like using a sledgehammer to drive a staple into a kimwipe.

@MPagel fixed that for you. To be clear, Chocolatey does nothing of the sort. Boxstarter is what does all the restart and UAC behaviors.