Copilot

antspants · Dec 12, 2023

wordsworth said:
This Copilot being in a local account or not is flaky. The local account on my new build I spoke of above no longer has Copilot after the KB5033375 update. I guess the preview on the Copilot icon to Microsoft means peek-at-you; now you see it, now you don't. Ha!

From what you’ve posted, it keeps disappearing and appearing. I don’t doubt you at all, but I don’t think that updates would be removing it? Has to be another answer? When it disappears, have you checked in the source location? Wherever it resides in this mess of an OS

wordsworth · Dec 12, 2023

As flaky as this appears to be, you could have a point. All I know is from Saturday, when I posted above, to today I didn't do anything on this machine but the update earlier this evening. Gremlins be running amok.

Edit: I must say I do wish I had taken notice whether it was there before going into WU, but I did not. If it was not there then obviously something else is afoot.

Wisewiz · Dec 12, 2023

@wordsworth
I checked mine today, before the update (because someone here had brought it up and pointed out that my Local account should not have it), and Copilot was still there, as it has been for a month or more, and all that time I've been logged in as Local. But this update just tweaked the settings enough to disappear the Copilot on some machines. According to some of the MS bulletins of the past month or so, it never should have been on my machine, but it was. TBH, this disappearing act doesn't phase me at all, cuz I wasn't using the Copilot anyway. But I did have the icon, and it worked, and I hid it, and I blocked Copilot, and there you have it.

I do use ChatGPT on my iPhone, but not every day, and not for much. I'll come around to using these things, but just now, I'm not enchanted by them. Gimme time.

rgsltd · Dec 12, 2023

Hi All
What I have found is that a registry entry keeps changing
IE When logged in to a Microsoft account the reg entry is
Computer\HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\Copilot\BingChat IsUserEligible is 1 (copilot there )
On a local account this changes to 0 (copilot not there )
If it is changed to 1 on a local account copilot will be there, but reverts back to 0 on restart

Just an observation !!!!!
Any advise would be welcome

ian50 · Dec 13, 2023

rgsltd said:
Hi All
What I have found is that a registry entry keeps changing
IE When logged in to a Microsoft account the reg entry is
Computer\HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\Copilot\BingChat IsUserEligible is 1 (copilot there )
On a local account this changes to 0 (copilot not there )
If it is changed to 1 on a local account copilot will be there, but reverts back to 0 on restart

Just an observation !!!!!
Any advise would be welcome

Yes, it's messy and not well controlled. MS marketing is clearly involved.

On a local account (no MS account ever), one of my two laptops had copilot unexpectedly turn up three updates back. Then the following update removed it - EXCEPT I found by chance that the loss only occurred when doing a warm restart. Turning the machine off then doing a cold start brought it back again. (The 2nd laptop with exactly the same updates and only a local account has never shown this programme).

I've confirmed this behaviour on two successive updates so far, including today's 22631.2861. So on my 1st laptop, the reg entry goes to 0 (no copilot) on warm restart after an update, but a cold start then returns it to 1 (copilot preview reappears).

Wynona · Dec 13, 2023

Wow! I've seen several responses saying Copilot is rather useless, but I just asked it about tutorials for the free version of Teams in Microsoft 365.

I got back six links specifically about the free Teams!

Edit: Welp, it ain't infallible! One of the tutorials turned out to be for business. Probably would have worked, soI will wait to watch that one.

Haydon · Dec 13, 2023

Well, I find Copilot EXTREMELY useful

When researching a topic (computer-related or otherwise) I used to do searches with Bing until I got a feel for the topic, and based on that feel, I selected articles to read at Wikipedia. I still think that this is a good way to research any topic.

However, since Copilot/Bing Chat/GPT-4 I usually go the Copilot way first and more often than not, that's it, I found my answer, although sometimes, I follow up with Wikipedia. In any case, MS' claim that Copilot cuts short searches rings true to me. For example, I spend less time on Internet forums LOL

That does not mean that Copilot is infallible. On rare occasions, I get responses that go against my common sense. Or Copilot says 'I have not figured that out yet' or (in response to an honest and clean question on human sexuality) 'I don't respond to pornography'

Like any other tool, use it wisely, but Copilot is IMHO an excellent research tool

wordsworth · Dec 13, 2023

Wisewiz said:
@wordsworth
I checked mine today, before the update (because someone here had brought it up and pointed out that my Local account should not have it), and Copilot was still there, as it has been for a month or more, and all that time I've been logged in as Local. But this update just tweaked the settings enough to disappear the Copilot on some machines. According to some of the MS bulletins of the past month or so, it never should have been on my machine, but it was. TBH, this disappearing act doesn't phase me at all, cuz I wasn't using the Copilot anyway. But I did have the icon, and it worked, and I hid it, and I blocked Copilot, and there you have it.

I do use ChatGPT on my iPhone, but not every day, and not for much. I'll come around to using these things, but just now, I'm not enchanted by them. Gimme time.

Upon first booting this morning Copilot was once again on the Taskbar, so yes it is appearing and disappearing at different times and on different machines as in your case. It must, for some reason, be toggled on and off in Settings>Personalization>Taskbar as that presently is set to On right now. What causes that, in the registry, is a mystery as since last night there were no changes except shutting down, and booting this morning and I restarted again just for kicks but the Copilot icon remained after that restart as well.

I too don't really care one way or another about Copilot whether it is there or not; but I do wonder about QC at Microsoft. I'll keep an eye on it just for kicks.

Edit: This perhaps shows that it was not the Update that caused this, at least on this machine. The other two machines are still consistent with no Copilot in the local account which is the account all three boot to.

Edit two: Yesterday the unsupported machine still did not have Copilot in the local account. I just checked and it too has Copilot in the local account just as this machine I'm typing on has it this morning. I give up LOL.

Wynona · Dec 13, 2023

Haydon said:
Well, I find Copilot EXTREMELY useful

When researching a topic (computer-related or otherwise) I used to do searches with Bing until I got a feel for the topic, and based on that feel, I selected articles to read at Wikipedia. I still think that this is a good way to research any topic.

However, since Copilot/Bing Chat/GPT-4 I usually go the Copilot way first and more often than not, that's it, I found my answer, although sometimes, I follow up with Wikipedia. In any case, MS' claim that Copilot cuts short searches rings true to me. For example, I spend less time on Internet forums LOL

That does not mean that Copilot is infallible. On rare occasions, I get responses that go against my common sense. Or Copilot says 'I have not figured that out yet' or (in response to an honest and clean question on human sexuality) 'I don't respond to pornography'

Like any other tool, use it wisely, but Copilot is IMHO an excellent research tool

Ya gotta watch out what you ask about, I guess. I had a good laugh on Copilot's answer that it doesn't respond to porn!

My first foray with Copilot was useful . . . I found a whole tutorial from Microsoft on Teams, so I'll have to bookmark that one and a couple more.

Wisewiz · Dec 13, 2023

rgsltd said:
Hi All
What I have found is that a registry entry keeps changing
IE When logged in to a Microsoft account the reg entry is
Computer\HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\Copilot\BingChat IsUserEligible is 1 (copilot there )
On a local account this changes to 0 (copilot not there )
If it is changed to 1 on a local account copilot will be there, but reverts back to 0 on restart.

This whole asystematic Copilot business is an effing mess. On my main PC, that setting is 1, as it has been for a long time now, no matter how many restarts I run. Yesterday's update didn't change that. My logins are always Local. But when the PRE Copilot icon popped onto my taskbar a month (more) ago, I went to taskbar settings and turned off the icon. Then I followed @Brink's tutorial on disabling Copilot in Local Group Policy, and I haven't been bothered by the thing since. But it was there.

Today, what with all this discussion, I decide to check on it (given that there are reliable reports that yesterday's update killed Copilot on some Local Account computers that had it), so I changed the LGP setting and changed the taskbar icon setting, and Lo and Behold!

So, I went over to my test machine (same W11 version, same Local Account logins). where I also had Copilot, and it had disappeared. Changed the LGP setting to enable it, changed the registry value from 0 to 1, changed the taskbar icon setting, and got the danged thing back! But on that machine, a restart "disappeared" it again. Repeating the steps resurrects it, but a restart kills it again. Lazarus would be miffed, to say the least.

Fortunately, as the famous Rhett Butler line goes, "Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn."

wordsworth · Dec 13, 2023

Wisewiz said:
This whole asystematic Copilot business is an effing mess. On my main PC, that setting is 1, as it has been for a long time now, no matter how many restarts I run. Yesterday's update didn't change that. My logins are always Local. But when the PRE Copilot icon popped onto my taskbar a month (more) ago, I went to taskbar settings and turned off the icon. Then I followed @Brink's tutorial on disabling Copilot in Local Group Policy, and I haven't been bothered by the thing since. But it was there.

Today, what with all this discussion, I decide to check on it (given that there are reliable reports that yesterday's update killed Copilot on some Local Account computers that had it), so I changed the LGP setting and changed the taskbar icon setting, and Lo and Behold!
View attachment 81090

So, I went over to my test machine (same W11 version, same Local Account logins). where I also had Copilot, and it had disappeared. Changed the LGP setting to enable it, changed the registry value from 0 to 1, changed the taskbar icon setting, and got the danged thing back! But on that machine, a restart "disappeared" it again. Repeating the steps resurrects it, but a restart kills it again. Lazarus would be miffed, to say the least.

Fortunately, as the famous Rhett Butler line goes, "Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn."

I am glad, in a way, that at least one other at this forum finds the same as I do happening. And as you, quite frankly, I agree with Rhett Butler.

Stigg · Jan 26, 2024

I haven't even tried Copilot yet.
I suppose I should take a look at it.

ian50 · Jan 27, 2024

Yep, as I commented earlier, on one of my Local Account laptops, I can simply edit the Co-Pilot reg switch (to 1) and revive the icon in the taskbar.

My other Local Account laptop, on exactly the same 22631.3085 version, pays no attention to this reg edit at all.

Stigg · Jan 27, 2024

I've had a look at Copilot now. All I have to do now is think about what I'm gonna ask it.

Wynona · Jan 27, 2024

Stigg said:
I've had a look at Copilot now. All I have to do now is think about what I'm gonna ask it.

Ask it how to manage files and folders.

And then ask it to recommend file management software.

I'd like to see if it gives you the same stuff it gave me.

Stigg · Jan 27, 2024

Wynona said:
Ask it how to manage files and folders.

And then ask it to recommend file management software.

I'd like to see if it gives you the same stuff it gave me.

In my brief encounter with it, I don't think it's very good.
For file management software, it lists Total Commander, DocuWare and ProofHub.

Wynona · Jan 27, 2024

Stigg said:
In my brief encounter with it, I don't think it's very good.
For file management software, it lists Total Commander, DocuWare and ProofHub.

Wow! It gave me Total Commander, Directory Opus, Xplorer 2, Free Commander, XYplorer. Then it goes on to give me links to Best file manager of 2024 | TechRadar: The 8 Best File Managers for Windows 11/10 in 2022 - Help Desk Geek: Best Free File Manager software for Windows 11/10 - The Windows Club:

I got six paragraphs on file management and seven links for managing files and folders.

Gotta go to bed. See ya in the morning.

Stigg · Jan 27, 2024

Wynona said:
Wow! It gave me Total Commander, Directory Opus, Xplorer 2, Free Commander, XYplorer. Then it goes on to give me links to Best file manager of 2024 | TechRadar: The 8 Best File Managers for Windows 11/10 in 2022 - Help Desk Geek: Best Free File Manager software for Windows 11/10 - The Windows Club:

I got six paragraphs on file management and seven links for managing files and folders.

Gotta go to bed. See ya in the morning.

Your results are better than mine.

rgsltd · Jan 27, 2024

Hi All again
I started this thread originally and cannot get to the bottom of why on two machines both
22631.3085 and same updates
One machine has copilot on local account and the other does not ( registry setting reverts to 0 )
Have played with everything I can think of to no avail
Hoping someone can help ! !

Bree · Jan 27, 2024

rgsltd said:
Hi All again
I started this thread originally and cannot get to the bottom of why on two machines both
22631.3085 and same updates
One machine has copilot on local account and the other does not ( registry setting reverts to 0 )
Have played with everything I can think of to no avail
Hoping someone can help ! !

Microsoft extensively uses A/B testing for potential new features in the Insider builds. Some Insiders get the new features, others don't. Depending on user response and reactions the new feature may eventually get rolled out to all, or it may get dropped. Sometimes A/B testing seems to get used for features in the Retail build. Copilot seems to be one of those cases.

I have three fully supported devices on Retail build, all up to date, all with local accounts. Of those two have Copilot with their local account and one doesn't. Switching from a local account to a Microsoft account should enable Copilot. Sometimes (but not always) it will remain enabled when you switch back to a local account.

A/B Testing Across Products - Microsoft Research

In this blog post weâll talk about the high-level requirements needed for cross-product A/B testing, investigate an online and offline option, talk about privacy concerns, and discuss other considerations

www.microsoft.com