HP customers from around the world report that HP started to install the HP Touchpoint Manager software on their devices, and with it a new Windows Telemetry service called HP Touchpoint Analytics Client.
According to these reports, this is done without user interaction, and in the background. The first report of the installation of HP Touchpoint Analytics dates back to November 15, 2017.
A user on the Bleeping Computer forum reported that the program was installed on his Windows machine on that date. Posts on
Reddit, and HP's own
customer forum confirmed the installation of the new application and service on Windows machines.
The description of the service confirms that it is used to gather Telemetry:
Harvests telemetry information that is used by HP Touchpoint's analytical services.
When you visit HP's Touchpoint Manager website, you get the following bits of information:
The HP Touchpoint Manager technology is now being delivered as a part of HP Device as a Service (DaaS) Analytics and Proactive Management capabilities. Therefore, HP is discontinuing the self-managed HP Touchpoint Manager solution.
It appears that HP transformed the technology into a cloud-based service. The service seems to send data to HP once per day. Users find the data under ProgramData\HP\HP Touchpoint Analytics Client\Transfer Interface on the Windows drive.
Some users reported that the installation slowed down their system significantly and that removing the application from the system restored the performance.
What you can do about it
The first thing you may want to check is whether HP installed the HP Touchpoint Manager on the Windows PC.
Option 1: Services1. Use
Windows-R to bring up the
run box.
2. Type
services.msc and hit the
Enter-key on the keyboard.
3. Look for
HP Touchpoint Analytics Client in the Services listing.
• If it is there, HP Touchpoint Manager is installed.
• If it is not there, skip to option 2.
4.
Double-click on the service to open its details.
5. Set its startup type to
disabled.
6. Select
Stop to stop it in the current session.
Option 2: Windows Programs1. Use
Windows-R to load the
run box.
2. Type
appwiz.cpl to load the Programs and Features control panel applet.
3. Locate
HP Touchpoint Manager.
4.
Right-click the program name, and select
Uninstall to remove it.
Uninstallation of the program should remove the Service as well.
Installation of invasive services without user consent should be a big no-no, but it appears to happen quite frequently.
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