I've been working on a case with Microsoft for the past year and we finally might have found the underlying issue. In trying to verify whether the issue was correctly identified Microsoft created a private fix for us.
To install this fix you have to jump through a few hoops but it is pretty straight forward.
And while getting your system out of the test mode is just as easy as getting it into test mode - removing the desktop watermark seems to be a different story. Until you know how to.
But lets begin at the top.
What is the Windows 10 Test Mode? Why would I want to use it?
Windows 10 Test Mode is a temporary Windows State which allows you to perform certain tests on software and drivers not approved by Microsoft. Developers can evaluate the real-time performance and examine how the code holds up in daily use.
This mode is designed for professional developers and if you are a normal user, you had better turn off Test Mode Windows 10 because Windows will not perform any security check when this mode is enabled.
The private fix was sent to me in the form of a .zip-archive containing a "readme.txt" and the patch as .exe-file, in this case "Windows10.0-KB230119-x64-InstallForTestingPurposesOnly.exe". The KB-number here is just simply the date in YYMMDD format of when the patch was built.
The "readme.txt" file contained the instructions on how to prepare the system for installation, install the patch and afterwards get it back to the original state.
The preparation step goes as follows:
NOTES:
This package is for testing purposes only and should not be applied to production machines if possible.
Installing this package will place the Windows version, "For Testing Purposes only" and TEST MODE watermarks on the desktop.
These watermarks indicate that a private fix is installed and cannot be avoided.
BITLOCKER:
If the system is configured with Bitlocker drive encryption you will be prompted for the recovery key on reboot if you don't pause Bitlocker before executing the BCDEDIT command.
Secure Boot:
If secure boot is enabled, it will need to be disabled to complete the next step.
This will likely need a reboot to change this setting.
Enable test signing:
In an Elevated CMD prompt Execute "bcdedit /set testsigning on"
Afterwards you can install the patch itself:
To install and test the fix:
Copy the file to the test system
In an Elevated CMD prompt Execute the package
Reboot
Attempt to reproduce the problem
After the reboot and if everything has worked you should see a test mode watermark in the bottom right corner of your desktop that looks something like this:
Once you are done testing you need to remove the test patch from your system so it does not interfere with the cumulative Windows patches.
To remove the test fix:
Access Control Panel Programs and Features
Select View installed updates
Select Hotfix for Microsoft Windows (230119) (FOR TESTING PURPOSES ONLY) and choose uninstall.
In an elevated CMD prompt execute, "bcdedit /set testsigning off"
Reboot
If secure boot was previously enabled, re-enable secure boot.
If Bitlocker is in use, resume bitlocker.
And usually this should be it. Usually.
In this case however, parts of the watermark stuck around the desktop - except the "Test Mode" at the top was gone.
No "guide" on the internet that I had found had the correct answer to this particular problem. You will find a lot of sites that will recommand the "bcdedit /set testsigning off" command listed above. Other sites will make you run "bcdedit.exe /set loadoptions ENABLE_INTEGRITY_CHECKS". You will find references to "mcbuilder.exe". The usual "sfc /scannow", ... you name it.
Remember: Do NOT run any commands random people on the internet posted if you do not know what their purpose is.
Anyway, none of this stuff helped in my case. The watermark was apparently there to stay.
That was, until I asked the Microsoft engineer working on the case and while he did not have a solution at hand because he had not encountered that issue before he got back to me with a fix within a day.
If you open "certlm.msc" for the local machine's certificate management console and navigate to "Trusted Root Certification Authorities" > "Certificates" you will find the following two Microsoft Test/ing certificates:
Simply delete these two certificates and refresh your desktop by pressing F5. Gone is the watermark. At least in my case it was.
Pretty easy. And to be honest, not at all intuitive. ;)
Now I just need to wait and hope that the stuff fixed in the private patch will really make it into the cumulative update for March 2023. *fingers crossed*
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