Disable Software Inventory Logging via Regedit

Software Inventory Logging (SIL) in Windows Server collects data about installed software and server roles, sending reports to a central aggregation point. While useful for licensing compliance and system tracking, administrators may wish to turn it off to conserve system resources or adhere to internal privacy policies. This guide provides direct, step-by-step instructions on how to disable the Software Inventory Logging feature in Windows Server by modifying the system registry.

Steps to Disable Software Inventory Logging in Registry

Step 1: Open the Registry Editor

  1. Press Windows Key + R on your keyboard to launch the Run dialog box.
  2. Type regedit and press Enter (or click OK).
  3. If prompted by User Account Control (UAC), click Yes to grant administrative permissions.

Step 2: Navigate to the SIL Key

In the Registry Editor address bar or left-hand navigation pane, go to the following path:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\SoftwareInventoryLogging

Note: If the SoftwareInventoryLogging key does not exist under Windows, right-click on the Windows key, select New > Key, and name it SoftwareInventoryLogging.

Step 3: Modify the Collection State

  1. In the right pane of the SoftwareInventoryLogging key, locate the DWORD (32-bit) value named CollectionState.
  2. If CollectionState does not exist, right-click on an empty space in the right pane, select New > DWORD (32-bit) Value, and name it CollectionState.
  3. Double-click CollectionState to edit it.
  4. Set the Value data to 0 to disable the feature (1 enables it).
  5. Click OK.

To ensure the underlying service does not attempt to run background processes, disable the service startup via the registry:

  1. Navigate to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\SilSvc
  2. In the right pane, double-click the Start DWORD value.
  3. Change the Value data to 4 (Disabled).
  4. Click OK.

Step 5: Apply Changes

Close the Registry Editor and restart the server to ensure all registry modifications take effect and the Software Inventory Logging service stops execution entirely.