>>>Just install any package and see how each time the installer (if InstallShield) immediately wants to contact MS.
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>>It's actually MSInstaller. InstallShield is built around it, in its current incarnation.
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>Sorry, yes MSInstaller, quite right. WTH does that program need to tell MS what I am installing and without asking me first - no opt-out !
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>>>Just Google (sorry Bing) for "How can I opt out of Windows Customer Experience?" and see how many people are participating as a default setting without ever having been asked if they want to opt-in.
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>>I think I've found it, accidentally. Was trying to set a scheduled task, and found a whole bunch of things that run on sundays 1:00 or such times, many of which were about what they mis-name "experience" (or at least think they use it in a meaning different from "practical knowledge gained over the years of trials, errors and frustration"). Just disabled all of them. Now I'm experiencing a few slowdowns from time to time, I guess something is complaining about a service or component not running, and tries to find it.
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>In Windows 8 (maybe in Win7 too) if I block outbound connections from the OS then within a few seconds/minutes my internet connection stops working. I have tested this at least 10 times and get the same consistent result. I must allow the outbound connections from the OS (and there are about 3 or 4 different ones on start-up) or I lose internet access... Then I have to reboot and start again.

Did you try to block OS outgoing traffic to certain addresses only? After checking who is?