Thanks Magneet and TechGuy129
I'm a little hesitant to change the permissions on the registry entry only because I want to easily be able to turn the service back on in the master image when I want to install updates on my terms (but if I have to I'll take that route!).
I checked today and unfortunately the service started up again on the master image and on the clone. Here is the list of scheduled tasks I disabled in the master image without luck (the list comes from the VMware Optimization Tool)
schtasks /Change /TN "\Microsoft\Windows\Defrag\ScheduledDefrag" /Disable
schtasks /Change /TN "\Microsoft\Windows\AppID\SmartScreenSpecific" /Disable
schtasks /Change /TN "\Microsoft\Windows\Application Experience\Microsoft Compatibility Appraiser" /Disable
schtasks /Change /TN "\Microsoft\Windows\Application Experience\ProgramDataUpdater" /Disable
schtasks /Change /TN "\Microsoft\Windows\Application Experience\StartupAppTask" /Disable
schtasks /Change /TN "\Microsoft\Windows\Autochk\Proxy" /Disable
schtasks /Change /TN "\Microsoft\Windows\Bluetooth\UninstallDeviceTask" /Disable
schtasks /Change /TN "\Microsoft\Windows\Chkdsk\ProactiveScan" /Disable
schtasks /Change /TN "\Microsoft\Windows\CloudExperienceHost\CreateObjectTask" /Disable
schtasks /Change /TN "\Microsoft\Windows\Customer Experience Improvement Program\Consolidator" /Disable
schtasks /Change /TN "\Microsoft\Windows\Customer Experience Improvement Program\KernelCeipTask" /Disable
schtasks /Change /TN "\Microsoft\Windows\Customer Experience Improvement Program\UsbCeip" /Disable
schtasks /Change /TN "\Microsoft\Windows\Diagnosis\Scheduled" /Disable
schtasks /Change /TN "\Microsoft\Windows\DiskCleanup\SilentCleanup" /Disable
schtasks /Change /TN "\Microsoft\Windows\DiskDiagnostic\Microsoft-Windows-DiskDiagnosticDataCollector" /Disable
schtasks /Change /TN "\Microsoft\Windows\DiskDiagnostic\Microsoft-Windows-DiskDiagnosticResolver" /Disable
schtasks /Change /TN "\Microsoft\Windows\Feedback\Siuf\DmClient" /Disable
schtasks /Change /TN "\Microsoft\Windows\FileHistory\File History (maintenance mode)" /Disable
schtasks /Change /TN "\Microsoft\Windows\Location\Notifications" /Disable
schtasks /Change /TN "\Microsoft\Windows\Maintenance\WinSAT" /Disable
schtasks /Change /TN "\Microsoft\Windows\Maps\MapsToastTask" /Disable
schtasks /Change /TN "\Microsoft\Windows\Maps\MapsUpdateTask" /Disable
schtasks /Change /TN "\Microsoft\Windows\MemoryDiagnostic\ProcessMemoryDiagnosticEvents" /Disable
schtasks /Change /TN "\Microsoft\Windows\MemoryDiagnostic\RunFullMemoryDiagnostic" /Disable
schtasks /Change /TN "\Microsoft\Windows\Mobile Broadband Accounts\MNO Metadata Parser" /Disable
schtasks /Change /TN "\Microsoft\Windows\Power Efficiency Diagnostics\AnalyzeSystem" /Disable
schtasks /Change /TN "\Microsoft\Windows\RAS\MobilityManager" /Disable
schtasks /Change /TN "\Microsoft\Windows\Registry\RegIdleBackup" /Disable
schtasks /Change /TN "\Microsoft\Windows\Servicing\StartComponentCleanup" /Disable
schtasks /Change /TN "\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\FamilySafetyMonitor" /Disable
schtasks /Change /TN "\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\FamilySafetyRefreshTask" /Disable
schtasks /Change /TN "\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\IndexerAutomaticMaintenance" /Disable
schtasks /Change /TN "\Microsoft\Windows\SystemRestore\SR" /Disable
schtasks /Change /TN "\Microsoft\Windows\TPM\Tpm-Maintenance" /Disable
schtasks /Change /TN "\Microsoft\Windows\UPnP\UPnPHostConfig" /Disable
schtasks /Change /TN "\Microsoft\Windows\WDI\ResolutionHost" /Disable
schtasks /Change /TN "\Microsoft\Windows\Windows Defender\Windows Defender Cache Maintenance" /Disable
schtasks /Change /TN "\Microsoft\Windows\Windows Defender\Windows Defender Cleanup" /Disable
schtasks /Change /TN "\Microsoft\Windows\Windows Defender\Windows Defender Scheduled Scan" /Disable
schtasks /Change /TN "\Microsoft\Windows\Windows Defender\Windows Defender Verification" /Disable
schtasks /Change /TN "\Microsoft\Windows\Windows Error Reporting\QueueReporting" /Disable
schtasks /Change /TN "\Microsoft\Windows\Windows Filtering Platform\BfeonServiceStartTypeChange" /Disable
schtasks /Change /TN "\Microsoft\Windows\Windows Media Sharing\UpdateLibrary" /Disable
schtasks /Change /TN "\Microsoft\Windows\WOF\WIM-Hash-Management" /Disable
schtasks /Change /TN "\Microsoft\Windows\WOF\WIM-Hash-Validation" /Disable
There are 4 scheduled tasks having to do with Windows Updates that are not listed above, I am going to add them to my lists of scheduled tasks to disable and see how I make out.
They are....
\Microsoft\Windows\WindowsUpdate\Automatic App Update
\Microsoft\Windows\WindowsUpdate\Scheduled Start
\Microsoft\Windows\WindowsUpdate\sih
\Microsoft\Windows\WindowsUpdate\sihboot
I would think a ton of other people are dealing with this, no?!?!?!
Thanks!