Disabling Windows 10 updates?

[tirediron]

Does anyone have a definitive process for preventing Windows 10 from updating? I have read dozens, if not hundreds of guides, posts, etc, and so far NONE of them have worked. I am REALLY getting sick of having to restore my computer each time this happens.

 

[SCraig]

Yes. Run SERVICES.MSC and look for the service named "Windows Update". Double-click it and click the [Stop] button under "Service Status". Then change the "Startup Type" to disabled.

As long as that service is disabled you will not get any updates. Period. If you decide you want to update the system just go back and change it back to "Automatic" startup type, click [Start] to start the service running, and the system will then update itself on schedule. I did that literally the first day I got a Win10 machine and I'm still running version 1609.

 

[Overread]

If Craig's idea doesn't work then the only way would be to disconnect the internet from it.
Windows 10 was MS pushing for updates being controlled by them rather than the user, from their point of view it makes support a lot easier if everyone has to run the latest version of their software. That said the updates for Win10 seem to be VERY disruptive. I know in the computer game world there have been more than a few updates that randomly stop games and other software running.

 

[smoke665]

Yeah the latest update didn't like my older Symantec corporate security software. It kicked out part way through giving me only the option of uninstalling the security before i proceed. I just got the security update but haven't had time to finish the process. I always have this feeling of dread going into these kind of updates.

 

[gk fotografie]

Depends on whether you have a Win10 Pro or Home edition.
Pro edition you can stop auto update, Home edition you cannot stop auto update straight away, but need a little trick.
Go to "settings" click on network and internet, click on Wi-Fi and then click on the indicated network connection (that is the connection by which your computer is connected to the internet via router), in the screen that appears now you search for "connection with a data limit" and slide the switch to ON.
(things are called differently in Dutch, so I hope my explanation is correct)
Win10 now thinks you have a limited data connection and will no longer automatically update, this trick does not work when you have an ethernet connection.
This setting will also have several disadvantages, because certain apps no longer work so fast and you've to provide every single computer in the network with the same Wi-Fi setting, otherwise this possibility does not work at all.
If you think these disadvantages are worth it, may be you try this.

 

[jcdeboever]

Very disruptive st work. Another reason to build a Linux box or in our case as photogs, get a Mac. Windows 10 is a POS, sorry but that is my opinion. I loathe it.

 

[Fstop-]

I fought with Windows 8 updates it was a losing battle. I would find a way, the setting would change. I do not belive it is possible in the long run.

 

[tirediron]

Thanks all... off to try those suggestions!

 

[BananaRepublic]

Does anyone have a definitive process for preventing Windows 10 from updating? I have read dozens, if not hundreds of guides, posts, etc, and so far NONE of them have worked. I am REALLY getting sick of having to restore my computer each time this happens.

Unplug it.

I heard windows are dropping support from more stuff is that true, windows 7 or 8 or something.

 

[VidThreeNorth]

Celebration Time!

I will start by explaining that I have always distributed my work over more than one "main" computer. In the past I tried to do backups. Lately I have been letting that go. My "main" computers are usually a pair (on occasion I have split off work between three computers). One is a "econo-box" that runs on a smaller lower output power supply and slower processor. The other is the "hot-box". It has a bigger power supply and faster processor. That is the one I use for most of my video work, and large still photo work.

About late-November, the "hot-box" had a problem. It would not boot. As far as I can tell now, it was due to a combination of two programs trying to auto-update at the same time (Mozilla Firefox version 56 and AVG anti-virus). The anti-virus is particularly dangerous to update because it is a deep installer. These had an additional problem because the updates tried to run while I was in a "restricted" account which needs to have an extra "login" as an administrator to run.

And then there was a power failure. My uninterruptable power supply had malfunctioned a while back with a storage battery failure. So I had to order a new battery for it. Something in that combination of conflicting updates and power failure caused the boot problem. I did not try to recover the computer until I had replaced the power supply battery (which I did a couple of weeks ago).

Today, I plugged in the Recovery Drive (USB memory key) and ran the re-start. It worked, and I did not lose anything. I ran the updates, which had hitches (the Firefox was a major update which required un-installing the older version), and the AVG was also a substantially "new and improved" version.

But I do not think it would have happened if the programs were not trying to update at the same time. If I had controlled the updates as usual, I would have been informed of the updates and I would have installed them one at a time. In that case the power failure probable would not have been an exceptional event either. I am fairly sure that it took all three events to cause the failure.

Really, these companies have become "update crazy". It is partly the fault of young people who do not know anything except "updates are wonderful".

Anyway, time to break out "the good stuff". Oh wait. Nope, I forgot, I have this pile of work that was trapped on that computer to catch up.

Arrghh! :-0

 

[SCraig]

I heard windows are dropping support from more stuff is that true, windows 7 or 8 or something.

No company can be expected to support every version forever, so in that respect it will always be true.

The Microsoft site indicates that support for Win 7 is through 1/14/2020 and for Win 8 through 1/10/2023.

Windows 10 is considered to be "Software As A Service" in that it will never really be finished (IMO every so-called "Update" is a Beta version) so I don't know how they will handle that.

 

[ac12]

The problem I have with the Win10 updates are two:

#1 - The downloads can be BIG. So the download can clog your internet connection. And the computer slows down while this BIG file is being downloaded.

#2 - The restart can take a LONG time. This is the PAINFUL part of the update, as the computer is useless during this time. Most irritating is that you do not know how long the update restart will take, 5 minutes or an hour. This is why I HATE auto updating programs. At work (several years ago), I came in and turned on the computer, and it went into auto update for some program, and I could not do any work until it finished. This was REALLY irritating when I had to get something done FAST, like for a presentation in an hour. Google Chrome was one of the guilty programs, and once I figured that out, it was quickly removed from the computer.

I did the registry hack to turn off Win10 auto update. Now it tells me there is something to download, and it tells me to restart. So I can do both when I have to time to let it run. It does not do it on it's own.

 

[Cortian]

Disabling automatic updates on MS-Windows, or any OS, for that matter, is not a particularly wise idea.

I'll probably get more than a little push-back for this, but...

Get away from Microsoft Windows. Why? You're condemned if you do and you're condemned if you don't. If you do run updates regularly you risk the update making your life miserable. If you don't stay updated you risk of bad actors making your life miserable.

If you haven't the tech chops to run open source stuff (e.g.: Linux), or need, really need apps that run only on closed-source operating systems: Then Apple is the way I'd go.

I've been working with operating systems since before Microsoft DOS existed. Just this last summer I retired after 25 years in IT--with another 15 years in computer hardware and software design before that. I have to say that, to this day, some 37 years since MS-DOS first appeared, I find the amount and frequency of abuse Microsoft's customers appear willing to endure a never-ending source of astonishment. And that's no exaggeration.

Unless you need, really need Microsoft Windows for something: Run away. Run away from it as fast and far as you can. Do not look back.

(Yes, we hates MS-Windows, we does. We hates it. We hates it forever.)

 

[SamSW]

Disabling automatic updates on MS-Windows, or any OS, for that matter, is not a particularly wise idea.

I'll probably get more than a little push-back for this, but...

Get away from Microsoft Windows. Why? You're condemned if you do and you're condemned if you don't. If you do run updates regularly you risk the update making your life miserable. If you don't stay updated you risk of bad actors making your life miserable.

If you haven't the tech chops to run open source stuff (e.g.: Linux), or need, really need apps that run only on closed-source operating systems: Then Apple is the way I'd go.

I've been working with operating systems since before Microsoft DOS existed. Just this last summer I retired after 25 years in IT--with another 15 years in computer hardware and software design before that. I have to say that, to this day, some 37 years since MS-DOS first appeared, I find the amount and frequency of abuse Microsoft's customers appear willing to endure a never-ending source of astonishment. And that's no exaggeration.

Unless you need, really need Microsoft Windows for something: Run away. Run away from it as fast and far as you can. Do not look back.

(Yes, we hates MS-Windows, we does. We hates it. We hates it forever.)

That's what I did. I've used almost every version of Windows since 3.11, but I don't like the direction they've gone with it after Windows 7. I've setup and run numerous versions of Linux over the years, but ultimately ended up with a Mac. Yes it cost more, but I have the stability of a Unix-based OS along with commercial apps such as Photoshop and EA games.