Turning off updates on Windows 10

[chnapo]

tl,dr:

Guys, is there any way to turn off all updates on Windows 10? So that Windows will not check for them, will NOT download them and of course will not install them.

 

long story:

I tried to ask this on more forums, but there was no useful advice just "you should update your windows 10 regularly or blah blah blah end of the world blah blah armageddon blah blah"

1. I know it is said to be impossible to turn off updates on Windows 10. But, there is always a way, right?

2. I know that my PC will be vulnerable to attacks without security updates.

3. No I do not want my Windows 10 to update ever again no matter how good they are for me. Never ever again. No Windows updates at all, not even major ones, not minor ones, not security ones, not even updates that will prevent the computer from exploding. You are not going to convince me by any arguments. Please just help me.

4. The most important point is that Windows will not download them at all.

 

Why? Because the question is about my sister's laptop, which is used offline 99% of the time just to watch movies and THEN if it is connected to the internet, it is usually using cellular data in roaming. And I don't really want to pay for the data in roaming for all of the updates that gathered over the weeks of offline use. That is lots of money wasted.

I know there is an option in Windows that it will not download updates over cellular network. But Windows does not know that it is connected to wifi hotspot over cellular data. My sister is too young to take care about some settings. I want to set it up once for good so that the laptop will forget that updates ever existed. To make things worse, it is chinese laptop Yepo 737A and it only runs Windows 10 (no drivers for earlier Windows 7 or 8.1 and Ubuntu is not working as well due to booting and trackpad issues).

 

Thank you for advice.

Edited November 27, 2018 by chnapo
better explanation of the problem

[SkyHound0202]

You can try Windows 10 Enterprise LTSC. According to Microsoft, it intentionally receive no feature updates.

Quote

Microsoft never publishes feature updates through Windows Update on devices that run Windows 10 Enterprise LTSB. Instead, it typically offers new LTSC releases every 2–3 years, and organizations can choose to install them as in-place upgrades or even skip releases over a 10-year life cycle.

 

[Defrag Tech]

I kinda understand your situation. I have clients who always want this too... Cos they are on metered internet.

 

1. Open the Run command (Win + R), in it type: services.msc and press enter
2. From the Services list which appears find the Windows Update service and open it
3. In ‘Startup Type’ (under the ‘General’ tab) change it to ‘Disabled’
4. Restart
   
   Have you tried the step above and it still updates?

[Sauron]

One easy solution is to install windows 10 enterprise, although it's pretty expensive.

 

Other than that, there are a few guides on how to block it but they may no longer work on whichever version your sister has installed.

https://www.windowscentral.com/how-stop-updates-installing-automatically-windows-10

[NelizMastr]

You can't turn updates off, no. Even if you disable the service, It'll re-enable itself after some time.

 

But you can block updates going over a cellular connection if you mark that connection as such. 

 

https://www.laptopmag.com/articles/set-up-metered-connection-windows-10

[chnapo]

Wow guys you are fast. I had to wait days on other forums.
I can try the enterprise ltsb, but I would prefer to modify my current installation.

Turning off updates service will not work on security updates and any security updates (as far as I know) will overwrite my settings so it will download the other updates as well. Also the last time I tried to just disable the updates in services, Windows really complained about not being updated after some time.

[chnapo]

10 minutes ago, SkyHound0202 said:

You can try Windows 10 Enterprise LTSC. According to Microsoft, it intentionally receive no feature updates.

 

Ookay and security updates?

[SkyHound0202]

3 minutes ago, chnapo said:

Ookay and security updates?

Only monthly security update according to ComputerWorld.

[chnapo]

2 minutes ago, SkyHound0202 said:

Only monthly security update according to ComputerWorld.

Yeeah that sounds better but still not good enough for me. But the best option so far, thank you.

Alternatively (I may start new topic for that) can I somehow take drivers from 10 and apply them on 8.1? Everywhere on the internet is just about drivers from Windows XY working on 10 but if I manage to take my drivers from 10 and feed them to 8.1, I will just turn off all the updates on 8.1 and I will be SAFE AND FREEEEE

[Delicieuxz]

Windows 10 LTSB / LTSC is the best version of Windows 10 there is. Licenses for it can be bought for cheap from eBay.

 

However, even Windows 10 LTSC 1809 is suffering issues right now from Microsoft's low quality release of 1809, and it will have to receive some patches still before it all works like it's supposed to.

 

 

Regarding Windows Update, there are a bunch of ways to disable Windows Update in Windows 10.

 

 

Running Windows 10 with Windows Update turned off might be a lot safer than running it with Windows Update enabled, considering how many issues Windows 10 major updates cause. I certainly would have been spared having to completely reinstall everything on my PC a few times if I had never let Windows Update run in Windows 10.