Disable Auto Update - best way?

[Mixmaster5]

Hi there 

 

Windows Auto Update is one of the most drastic implementations in Windows 10. Especially in a professional environment of video editing. Having the PC completly offline is sadly not an option for me. 

 

There are literally tons of tutorials out there of how you could disable the auto update, everybody takes a different approach – some work some others don't. My IT-Skills are limited and I don't want to damage anything. So I am looking for first hand experience and the EASIEST method possible. Also, should I decide to update on my own will, I would like to revert is easily. 

 

Would appreciate if you could share a tutorials with an easy but working method, if that exists. 

 

Thanks for the Help!

[NeuesTestament]

What version of Windows 10 are you using, because on Pro you can delay feature updates (which you definitely should if you need your PC to run smooth) in the settings for up to 500 days.

 

[Mixmaster5]

I have Windows 10 Pro. Yes I can delay it, but only up to 30 days...what I'm looking for is an option where I can decide when I want to update...which is the way it should be anyway. 

[GoodBytes]

3 hours ago, Mixmaster5 said:

Windows Auto Update is one of the most drastic implementations in Windows 10. Especially in a professional environment of video editing. Having the PC completly offline is sadly not an option for me. 

The downtime is scheduled.

• Everyday, Windows Defender Virus/Malware definition update is delivered. No restart required. Small size. You probbaly never noticed it.
• Tuesday of every week, a security update is delivered. Hence the term, Patch Tuesday.
• Twice a year, usually April/May and October/November month, expect a feature update to be released. The day you actually get it depends on the wave you are in, and if you have update block in place that affects you, which may delay the release of update to you by a week to a few months.

Controlling updates. Windows 10 allows you to control when updates are installed:

• Make sure you configure System Maintenance schedule to a time where the system may be able to perform update checks. Start > type: Maintenance, and pick: Security & Maintenance. A panle will open, in it, expand "maintenance", and click on the blue link: "Change maintenance settings"
• Set Active Hours. Active Hours are range of time where Windows will hold the restart of the system. Start > Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update > Change Active hours. On the following coming up this May update, Windows will monitor your activity and automatically set the Active Hoursd range for you, if you did not set it up before or overriden it with your define settings.
• Pause update up to 7 days (after the May update, you can pause for up to 35 days regardless of your edition of Windows). 
• Show a Win7-style warning message box when restart of teh system is needed. You can enable this under: Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update > Advanced Options, and make sure the option: "Show a notification when your PC requires a restart to finish updating" is enabled.
• In the May update, you can manually update to the latest Feature Update once it comes. You have up to the end of life of your current version of Windows 10 to upgrade, else it will force the update as before.

 

3 hours ago, Mixmaster5 said:

There are literally tons of tutorials out there of how you could disable the auto update, everybody takes a different approach – some work some others don't. My IT-Skills are limited and I don't want to damage anything. So I am looking for first hand experience and the EASIEST method possible. Also, should I decide to update on my own will, I would like to revert is easily. 

the proper way is doing the above. Everything you see are mostly unofficial ones, and as a result varies between Windows 10 version you have.

 

3 hours ago, Mixmaster5 said:

Thanks for the Help!

Keeping your system up to date is the best way to be productive by enjoying the latest features which may help your workflow, and also keep your ystsem secure which reduces downtime.

[Mixmaster5]

21 hours ago, GoodBytes said:

The downtime is scheduled.

• Everyday, Windows Defender Virus/Malware definition update is delivered. No restart required. Small size. You probbaly never noticed it.
•  Tuesday of every week, a security update is delivered. Hence the term, Patch Tuesday.
•  Twice a year, usually April/May and October/November month, expect a feature update to be released. The day you actually get it depends on the wave you are in, and if you have update block in place that affects you, which may delay the release of update to you by a week to a few months.

 Controlling updates. Windows 10 allows you to control when updates are installed:

• Make sure you configure System Maintenance schedule to a time where the system may be able to perform update checks. Start > type: Maintenance, and pick: Security & Maintenance. A panle will open, in it, expand "maintenance", and click on the blue link: "Change maintenance settings"
• Set Active Hours. Active Hours are range of time where Windows will hold the restart of the system. Start > Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update > Change Active hours. On the following coming up this May update, Windows will monitor your activity and automatically set the Active Hoursd range for you, if you did not set it up before or overriden it with your define settings.
•  Pause update up to 7 days (after the May update, you can pause for up to 35 days regardless of your edition of Windows). 
• Show a Win7-style warning message box when restart of teh system is needed. You can enable this under: Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update > Advanced Options, and make sure the option: "Show a notification when your PC requires a restart to finish updating" is enabled.
• In the May update, you can manually update to the latest Feature Update once it comes. You have up to the end of life of your current version of Windows 10 to upgrade, else it will force the update as before.

 

 the proper way is doing the above. Everything you see are mostly unofficial ones, and as a result varies between Windows 10 version you have.

  

Keeping your system up to date is the best way to be productive by enjoying the latest features which may help your workflow, and also keep your ystsem secure which reduces downtime.

 Thanks for your reply. Keeping the machince up to date is definitely not the easiest way to enjoy the machine – the internet is filled with exaples of issues cause by Windows Updates. While a user who only uses internet, word and simple software might not notice a difference (except the machine getting slower over time) – someone who works in a professional environment knows the struggle: an update (especially the bigger ones) can mess up your workflow and adds features you wouldn't even need. 

 

So while I appreciate the detailed information you shared, it sadly doesn't provide the option I'm looking for (except I misunderstood something). 

[GoodBytes]

4 minutes ago, Mixmaster5 said:

 Thanks for your reply. Keeping the machince up to date is definitely not the easiest way to enjoy the machine – the internet is filled with exaples of issues cause by Windows Updates. While a user who only uses internet, word and simple software might not notice a difference (except the machine getting slower over time) – someone who works in a professional environment knows the struggle: an update (especially the bigger ones) can mess up your workflow and adds features you wouldn't even need. 

People have issue, but million don't. You have no idea what they have done on their system to have the issue. I am not going to say that any software updates are perfect, and things happens, and on top of that, consumer hardware is only reliable between 95-97%, so corruption while doing is possible, including hardware failure. But if a person got a virus at some point in time who modified system files (just an example), then one day he he gets a updated Windows, and because this time it touched the file that was affect by that virus (remember that anti-virus/malware only remove the infection, it doesn't fix the system files, and registry changes it has done, if any) something breaks this time. Maybe that person that had an issue with Windows update had flaky internet that day because where he is, and the download got corrupted, maybe he/she uses system tweak tool that actually modifiy system files, or buggy and does things it should not do because the creator doens't know what the command and things it needs to do to do thing, actually does, and just executes it. 

 

Going with the logic of "if it works, don't touch", is absolutly wrong. This has caused more harm in the industry than good. That is why Microsoft has started to force things, and where processivly aggressive at every version of Windows coming out. Same for OSX and iOS. It has already happen, many times, where you have zombie computers, old system, never updated by the user, infected, that does nothing.... beside being part of a series of infected computers ready to execute DDoS attack on sleect servers to whom is willing to pay. The more your spend, the more you have system to use for your attack, and the longer you can do your attack, or used a jump to do an attack on a server, you, unprotected against being found. And technically speaking, it is YOUR responsibility if that happens, as it is your computer, and you purposefully negleteced to do the provide the required maintenance (although this has yet to be enforced, in any country that has such law, to my knowlege, unless only fines where given, I don't know).

 

It is nice to say "Well, I only go on legit sites and only download legit things from the source". That will probably prevent most viruses and malware, but not all. You can get remotly infected. A site that you visite, can have ads where the ad platform has been infected, and uses your web browser to execute an attack as you visited the page. And the web browser might not be able to do much as the exploits makes teh web browser use a system API, and the security flaw is in the system API not in the web browser.  You may say "nonesnese", well how many sites you visite that had those scam ads "you are 1 million'th visitor, click here to win prize", and "you have 20000 viruses! Scan now!". And agency dont' approve of these, beside the sketchy ones which a sketchy web site might go with, but outside of those, they are compromised ads agency servers where these ads where injected or a security flaw in the delivery of ads to sites.

 

More and more companies learn the hardway of not taking security seriously. Microsoft efforts under WIndows has help reduce a lot of comprimised system. This is why there was a rise of ransomeware, as it became too hard to do successful virus infection that actually brings.

 

4 minutes ago, Mixmaster5 said:

So while I appreciate the detailed information you shared, it sadly doesn't provide the option I'm looking for (except I misunderstood something). 

I know that I am not answering your question. I choose to not answer it, because you should keep your system up-to-date.

 

[homeap5]

Well, I'm "pro-choice", so I can give you method that someone may approve or not.

 

First something I don't really believe, but lot of people recommend it (probably as nice placebo):

If you have Windows Pro - win+r, type "gpedit.msc", open Windows Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Windows Update, find "Configure Audomatic Updates" and select "Disable". This is not something that prevents automatic updates, but its still something you may treat as additional option.

 

And now something that is more important if you really want to disable updates:

 

Download O&O ShutUp 10 and disable everything in section "Windows Update". Unlike some people here says, O&O ShutUp 10 don't mess with your system. In fact this program do nothing drastic - it just set some settings that are available to user and add/change some registry entries. This is not some update blocker or other program that removes some Windows components. And you can always revert changes.

 

If you have win10 1809, it will work better than in previous versions of Windows. You can even check (after restart) Control Panel > Update & Security > Windows Update and you'll see "Your organization has turned off automatic updates". Unlike some previous version of Windows, in 1809 version you can still press "Check for updates" and they will be downloaded/installed then. Or just checked and you may decide if you want to download them if you change more entries in gpedit.

 

Good luck and don't be afraid - it's only operating system after all, not some defense system that starts WW III if you do something wrong. Your system - your choice.

[Delicieuxz]

There's a lengthy list of different ways to disable Windows Update in this thread:

 

 

Pick one and enjoy have a PC that's secured from Microsoft threats.

 

This should be in a sticky, IMO.