Really, Really Delaying Windows Updates

[bluebolt]

My normal upkeep on family Windows 10 machines includes delaying updates for as long as possible.  My Windows 10 laptop is currently allowing me to defer updates for a long time.  Every time I open "Settings/Update & Security/Advanced options" it lets me select a date ever further in the future--as in over 600 years from now.

 

 

It's not a problem, it just struck me as odd, but then I seldom use Windows 10 myself.  I'm curious if anyone else has experienced this.

 

Edited August 16, 2023 by bluebolt

[NotHereToPlayGames]

My Win10 installs do not even have Windows Update capability.  I intentionally remove this capability, I don't just disable it, the capability is not even installed alongside my Win10 installation.

I will have to confirm from home.  It's possible I may have intentionally "broken it".  Unsure which direction I went.  I use WinReducerEX but I am unsure if "how to" guides fall within MSFN allowed content.

[D.Draker]

3 hours ago, NotHereToPlayGames said:

I am unsure if "how to" guides fall within MSFN allowed content.

Well, here are instructions on how to remove cortana and lots of other stuff from win10, even with a batch file provided. How yours will be different?

https://msfn.org/board/topic/177378-intergrate-popular-windows-telemetry-disabler-into-win10-install-iso/?do=findComment&comment=1149517

[NotHereToPlayGames]

Hmmm.  I was not an MSFN Member in 2018.  NTLite does not seem to hit recent discussions so I guess I assumed that tools of that nature were discouraged.

[D.Draker]

4 hours ago, NotHereToPlayGames said:

I guess I assumed that tools of that nature were discouraged.

I can't see such official statements anywhere on the site. Nothing in the rules either. 

[TSNH]

I think stopping and setting startup of Windows Update service (wuauserv) to disabled in services.msc should be enough to stop updates

[jaclaz]

1 hour ago, NotHereToPlayGames said:

Hmmm.  I was not an MSFN Member in 2018.  NTLite does not seem to hit recent discussions so I guess I assumed that tools of that nature were discouraged.

NTLite has its own support forum/community board since several years:

https://www.ntlite.com/community/index.php

and it is essentially a commercial software, unlike the previous Nlite (which - years before - was largely developed and supported on MSFN), no surprise that is not (anymore) talked about much here on MSFN (I believe that many MSFN members that are NTLite users are also members of that official support board).

jaclaz

 

 

[Dixel]

14 hours ago, TSNH said:

I think stopping and setting startup of Windows Update service (wuauserv) to disabled in services.msc should be enough to stop updates

I read it gets back on its own, I don't have links at hand now, sorry. But it was the reason people started to simply remove this service from their ISOs completely, like he did, before the install. And I think delaying doesn't stop from downloading them, so they still accumulate on HDD.

[UCyborg]

Same group policy that has been there since Windows 2000.

https://admx.help/?Category=Windows_10_2016&Policy=Microsoft.Policies.WindowsUpdate::AutoUpdateCfg

Except of you're running Home edition, in which case NoAutoUpdate registry setting in the background may or may not be effective. My impression is that it works in older builds, but not in newer builds.

To answer the question in the OP, I haven't experimented with update pausing function so far.

Edited August 16, 2023 by UCyborg

[D.Draker]

6 hours ago, UCyborg said:

Except of you're running Home edition, in which case NoAutoUpdate registry setting in the background may or may not be effective.

Not only Home, unfortunately.

"Windows Update Turns Itself Back On – How To Fix"

"Now, here comes the question, what if Windows Update turns itself back on? This problem occurs now and then and has bothered a lot of users.

Noticing this, I decide to provide some practical solutions to stop the Windows Update service."

https://www.minitool.com/news/fix-windows-update-turns-itself-back-on.html

[NotHereToPlayGames]

8 hours ago, Dixel said:

But it was the reason people started to simply remove this service from their ISOs completely, like he did, before the install.

Agreed.  Doing some digging, my older versions of Win10 have Windows Updates intentionally broken.

It will show up as a "service" but is disabled and the Settings -> Update status page is intentionally broken and no updates are ever installed "automatically" (I do update, but I update MANUALLY, never "automatically").

And it never turns itself back on (I do not recall if it did before all of my tweaks).

And yes, you are seeing this correct - Win10 is quick, snappy, and responsive with only ONE GB RAM once you tweak the "crap" out of it.

That said, Win10 2016 LTSB does show its age every once in a while and installers for some programs will not install unless on newer versions of Win10.

[Dixel]

That's very impressive! Really impressive! Though something to back this up would be nice. Care to make a tutorial? Though I never used Windows 10, I'm sure the others here will appreciate.

EDIT: LTSB versions are especially popular, from what I read on this website.

Edited August 17, 2023 by Dixel

[NotHereToPlayGames]

42 minutes ago, Dixel said:

Care to make a tutorial?

Nope, no plans to.  People want something they can just download and run.  They want the work done "for them".

The process also takes some trial-and-error for drivers (especially for some laptop webcams) and MSFN Members do not have the patience for trial-and-error DIY that requires time on their end.

There is also quite a bit of trial-and-error for .net framewoks and other things that Win10 doesn't install (or uninstall) by default until you go into Settings -> Programs and Features.

My install does all of these installs (and unistalls [XPS Printer comes to mind]) right from the first install.

There has been times where I will install a "hotfix update", but for the most part I do not believe in up-to-date OSs, the hype and propaganda for "security" is just that, hype and propaganda.

The typical MSFN Member does not share that belief, they want auto-update, they want every hotfix that Win Update throws at them, they loose sleep if they run an OS from 2016 without any updates post-2016.

The XP crowd is probably the exception - but even most of them want "stuff" like POSReady which I myself do not support.

Edited August 17, 2023 by NotHereToPlayGames

[Dixel]

This seems strange. I'm not sure I understand why you asked all those questions, if you clearly weren't going to publish anything.

Just posting for the sake of posting?

[NotHereToPlayGames]

What questions did I ask?  I don't recall "asking" any.