Tame Windows 10 Updates — sort of
Windows 10 Home is a little sparse on the control you have over Windows Updates; Windows Pro is only better because it lets you delay updates for several months – but you still have to install them.
But you do have options. We’re going to cover Windows 10 Home – because most of you have that version – if you are running Windows 10 Pro, the settings are very similar.
OK jury, take a look at exhibit A below. By default Windows 10 will automatically download and install updates if you don’t change the settings under “Choose how updates are installed” under Advanced options” —> Click Start–>Settings—>Update & security —> Windows Update —>Advanced. If you do all that you’ll find yourself starting at Exhibit A.
To gain some modicum of control over Windows 10 Windows Update, change “Automatic” to “Notify to schedule restart” and uncheck “Give me updates for other Microsoft Products when I update Windows”. Then you can schedule when the updates will be installed.
Now, my friends, check out Exhibit B below.
Click on Exhibit B above to see Exhibit C which is a larger version (more readable) of Exhibit B.
As you can see from either Exhibit B or C — depending on how good your eye sight is – You can get stop Windows 10 from automatically updating your drivers. Press Windows Key + E to open File Explorer. Find “This PC” in the list in the left pane and choose “Properties” and click “Advanced System Settings” in the left panel. Now click the Hardware tab in the Advanced System Settings Dialog and click the button labeled “Device installation settings” and under “Do you want Windows to download drive software and realistic icons for your devices?” uncheck “Yes, do this automatically (recommended)” and tick the circle next to ” Never install driver software from Windows Update.” Make sure the box next to “Automatically get the device app and info provided by your device manufacturer” is ticked.
Now for all the conspiracy theorists who say you can’t do a thing about Windows 10 updates, that Microsoft will ram them down your throat and you can’t do anything about it, they sure didn’t do their homework – but they sure made a lot of people angry at Microsoft.
Finally, the proof, as they say, is in the pudding. You can uninstall any update you want by opening Control Panel—>Programs –> Programs and Features —> Installed Updates (see Exhibit D below):
Now right click on any old update you want and choose “Uninstall”…see Exhibit E below… and choose “Uninstall” from the right-click menu.
I’m tired of Exhibits. By now you should know you have more control over Windows Updates than those conspiracy-theory bloggers and journalists would have you believe.
Now, keep in mind we are not recommending any of the settings changes shown here. It’s up to you. If you don’t trust Microsoft and you want to have some degree of control over Windows Updates, this is how you do it.
I installed win. 10 this morning and the first thing I checked was windows update. there is a selection box for downloads and microsoft suggested downloads that have nothing to do with how your computer operates. So I unchected the box and checked the one that lets me see what is there before installing it.
Being a novice at all this Windows 10 updates stuff, I’m assuming that “if it’s not broken, don’t fix it”. Why exactly would one not want the updates? Wouldn’t Microsoft know what’s best to keep the system working properly, or am I missing something?
JP I think Microsoft should know what’s best. However, a lot of us have seen Microsoft ‘fix things that aren’t broken’ & cause more problems than they fix. As a result. I want to know what is being installed on my machine & I will decide when it is restarted. Microsoft has a bad habit of installing recommended updates that are of no use for anything other than bogging my machine down. The end result for most of us is that we don’t trust Microsoft.
This article from Ghacks.net http://tinyurl.com/pgmotk9 says that the pre-installed apps (which may or maynot be removable) are included in the mandatory Win10 updates.. What other crapware is preinstalled with Win10, and will PCDecrapifier work to removed them?
Is this mandatory updating also including what used to be “optional” updates on prior OS versions?
Muriel, Muriel, Muriel 🙂 You know to believe 25% of what you read. I kind of addressed this sort of thing here. Apple and Android have been doing everything Microsoft is doing with Windows 10. The big mistake Microsoft made with Windows 10 is making it too popular too fast. There are already more Windows 10 users than Windows 8 users and it took Windows 10 less than two weeks. If you want privacy, use Linux. 🙂
MamaWolf…OK, I’m with you, but how does a novice determine which updates to choose to update and cancel the useless ones?
I was looking forward to the WIndows 10 upgrade until I read the following article – can you please confirm any of the claims? Now I will NOT upgrade as I have downloaded music in the past & an occasional movie
http://www.forbes.com/sites/gordonkelly/2015/08/17/windows-10s-pirated-software-searches/
I look forward to hearing from you guys
Cheers, Tee
We have covered this many times…there are a lot of people making a lot of money by scaring a lot of people about Windows 10. I’ll give you the short defense of Microsoft. Microsoft is a business, not a government agency. Microsoft relies on customers to thrive – and to survive. The government can’t keep secrets very well and that’s with the heavy hand of the law behind it; how long to you think Microsoft would be able to carry out surveillance of or spying on their customers or otherwise jeopardizing customer privacy before some employee or executive blew the whistle on this activity?
Finally, Microsoft is not doing anything that Apple and Android operating systems have been doing for years. No one bothered to write sensational articles scaring people about Apple – it’s not cool to write bad things about Apple. Google (Android) did have some bad press for a bit but not that much and, because, like the article you cite, it was based no nothing but speculation and the author’s and publisher’s desire to capitalize on people’s fears and thus draw in readers and thus make money.