SOLVED How to Disable or Remove Windows 10 Automatic Updates

[rlsj]

About a year ago I upgraded a Windows 8 desktop to 10. Everything went swimmingly until, in the middle of work, a dialog box opened on the screen informing me that Windows would perform an update shortly and to save my work. No "Do you agree?" just "Save before reset" (not those exact words). That so infuriated me -- does Microsoft think it owns my machine? -- that I restored Windows 8.

I bought a new laptop recently. It seems that only Windows 10 is available. Now the same thing has happened. Before I trash the machine, can anyone advise me if it is possible to either disable (as you could do on earlier Windows) or remove entirely the automatic update function from Windows 10? (Please don't tell me the advantages of keeping it; Microsoft's arrogance is intolerable.) If so, how do I proceed?

No, I won't trash the machine, but I absolutely will not kneel to Microsoft. Instead I'll replace Windows with Ubuntu and run my Windows-essential applications under Wine.

Thank you for your attention.

--rLsj

 

[Tim Locke]

Ever since W10 has existed Microsoft has said loudly and publicly that updates cannot be disabled on the Home edition. This is just the way it is. FWIW there is a large update due on August 2nd or thereabouts.

Windows 10 does allow you to set 'active hours' and schedule restarts outside those hours.

People who have w10 pro or an enterprise licence can control updates, Pro can delay them and Enterprise users ( I think that includes some other cases) are expected to have an IT staff to check updates and release them when they have been tested against any line-of-business software.

Apart from any other updates, Windows Defender updates its signatures at least once a day.

So if you wont accept it then you could run Linux. Or possible get a legit OEM W7 disk and install it AFTER July 29th...we think that you will no longer be bugged to install W10...but as your PC has W10 you make need to totally empty the machine including a full reformat of the disk before you do that AND you may need to do lots of W7 updates ( unless you can get a slipstreamed disk)

 

[MrEd]

People who have w10 pro or an enterprise licence can control updates, Pro can delay so that IT staff can check updates and release them when they have been tested against any line-of-business software.

In W10 Pro, editing Group Policy allows upgrades to be delayed for up to 12 months and (patch Tuesday) updates to be delayed up to 4 weeks.