# Is there any way to stop ALL windows 10 updates



## britechguy (Dec 6, 2019)

My friends computer keeps on crashing whenever it get a new Windows 10 update. HOW do I stop ALL windows 10 updates. If it turn off the updates it reactivates them later. So how to do it permanently?

You don't. And you should not or you open yourself to all kinds of very nasty security problems.

What version of Windows 10 is running on this machine? [Hit the Windows key, immediately type _winver_, then hit enter.

This sort of behavior is just as likely to be a result of someone having previously blocked a necessary update that later updates depend upon.

It would make more sense either Doing a Windows 10 Repair Install or Feature Update Using the Windows 10 ISO file  to see if that fixes the issue and, if not, then Doing a Completely Clean (Re)install of Windows 10 Using Media Creation Tool to Fetch the Win10 ISO File (but since you'll have already downloaded the ISO file for the repair install, you can pick up on the instructions after the point where you already have it.

She never goes on the internet except for email. She does not want to "waste" money on a computer when the one she has works fine except for the update problem. So if updates can be disabled all her problems go away.



KnowALittle said:


> She never goes on the internet except for email. She does not want to "waste" money on a computer when the one she has works fine except for the update problem. So if updates can be disabled all her problems go away.


So, she goes on the internet. It is utterly, completely foolish not to actually fix the root problem.

I will not, and no decent computer technician ever will, tell anyone how to disable all operating system updates even if we know a technique for doing so, as that way lies madness (and it's just plain stupid).

I gave you excellent advice earlier. It's your choice whether to follow it or not, but I will not be offering any assistance that targets stopping Windows Updates. It's just plain dumb.

I have to agree something is just wrong either the Windows 10 install is corrupted or a driver is wrong. Burying your head in the sand by trying to off Windows Updates just makes no sense as updates are there to fix issues especially in security. I would check all drivers are proper, there is no dumb dinosaur antivirus product installed such as Norton, Trend Micro or MacAfee which not only won't protect you but can easily cause compatibility issues as they struggle desperately to survive in a world of security that just cannot accept them. And if its none of that time to reinstall Windows 10 newest version carefully.



KnowALittle said:


> HOW do I stop ALL windows 10 updates.


Wipe the drive and install Linux. The Microsoft Windows operating system is no good to you if you won't keep it up to date.

I agree with Dave, if you want an OS where updating is not so critical to security, then Linux is a possible solution.

Because Windows is the most popular desktop OS (90% + market share), it is consequently the one most targeted by Malware writers, and it is therefore critical that it is kept updated. Even the briefest connection to the Internet with an unpatched Windows computer risks infection.

Linux on the other hand has only about 3% of the desktop market, and accordingly is not as targeted, so it's not as essential that it is kept 100% up to date.



Gary R said:


> Because Windows is the most popular desktop OS (90% + market share), it is consequently the one most targeted by Malware writers, and it is therefore critical that it is kept updated. Even the briefest connection to the Internet with an unpatched Windows computer risks infection.
> 
> Linux on the other hand has only about 3% of the desktop market, and accordingly is not as targeted, so it's not as essential that it is kept 100% up to date.


Gary, your first statement is worth repeating (as many times as necessary) and I wish more people would come out and say this every time anyone proposes blocking Windows Update. In my professional life I have had to clean up more metaphorical piles of smoldering rubble that were blown up because the owners of those machines had been convinced that updates should not be applied than I ever have as the result of the oft-talked-about, but seldom occurring in practice, bad update.

If your machine can't update, that's a clear indication that there is a corruption in the underlying Windows installation that needs to be addressed as the first order of business.

As to Linux distros, while your statement is also absolutely true, it's still best practice to keep any OS updated to its most recent patch levels if at all possible. Not that I think you'd argue with that assertion, but I wanted to make it anyway.



britechguy said:


> As to Linux distros, while your statement is also absolutely true, it's still best practice to keep any OS updated to its most recent patch levels if at all possible. Not that I think you'd argue with that assertion, but I wanted to make it anyway.


Quite right, with Linux it may not be as immediately urgent to update for security reasons as it is with Windows, but that does not mean that it's something that should be ignored.

Updating is important whatever OS you use.



Gary R said:


> Quite right, with Linux it may not be as immediately urgent to update for security reasons as it is with Windows, but that does not mean that it's something that should be ignored.
> 
> Updating is important whatever OS you use.


I have to disagree about updating Linux. I've used Linux for over 25 years and always used the rule, if it ain't broke don't fix it. Otherwise, doing all updates on Linux just because there is an update causes more trouble. Just my opinion. 

As far as the Windows updates, put something like Ubuntu or Mint on that pc and it won't be too much of a change for her to access email etc.



KnowALittle said:


> My friends computer keeps on crashing whenever it get a new Windows 10 update. HOW do I stop ALL windows 10 updates. If it turn off the updates it reactivates them later. So how to do it permanently?


I would uninstall all 3rd party antivirus and anti-malware programs. All Win10 needs is Windows Defender which defaulty runs when no other AV programs are installed. It's all you need.

THEN download Windows Update Assistant:
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows10

Click the Update Now button and give permission on the install prompts. This should get you to 1909 without issues then smooth sailing (we would hope). :smile:

This reads more like a hardware problem than an OS issue. It seems many machines out there simply cannot run _Windows 10_. As for Linux, I run _Ubuntu_ on an eight-year-old HP workstation. It does quite well. The terminal window syntax is a bit of a challenge, but far from impossible. :smile:



RustyShakelford said:


> I have to disagree about updating Linux. I've used Linux for over 25 years and always used the rule, if it ain't broke don't fix it. Otherwise, doing all updates on Linux just because there is an update causes more trouble. Just my opinion.
> 
> As far as the Windows updates, put something like Ubuntu or Mint on that pc and it won't be too much of a change for her to access email etc.


Matter of perspective, and where your priorities lie.

If you want a secure machine, then updating is essential .... however if you want stability then updating can sometimes upset the equilibrium a bit.

Although not targeted anywhere near as much as Windows, Linux does get exploited, and it's never a bad idea to patch vulnerabilities when a patch is available.

With Linux, personally I'm not generally bothered too much by update generated instability, because I have good backup procedures in place and it's easy for me to roll back if I need to.

Quite a few Linux distros now come with Timeshift pre-installed, which makes backing up, and recovering a pretty straight forward process.

As for needing to use Command Line instructions with Linux ...... well they're useful of course ...... but IMO they're now no more necessary with Linux, than they are with Windows.

Most things you want to do with most modern Linux distros, can now be done using GUI.



KnowALittle said:


> My friends computer keeps on crashing whenever it get a new Windows 10 update. HOW do I stop ALL windows 10 updates. If it turn off the updates it reactivates them later. So how to do it permanently?


Google DWS.exe it can turn updates on and off any time you wish. Only works on W10.


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## spunk.funk (May 13, 2010)

KnowALittle said:


> HOW do I stop ALL windows 10 updates. If it turn off the updates it reactivates them later. So how to do it permanently?


1. Press the Windows logo key + R at the same time to invoke the Run box

3. Scroll down to Windows Update, and double-click it.

4. In Startup type, select "Disabled". Then click "Apply" and "OK" to save the settings (Do the same thing to "Windows Update Service")

Do you prefer a one-click solution to disable the Windows automatic update feature?
You can also use EaseUS Tools M, a one click solution to turn automatic updates on or off.



Just my Two Cent.

@Yitzak Looks like you accidentally removed or forgot step *2.*
Type *Services.msc* and press Enter


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## menu (Feb 2, 2012)

Windows Update is a real PITA.

I'm stuck on 1809 and so wish I could tell Windows to ignore all major Windows updates.

My problem has absolutely nothing to do with drivers, anti virus programs or third party programs. Windows 10 is the cause, 100%.
OK, the PC in question is antiquated but it's a beautiful shiny Ferrari red notebook. It's been updated with an SSD so it doesn't run too slow and it's fine for email or Word or other simple programs.
However, whenever there's a major Windows update Windows downloads everything normally and then installs the update. It may reboot a few times but on the final reboot all I get, over and over and over again is the dreaded message "_Your PC ran into a problem and needs to restart_". That's it - Windows is bricked!

The *ONLY* way I've found to get my notebook working again is to install a backup image or freshly install 1809 or earlier versions.

I don't want to discard my beautiful notebook so I would really love to find a way to permanently disable all major Windows updates - it's a real pain to have to install the backup every time Windows tries to update.

This is definitely a legitimate reason for disabling Windows update - or should I go back to Windows 7?

A FRESH install of Windows 1809 goes without a hitch, but as soon as I either manually or automatically update to any other major version I get that dreaded message. I've spent days trying to get the notebook to boot from this state but there's no hope. Yes, I have removed all hardware possible, i.e. disconnected the WiFi. I've also tried installing newer hardware drivers before attempting the update. Nothing works.

Of course I know the problem is due to the antiquated hardware, but why do all updates up to 1809 work flawlessly? Just showing an error message without a way out is, IMO, extremely bad programming practice.

So once again, a case like this is a very good reason why it should be possible to disable all major updates.

What would it matter if the pc became infected - I have to resort to my backup anyway? And no, I don't network this PC.

Another reason why the original question is perfectly legitimate is when a PC runs some sort of 24/7/365 monitoring program a restart would kill the running program which may not be able to recover properly. For example USB or serial monitoring where the data will be lost if the program is unexpectedly killed). Luckily, most such programs don't run on Windows...


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## britechguy (Dec 6, 2019)

"That dreaded message," is what, precisely?

I have had a single piece of hardware from the Windows 7 era, an ASUS laptop, that could not update to Windows 10.

Once any piece of hardware has updated to Windows 10, all versions currently available up to and including 1909 should work on them.

There is virtually always an underlying issue, whether with hardware or obsolete BIOS/UEFI, for those that will not update, and that's what needs to be resolved.

You also don't say what make/model your computer is. If you've gotten 7 years out of a laptop you've gotten a full lifetime already. But I've got machines older than that, running Pentium processors, that handle Windows 10 through Version 1909 without issue, and many of my clients have older laptops and desktops that do, too.


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## spunk.funk (May 13, 2010)

> The ONLY way I've found to get my notebook working again is to install a backup image or freshly install 1809


 Have you tried doing a Fresh install of Windows 10 1909?


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## Yitzak (Nov 13, 2009)

spunk.funk said:


> Looks like you accidentally removed or forgot step *2.*
> Type *Services.msc* and press Enter


Someone has removed it, not me.


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## britechguy (Dec 6, 2019)

spunk.funk said:


> Have you tried doing a Fresh install of Windows 10 1909?


A painful (if you have a lot of programs you need to reinstall) but sometimes necessary step, and particularly for machines that display the behavior that's been discussed here.

That's the final option in the "when all else fails" condition in Britechguy’s Standard Advice Regarding Windows 10 Issues and Their Repair.


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## jdsmort (Jul 29, 2008)

britechguy said:


> A painful (if you have a lot of programs you need to reinstall) but sometimes necessary step, and particularly for machines that display the behavior that's been discussed here.
> 
> That's the final option in the "when all else fails" condition in Britechguy’s Standard Advice Regarding Windows 10 Issues and Their Repair.


Also another option to try... upgrade manually using the .iso for 1909, or install media... I find this the best method of doing a feature update.


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## britechguy (Dec 6, 2019)

jdsmort said:


> Also another option to try... upgrade manually using the .iso for 1909, or install media... I find this the best method of doing a feature update.


I believe this whole topic started because that did not work, but I could be mistaken.

That being said, that's my "next to last" option, and it should always be tried before resorting to a completely clean reinstall, as it saves a ton of work reconfiguring the machine and reinstalling software.


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## jdsmort (Jul 29, 2008)

britechguy said:


> I believe this whole topic started because that did not work, but I could be mistaken.


Maybe that was the case, but the way I read it was that the "update' was done as part of the MS Update process. I personally never allow that on my main comp. and only do feature updates after 'vetting' them on other test machines.
When I do get the feature update I then always manually install it.


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## britechguy (Dec 6, 2019)

jdsmort said:


> I personally never allow that on my main comp. and only do feature updates after 'vetting' them on other test machines.
> When I do get the feature update I then always manually install it.


I most frequently allow Feature Updates on my machine to allow "the natural way," when Windows Update presents them. I've been in cohorts that have varied from the first day of rollout to months later.

But since I have full system image backups recovering from a Feature Update gone south, which, by the way, I have not had occur once since Windows 10 debuted on the 5 machines I have in my household, would be easy.

That being said, once I'm satisfied that the Feature Update is OK, I most often download the ISO and manually update any of the other machines that have not yet had that Feature Update come down via Windows Update.


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## menu (Feb 2, 2012)

britechguy said:


> "That dreaded message," is what, precisely


 "_Your PC ran into a problem and needs to restart_"



spunk.funk said:


> Have you tried doing a Fresh install of Windows 10 1909?


Many, many times. I've gone thru all the major updates, even tried updating from different versions to different versions.
A fresh install of 1809 and earlier works. Nothing after 1809 works.
1909 definitely does *not* work.
I have always kept my fingers crossed that the next major update will install correctly - so far without luck. Maybe I'll be lucky with 2004...

I've tried different BIOS versions too.

The PC in question is an Acer Ferrari 3400.

Of course my notebook is antiquated, but the advice to always update is definitely not correct or even legitimate, at least in some cases. I'm also sure I'm not the only person with this problem, and I'm certainly not prepared to throw away a perfect and beautiful notebook just because I can't update after 1809.

Windows should at least tell you *why* it has a problem and allow you to go back to the previous version if doing an update as opposed to a fresh install. Just restarting over and over is just crazy.


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## spunk.funk (May 13, 2010)

You said you tried to Update several times to 1903 and to 1909 and it didn't work, but no where in _any _of your posts have you said you tried a *Clean Install* of 1909. Where you boot off of the Windows installer, and the Deleted *ALL *the partitions on the drive so it is *Unallocated Space* and then pressed *Next. *
If you have tried this and it failed, then I will apologize. But if not, give it a whirl, you have already done a Fresh Install of 1809 so, you have nothing to loose.


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## britechguy (Dec 6, 2019)

You are talking about hardware that is 16 years old.

I will lay money if you post a Speccy Snapshot you don't even have the minimum requirements for running Windows 10 (and many machines that don't/didn't would still run it, up to a point).

You are dealing with a machine that is way past its functional expiration date. It is completely unrealistic to believe that you are going to be able to update such old hardware perpetually, and Microsoft stated this at the outset of the Windows 10 era. I'm almost certain you're correct that 1809 will be the terminal version that can work on that machine.

As far as I'm concerned, there's nothing you should do other than to invest in new hardware, and even low-end laptops these days will outstrip that one by far.

----------------------------------------------

*Using Piriform’s Speccy to Collect Your Computer’s Hardware & Software Specifications*
1. Go to the Piriform Speccy Download Page and download the program.
2. Run the installer you’ve just downloaded.
a. Note: *The Speccy free installer may now come with Avast and the Google Chrome browser bundled with it (or something else, what’s bundled has changed over time). Make sure that you UNCHECK the options to install any bundled software when you see the checkboxes during the Speccy install sequence.* When you reach the end, uncheck the _View Release Notes_ checkbox, then activate the _Run Speccy_ button.
You will then be presented the Speccy Main Window:









3. From the File Menu, activate the “Publish Snapshot” item [or press ALT+F,B]:









4. You will now be presented with the Publish Snapshot Dialog:








You will, of course, activate the _Yes_ button.

5. Finally, you will be presented with the Snapshot URL Dialog:








on which you will activate the _Copy to Clipboard_ button so that you will have the snapshot web address to paste into your message.

*Note:* If you want to save your system specs to a text file, at step 3 choose the Save as Text File option at step 3. This can be handy if you need to e-mail your specs.


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## menu (Feb 2, 2012)

spunk.funk said:


> You said you tried to Update several times to 1903 and to 1909 and it didn't work, but no where in _any _of your posts have you said you tried a *Clean Install* of 1909. Where you boot off of the Windows installer, and the Deleted *ALL *the partitions on the drive so it is *Unallocated Space* and then pressed *Next. *
> If you have tried this and it failed, then I will apologize. But if not, give it a whirl, you have already done a Fresh Install of 1809 so, you have nothing to loose.


 I have a total of 6 M2 "disks" enclosed in a 2.5" IDE converter case. I have removed the original disk cover on the notebook and put Kapton tape tags on the enclosures so it's easy to swap them in and out. This makes it much easier for me to test with different Windows versions. Yes, I have also done a clean install many times, after first wiping the "disk" externally by connecting it directly to another computer (not via USB). I've used various programs to remove the partitions as well as deleting the partitions during a clean install, on the notebook.
My original post was not about how to get my notebook running on the latest Win10 release (which I don't believe is possible, but I'm still hoping)
but rather to point out that I don't agree when people tell you there is absolutely no reason to disable OS updates. In some cases this is the ONLY possibility.
Thank you for trying to help, I should have made myself clearer in my original post.

FWIW I do have a few other newer notebooks (Thinkpad X1 Carbon Gen 7, for example). On all the newer notebooks I very much miss the possibility to swap the HD without opening up the notebook. All the same, I'm still attached to my Ferrari - it looks good, feels good, is solid built but quite heavy by today's standards.


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## menu (Feb 2, 2012)

Thank you very much for this information about Speccy. It's new to me. Unfortunately, I'm very pressed for time at the moment but will definitely try this program ASAP.


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## spunk.funk (May 13, 2010)

This takes just a few minutes, download the program let it scan and and then copy to the clipboard the link and Paste it into your next post. It will tell us about your computer to help diagnose it.


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## britechguy (Dec 6, 2019)

menu said:


> . . . I don't agree when people tell you there is absolutely no reason to disable OS updates. In some cases this is the ONLY possibility.
> Thank you for trying to help, I should have made myself clearer in my original post.



If it's the ONLY possibility, then it's time to:

1. Change OSes. Most likely to a Linux distro of your choosing.

2. Get new hardware.

Hardware, any hardware, has a finite shelf life. There are Linux distros that are intended to extend the life of hardware that most mainstream OSes, including most Linux distros, will not run.

It is insane, and I do mean insane, to run any unsupported Windows on a machine that is in contact with cyberspace. Yours clearly is, or it can't update or even try to. Version 1809 was supposed to be out of support by now, but MS has extended it a few months. No IT professional could or would recommend running an out of support Windows nor blocking Windows Updates.

What you, or I, or anyone else might prefer is irrelevant. You can only use computer hardware for so long before it is obsolete. And in this day and age if you cannot keep it updated it's long past time to retire it unless it is being used exclusively offline.


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## menu (Feb 2, 2012)

britechguy said:


> You are talking about hardware that is 16 years old.
> 
> I will lay money if you post a Speccy Snapshot you don't even have the minimum requirements for running Windows 10 (and many machines that don't/didn't would still run it, up to a point)......


OK, here's my Speccy Snapshot, a very interesting tool!

Unfortunately, I believe the 2nd memory slot is a solder slot. The accessible memory only has one replaceable bank so assume the second bank is soldered to the m/b. When I have the time I will remove the casing to confirm this. Even if I could find a solderable 1GB module my SMD skills are not up to replacing the module. Even if I could replace the memory, the notebook would still have less than 2GB available for Windows because of the 256MB needed by the graphics controller.

I have been using computers/mainframes long before the ZX81 era and have never been so virus infected to not have been able to recover my files. Maybe I've been lucky, or over-cautious so I'll touch wood. I still have a couple of PC's that run XP, and of course Win7. I discarded my DOS 5, Win 95 and 98 PCs only a couple of years ago. They still ran perfectly.


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## britechguy (Dec 6, 2019)

I'm sorry, but if you can't expand memory then you should just give up. 1 GB of RAM is just not going to run Windows 10 adequately, period. 4GB is the barest functional minimum, with 8GB being the preferred practical minimum.

You're also running Win10 32-bit (probably because of an upgrade from Win7 32-bit, as 32-bit was installed on a lot of 64-bit hardware way back when).

At this point, though, I am bowing out. Whether you want to believe this or not, this is not an effort worth even trying. You have a machine that should have been retired a very long time ago, at least for use with Windows. It's even worse than trying to fit a square peg into a round hole to try to use Windows 10 on it. The two are completely incompatible with each other.


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