Blocking Windows 10 from updating without permission of the system owner (ie. me!)

I have fooled Win 10 pro into not doing automatic updates (I had no idea the OS would start up the computer without asking and download/install updates!) by setting the wi-fi connection I use at home to 'metered'.

It's probably not ideal, but having not used win 10 until now (being Xp on all my other toughbooks) this business of the operating system designed to get updates without asking is a real problem IMHO.

With Xp (before MS stopped supporting it in 2014) I had it configured to notify me what updates were available, and I would look through the list and pick myself which ones I wanted the system to download and install. I don't think Win 10 has a facility to do that.

being Win 10 pro, there are a couple of other ways to block the 'freewheel' updating so will investigate those if the simple stopgap of marking the wi-fi connection as 'metered' proves to a problem later on.

Craig.

 

I have made changes under the Windows Update app that seemed to have stopped the automatic restarting. I would look under that and make changes there.

 

Try this:

https://www.windowscentral.com/how-stop-updates-installing-automatically-windows-10

It gives back the "Notify me, but let me install when I feel like it" setting.

I did the registry setting one, so can't speak for how well the Group Policy Editor one works

 

Check out this too. It will not shut off updates but it will keep MS from snooping in you laptop and stealing your info. http://forum.notebookreview.com/threads/o-o-shutup10-do-not-use-windows-10-without-it.780264/

Also another good thread here. http://forum.notebookreview.com/threads/windows-10-tweaks-and-fixes-index-post-1.779394/

 

This is what happens when an update is available (but cannot select individual updates to install):

 

I've seen a few recommendations of O&O Shutup. Tried it out and yes it's good.

I found plenty of guides on google of how to change things to 'shut up' a lot of the default intrusive behaviour of Win 10 so managed to tie down a lot of things.

The tip to set the main wi-fi connection to 'metered' comes up a lot to lock out the auto-updating behaviour but of course that only works if the machine is connected to the Internet via that wi-fi connection. Any other connection (ethernet or wi-fi or 2g/3g/4g ) if unmetered won't block the auto-updating.