Win 10 updates can't be disabled

[PrincessFrosty]

I'd be willing to bet there's reg edits that can be done to disable this.

 

[JackMDS]

I honestly don't see a problem with this, looking at it from an average consumer point of view. Updates are set on automatic for most people anyway. It's pretty much the same thing as before.

That is true.

But, Millions of people can take Penicillin and few can Die because they are Allergic to it.

There will be user that will have sever problem with the Forced Automatic Update.

I like Win 10 very much, but I am willing to predict that the Forced Auto Update will "Bite the Bytes" of Window in the "as*" in the coming years.

 

[Insert_Nickname]

My thoughts on this:

I don't really have a problem with being unable to opt out of feature updates. Since I usually end up installing them anyway. I fully understand why some out there do not. Its their choice, and I can respect that. Not to mention those who do usually have good reason. Various service pack issues come to mind here.

What really ticks me off is that I'm unable to determine when I'd like to install those updates without using various workarounds. It doesn't really matter on my desktop since its connected to an unlimited (and where I live "unlimited" really does mean unlimited) fiber connection. But my laptop and tablet are frequently on other forms of connections, where there are limits, both from the provider and "provider". "Hey, I just downloaded 500MB+ worth of updates on your capped connection" is sure to tick people off. Then there is the issue of power. In my experience updates always seem to happen when I need that last hour of battery life (and there isn't a socket in sight), and Windows decides its a great time to install a couple of hundred MB worth of updates (which is why they're set to check for updates, but not download and install them). Besides my tablet (HP Stream7) isn't really great at installing updates in the background without affecting performance. That's not even mentioning the various low-end systems people are still running (Brazos, first/second gen Atoms with slow 5400RPM HDDs), where updates slows everything to a crawl and take literally hours to finish. Some of those systems do qualify for a free update to Windows 10, so its not like MS can just ignore them. I already dread having to update Brazos-based systems to 10, some of those could end up being all-nighters...

I can understand why MS is doing this, but they do not seem to have thought this though. What seems like a good idea in theory can have all sorts of unintended consequences in the real world.

I like Win 10 very much, but I am willing to predict that the Forced Auto Update will "Bite the Bytes" of Window in the "as*" in the coming years.

I think you're right on that count, though I wish I wasn't...

 

[A5]

Win8.1 has settings in the wireless panel to make it aware of metered connections.

One of things it doesn't do in that mode is download Windows Updates...I assume that feature is still there, but I haven't used Win10 on a laptop yet.

 

[craiggloyd]

Someone on 10, do you have these driver installation settings:

Yes on Windows 10 Pro, lol but they abbreviate applications as app and information as info now!
EDIT 7/27/2015; hmm, well Windows 8.0 says app and info as well. Guess that screenshot by escrow4 was Windows 7.
http://imgur.com/yhhEeLT

 

[ninaholic37]

Yes on Windows 10 Pro, lol but they abbreviate applications as app and information as info now!
http://imgur.com/yhhEeLT

Looks just as fugly (if not more) than Windows 8. Does 10 improve anything over 8.x?

edit: Even the windows in 3.1 look better, and that could run on a 286:

 

[RampantAndroid]

Looks just as fugly (if not more) than Windows 8. Does 10 improve anything over 8.x?

edit: Even the windows in 3.1 look better, and that could run on a 286:

While I think that personal taste comes in here, you're over-exaggerating here. Win10 to me actually looks really good - at times a bit flat, but certainly nothing that will prevent me from using it. I think you're the person constantly touting Linux as better than Windows (and I think you also prefer XP?) so perhaps this shouldn't surprise me at all that you WANT Windows 10 to look bad or be bad, and will thus look for justification.

Windows 10 honestly seems to run a bit smoother for me; DX12 is a big plus, I like the new start menu, Cortana actually seems pretty good if you're into voice control, and while Cortana does do searchs, the search box also works just like it did in Win7. The command prompt and powershell windows now allow proper copy/paste, but sadly not tabbing yet (shouldn't be hard at this point to just host multiple command windows inside of an application that someone writes that allows tabbing. Maybe I'll try making that.) The new control panel seems to do almost everything the old one did now (and link to some of the older UI like device manager when need be - though you can also find stuff like the device manager by searching). There are a number of other tweaks that I've seen that seem to work pretty well. The only real complaint is that on my macbook pro, battery like is awful - that's because Windows uses the GPU to render stuff, and in Windows the GPU switching on the Macbook isn't available - so the GT750m is always in use.

Long story short: Windows 10 is *free*. I have seen no reasons, beyond the removal of the update options, to skip the upgrade. As of late, I've left my 8.1 gaming machine in auto install mode anyway, and not had any problems.

 

[ninaholic37]

so perhaps this shouldn't surprise me at all that you WANT Windows 10 to look bad or be bad, and will thus look for justification.

My honest reaction was similar to 4:13 in this video when I saw it. :awe: I do remember discussing my distaste for the windows before, but I guess it's been so long that I just forgot how bad it actually was, and clicking on that image was like seeing a memorable old horror movie all over again. Like you say it's probably personal taste, but I do find it quite difficult to imagine someone actually enjoying looking at it. Your second paragraph was certainly interesting to read though anyway.

 

[RampantAndroid]

My honest reaction was similar to 4:13 in this video when I saw it. :awe: I do remember discussing my distaste for the windows before, but I guess it's been so long that I just forgot how bad it actually was, and clicking on that image was like seeing a memorable old horror movie all over again. Like you say it's probably personal taste, but I do find it quite difficult to imagine someone actually enjoying looking at it. Your second paragraph was certainly interesting to read though anyway.

I actually clicked on the first link. I darn well KNEW better than to click it - thinking "MAYBE it's someone making a video about Win10." It's just some stupid music video, or something stupid like that.

/ignore

 

[sweenish]

Win8.1 has settings in the wireless panel to make it aware of metered connections.

One of things it doesn't do in that mode is download Windows Updates...I assume that feature is still there, but I haven't used Win10 on a laptop yet.

Thank you for actually being aware.

 

[nemesismk2]

Looks just as fugly (if not more) than Windows 8. Does 10 improve anything over 8.x?

edit: Even the windows in 3.1 look better, and that could run on a 286:

i agree with you because i thought windows 3.1 was great

 

[William Gaatjes]

While I think that personal taste comes in here, you're over-exaggerating here. Win10 to me actually looks really good - at times a bit flat, but certainly nothing that will prevent me from using it. I think you're the person constantly touting Linux as better than Windows (and I think you also prefer XP?) so perhaps this shouldn't surprise me at all that you WANT Windows 10 to look bad or be bad, and will thus look for justification.

Oh come on. Windows xp looked nice. Windows 7 was becoming perfect with useful animations (windows key + tab, the start menu). The (by choice) ability to arrange the icons as desired in the explorer. And all the icons can have some sort of animation when implemented (hovering mouse pointer). I was actually waiting for an even better 3d like experience. But it did not happen.

Windows 10 as windows 8, looks like a dragged through the mud pig's behind.

All microsoft did was copy google with the new flat theme.

 

[razel]

All microsoft did was copy google with the new flat theme.

I agree with our designers here. It's the other way around. Google/Apple copied the flat design of Win8. They just use more mono-tone motif of colors in Win10. I like it, but in the end who cares of the looks. It's a UI. It's more important to learn how to use it effectively no matter how it looks.

 

[William Gaatjes]

I agree with our designers here. It's the other way around. Google/Apple copied the flat design of Win8. They just use more mono-tone motif of colors in Win10. I like it, but in the end who cares of the looks. It's a UI. It's more important to learn how to use it effectively no matter how it looks.

The way it looks determines the ease of use and effectiveness. I find Win7 icons are a lot more distinguishable than that flat look of windows 8/10. If all programs are going to look like that, i might as well buy an extra pair of spectacles to wear over my existing one.

 

[RampantAndroid]

The way it looks determines the ease of use and effectiveness. I find Win7 icons are a lot more distinguishable than that flat look of windows 8/10. If all programs are going to look like that, i might as well buy an extra pair of spectacles to wear over my existing one.

I have zero problems finding things in Win10. What specific icons are you talking about?

At the end of the day, if your only complaint is the icons...they ARE replaceable. Work with someone to rip icons out of Win7 and drop them into Win10.

 

[ultimatebob]

For the Home Edition, that's probably a good idea. There are just too many people out there who are either too lazy or too stupid to patch their systems frequently.

Don't you DARE to try that crap with the Enterprise edition, though. NOTHING on my network gets patched until we QA test it first. I don't want early morning suprises where a critical business app no longer works on a 100 computers because Microsoft decided to add something like a new .NET security restriction.

 

[Ketchup]

I have zero problems finding things in Win10. What specific icons are you talking about?

At the end of the day, if your only complaint is the icons...they ARE replaceable. Work with someone to rip icons out of Win7 and drop them into Win10.

I know you don't agree with it, but William has a valid point here, as much as any other opinion in this thread. It seems like Microsoft enjoys simply moving things around, and possibly to ways that make more sense. But when a user has been accustomed to a Windows 8 or Windows 7 way of doing things, it makes no practical sense to change it in the next OS (as the overall abilities of those functions are the same).

What I would have liked - go back to the Windows 7 style for desktop mode. Switch to Windows 8 style for tablet mode.

Even though I am not crazy about the latest layout/theme/color, the new system will work well in this respect (if Microsoft doesn't get stupid with it). Updates can be simpler and more transparent than they have been in the past, and whining about radical GUI changes in OS's like 8 and Vista should become a thing of the past.

 

[RampantAndroid]

I know you don't agree with it, but William has a valid point here, as much as any other opinion in this thread. It seems like Microsoft enjoys simply moving things around, and possibly to ways that make more sense. But when a user has been accustomed to a Windows 8 or Windows 7 way of doing things, it makes no practical sense to change it in the next OS (as the overall abilities of those functions are the same).

What I would have liked - go back to the Windows 7 style for desktop mode. Switch to Windows 8 style for tablet mode.

Even though I am not crazy about the latest layout/theme/color, the new system will work well in this respect (if Microsoft doesn't get stupid with it). Updates can be simpler and more transparent than they have been in the past, and whining about radical GUI changes in OS's like 8 and Vista should become a thing of the past.

I suspect that the decision is in large part because of the last point you hit on: simplicity of the code. It's much harder to maintain two paths of code. I will also note that while Win8 was a pretty big change over from Win7, Win10 is not a large change from Win8 in this sense. If you're already used to the new control panel in Windows 8/8.1, then the Win10 control panel won't be much of a departure. Especially so with the search function (I so seldom click through to what I want. I just search for it unless I know EXACTLY where to go. The search function works great.)

Given MS is going to just keep delivering everything to Windows 10, code simplicity would probably help speed things up while also allowing for better quality code.

Generally speaking though, things DO change. You'd be tying the hands of every company out there if you were to say "you can release new software, but your interface may not change. Think of all the stubborn people!" If things are easy enough to use, and discoverable, then by all means. Change them. If you're making things harder (ala Win8) then you're doing it wrong.

 

[nk215]

I thought only with Home you can't disable auto-update. Pro and up version lets user disable auto-update.

 

[craiggloyd]

OK, so I have build 10240 Pro and as I've said in a previous post I think, I've disabled Windows Update simply by disabling the service. Someone on an article said there was some timer that would turn on Windows Update or deactivate Windows so I set the time to September 2015 for a few days now and no trouble.

Also, to disable Windows Defender, since you cannot get into 'properties' of the Windows Defender Service (I wonder what prevents that), you just boot into safe mode, go to program files\Windows Defender and hit properties on MsMpEng.exe, security -> advanced -> and change the owner to your username (that's what I did, it's originally 'trusted installer') and then change the permissions of your account for that file to full. Then rename the file, I just added a dash at the end of the file name.

Restart and Windows Defender is disabled and it doesn't throw a fit, you can disable the notifications in the action center in the task bar.

Can anyone confirm that it is more difficult for the home edition? Or is that a lie and all editions are as easy to disable Windows Update and Defender?

@nk215, I hope to find out soon

 

[craiggloyd]

DX12 is a big plus, .......... The command prompt and powershell windows now allow proper copy/paste, but sadly not tabbing yet (shouldn't be hard at this point to just host multiple command windows inside of an application that someone writes that allows tabbing. Maybe I'll try making that.) The new control panel seems to do almost everything the old one did now (and link to some of the older UI like device manager when need be - though you can also find stuff like the device manager by searching). ..........

I wonder when DX12 will come out. Win10 10240 comes with 11.1.
How is command prompt and Powershell improved? I haven't used PS much but with Command Prompt it has 'paste' like in windows 7 and 8 (whenever it started to have that, forever?). 1 of the things I hate about Command Prompt is that it stops building in size, like on a long list of commands or a long chkdsk run with errors, the early parts of the run are erased from the window because the window won't build in length, can only scroll down a certain number of pages. I know a copy is normally saved in event log and you can do chkdsk C: ->chkdsklog.txt and it'll save to a file.
Wonder if that restriction has been lifted? -> No it hasn't! Why wasn't that a priority? Limit of 300 lines.
I see you can resize the window horizontally now and it can be opaque among other things. link is from properties of cmd window. https://wpdev.uservoice.com/forums/266908

 

[iCyborg]

OK, so I have build 10240 Pro and as I've said in a previous post I think, I've disabled Windows Update simply by disabling the service. Someone on an article said there was some timer that would turn on Windows Update or deactivate Windows so I set the time to September 2015 for a few days now and no trouble.

And as people have pointed out to you: this solution is in no way useful to the vast majority of people. People still want critical security updates. It's about as practical as never connecting to the internet, that will also disable updates.

As for CMD, not sure what you're talking about. CMD properties have had screen buffer size which specifies how much you can scroll since long time ago, at least XP I think. My settings are 800 lines at my work desktop.

 

[iCyborg]

I thought only with Home you can't disable auto-update. Pro and up version lets user disable auto-update.

You can defer for a couple months. This is far from disabling for me. Only enterprise allows disabling, but that's not available to regular customers.

 

[craiggloyd]

And as people have pointed out to you: this solution is in no way useful to the vast majority of people. People still want critical security updates. It's about as practical as never connecting to the internet, that will also disable updates.

As for CMD, not sure what you're talking about. CMD properties have had screen buffer size which specifies how much you can scroll since long time ago, at least XP I think. My settings are 800 lines at my work desktop.

It will allow people to use Win10 who don't mind not getting security updates and don't want any new features without giving permission but I here ya. Perhaps someone will develop a program that will delete updates you don't want (or block) after they've downloaded so it can't install but what you want.

For CMD I just figured out how to increase the # of lines, thanks. I was in 'Command History', setting to the max of 999 but that didn't do anything. Layout, screen buffer size -Height now set to 9999 instead of 300.
Why isn't it set at 9999 to begin with? RAM usage isn't an issue, still using just a couple MBs with the window filled up. I'd like up to 99K lines.

 

[ninaholic37]

Why isn't it set at 9999 to begin with? RAM usage isn't an issue, still using just a couple MBs with the window filled up. I'd like up to 99K lines.

You can apparently get up to 32766 lines by typing:

mode con lines=32766

I usually do the "redirect to a file" method too, then open it in a real text viewer.