Microsoft says Windows 10 represents a new stage for its flagship operating system: the transition to Windows as a Service. This means that the company plans to treat Windows 10 as a platform that evolves and grows over time… but that only works if users regularly download and install software updates. That’s at least one of the reasons Microsoft is changing the way the Windows Update service works.

Automatic updates will be enabled by default for Windows 10 Home users, while Windows 10 Pro and Enterprise users will be able to postpone or disable some updates… at least for a while.

But it turns out there may be a way for Windows 10 Home users to block at least some updates.

windows update hide

For the most part, automatic updates are a good thing. Microsoft can use them to quickly send security improvements and bug fixes to users.

Every now and again an update goes wrong though. It’s not entirely unusual for users to complain about updates breaking support for graphics cards or other hardware.

Worried that you might get one of those updates that breaks things rather than fixing them? ZDNet reports that Microsoft appears to have a solution.

While the Windows 10 Software Update utility doesn’t include a built-in option to disable updates, there is a troubleshooter package that may let you block or hide updates. KB3073930 is a package for “Show or hide updates.”

Download and run the package and choose the “Hide updates” option to see a list of available updates. Then check the boxes for any that you do not want to install, and they’ll disappear unless you decide to “show” them at a later date.

ZDNet’s Ed Bott also points out that System Restore is disabled by default in Windows 10. But if you re-enable it, Windows will automatically create a restore point before installing updates. This will make it easy to roll back your software if you end up installing a package that causes problems with your system.

If you’ve got a computer with ample amounts of disk space, it might be a good idea to turn on System Restore functionality so that you don’t have to go through the process of postponing and selectively installing updates.

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24 replies on “Maybe you’ll be able to block Windows 10 updates after all”

  1. The new continuous mandatory rolling update process is far more about preventing another “Windows XP” scenario from ever happening than it is about security patches. Microsoft has already said that Windows 10 remains free only “for the supported life of the device” which they will determine, and they’ve already said that will be 2 to 4 years based on class of user (consumer vs. enterprise). After that you re-up by paying for the next subscription period. All of their weasel-wording about “free for life” is misdirection. The only thing free is the first fix. Just Google “free upgrades 2 to 4 years” for articles on this.

    1. Ok, it looks like Microsoft came out with a second announcement around July 17 that retracts the 2 to 4 year figure and pledges 10 years of support as long as your hardware can run it as it mutates. Better, but hmm.

      1. Its like that lifetime warranty… Once the product died, the warranty is obviously over 😀

        But seriously, I hope in 10 years time, Microsoft will have died in a fire and humanity is in the middle of switching from technology to magic.

      2. Didn’t really retract it, just clarified that the product will be supported for the normal life of the product… They were just including things like mobile devices previously that you likely won’t have as long as life usage of…

        Since, unlike a home PC or even laptop a mobile device can become obsolete a lot sooner…

        Also, there’s still the Primary and Extended periods of support…

  2. “Microsoft says Windows 10 represents a new stage for its flagship operating system: the transition to Windows as a Service.”

    This is what I’ve been afraid of since they announced the “free” upgrade to Windows 10. The very concept of an OS as SAAS is very disturbing to me, and the reason that I won’t be reserving my upgrade from Windows 7. I’ll bet that about a year after Windows 10 is released, you’ll get prompted to pay a monthly or annual fee for the use of the OS. And what happens if you don’t pay for it? Who knows what nasty things will happen to your hardware and/or data. No thanks. I also think that if Microsoft does go through with this, it is likely to incur a significant consumer backlash. Not that they probably care though.

    1. They’ve been pretty clear that this isn’t what Windows as a Service means. Windows 10 will be available as a free upgrade for the first year it’s available — and once it’s installed it stays free for as long as it’s supported. Alternately you can buy a Windows 10 license and once you pay, you can continue to use it throughout the lifetime of the OS.

      But Microsoft is transitioning from a “one big OS update every 2-3 years” way of doing things to a “we’ll push new features as they become available” system.

      1. I know that they’re claiming that it’s just a different means of delivery, but that system of continuous updates doesn’t make sense without a different monetary system to support it. I still think that Microsoft is going to transition to a subscription-based system, and do away with version numbers altogether. You won’t ever see a Windows 11, it will just be Windows. Maybe I’m wrong, but everything they’re doing right now seems to be pointed that direction.

        1. The monetary system is just evolving towards alternate revenue sources, just like companies like Google already do…

          Remember, the OS is just the platform but just like Google MS is developing other services they can market to consumers and they’re not limiting those services to just their own platforms.

          Products like Office 365 stand to make them far more profit than the sales of the OS, for example, and cover users on multiple platforms!

          Even with their XBox One video game streaming service, they’re going to be offering Android and iOS apps that can work with it…

          Sure, some features will only work on the Windows platform but it’s mainly being leveraged to promote their other services and to get consumers to want to use their services on more than just the Windows platform.

          Besides, they already put it on their product pages that Windows 10 will have the same 10 year support cycle as their previous releases and stated that support will be free for the life of the product.

          The only ones who are getting a optional pay for service are the Enterprise, and maybe Server as well, users because they need custom support and support beyond what normal users require.

          While keeping everyone up to date can help reduce costs for them as then there are fewer variations of the OS they have to support.

        2. Microsoft got serious Crapple envy, watching all of their tollbooths…
          So tollbooths have become the holy grail for Ballmer. Nadella will likely follow that striving for automatic tollbooths.

    2. I really don’t think we have to worry about that. Very few people actually bought Windows themselves. The majority of Microsoft’s Windows income has been from OEMs (to preinstall on computers they sell) and from corporations (to deploy on their corporate fleet). This new ‘buy-once’ model doesn’t change a thing for either of these two markets, but it vastly simplifies the remaining (tiny) markets, such as upgraders from ancient versions or people who build their own PC.

  3. i do not want anybody fiddling around with my installed systems and their functionalities. certainly not a company like microsoft know for abandonware en masse. it does not matter if private home user or professional company. i also would not like my mechanic fiddling with the functionality of my car every time i visit a garage. it is an old saying: never change a running horse. and if microsoft continues on this way it will be a way out for me certainly. but remember, they entered the pc os market in a sneaky way from the beginning, they never changed that attitude.

    1. Abandonware… that nails it. Good term.

      Flip-flopping people should not run an operating system company, it impacts and reduces the effectiveness of millions of people.

      But maybe that’s the idea, like all those ridiculous office changes – no real new functionality, but they keep changing around how the same old thing has to be done.

    2. MS isn’t really known for abandon-ware, least of all for their desktop OS!

      Otherwise how do you explain XP lasting over a decade in support?

      While you’re using the wrong metaphor… What MS is doing is what a race car driver would actually want… Keeping their vehicle at peak and with the latest upgrades and tweaks is how they stay competitive…

      Really, you’re saying you want to basically stick to what they’re offering now but don’t want the updates that will eventually make the system faster, more secure, and add support for new features you may actually want later… All for free to boot!

      Like one of the updates… Will let you use a XBox One to replace most of the functionality of WMP and let you watch TV from any networked Windows devices… But even if you don’t want that they’re coming out with plenty of other such updates.

      This is like getting Vista and having it upgraded to Windows 7 while you’re still using it!

      Never mind this whole system is the first time that MS can actually respond to user feedback, just like the Insider Program, they’re going to continue to accept feedback and make changes accordingly…

      They couldn’t do that before with the old system!

      Refusing to be part of that is like refusing to vote… What you wind up with later you can’t really complain about if you didn’t take part earlier!

      But, it’s not like you have to… W7 still supported till 2020 and you can always just choose an alternative platform but don’t be surprised if they wind up doing a lot of the same things…

      Automatic updates is a model being taken up by a lot of products already because frankly it’s better, all things considered…

  4. Still an NSA backdoor and as long as it’s possible to force an update Microsoft has no realistic legal way to block the NSA. If they have access to the system, so does the NSA and if they had any trace of decency they would make sure there is no such capability. Will point out that OS X is not any safer.

    Not to mention the risk for the entire instal base to be compromised/disabled by a foreign entity. Maybe they should advertise it as – Win 10, ideal for a cyber war! Or “Are you a cruel dictator, want to silence a revolution, get your nation on Win 10.” and then sell it as a service lol.
    It’s unethical, unsafe for users and a threat to national security but greed wins.
    No seriously , this kind of access is not acceptable, they own your machine.

    1. Really?

      We’re going to let ourselves be paralyzed by a bunch of unlikely what ifs and just ignore all the benefits of finally making Windows really resistant to malware, of finally getting new features without needing to wait for the next Windows OS release and needing to pay for it each time, of having the OS actually evolve according to user feedback instead of developers blindly guessing with each release, of finally expecting performance to improve over time instead of degenerating over time, of actually preventing most users who don’t know how to secure their systems from becoming infection nodes/bots for the rest of us, of finally having a platform that can evolve with the users instead of only forcing us to use a limited selection of options and features for the life of the product…

      One of the reasons NSA backdoors lasted so long was because the OS wasn’t regularly updated and its code checked!

      Back doors actually stick around far longer when the system isn’t regularly updated/change and it’s far easier to take advantage of a old flaw than a new one…

      So taken as a whole it seems W10 is far more ideal for fighting Cyber Warfare than what we have now…

      Besides, if you don’t trust MS then just don’t use Windows at all… All your arguments apply to any software they released regardless of whether they update it directly or not! Like it doesn’t matter if MS denied any back doors in Windows 7, regardless of whether the NSA worked with them on the development of Windows 7, if you don’t trust MS…

      Anyway, I’m sure all the back doors in other solutions will eventually be found and removed in a couple of years or whenever they get to them… Or you can just go develop your own solution and hope no one ever messes with it… Good luck with any of that :-p

      1. Trust Microsoft? Are you deluded or brainwashed? People use Windows because its a monopoly. Aside from that, Microsoft wouldn’t even have to co-operate for the NSA to have back doors into it. And stop thinking about just NSA, its the entire corrupt 5-Eye western spy network you should worry about.

        Next is the high occurrence of faulty Windows updates, that break various things on your system.

        Since the last Windows 8.1 update, when I hit ‘Enter’ to return from the lock screen to the log-in screen, I can still log in, but in Windows, trying to type a text in Notepad or elsewhere, keyboard input is somehow captured / rerouted to bring up various parts of the modern UI, so I have search boxes and other stuff pop up instead of text until I reboot the system.

        Using the Escape key to return from the lock screen avoids this from happening, but the Enter key used to work just fine.

        So no thanks to auto-updates.

        I’ll just wait till there’s a program that returns control over windows update to users.

        1. Sorry but Windows isn’t a Monopoly! It’s only the dominant OS in the consumer market but it has never been the only OS!

          There’s history of course for their rise to the top and what they did to get there but the same can be said of any successful company out there and there’s no reason to trust any one company less than another when it’s in their invested interest to cater to at least some of their customers needs!

          Besides, everything you stated can be said of every other OS choice out there! None are without faults and auto-updates is something most of them are starting to do now!

          You can go all conspiracy nuts but you’re only going to hurt yourself if you’re not honest about how things stand today and the truth about what will work best for most users!

          And like I said already, if you don’t trust them then just use one of the alternatives! No one is forcing you to make any choice you’re not comfortable with!

          1. You’re just repeating your argument from before, and the first part of what you say contradicts it, which is, that you can’t trust anyone else any more than Microcruft.

            That’s certainly the truth. You can never trust an organization who’s main goal is amassing currency. Thanks to this retarded new religion of Capitalism, that has become socially acceptable, but humanity’s subservience to paper money is still wrong and there’s zero indicators that this system is somehow better than any other that was tried before. Not to mention that the design of our FIAT money, a debt based giral money equals the design of a Ponzi scheme and works alike: Without infinite growth, which is impossible to sustain, everything comes crashing down periodically. Periodically because changing the faulty currency design is being prevented by those profiting from it.

            So yes, in general, don’t trust any corporations, they are not your friends. If they can rape you in any way, they will do so – repeatedly. If self interest forbids it for the moment, they will work on a way around that – your temporary safety will be short-lived. Modern Dinosaurs. Much technology, money and power but no *common* sense whatsoever.

            .

            Most of the software I use runs on Windows alone. Even some minor software I *could* run on another OS, like Skype, runs like crap on Linux, because Microcruft keeps not updating it, leading to all kinds of issues with connections and other things.

          2. You’re just repeating your argument from before, and the first part of
            what you say contradicts it, which is, that you can’t trust anyone else
            any more than Microcruft.

            No, I wasn’t just repeating my previous argument but pointing out additional things that you’re obviously not considering… Like the actual benefits of what is being offered and all the reasons why it’s in their invested interest to make things better!

            Nor was I being contradictory because I was only pointing out that you’re free to believe what you want but the actual basis for your claims have no more justification than they would for any other randomly chosen major company… which is perfectly in line pointing out all the things you are not considering in order to justify your opinion!

            Thanks to this retarded new religion of Capitalism

            Capitalism is neither new nor a religion!

            Despite what the nut jobs may have you believe capitalism is just the most practical modern economic system that actually works better than any other known system!

            Sure, any system can be abused and there are those who go out of their way to abuse the system but that’s true of any system that’s run by people!

            What matters is whether the system promotes more benefits than risk of abuse and for the history of capitalism it has definitely benefited us more!

            Capitalism is why we have more choices as consumers… no matter where you start in life, everyone has an opportunity to make it big in a capitalistic society… Capitalism helps channel and promote the power of competition that ultimately benefits everyone… People actually are more giving under a capitalistic system… Capitalism is built on the principles of democracy… Capitalism has proven to lead to rapid growth and promoting innovations…

            All those positives outweigh the few negatives the system has to deal with and those are largely just the normal negatives of human nature that would be true regardless of what systems was being used!

            Capitalism just doesn’t try to ignore human nature and instead channels our tendencies to our benefit…

            All you’re doing is focusing on the negatives to the exclusion of all the benefits and pretending the negatives are the entire story!

            So, again, you can either be a conspiratory nut and trust no one or accept the fact that despite some negatives that the system ultimately works and as long as the majority of users agree with you then you’ll get what you want!

            You just have to accept that if you’re in the minority of users that majority rules and your needs are less likely to be catered to, which is the way democracy works!

            But rather than complaining, the proper response is to create a new category to develop a majority you can be part of and thus have your needs catered to…

            This is how we get new choices, and helps lead to innovations and other advances…

            Really, you might as well call democracy retarded if you really believe capitalism makes no logical sense and there’s really no checks and balances that prevents the abuse from getting completely out of hand…

  5. There will be multiple ways to block updates. The goal and hopefully the result of the new methods in Windows 10 are to prevent non-technical users from turning off updates and becoming a network liability.

    1. Like the majority of humans on Earth I live in a developing country with slow, costly, and unreliable Internet access. So for me, Windows running off to do an update may render my connection (if not my computer as well) unusable for hours, if not days-on-end unless I can fully control when and how updates occur (for-example, in steps, over night, and when I am not traveling). Microsoft thinks like everyone lives in the first-world, where Internet access is like drinking from a firehouse. Reality is not like that for regular people.

      1. You nailed it. In many places, Windows updates will not only eat your data cap, it often won’t even finish its updates before your ISP blocks your connection or throttles it to 1995 modem speeds. Now I wouldn’t care if Windows updates all night at modem speeds, but it just fails, because the overall poor line quality (dropouts) together with low speed will result in failure of any download, unless you use an ultra-robust downloader programmed by people in an area with bad internet, like Flashget, that doesn’t give up no matter how many times it has to retry the last packet.

        Besides this, I want to use my data allowance for the things I need to do, not what confused, flip-flopping Microsoft decides is the flavor of the month.

        Either way, there are other reasons not to automatically update – Some people actually do stuff on their computers and take exception to being interrupted whenever Microsoft sees fit.

        I already have a non-technical friend who had me put Linux on his computer, even though it was painful for him to relearn and Skype on Linux sucks cause is getting no love from Microsoft.

        1. Sound like you need Windows 10 Pro. The home version is for people who do not want to worry about such things.

          So far it has worked well for Chrome OS devices.

      2. Ok, so mark your connection as metered, and set Windows to not update over metered connections. The tools are there, you just have to use them.

        It is in Settings -> Network & Internet -> WiFi -> Advanced Options

        https://imgur.com/gallery/iaU2jnN

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