[Guide] Disabling Windows 10 Automatic updates and "spyware"

[ThrashZone]

LOL sorry Lex but that's not a universal problem affecting all Windows PC's using Defender that's an intel specific problem that needs to be sorted by MS and Intel
I'd also like to see some proof of the "Intrusiveness" that you say is going on with Defender and that you say is not happening with "other AV suites"

if they have any sort of cloud scanning thing going on then they're all sending your data to someplace other than your PC and like defender you should be able to turn that off I'd be more worried about not being able to turn it off and being forced to use it

Hi,
Well defender does send samples of users files.. if it tags them worthy
Would anyone be surprised how many personal files are tagged as worthy and uploading them as samples I believe so hehe

Same deal with cloud storage except this is in the terms of use.

 

[remixedcat]

Or, you could use the firewall to block the all Windows Updates Connections. And disable all the Windows Update related services. Only to restart them again - temporarily disable the firewall - and do an update when you feel like it. This always worked for me.

The services part got simpler - by using this small app: Windows Update Blocker v1.8

I do they on my meraki mx64 firewall, it even has windows update presets!

 

[ThrashZone]

Hi,
Dude on 11 forum posted this to turn off all background apps
Not sure if it kills updates running though

:: Turn On or Off Background Apps in Windows 10 and Windows 11

:: Created by FreeBooter

@Echo Off


(Net session >nul 2>&1)||(PowerShell start """%~0""" -verb RunAs & Exit /B)

:_Start
Cls & Mode CON  LINES=11 COLS=80 & Color 0E
Echo.
Echo.       
Echo         Type (D) letter to Turn Off Background Apps 
Echo.       
Echo.
Echo.
Echo.         
Echo         Type (E) letter to Turn On Background Apps   
Echo.         



Set /p input=^>
If /i  Not %input%==D (Goto :_Ex) Else (Goto :_Disable)

:_Ex
If /i  Not %input%==E  (Goto :_Start) Else (Goto :_Enable)





:_Disable

Reg.exe add "HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\BackgroundAccessApplications" /v "GlobalUserDisabled" /t REG_DWORD /d "1" /f
Reg.exe add "HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Search" /v "BackgroundAppGlobalToggle" /t REG_DWORD /d "0" /f

Cls & Mode CON  LINES=5 COLS=40 & Color 0B & Title  - Finnish -
Echo.
Echo.
Echo    Background Apps Turn Off
Ping  -n  5  localhost > Nul

Goto :Reboot



:_Enable

Reg.exe add "HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\BackgroundAccessApplications" /v "GlobalUserDisabled" /t REG_DWORD /d "0" /f
Reg.exe add "HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Search" /v "BackgroundAppGlobalToggle" /t REG_DWORD /d "1" /f

Cls & Mode CON  LINES=5 COLS=40 & Color 0B & Title  - Finnish -
Echo.
Echo.
Echo    Background Apps Turn On
Ping  -n  5  localhost > Nul

:Reboot


Cls & Mode CON LINES=7 COLS=52 & Color 0E
Echo THIS SYSTEM WILL REBOOT.
Echo.
Echo PLEASE SAVE ALL WORK IN PROGRESS.
Echo.
Echo Press 'ENTER' Key To Reboot System.
Pause >Nul
Shutdown /r /t 5 /c "REBOOTING THE SYSTEM"
Exit

 

[VulkanBros]

Stumbled up on this: https://www.grc.com/incontrol.htm (controlling updates Win10 + Win11)

https://www.grc.com/default.htm has a lot of exciting tools

 

[chrcoluk]

Killing updates is trivial on pro and higher now days.

Just make a group policy to make it only check for updates, needing manual intervention to download/install them.

It will still silently update the WU service itself, but thats not an issue.

Automated driver install can also be controlled to either off completely or to only install when no existing driver exists.

 

[Mussels]

Killing updates is trivial on pro and higher now days.

Just make a group policy to make it only check for updates, needing manual intervention to download/install them.

It will still silently update the WU service itself, but thats not an issue.

Automated driver install can also be controlled to either off completely or to only install when no existing driver exists.

this feature makes it pretty easy these days - you can set ethernet connections as metered on 11 now, unsure about 10.

 

[trsttte]

View attachment 330989

this feature makes it pretty easy these days - you can set ethernet connections as metered on 11 now, unsure about 10.

That's the easiest way to do it on 10 as well

 

[ThrashZone]

View attachment 330989

this feature makes it pretty easy these days - you can set ethernet connections as metered on 11 now, unsure about 10.

That does not stop windows from checking for updates on startup or periodically throughout the day.
All you have to do is open settings page and on top/ right it will clearly state when last checked.

Comparing your regions to other regions is another flaw in your posts
The EU is very different than the US.

After startup I disabled the service/ settings page said last checked 10 hours ago
Shows 2 Hours now so it checked 3+- hours after startup lol

 

[chrcoluk]

View attachment 330989

this feature makes it pretty easy these days - you can set ethernet connections as metered on 11 now, unsure about 10.

yep thats an option as well.

--

for those replying to mussels we was talking about downloading/installing updates, the OS just checking is pretty harmless in my view.

 

[lemonadesoda]

the OS just checking is pretty harmless in my view.

That's not for YOU to decide! COPILOT will decide!

This is my windows update setting

As you can see, after years of trying to stop update, my registry is so farked, it errors, and I cant update past 21H2.

Even my services.msc has permissions set so that admin cannot turn it back on

 

[chrcoluk]

That's not for YOU to decide! COPILOT will decide!

This is my windows update setting
View attachment 331086

As you can see, after years of trying to stop update, my registry is so farked, it errors, and I cant update past 21H2.

Even my services.msc has permissions set so that admin cannot turn it back on


View attachment 331088

You over fiddled and borked the install, it is what it is.

 

[ThrashZone]

Hi,
Yeah unless you do these settings on the built in hidden admin account they are mostly ignored in the US or reset at next startup.
But as I showed they are mostly just ignored couple hours after the service is stopped.

Best comparison is office click to run service it has a mind of it's own.

 

[trsttte]

the OS just checking is pretty harmless in my view.

Not only harmless but also advantageous in my opinion, some updates are useful and/or necessary some times. Microsoft started to move towards the current hostile forced update model because systems were constantly left unpatched by users who didn't know any better (the vast majority of pc users) which blew back on Microsoft everytime there were news of another huge bot net or ransomware or whatever it was that particular time. It sucks for anyone who knows what he's doing and likes to have some control over their computer but we're in the minority.

I don't mind at all the computer letting me know there are updates available, just let me decide if it's convenient and important for me to install them right now

 

[ThrashZone]

Hi,
Checking for updates automatically is still eating data bandwidth multiple times a day.
So That is what I was responding to when OP said metered .... and this is not a new setting it's on 8 through 11 and prior windows worked better.

Even if I went to the updates page "which I avoid this page" and manually checked for updates ms would start downloading them and that again is the opposite of metered internet setting and hardly harmless.

 

[chrcoluk]

Hi,
Checking for updates automatically is still eating data bandwidth multiple times a day.
So That is what I was responding to when OP said metered .... and this is not a new setting it's on 8 through 11 and prior windows worked better.

Even if I went to the updates page "which I avoid this page" and manually checked for updates ms would start downloading them and that again is the opposite of metered internet setting and hardly harmless.

Never hit that check button if you not prepared to install updates, if you leave it alone with the check only setting (or I suppose metered, but I havent personally verified metered behaviour, I use the policies), it shouldnt actually download updates unless you manually do something like what you did. It will check slightly more often than once a day by default without you needing to click check. The check button is misleading because it will ignore the policy if it finds updates and then download/install.

Check only mode for me combined with wumgr is as good as update management was in pre 10 days. It was very rough when 10 first came out but Microsoft came around in the end, especially also with the defer updates policies.

Manually checking with wumgr is safe though. What I do is check only policy with 10 day defer on quality updates, when I get notified is an update by windows update and I am ready for a reboot, I will do a check with wumgr, and install the updates via wumgr. Then reboot.

Pausing then immediately unpausing used to be a safe way to check, but that behaviour changed sometime between 1809 and 21H2, now unpausing acts the same way as if you clicked the check button.

I dont let wumgr auto check for updates as its way more naggy than windows update, it will nag hourly lol, windows update service is once a day.

 

[SL2]

OOShutup seems to be working for me on W10, even though I've had my doubts from time to time. Currently running an older 22H2 build.. no updates incoming.

Defender is up to date tho.

 

[ThrashZone]

Hi,
Just like I said and showed on post 133 all one has to do it open the main settings page and look at the top/ right and the last time checked is clearly stated.
Funny vivetools used to remove this banner lol

 

[lemonadesoda]

You over fiddled and borked the install, it is what it is.

Oh no. The install is rock stable. I just rammed a crowbar into the update headcrab

My mainpage shows no last update time. My crowbar into the gearwheels has jammed the updating

 

[SL2]

As you can see, after years of trying to stop update, my registry is so farked, it errors, and I cant update past 21H2.

No even manual file/ISO download update?

 

[ThrashZone]

Hi,
Yeah that's a little to much jamming hehe but i sure can understand the goal

You could still probably mount another build.

 

[Mussels]

hat does not stop windows from checking for updates on startup or periodically throughout the day.

Who cares about checking? It stops the downloads themselves.


And yes, it's very possible to break updates and get stuck on outdated builds - that's why i change as little as possible and use the built in methods as much as possible.

Manually updating via setup.exe in a mounted ISO always works, but then you have to redo all your changes if they werent via the approved methods.

 

[ThrashZone]

Who cares about checking? It stops the downloads themselves.

Hi,
Because the updates service is always running and that is taking up bandwidth checking constantly like ET lol
Just disabling the service doesn't stick for very long and if you're lucky only 22 hours before updates medic kicks checking for updates on again.

You obviously don't mind but just that does not make it okay
Lots of people dislike 10 & 11's update service.

Hell I got a reg file to Pause updates for up to 20 years
But even it won't stop the checking all the time hehe

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

; Created by: Shawn Brink
; Created on: February 19, 2024
; Tutorial: https://www.elevenforum.com/t/disable-automatic-windows-updates-in-windows-11.22669/

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\WindowsUpdate\UX\Settings]
"FlightSettingsMaxPauseDays"=dword:00001c84

 

[remixedcat]

Hi,
Because the updates service is always running and that is taking up bandwidth checking constantly like ET lol
Just disabling the service doesn't stick for very long and if you're lucky only 22 hours before updates medic kicks checking for updates on again.

You obviously don't mind but just that does not make it okay
Lots of people dislike 10 & 11's update service.

Hell I got a reg file to Pause updates for up to 20 years
But even it won't stop the checking all the time hehe

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

; Created by: Shawn Brink
; Created on: February 19, 2024
; Tutorial: https://www.elevenforum.com/t/disable-automatic-windows-updates-in-windows-11.22669/

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\WindowsUpdate\UX\Settings]
"FlightSettingsMaxPauseDays"=dword:00001c84

All that shit can't be good for their servers either!! Lol

 

[ThrashZone]

All that shit can't be good for their servers either!! Lol

Hi,
Guess Mr. Mussel's wonderful tool named O&O shutup10 is missing the connection of why they named it like that lol
SHUTUP10 now 11 = means stop talking about updates MS not just installing

 

[ThrashZone]

Hi,
Well finally ran across a suggestion on elevenforum to disable updates service and Waasmedic service from turning updates service back on with only a couple clicks so hehe
Nothing to add to the ini file unless you want to add another service updates is already added just by using the protect service box

Windows Update Blocker v1.8