[SOLVED] How to stop Windows 10 from downloading updates ?

Nov 1, 2021
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Automatic download of win 10 updates is turned off, yet still Windows 10 downloads updates. I click on update and restart to complete the installation but the updates never install. So win10 reverts back to how it was before the update. This happens at least twice a week.
 
Automatic download of win 10 updates is turned off, yet still Windows 10 downloads updates. I click on update and restart to complete the installation but the updates never install. So win10 reverts back to how it was before the update. This happens at least twice a week.
Don't think you can stop updates.
You can delay updates for 35 days.
Perhaps find out why the update is failing.
 

Drew125

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Nov 3, 2014
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Impossible. Windows 10 updates if you want it to or not. They changed the license to not give you the choice. Ive tried many times to bypass it. If you stop the windows update service by disabling it, windows just re-enables it. To delay updates its only effective for 30 days on home and up to a year on pro. But..... when the delay is turned off it must do all updates to delay again. Microsoft has really locked in updates in the code. It does suck.
 
Nov 1, 2021
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Thanks Bob,
I would like to find out why the updates are failing but I dont know enough. The options that i have is to keep the system on and ignore the update and restart ( the update and restart come on today sometime nov 1 2021, the third time in the last 5 days), restart without updating. I don t know why its failing, there is no error code all i have is a blue screen with the text
" We couldn’t complete the updates. Undoing changes. Don’t turn off your computer. "

It shuts down and restarts on its own without the update. The system should at least tell the user why it failed so i can look into it further but it does not. I was hopping maybe someone would have gone through this agonizing issue and found a solution.
 
Thanks Bob,
I would like to find out why the updates are failing but I dont know enough. The options that i have is to keep the system on and ignore the update and restart ( the update and restart come on today sometime nov 1 2021, the third time in the last 5 days), restart without updating. I don t know why its failing, there is no error code all i have is a blue screen with the text
" We couldn’t complete the updates. Undoing changes. Don’t turn off your computer. "

It shuts down and restarts on its own without the update. The system should at least tell the user why it failed so i can look into it further but it does not. I was hopping maybe someone would have gone through this agonizing issue and found a solution.
I'm not into the weenie stuff if I was to try and guide you it would be like the blind leading the blind.

Perhaps a Windows type will be along to help.

WAG.....in the search box type 'restore'.
Click on create a restore point.
When the system properties page opens click on hardware.
Click on device installation settings.
Put a tick in the NO box.
 
Nov 1, 2021
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Ok, Thank you to everyone that posted to help with my issue.
I got it resolve.

What i did was in the TYPE HERE TO SEARCH bar (bottom left corner of my screen, yours could be else where, if you moved the bar) i typed windows update. The search will return a Best match Windows Update settings highlighted. click on it to open Windows Update. In this window i was able to see the error code in red.
I googled the error code and the suggestions were That i did not have enough space on my HDD. My Download Folder which is set up on my secondary drive was full. Deleted many files that were not needed any longer to create space for the downloaded updates to install.

Another suggestion was to install .Net updates first which was one of the two updates.
Keep your Windows Update settings open, whatch the progress of the download and installation of the updates.
The .Net update was the first of the two to finish downloading and installed. Now was pending upon Restart on the system.
The other update was much larger and the download progress was at about 10%.

I restarted Windows while the larger Update file was still downloading.
So after the restart .Net update installed correctly. (the restart took about 1 min with the ssd)
in the TYPE HERE TO SEARCH bar (bottom left corner of my screen) i typed Windows Update. Click on Windows Update settings
Windows update continued on the download of the second update after the restart.
Once the second update finished downloading it started the install process. When that was complete I restarted Windows for the update to finish the install (This update took about 10 min and the system restarted several times).

I hope this thread can help someone with a similar issue.
Thanks again to everyone that posted.
 
Nov 1, 2021
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I'm not into the weenie stuff if I was to try and guide you it would be like the blind leading the blind.

Perhaps a Windows type will be along to help.

WAG.....in the search box type 'restore'.
Click on create a restore point.
When the system properties page opens click on hardware.
Click on device installation settings.
Put a tick in the NO box.
Automatic download of win 10 updates is turned off, yet still Windows 10 downloads updates. I click on update and restart to complete the installation but the updates never install. So win10 reverts back to how it was before the update. This happens at least twice a week.

OK, thank yo to everyone that posted to helm with my issue.
I got it resolved .

use sfc /scannow then clear all cache from the drive using disk clean then going to admin mod cleaning system files, this should remove any update that was downloaded (corrupted download) adn re-download them again

Thank you I tried that last week some time , it didnt work.
 
Nov 1, 2021
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I thought i posted the steps i took to resolve, if it doesnt show up ill repost.

After the update failed to install
Disabling firewall (suggested by googling the error code. see below on how to find error code)
Bottom left corner of my screen in the TYPE HERE TO SERACH box i typed Firewall.
  • the search highlighted Windows Defender firewall click it.
  • Windows defender firewall window will open
  • on the left side of the window you will see Control Pane Home (very top), on the left side of window one of the options will be Turn Windows Defender On or Off click it.
  • Customize settings (firewall) window will open
  • Turn off Windows Defender Firewall for Private network and Public network settings. ( DONT FORGET TO TURN FIREWALL BACK ON for both private and public settings after the updates are completed.)

Checking for updates
  • bottom left corner of my screen in the TYPE HERE TO SERACH box i typed check for updates.
  • the search highlights Check For Updates system settings and click it.
  • a settings window will open with Windows Updates.
  • here you should see the error code in red (in my case) to why the Windows Updates failed.
  • i googled the error.
It was suggested that the error is because i did not have enough space in my download folder. (I have mapped my download folder to my secondary drive for efficiency).

- removed old files (about 20gb) that were not needed any longer on my secondary drive where my Download folder is located.

Other suggestions by googling the error code.
install .Net updates first.


Checking and installing windows updates.
  • the search highlights Check For Updates system settings and click it.
  • open the settings window Windows Updates. (as described above).
  • click check for updates
  • in my case windows found two updates one of them was a .Net update the other was a much larger update.
  • monitor the downloads
  • windows downloaded and installed the .Net update and now was in a Pending stage. I had to restart windows for the .Net update to finish installation. the other update being much larger was still downloading and at about 10% so i had a bit of a wait before the second update was downloaded. this gave me the opportunity to install one update at a time.
  • under the .Net update there was the option of restarting to complete the installation of the update.
  • restarted windows to complete .Net update. (about 1 min with an ssd)
  • after restart, open the settings window Windows Updates. (as described above), other updates will continue to download.
  • monitor updates and restart windows as each update is pending a restart to complete installation.
( DONT FORGET TO TURN FIREWALL BACK ON for both private and public settings after the updates are completed.)

Thank you again to everyone that posted on this issue.
I hope someone can resolve a similar update error.
 
Last edited:

troyer1234567

Reputable
Dec 31, 2020
355
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4,715
Automatic download of win 10 updates is turned off, yet still Windows 10 downloads updates. I click on update and restart to complete the installation but the updates never install. So win10 reverts back to how it was before the update. This happens at least twice a week.
let me make it simple for you. press Windows button+ R , type services.msc (you can access services through Task Manager too) and press enter, then it would open a window called services, look for Windows Update, double click on it, there is an option which would be set to Automatic or Manual, change it to Disabled and done. hope it would help you :D