Windows Updates!

[Fugazi]

I just go into my settings and turn off updates when I get a new laptop. Seen as i get a new laptop approx every ten years the updates just make things worse as time goes on and my laptops too outdated to use the updates properly.

Same with any anti virus software, uninstall that garbage too. The odd time ive messed my computer up its been better to just reinstall windows and start fresh

I don't use my laptops for much though. Wouldnt recommend it for people that are always download random things

[jamesedwards]

A couple of questions. On Windows 10, is it my fiddling that makes this update optional or is it optional for everyone, and what the hell is an update preview?

I've always avoided them because I suspect it's some sort of beta and they want to use you as a guinea pig before rolling it out. There's one on my Windows 11 device as well.


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I believe it's a preview of the regular enforced update which follows a couple of weeks later. I have tried installing the preview before to see if it excused me from the enforced update, but it still made me update again as usual. Therefore for me the previews are a waste of time and I ignore them.

[jamesedwards]

I just go into my settings and turn off updates when I get a new laptop. Seen as i get a new laptop approx every ten years the updates just make things worse as time goes on and my laptops too outdated to use the updates properly.

Same with any anti virus software, uninstall that garbage too. The odd time ive messed my computer up its been better to just reinstall windows and start fresh

I don't use my laptops for much though. Wouldnt recommend it for people that are always download random things

I've tried many things to try and stop updates being enforced, but eventually they are forced upon me anyway. And always when I'm in the middle of trading! I find it easier to update every month manually to avoid them taking over when I least expect it. They appear on the second weds of every month.

[firlandsfarm]

I just go into my settings and turn off updates when I get a new laptop. Seen as i get a new laptop approx every ten years the updates just make things worse as time goes on and my laptops too outdated to use the updates properly.

Same with any anti virus software, uninstall that garbage too. The odd time ive messed my computer up its been better to just reinstall windows and start fresh

I don't use my laptops for much though. Wouldnt recommend it for people that are always download random things

I've tried many things to try and stop updates being enforced, but eventually they are forced upon me anyway. And always when I'm in the middle of trading! I find it easier to update every month manually to avoid them taking over when I least expect it. They appear on the second weds of every month.

James I followed @conduirez's suggestion (viewtopic.php?p=346856#p346856) ... it's worked fine so far. It's also stopped the insistence of wanting to send everything to One Drive which is an equal annoyance.

[jamesedwards]

I just go into my settings and turn off updates when I get a new laptop. Seen as i get a new laptop approx every ten years the updates just make things worse as time goes on and my laptops too outdated to use the updates properly.

Same with any anti virus software, uninstall that garbage too. The odd time ive messed my computer up its been better to just reinstall windows and start fresh

I don't use my laptops for much though. Wouldnt recommend it for people that are always download random things

I've tried many things to try and stop updates being enforced, but eventually they are forced upon me anyway. And always when I'm in the middle of trading! I find it easier to update every month manually to avoid them taking over when I least expect it. They appear on the second weds of every month.

James I followed @conduirez's suggestion (viewtopic.php?p=346856#p346856) ... it's worked fine so far. It's also stopped the insistence of wanting to send everything to One Drive which is an equal annoyance.

OMG don't get me started on OneDrive.

Windows has been badgering me for years to set up OneDrive and this time I thought, why not give it a go? BIG mistake.

As soon as I switched it on it started removing my files from their usual folders and sticking a shortcut in their place instead making everything one more click away from where it was before. So I angrily switched OneDrive off and moved all my files back.

Within a few hours I realised my hard drive had mysteriously filled up and when I made room, was continuing to fill up at a rate of about 10GB per hour. As you can imagine this is a nightmare because I had to keep deleting more and more stuff while frantically trying to track down the cause.

It turned out that a Windows indexing file called Windows.edb had reached over 50GB and was still growing, trying to index a corrupted OneDrive file.

[firlandsfarm]

OMG don't get me started on OneDrive.

Windows has been badgering me for years to set up OneDrive and this time I thought, why not give it a go? BIG mistake.

As soon as I switched it on it started removing my files from their usual folders and sticking a shortcut in their place instead making everything one more click away from where it was before. So I angrily switched OneDrive off and moved all my files back.

Within a few hours I realised my hard drive had mysteriously filled up and when I made room, was continuing to fill up at a rate of about 10GB per hour. As you can imagine this is a nightmare because I had to keep deleting more and more stuff while frantically trying to track down the cause.

It turned out that a Windows indexing file called Windows.edb had reached over 50GB and was still growing, trying to index a corrupted OneDrive file.

Totally agree. Microsoft is convinced it knows better than you and I how to structure our drives and what is best for us! I live at the end of a copper wire so to access a 1GB+ database on One Drive down the wire is not practical. But like I said, because my PC/Windows thinks I'm on a metered connection it warns me if it wants to do something involving One Drive or Updates so it effectively tells me "did you know this is still on One Drive?" So I can move it back onto my Computer. Even Desktop was dumped onto One Drive! All other browsing and downloading is unaffected. Got your measure Bill. Any6way James I can recommend @conduirez's suggestion.

[jamesedwards]

428696656_335256446162063_206328859781004879_n.jpg

[greenmark]

428696656_335256446162063_206328859781004879_n.jpg

There is little compeition in retail OS's. Windows or Apple. And Apple aren't really in the same space as Windows, so MS is essantially a monopoly.
I think Mar 13 is the next dump of their updates. Best strategy is accept the download and go out for a nice long walk. Come back and reboot while doing something productive, cos you won't be using your computer.
I would be interested if anyone has, say, a year old laptop and doesn't suffer these hiatuses. My laptop couldn't be upgraded to windows 11.

[jamesedwards]

It's 'update wednesday' and I would normally be updating this morning. However, for some reason this time all my PCs updated and restarted themselves overnight so I lost all my automations. Who do they think they are?

[hecojef928]

It's 'update wednesday' and I would normally be updating this morning. However, for some reason this time all my PCs updated and restarted themselves overnight so I lost all my automations. Who do they think they are?

I experienced the same issue last night. I knew it was Windows Updates when I noticed the Bet Angel icon missing from the bottom taskbar this morning. I knew the PC had rebooted. I've read online this can resolve it. I've also paused my updates for a few weeks in the windows update settings as well.

• Open the Group Policy Editor (gpedit.msc). You can use the search area on the taskbar.
  Go to Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Windows Update.
  Double-click on “No auto-restart with logged on users for scheduled automatic updates installations”.
  Select Enabled, and then select OK.

[jamesedwards]

It's 'update wednesday' and I would normally be updating this morning. However, for some reason this time all my PCs updated and restarted themselves overnight so I lost all my automations. Who do they think they are?

I experienced the same issue last night. I knew it was Windows Updates when I noticed the Bet Angel icon missing from the bottom taskbar this morning. I knew the PC had rebooted. I've read online this can resolve it. I've also paused my updates for a few weeks in the windows update settings as well.

• Open the Group Policy Editor (gpedit.msc). You can use the search area on the taskbar.
  Go to Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Windows Update.
  Double-click on “No auto-restart with logged on users for scheduled automatic updates installations”.
  Select Enabled, and then select OK.

Nice!

[foxwood]

I use a different variation on Windows server 2016+

In that same "Windows Update" hive mentioned above you can enable "Configure Automatic Updates" and set the option to 7 which is "7 = Notify for install and notify for restart. (Windows Server only)" - everything else is set to "Not configured".

Allows you to do it when you want - works for me on Lightsail ok - so far

[firlandsfarm]

It's 'update wednesday' and I would normally be updating this morning. However, for some reason this time all my PCs updated and restarted themselves overnight so I lost all my automations. Who do they think they are?

I experienced the same issue last night. I knew it was Windows Updates when I noticed the Bet Angel icon missing from the bottom taskbar this morning. I knew the PC had rebooted. I've read online this can resolve it. I've also paused my updates for a few weeks in the windows update settings as well.

• Open the Group Policy Editor (gpedit.msc). You can use the search area on the taskbar.
  Go to Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Windows Update.
  Double-click on “No auto-restart with logged on users for scheduled automatic updates installations”.
  Select Enabled, and then select OK.

Nice one but does it work long term? I ask because I've found that sometimes Windows will override your settings and install an Update regardless! I've told my PC that I'm on a metered connection and so far that has stopped it downloading the updates, it tells me I am missing an update and I can download and install at my pleasure.

[jimibt]

It's 'update wednesday' and I would normally be updating this morning. However, for some reason this time all my PCs updated and restarted themselves overnight so I lost all my automations. Who do they think they are?

I experienced the same issue last night. I knew it was Windows Updates when I noticed the Bet Angel icon missing from the bottom taskbar this morning. I knew the PC had rebooted. I've read online this can resolve it. I've also paused my updates for a few weeks in the windows update settings as well.

• Open the Group Policy Editor (gpedit.msc). You can use the search area on the taskbar.
  Go to Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Windows Update.
  Double-click on “No auto-restart with logged on users for scheduled automatic updates installations”.
  Select Enabled, and then select OK.

Nice one but does it work long term? I ask because I've found that sometimes Windows will override your settings and install an Update regardless! I've told my PC that I'm on a metered connection and so far that has stopped it downloading the updates, it tells me I am missing an update and I can download and install at my pleasure.

i do likewise and am indebted to this metered connection tip.. don't think that configuration item will be overwritten as it's got moral implications in that it is aimed at saving the end user costs when using metered data services. nice little frig!!

[hecojef928]

Nice one but does it work long term? I ask because I've found that sometimes Windows will override your settings and install an Update regardless! I've told my PC that I'm on a metered connection and so far that has stopped it downloading the updates, it tells me I am missing an update and I can download and install at my pleasure.

It should prevent automatic reboot, but there might be more you can do to avoid automatic updates if you want. Can't promise anything since I've only recently given it a test myself. Had a surprise reboot last week, which got me to test it out. I tend to manually update before bed now if any are available and reboot both the VPS and my desktop late in the evening.

I found this helpful too:

• https://businesshelp.avast.com/Content/ ... ration.htm

I use a different variation on Windows server 2016+

In that same "Windows Update" hive mentioned above you can enable "Configure Automatic Updates" and set the option to 7 which is "7 = Notify for install and notify for restart. (Windows Server only)" - everything else is set to "Not configured".

Allows you to do it when you want - works for me on Lightsail ok - so far

Thanks for sharing.