One way to stop updates being downloaded is to set your internet connection as ‘metered’.
If you want to prevent Windows 10 from downloading and installing updates automatically, we’ll show you how to do it.
A lot of software these days is updated automatically, including web browsers and the operating system on Google Chromebooks. They’re more services than software, and although Windows has always had fairly regular updates, Windows 10 has been unpopular with users because Microsoft really forced those updates out and restarted PCs even if you were in the middle of something.
Things are better now thanks to a feature called Active hours that lets you set a period of time each when Windows won’t restart. We’ll also explain how to use this.
Thanks Omah. I’ve heard of that but I don’t think I have ever tried it.
I have now!
I got the message: “This PC is on a metered network. One Drive sync has been paused to prevent data charges.”
which is certainly something I can live with.
Actually, I do use One Drive to back up files. Hopefully, doing this manually will not turn off the ‘metered’ setting.
Updates are the reason I stopped using Ipads and Iphones it was never ending and caused me so much hassle. I moved over to Android and the Huawei Range, had no problems since…
I still have Windows 7 Home edition and I have not been forced to use Win10. I still get the updates but just refuse them all. I did it for years until the idiot in the computer repair shop downloaded about 60 updates which meant I could no longer run my old Photoshop.
As for dual booting, I think you would need to create a partition but I have forgotten how to do that, in fact, I’m not even sure it is possible any more.
Thanks Omah I have just done the above .
I hope it doesn’t affect anything else :-(.
Not being technologically minded I find if I alter something it usually has unforeseen consequences but I can’t reverse the action because I have forgotten how I did it
Go to ‘Control Panel’
click on Admin Tools
Scroll down to ‘Services’ and double click
Scroll down to ‘Windows Update’ - right click
choose ‘Properties’ from drop down menu
go to ‘Start up type’ click
Choose ‘Disabled’ from drop down menu.
AFAIK, while disabling the automatic update service will temporarily halt any Windows 10 cumulative updates, the service will re-enable itself after a certain amount of time, so check the service status every once in a while …
If I can get hold of a copy of W7 and can install it in a different partition, which I’m sure I have read about before, I could use W7 for the internet and most other things for that matter, and retain W10 to use with any software that won’t run on W7 and which don’t need the internet.
That would enable me to avoid any future updates to W10 that would have been sent over the internet, by simply disconnecting it.
It hasn’t with me … are we talking just Win 10 updates here or the whole shebang. I switched my updates off when Win 10 was released and been foisted on everyone.
I have not heard a peep from them since and am running my little Win 7 laptop into the ground.
