Any solution to the “Windows 10 must update” problem?

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I’m getting more and more plaintive cries for help from Win7 and Win8.1 users who find that they can’t get Windows Update to perform any update, other
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I have all the nag/snooping patches hidden. When I try to download and install updates, I get a downloading Windows 10 progress bar. However, it doesn’t download Windows 10. It actually downloads the updates I selected and installs them, but it doesn’t have the status bar (1 of 12 etc). So functionally it does work like it should, but cosmetically it looks like it downloads and installs Windows 10.

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For me and, my 8.1 Alienware 13t , I was able to successfully uninstall and block(hide) updates KB 2976978, KB 3035583(x2),and 3075249! In addition to that, I can update Windows Updates and, not be afraid of the wrath of Windows 10!

In addition to uninstalling the Windows 10 KB updates on my 8.1 PC, I changed the user settings to check for updates but let me decide whether to download or install them and, I unchecked “give me recommended updates” and “give me updates for other Microsoft Products when I update”

I may have just lucked out because,I was able to uninstall all 4 Microsoft Windows 10 updates before the damage could be done to my PC (ie the big 10gb file)! I only had the windows flag nagware on it for 12 hours!

Could another variable be opting into Windows 10? If it is, they should try canceling there upgrade (I was able to stop it that way on my grandfather’s Windows 7 PC!)

Hopefully this information helps find a root cause to stop the windows 10 update harassment!

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I have yet to see a problem with Win 7 with normal updates. With Win 8.x, after checking for updates, right above the button is a blue link to view updates. Click that and right below the Install button is a line “Select All important updates”. Put a check in the box and normal and your added selections will download and update (done it many times) and it seems to stay that way. The Win 10 update at the bottom can be ignored. You can only upgrade from the annoying blue box on the desktop each time you bootup. If the problem is with people not wanting 10 at all, that is a different issue many have tried to address. You can delete the folder, but it will come back until you remove the prior updates related to 10 and uncheck them by reviewing updates after checking for new ones and unchecking any new attempts to install those again. There is likely no automated way to remove and forever prevent the new attempts. Otherwise, MS expects the majority will upgrade in the first year to take advantage of the free “entitlement”, not license to 10.

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By dumb luck I have an answer to Windows 10 downloading itself. We have a laptop and a desktop both running 8.1 having had to buy new hardware after running XP for years. To avoid inadvertent downloads since we’re technologically challenged, on advice from work IT guys I set us both up as only users on both machines. Win 10 is stymied. If it tries to download it triggers the pop up to login as an administrator to continue installing 10. Since neither of us wish to at this point we cancel, go to updates, remove the check on the “optional” update to install win 10. Go back to the important updates and install defender or whatever updatest we actually need with no further danger of win 10 installing itself. We’ve tried the hide option, but 10 is persistent and we’ve had to repeat the process for each time there are updates we want. Until they try a new cunning plan we have (albeit accidentally) got microsoft’s push for win 10 beaten!

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‘Hide’ the windows 10 update option is what got it out of my way. YMMV

That didn’t remove the W10 upgrade tray ICON nor remove the Gigs of download but did get it off the Windws Update display.

Mike

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So far, I have managed to avoid all of Microsoft’s sneaky tricks, but if they try to force me to *upgrade* ha ! I’ll seriously consider going Apple.

At least you know where you stand with their closed shop approach.

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Woody this might be because the Windows Update screen when you start downloading updates says “Downloading Windows 10”

This panicked me at first after I rolled back to Win 8.1

So as an experiment I unchecked all the updates and picked a small one clicked download

Downloading Windows 10 came on screen I watched for about 30 sec and it changed to updating.

When I rebooted WU correctly identified a small critical update as installed.

I went ahead and checked the critical updates available and installed and confirmed nothing related to Windows 10 was installed.

But every since all WU updates the screen displays downloading Windows 10

obviously a glitch on my rolled back laptop

I had removed all Windows update files and got rid of the nagware, this is the last vestige of windows 10 on this laptop. Guess I can live with it as long as I can get additional updates and I have.

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Woody,
I had this when I updated the other day (following your move to MS-DEFCON 3)and found that as well as unchecking the upgrade box there was a patch in the list of important updates that had to be unchecked. Although I can’t see it now, but that may be because I ran the GWX control panel app after completion of the update.
Peter

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KB 3083710

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@Petri –

Are you saying that installing KB 3083710 (for Win 7) or 3083711 (for Win 8.1) – completely undocumented patches, which were just released this past Tuesday – will get rid of the block?

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@DeWayne –

Fascinating! So you watch the “downloading Windows 10” message for 30 seconds, and it went away? And now you’re able to install individual updates — but you still get “downloading Windows 10” for 30 seconds, and it still goes away?

That’s a tremendous discovery if we can replicate it. Wonder what’ll happen on machines that haven’t been rolled back?

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@Mike –

You can undoubtedly remove the remaining vestiges by using GWX Control Panel. See http://www.infoworld.com/article/2983777/microsoft-windows/how-to-clean-the-windows-10-crapware-off-your-windows-7-or-81-pc.html

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@SM –

Fascinating! I hadn’t even thought of that….

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@Adam –

Thanks. I think using GWX Control Panel helps in all but the very last stages of the infec… er, upgrade. That’s when people get stuck with a Windows Update that says “Upgrade to Windows 10” and, when you click on “Show all available updates” you get a list with the Windows 10 upgrade checked. It’s entirely possible that the people in that late stage clicked to “Sign me up” for the free upgrade – very hard to pin that one down.

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@Eric –

Thanks! That seems to be the solution. You’re using Windows 7 or 8.1? (Not sure if that makes any difference.)

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@woody – I’m using Windows 7. One note – if you see the upgrade to Windows 10 icon in Windows Update with a crazy big file size (2 gigs or so), then u need to click show available updates and then hide the Windows 10 update. I have about three iterations of it in my hidden updates. That should get rid of that initial issue. The only time i get a reference to Windows 10 is when I am downloading and installing. I don’t get the screenshot you have in your more recent post above. But i think that’s because I hid the Windows 10 update (three times).

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I have the same situation as Adam.

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I have windows 7 and did this simple reg entry and I now get nothing from win 10 no nags no nothing. It is like win 10 does not exist.Here is the entries =

Registry Tweak 1:

1. Type regedit in RUN or Start search box and press Enter. It’ll open Registry Editor.

2. Now go to following key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREPoliciesMicrosoftWindows

3. Create a new key under Windows key and set its name as GWX

So the final key path would be:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREPoliciesMicrosoftWindowsGWX

4. Now select GWX key and in right-side pane create a new DWORD DisableGWX and set its value to 1

Disable_GWX_App_Icon_Windows_Registry.png

Close Registry Editor and restart your computer to take effect.

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@Don –

I’m reasonably sure that GWX Control Center does that, without making you manually edit the registry.

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@Erik –

Interesting. Did you use the GWX Control Panel to get rid of the folder?

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After reading all of these postings, I am feeling twice blessed for running Win 8.1 Enterprise. As I am not entitled to the “free” upgrade, MS has not badgered me with the so-called “industry standard practice” Win 10 silent bits download that many others have experienced. Will this nonsense ever end? Seriously?

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@woody – nope, I didn’t use any 3rd party programs. Uninstalled the nag patches, ran system cleanup, and rebooted. Similar to your instructions I believe.

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Woody the “downloading Windows 10” stays on screen until the updates have finished (however long that takes the 30 sec referred to how long my test file only 3mb took to download and install).

The WU screen always switches to “Installing Updates” when the download is finished.

This laptop after the rollback to Win 8.1 I deleted all files,folders related to Win10 and made sure to follow your advice on Win 10 nagware and the updates that allow Win10 to be downloaded on the sly.

so the “Downloading Windows 10” screen on Windows Update is a true mystery.

At least I am happy WU is only downloading the Critical Updates when I allow it.

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