I haven't run windows since 2019. However I need to boot my old drive to grab some data. I really need to make sure this system doesn't update any windows components, but I'll need it to have internet access for a portion of the time.
On a different system, I used to have two reg keys that I would run to disable or enable updates when I found that disabling the services only worked until the watchdog would re enable them. Those resulted in updates saying something was wrong, which is perfect by me.
Now that web searches for stuff like this are all AI-gen'd SEO BS, can anyone tell me or point me to a reliable resource for truly disabling updates on Win 10?
PS - Bonus points if Anyone can link me to the page I used a few years back that had all sorts of privacy enhancing and telemetry disabling option on the left side and would create a reg file for applying those changes on the right. It might have been a purple theme, I forget.
Edit: it may also have been a "services" command that fully disabled services from CLI where the GUI says access denied. I forget.
Edit 2: I got the updates services disabled via registry. Thanks to those who refreshed my old Windows admin memory. I dumped Windows on my personal systems years ago, and haven't had to think about this for a while. It's a shame when the operating system changes to this model of SaaS where they call all the shots. I want security updates, but not bleeding edge drivers, candy crush, "feature enhancements", random unexpected reboots, etc. I miss when the update feature didn't assume nobody in the world could handle manual updates. You know, like sudo apt-get update.
Just disable the windows update services.
You could also use a allowlist firewall rule to restrict access to what you need.
Also why the paranoia? What do you have against windows updates?
After 30 years of running windows boxes, I've never been hacked.
But I've lost thousands of hours to update fucking my shit up.
Forced windows 11 upgrades, breaking VPNs, breaking recovery partitions, intentionally targeting and breaking the win10 start menu for win11, installing unwanted software, enabling ads, adding additional telemetry, adding half baked AI nonsense that nobody asked for, restarting without a prompt and losing progress or canceling a running program... Should I keep going?
Win11 isnt forced.
Breaking vpns was a result of security fixes and was addressed. This is normal for all OS’s that get patched.
There’s no restarting without prompting.
Copilot is optional.
I don’t need to go on.
Win11 was forcibly installed on my coworker's computers. This happened more than once. https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/answers/questions/1607264/why-is-my-windows-10-pro-system-automatically-forc
What if you needed to use a VPN between May 1 and May 14? https://www.pcworld.com/article/2320535/microsofts-newest-windows-update-breaks-vpns-and-theres-no-fix.html
I guess I hallucinated my computer restarting by itself on multiple occasions due to Microsoft updates, even after I disabled the services, before I nuked every sign of it from the registry and the reboots suddenly stopped. Crazy. https://superuser.com/questions/1277757/windows-updates-forcibly-rebooting-my-pc-at-night
Copilot appeared with regular updates on my sister's computer, unprompted. https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/all/why-is-it-that-you-install-software-i-never-asked/a4fce101-b9e8-4d10-9c15-1f8350004e09
There were easy to find examples of everything that I said, some of them happened to myself, my family, or my coworkers. If you're going to be blatantly wrong and easily disproved then maybe you shouldn't go on after all.
It was pretty simple to stop windows 11.
Updates will eventually restart but not unprompted. There is a combination of settings you can set that will install updates right away and restart soon after, but it’s not default.
The vpn issue didn’t affect all vpn software and a workaround was available.
MS adds features to their products and are pretty forceful about getting you to use them.
Deleting documents from insider branch users a few years back, forced installation of HP SMART printer utility, constantly switching users' default browser back to Edge, even bypassing my employer's GPO to do so at one point in a Teams update
Not to mention their habit of making practically everything opt-in by default. And what is up with the new Aptos "cloud" font that only works if you have an active Office 365 subscription?
I don't know tbh, Windows just doesn't cut it for me anymore personally, mainly because of Microsoft. Stuck with it on my desktop though because of sim hardware.
I still have XP on an airgapped old PC for nostalgia ☺️