The tenth version since its appearance in the form of a free upgrade has done quite a lot of noise among users of computer systems. But not everyone wanted to install it on top of existing OSs, preferring to work with the seventh or eighth modifications. But the notification of readiness for download constantly makes itself felt. And then the logical question arises of how to abandon Windows 10 forever. Next, several basic methods will be proposed that allow you to completely deactivate the proposed installation of a new system or cancel the installation if the user confirms the installation, but for some reason the new OS was not to his taste and he wants to return to the previous configuration.
How to refuse Windows 10 at the stage of the installation proposal?
Initially, Microsoft acted in a very unconventional way, offering the user free download and installation of a new OS modification. If you have a permanent Internet connection, the installer’s readiness icon for download “hangs” in the system tray, which openly annoys many. In principle, you can, of course, just hide the icon from the display area, but this is a purely conditional move, since a pop-up message will still appear whether the user wants it or not.
Therefore, at the proposal stage, the problem of how to refuse to install Windows 10 is solved differently. It is not possible to get rid of the reminder with the software of the system itself, and it will be necessary to solve the problem by using the installation of special update packages in the existing OS or the tools of the registry editor.
Installing updates to abandon Windows 10
In the simplest case, the question of how to refuse to upgrade to Windows 10 in the seventh and eighth versions of the OS can be solved by installing special updates that will block the installation of the tenth modification.
For the G8, this is a package with the number KB3065988, for the G7 you need KB3075851 (you can directly download them from the official Microsoft resource or specify a manual search for updates in the Update Center), after which only them can be installed from the packages found. Partially the problem of how to refuse to download Windows 10, these steps will solve. But not completely. To perform further actions, you will have to be patient, as you will have to delve into the system registry, and work on creating new keys and entries.
System registry: first step
First, from the "Run" console, which is called in the simplest case via Win + R or from the "Start" menu, an access command to the regedit editor is written.
Here, at the first stage, the HKLM branch is selected, in which through the SOFTWARE directory you need to go down through the Microsoft and Windows subdirectories to the WindowsUpdate update section. If there is no such folder in the directory tree, you will have to create it yourself. In the editor’s window, on the right, a menu is called up via the right-click, in which you need to select the DWORD parameter creation, name it DisableOSUpgrade, double-click (or through the right-click menu) to open the editing window and assign the value 1 in a special field.
Next, you just need to exit the editor and restart the system completely.
System registry: second step
At the second stage, when solving the problem of how to refuse to switch to Windows 10, you need to use the same HKLM branch in the editor, but find the OSUpgrade section in the Microsoft section (as in the previous case, if there is no such directory, you need to create it).
Now, in the right window, by analogy with the previous solution, the DWORD parameter is created, which is given the name ResrvationAllowed, and 0 (zero) is set as the value. Then the system will reboot.
How to refuse to install Windows 10 in an already installed system
If for some reason the user nevertheless agreed to an upgrade and the tenth version is installed, but the user did not like the user in terms of convenience, you can also roll back.
The question of how to abandon Windows 10 can be resolved through the standard "Update Center", which has a special section for returning to the previous system. But here it is necessary to pay attention to two main conditions. Firstly, the rollback option is active for only thirty days from the date of installation of the tenth modification. Secondly, this can only be done if the components of the old system (usually the files and folders contained in the Windows.old directory) have not been deleted (either manually or using the disk cleanup tool). By the way, you can’t manually delete this directory under any pretext, or even a new system, what’s good, may refuse to function.
Uninstalling Windows 10 Alternatively
Now let's see how to abandon Windows 10 by an alternative method that does not require the use of Windows Update. In this case (again, within a 30-day period) you need to hold down the Shift key and use the reboot from the Start menu. In the window for selecting the proposed action, select the diagnostics, and then go to the advanced settings section and select the line for viewing other parameters.
After entering this menu, the bottom line will display a return to the previous assembly, which you need to activate. After that, it remains only to wait for the rollback process to complete.
Note: if any programs and applications have already been installed in the new system, in the first and second rollback cases all of them will be deleted, and the user will receive the old system in the state in which it was at the time of Windows 10 installation, and even with all the errors that might have been in it at that time.
Instead of a total
These methods solve the problem of how to abandon Windows 10. If none of them gives the desired result (which is very doubtful), you will have to use a complete reinstall of the desired OS with full formatting of the system partition as the last and cardinal solution. This is due to the fact that the ability to install an operating system of a lower rank on a computer or laptop is available only if the second OS is installed in parallel. You cannot install it as the main system. In addition, formatting will have to be done for the simple reason that Windows 10 may have a 64-bit architecture, and an attempt to install a 32-bit system will lead to nothing.
In the end, it remains to answer the question of preferences in using the means of refusing to install the tenth modification of Windows. If the system is not planned to be installed at all, you will have to delve into the registry. Let it be long and difficult, but for sure. If the system is still installed for any reason, the user will only have 30 days to return, but only if all the conditions described above are met. However, think for yourself: install Windows 10 or abandon it for your own reasons.