Microsoft Corporation has violated its own promises that the development of updates for the tenth version of Windows will not be released, since the system initially does not need them. But, as it turns out, they are released with enviable regularity. But in the system itself, a fairly large number of interesting innovations appeared regarding the configuration and management of updates. Configuring Windows 10 updates is completely different from the classical solution. The update management system itself has become much more flexible. Here you can’t refuse the developers for sure.
Configuring Windows 10 Updates: General Concepts
To begin with, in this modification, parameters are initially set that allow you to receive service packs only if the computer is idle. It is believed that the operating system itself determines such periods and downloads updates only when there is a long break in work.
But this is the only way it is considered. In fact, updates with the default settings are downloaded in the background without the knowledge of the user, and when you try to restart or shut down the computer or laptop, the system simply informs the user that the updates are ready for installation. If a shutdown or restart follows, the user will see a blue screen showing the installation progress and the requirement not to turn off the computer. This is a lot of users annoying to say the least. This is where knowledge of how to configure the Windows 10 update settings is useful. You can use several methods for this, which are further proposed for consideration.
Setting Up Windows Update
We should also dwell on the service of the "Update Center" itself. As such, the Update Center in the standard "Control Panel" is missing. The developers moved it to the "Options" menu.
It is unclear, of course, why it was necessary to change the standard access option, but now you can configure the desired options only in the update and security section. It should be borne in mind that turning on or off receiving updates in the "Update Center" will not work. Configuring Windows 10 updates in the sense of activation or deactivation can be done either through the services section, or through group policies, or through the system registry, or through the command line, not counting specialized third-party tools. All this will be considered as detailed as possible.
Defining the settings for receiving updates
But even in the "Update Center" you can find a lot of interesting things. There is a standard search for available packages, set in manual mode. But when switching to additional parameters, you can choose a delay for installing updates (maximum 35 days) or activate an update from several places, which works on the principle of peer-to-peer networks when downloading torrent content.
In the same way, the Windows 10 update time adjustment (the so-called activity period, the period of which cannot exceed 18 hours) is simply made.
In the restart parameters, the time is set when the user can set his own point of completion of the installation of updates. In the same section, you can enable a notification about a reboot so that it does not happen at the most inopportune moment. And it sometimes happens that the user works with an important document, and then a restart is made, after which it can sometimes be impossible to restore the file if autosave was not turned on.
Is it advisable to disable receiving updates?
As a rule, disabling updates is not recommended, since they mainly relate to patching security holes and getting updates for some important platforms that are used in multimedia programs or modern games.
Updates can also be delivered for other Microsoft software products if this option is activated (for example, for an office suite). In addition, without installing critical packages, some system or user applications may simply stop working.
Limited connection
Now we’ll go directly to solving the issue of how to configure updates for Windows 10. As for locking at the most primitive level, it can be done quite simply.
To do this, select the network or Wi-Fi connections in the options menu, and then set the limit connection in the advanced settings, as if it were mobile.
Using the services section
Windows 10 automatic updating can be configured in the services section, which is called by the services.msc command in the Run console.
Here you need to find the service of the “Update Center”, enter the editing of parameters by double-clicking or through the PCM menu, and then in the settings to start or stop the service, click the corresponding button. One of the key points is setting options like launch. The service can be deactivated altogether, and to receive updates in automatic mode, use the corresponding option, but it is better not to use delayed launch.
Group Policy
Windows 10 updates (automation) can also be configured in the Group Policy Editor (gpedit.msc).
Here, after logging in, you need to find an automatic update and use the enable or disable option in the configuration options. However, it should be clearly understood that policies fundamentally duplicate registry settings that are prioritized.
Registry Actions
The regedit can also determine the method by which Windows 10 updates are configured based on user-defined keys.
So, for example, to disable automatic receiving of packets, you need to create a 32-bit parameter with the name NoAutoUpdate, which should be located in the final directory AU of the HKLM branch and set the value for it as a unit. Enabling the update is done either by deleting this key, or assigning zero instead of one to the AUOption parameter located in the WindowsUpdate directory of the same branch.
Command line
In the command console, with just three lines, you can enable or disable automatic updating.
They look like this:
- net start / stop wuauserv;
- net start / stop bits;
- net start / stop dosvc.
In each command, start and stop are entered depending on the required actions.
Driver update
You can also set update parameters for device drivers. In this case, it is necessary to use the properties of the system, where additional parameters and device installation options are selected.
Again, if necessary, the service can be completely deactivated or enable the installation of updates. But here the problem is that new versions will be installed only from the Windows database, where only the most suitable software is searched. If you still need to install driver updates without activating this service, it is best to use special programs like Driver Booster.
Update Hiding Tools
Finally, let's see how to configure Windows 10 after the update, assuming that the updates were still installed.
Firstly, in the same “Update Center” or in the programs and components section, when viewing the update log, you can safely remove them, set a manual search and exclude those that the user does not need or cause system errors. Unfortunately, some packages seem clearly underdeveloped.
Secondly, you can remove updates through the PowerShell console or through the command line. The operation for the average user is quite complicated, so it is better to use simple programs.
One of these is the Show or hide updates utility, developed by Microsoft Corporation. After scanning, it allows you to hide unnecessary packages in such a way that they will be ignored during repeated automatic searches. Naturally, such packages will not be installed either.
Brief Summary
These are briefly the main methods for managing the settings for receiving updates in the tenth version of Windows. It is not possible to manage most of the parameters for starting or deactivating a service from the Update Center. Therefore, to be honest, it is best to use the registry editor, since its parameters have the highest priority. But as an option, both group policies and the service section will do. The command line can be used if an immediate stop or the start of receiving updates is required (and even without a reboot, which is mandatory after making changes to the registry). Which method is right for every user? This question is left for consideration by the users themselves. Almost all the basic methods are equivalent to each other, except for the established priorities.