Microsoft has changed WU on Win8.1

rezerekted

2[H]4U
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Apr 6, 2015
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There is no longer an option to not check for updates. Microsoft changed my setting to "download updates but let me choose when to install them". Noticed about a week ago WU notifying me of defender updates and they were already downloaded to my PC. Just now it installed other updates besides defender so that is when I knew they had done something to my settings.
 
There is no longer an option to not check for updates. Microsoft changed my setting to "download updates but let me choose when to install them". Noticed about a week ago WU notifying me of defender updates and they were already downloaded to my PC. Just now it installed other updates besides defender so that is when I knew they had done something to my settings.

Sounds like the Microsoft I know and loathe.
 
I have a utility somewhere that can disable updates completely and then re-enable when I want to get updates. Looks like I finally have reason to use it.
 
I shut off WU on 8.1 since last summer. I'm done with windows. I don't know what I'm going to do next but my days of building a high end gaming PC are over. Just to have to put garbage like W10 in it. MS can go fuck off. Thank god for some good PS4 exclusives.
 
I shut off WU on 8.1 since last summer. I'm done with windows. I don't know what I'm going to do next but my days of building a high end gaming PC are over. Just to have to put garbage like W10 in it. MS can go fuck off. Thank god for some good PS4 exclusives.

Passionate writing, I love it!

PC gaming isn't the be all and end all.
 
Passionate writing, I love it!

PC gaming isn't the be all and end all.

About 4 years ago when I built my current PC I would have disagreed. As much as I love this forum and used to love hardware and gaming, it just seems like as hardware gets better everything else has gone backwards. Net code and client side BS on all these shooters without real servers and all that. No PC exclusive games pushing the boundaries and just boredom with it all I guess. Oh plus W10
 
About 4 years ago when I built my current PC I would have disagreed. As much as I love this forum and used to love hardware and gaming, it just seems like as hardware gets better everything else has gone backwards. Net code and client side BS on all these shooters without real servers and all that. No PC exclusive games pushing the boundaries and just boredom with it all I guess. Oh plus W10

I totally agree, and just like yourself 4 years ago I would have disagreed also.
 
Strange I have an 8.1 system that I just finished checking for updates and still have the option to never check for updates.
 
Strange I have an 8.1 system that I just finished checking for updates and still have the option to never check for updates.

I just double checked and that option has been removed from my PC. I can post a screenshot to prove it if needed. A week ago I did install a recommended update to Win8.1 so maybe that is why.
 
Do you have 8.1 Pro?
Turn off automatic updates in group policy, if you do.
It's under Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Windows Update > Configure Automatic Updates, set that policy to Disabled. [This disables Automatic Updates in any capacity, but you can still check for updates whenever you want to do so manually.]
GP supercedes any setting in the WU Control Panel, and (so far), MS hasn't fucked with GP and ignored settings in GP.

If you don't have Pro and are instead using a Home SKU, you can also set it in the registry in HKLM\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WindowsUpdate\AU > NoAutoUpdate, set to 1. source
Code:
REG ADD HKLM\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WindowsUpdate\AU /v NoAutoUpdate /t REG_DWORD /d 1 /f
(You should be able to copy and paste that into a Command Prompt running as Admin and set it in the registry that way.)
Registry isn't as sure-fire, unfortunately, because they did revert some registry settings back during the GWX days - in this regard, setting it in the registry may not 'stick' forever, but at least it's something.
 
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About 4 years ago when I built my current PC I would have disagreed. As much as I love this forum and used to love hardware and gaming, it just seems like as hardware gets better everything else has gone backwards. Net code and client side BS on all these shooters without real servers and all that. No PC exclusive games pushing the boundaries and just boredom with it all I guess. Oh plus W10

So what I hear you saying is that now you are no longer interested in PC gaming you no longer feel the need to have/use Windows. That's the same reasoning I used to begin migrating to Linux.
 
Do you have 8.1 Pro?
Turn off automatic updates in group policy, if you do.
It's under Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Windows Update > Configure Automatic Updates, set that policy to Disabled. [This disables Automatic Updates in any capacity, but you can still check for updates whenever you want to do so manually.]
GP supercedes any setting in the WU Control Panel, and (so far), MS hasn't fucked with GP and ignored settings in GP.

OK, that worked and is a better method than completely blocking WU. Thx.
 
I shut off WU on 8.1 since last summer. I'm done with windows. I don't know what I'm going to do next but my days of building a high end gaming PC are over. Just to have to put garbage like W10 in it. MS can go fuck off. Thank god for some good PS4 exclusives.

Anyone who hasn't tried Linux on the desktop lately needs to give it a go. All my hardware and favorite games 'just work' under Linux Mint. 1/3 of my Steam library runs on Linux and many more games will run under Wine with very little effort.

Don't let Microsoft kill the desktop.

Then why not just let it install things automatically? You may have to restart the PC once per month... Big deal.

Microsoft fired most of their QA division. That's why updates have been such a mess lately.
 
Anyone who hasn't tried Linux on the desktop lately needs to give it a go. All my hardware and favorite games 'just work' under Linux Mint. 1/3 of my Steam library runs on Linux and many more games will run under Wine with very little effort.

Don't let Microsoft kill the desktop.



Microsoft fired most of their QA division. That's why updates have been such a mess lately.

I don't even care about gaming on PC anymore. Been very deep into the dark souls games last couple years and that's it. Just bought a PS4 pro ! Never thought I'd see the day... Next time I have some spare time I'm gonna use a safe drive and give it a go.
 
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