How To Block Windows 10 Upgrades

[HardOCP News]

I have the best way of getting rig of those Windows 10 upgrade prompts, I finally just gave in and installed Windows 10. Now I don't get any more prompts. Those of you that want to hold off on installing Windows 10 might try this method.

Here's how you make those prompts go away. It's a 30-second process, involving two simple registry edits. It doesn't involve any untrusted third-party software, which most security experts recommend avoiding. If you're an IT pro or consultant managing PCs at a small business, you can even automate the process, as I explain in this post.

 

[SFB]

This is old news...

http://www.tenforums.com/tutorials/22322-upgrade-windows-10-update-enable-disable-windows-7-8-1-a.html

 

[SFB]

Arg GWX link did not post. Anyway: http://www.tenforums.com/tutorials/6596-get-windows-10-icon-remove-taskbar-windows-7-8-1-a.html

 

[lenardo2]

of the 4 computers we own at home- 3 are windows 10, one is windows 7 - my wife's- my wife loves her keyboard and unfortunately windows 10 breaks all her special keys on the left side of the keyboard.(it is a steelseries/ideazon merc)

i've tried altering settings, reinstalling, etc and the template for the left keypad just does not load.

 

[Jim Kim]

One stop shop. Does a great job. GWX Control Panel
http://ultimateoutsider.com/downloads/
This is a free tool that can remove and disable the 'Get Windows 10' notification area icon on Windows 7 and Windows 8. Recent versions can also disable 'Upgrade to Windows 10' behavior in the Windows Update control panel and do much more.

 

[ozziegn]

I recently tried a Surface Pro 3 after ditching the entire Windows platform back in 2007 in favor of going to the Apple route. A coworker of mine was using a SP3 so I figured I'd buy one in hopes of appreciating Windows once again. Well, let's just say that didn't work out once I began using the SP3. It reminded me of how crappy the Windows platform is compared to the Mac scene and I returned it the next day.

To each their own I guess....

 

[heatlesssun]

It reminded me of how crappy the Windows platform is compared to the Mac scene and I returned it the next day.

To each their own I guess....

True. It is interesting how everyone including Apple is replicating the idea of the Surface Pro line, tablets that can replace laptops. CES has been full of devices that copies of the Surface Pro.

These kinds of devices aren't for everyone and I've said that many times. However people that appreciate them tend to be very loyal customers and they pay good money for good devices without much question. Again something I've tried to convey to folks. And it's because of their flexibility. Windows doesn't have the tablet platform of iOS but it does have the basics. When coupled with the Win32 desktop, these things are incredibly powerful and flexible given their mobility.

If Windows ever gets good traction with tablet apps Android and iOS tablets will become kind of pointless.

 

[funkydmunky]

I recently tried a Surface Pro 3 after ditching the entire Windows platform back in 2007 in favor of going to the Apple route. A coworker of mine was using a SP3 so I figured I'd buy one in hopes of appreciating Windows once again. Well, let's just say that didn't work out once I began using the SP3. It reminded me of how crappy the Windows platform is compared to the Mac scene and I returned it the next day.

To each their own I guess....

Useless off topic post. Apples being Apples.
Ugh, fruit!

 

[Stoly]

I recently tried a Surface Pro 3 after ditching the entire Windows platform back in 2007 in favor of going to the Apple route. A coworker of mine was using a SP3 so I figured I'd buy one in hopes of appreciating Windows once again. Well, let's just say that didn't work out once I began using the SP3. It reminded me of how crappy the Windows platform is compared to the Mac scene and I returned it the next day.

To each their own I guess....

Indeed, my boss hasn't touched his IPad since he got a Surface Pro 3 with windows 10. His teen son doesn't want the ipad either and is getting the SP3 once my boss gets the SP4

Having used the surface 2 and 3 myself I wouldn't get an Ipad or Macbook

 

[nutzo]

I recently tried a Surface Pro 3 after ditching the entire Windows platform back in 2007 in favor of going to the Apple route. It reminded me of how crappy the Windows platform is compared to the Mac scene and I returned it the next day.

To each their own I guess....

I tried using a Mac, but it wouldn't run any of the applications I needed to run. They said I had to pay even more $ for an application so I could install Windows. I also found I couldn't even upgrade the ram as all the memory was soldered in. I returned it the next day and bought a Windows laptop so I wouldn't have to deal with 2 different OS's

 

[DPI]

Indeed, my boss hasn't touched his IPad since he got a Surface Pro 3 with windows 10. His teen son doesn't want the ipad either and is getting the SP3 once my boss gets the SP4

Having used the surface 2 and 3 myself I wouldn't get an Ipad or Macbook

"My grandma totes loves her xyz.... "

 

[travanx]

I recently tried a Surface Pro 3 after ditching the entire Windows platform back in 2007 in favor of going to the Apple route. A coworker of mine was using a SP3 so I figured I'd buy one in hopes of appreciating Windows once again. Well, let's just say that didn't work out once I began using the SP3. It reminded me of how crappy the Windows platform is compared to the Mac scene and I returned it the next day.

To each their own I guess....

What was the equivalent to the SP3 by Apple and why was it better? My Lenovo laptop just bit the dust and need to upgrade. The SP3 looks to be similarly priced to a Macbook Pro 15" which we recently got. But I need Windows on either to run some older engineering software.

Windows 10 has been decent so far, except when trying to run some older software. Had to use a netbook on Win7 to upgrade firmware.

Its not a good look when I gain cracking skillz to remove things with older apps.

 

[-PK-]

I remember when Bing Toolbar first came out, it was a recommended update for almost a year and it would unhide itself from windows update with each revision. I thought these notification registry entries also reverted themselves with certain updates.

 

[SolidState]

Windows 10 has only killed wifi on two computers for me after the last update, dell and HP machines. The wifi adapters no longer work with windows 10 despite working before the update. On my personal windows 10 machine I just bought a usb wifi adapter so i don't have to deal with this anymore.

Windows 10 has deleted speccy twice but i'm not even mad.

Nothing i do is OS critical so I could install 7 or 8.1 any day any time if need be. I'll just ride the wave until more things stop working and i get fed up with this rolling roll out bull jive.

A SATA controller card wouldn't work on win10 as well, but I needed another one anyway so it worked out.

 

[Dekoth-E-]

Arg GWX link did not post. Anyway: http://www.tenforums.com/tutorials/6596-get-windows-10-icon-remove-taskbar-windows-7-8-1-a.html

One stop shop. Does a great job. GWX Control Panel
http://ultimateoutsider.com/downloads/
This is a free tool that can remove and disable the 'Get Windows 10' notification area icon on Windows 7 and Windows 8. Recent versions can also disable 'Upgrade to Windows 10' behavior in the Windows Update control panel and do much more.

News flash boys..this is what this was about.

It doesn't involve any untrusted third-party software, which most security experts recommend avoiding

Not all of us trust third party programs. I'm pretty sure posting GWX for the millionth time on this forum specifically in the thread that states the above is rather daft. While this method isn't my preferred as most people shy away from reg edits, it is one of many that I overwhelmingly prefer to installing something.

 

[Deleted member 184142]

Only thing that annoyed me with Win 10 so far is that I installed the upgrade, Win 10 got corrupted, didn't notice anything for a while, tried to repair everything, no go. So I do an in place upgrade, still didn't fix the problem. So I do a clean install, I assumed that the key and everything would be upgraded with the OS, nope, the Win 8.1 key stays an 8.1 key and will not allow Win 10 to activate....But apparently it also consumes the win 8.1 key and makes it unusable for reinstalling win 8.1!! After talking with MS chat and phone support, their official suggestion? Buy a new key from the Windows store, 3 different support people gave this same "help". Left a very bad taste in my mouth from MS.

 

[Tiburon1186]

Haven't had an issue with Win 10 on any of my 3 PCs. How to get rid of the notification? Upgrade.

 

[horrorshow]

Thanks for the link Steve!

*ran and saved the 2 .reg files

 

[d_stilgar]

I posted this method a bunch of times in Windows 10 threads here. It mostly got ignored, but it's been the method I've used ever since those prompts started coming up.

 

[Jim Kim]

News flash boys..this is what this was about.

Not all of us trust third party programs. I'm pretty sure posting GWX for the millionth time on this forum specifically in the thread that states the above is rather daft. While this method isn't my preferred as most people shy away from reg edits, it is one of many that I overwhelmingly prefer to installing something.

News flash son, at this point GWX Control Panel is overwhelmingly more secure and trusted than Windows 10. Sorry to burst you bubble.

 

[heatlesssun]

News flash son, at this point GWX Control Panel is overwhelmingly more secure and trusted than Windows 10.

Unlikely considering how few would even know what GWX Control Panel is.

 

[rezerekted]

If GWX controlm panel had a reason to be untrusted it would have been disclosed by now.

 

[Dekoth-E-]

News flash son, at this point GWX Control Panel is overwhelmingly more secure and trusted than Windows 10. Sorry to burst you bubble.

That right there is delusion is its purest form.

 

[mi7chy]

Too much effort then having to undo them. Upgrading to 10 is not a question of if but when. It's better to just leave the notification in place when I'm ready to do the other machines.

 

[heatlesssun]

Too much effort then having to undo them. Upgrading to 10 is not a question of if but when. It's better to just leave the notification in place when I'm ready to do the other machines.

I think the last major outstanding question about Windows 10's success its adoption in the enterprise. The privacy issues, regardless of one's views of them, aren't an issue there. I think that many enterprises will want to avoid the last minute rush to migrate like they did with Windows 7.

Of course Microsoft is well known to extend dates to help cover their enterprise customers that tend to be slow. But I don't think that Microsoft is going to be anywhere near as generous with extending Windows 7's date as they were with XP.

 

[xorbe]

Unlikely considering how few would even know what GWX Control Panel is.

I think GWX Control Panel just entered the limelight.