Windows Update Screwing With My Hard Drive

Lately I noticed my hard drive was always extra busy to the point of causing my programs to stall with a not responding notice or to open very slowly. I managed to trace the slow down to the Windows update process. I had to disable it to get back control of my system.

Here's what else I noticed about Windows update gone screwy. First of all it seemed to have updated without my permission. I have my updates set to notify me but not to download and install automatically. I also requested only Windows important / security updates. But I restarted my computer the other day and the wait for install message came up, the one where it gives a percentage of how much progress is done.

I also discovered that my Windows update settings where all changed to automatic and download everything.

I'm blaming Microsoft and there bulling campaign to upgrade to Windows 10. You may have recently got a white windows logo down by your clock, the notification area as it was called. I think it's now called the system area.

Anyway after disabling Windows upadate through the control panel and in the services option I finally got control of my hard drive again.

I've been fixing computers now for almost 20 years and I can tell you Microsoft cannot build a secure system if their lives depended on it. That's why we have to keep updating and updating and updating.... It's secure because it's obscure. It's secure because it's new, NOT because it's secure.

To be fair I am fully aware that the weakest link in any security chain is the end user. What's the point of building a fortress around you if you leave the door unlocked or worst, invite the bad guys in.

Anyway I tried the usual fixes to this update issue but this time it doesn't work. I've downloaded numerous utilies over the years for fixing this issue and none of them work this time. I also tried to fix it manually by disabling the update service and removing the SoftwareDistribution folder but still nothing.

Windows 7 will be my last Windows system. As soon as this system is no longer viable I am seriously considering switching to Linux. I already tested installing various versions on an older computer I had lying around. To many issues to make it my main system right now.

Anyway I would like to keep receiving Windows security updates for as long as they are available but I can't enable the updates without my system coming to a crawl. It's a Windows 7 64 bit Acer desktop. Any suggestions?

System restore doesn't fix the problem either. I don't suspect any virus or malware.

hi,
Your WU option was changed by a specific KB, to allow and prepare 7/8/8.1 OS's for upgrade also via WU to W10.
There is also a requirement to be opted into the Customer Experience program.

There is a topic in this forum that lists the KB's, that need to be removed and then hidden, you can then reset your WU options as i have.
You will also need to opt out of CEP, via Controlpanel>Admintools>services, this removes the icon in your system tray

Roy.

alucardx said:

I also discovered that my Windows update settings where all changed to automatic and download everything.

What I posted here may well be of some interest to you Windows 10 Update? as it's not just one of the KB's that will change the WU to auto there is a number of other things that can... for me there is not enough swear words in the dictionary to describe how annoying this all is, I also repair computers Sony Laptops mainly but currently in an Eastern country most of it is older equipment and it just can't handle all this HDD activity along with using up the very limited Internet bandwidth available, for me simply UN-installing these unwanted updates is not returning the systems back to their former clean working state.