Strange update behavior?

Hello. I always have my Windows Update set to "Check for updates but let me choose whether to download and install them." As far as I can tell, I have successfully avoided all of the Windows 10 Upgrade nonsense by avoiding all of the related updates.

This morning my wireless keyboard wasn't working. I changed the batteries and it still didn't work. I decided to restart my Toshiba notebook, thinking that would kickstart the driver/software related to it.

I did have a notification that there were available Windows Updates, but ignored it and didn't click to download and install any before restarting my computer.

So... during restart, my computer starts Updating anyway. I wait through the "do not turn off your computer" screens as it is apparently updating and configuring updates I did not choose to download and install... and then a very long time with "cleaning up... do not turn off your computer".

So it finally starts up, (and my keyboard still isn't working) and the processor and memory are running much higher than they should be.

I check Update History, and the most recent update showing is yesterday's update of the MSE definitions. It's been more than a week since I updated Windows OS (other than daily MSE def updates) mainly because I don't trust it much any more and tend to wait until I have time to research the updates to make sure I am not getting Windows Upgrade malware.

Windows Updates still shows the same important updates available - so those were not installed without permission.

I restarted the notebook again, (and I got my keyboard to reconnect) but my RAM is still being used at a higher rate that it normally would be with no programs running.

So my questions are, what the heck was the Installing Updating, Configuring Updates, and Cleaning Up doing if there is nothing shown in the history? And why did it install these unknown, stealth updates when I have it set to only install when I choose?

I think I have noticed similar behavior once or twice in the past.

Can anyone enlighten me?

Thank you in advance. I hope this post is understandable. I am not a tech person by trade.

ThrashZone said:

Hi,
Are these the updates you show that installed ?

Those are the ones that are still listed as available, but do not show that they have been installed. That's what is so strange, it doesn't show anything having been installed today. And other than MSE, no updates were installed, according to the history since July 31st.

And I have shut down and restarted my computer a number of times since then, so it's not like I installed updates days ago and then failed to restart to finish the install.

ThrashZone said:

Hi,
Weird you don't show the ie11 update there so it might of auto updated
Open ie11 and go to Gear symbol and About ie
Do you see KB3175443 list and the check mark on auto update ?

I never use IE, and only opened it about a week or two ago, very briefly, to check my version... because a friend was having all kinds of problems with update and IE11 and had to know what I had installed (even though I never use it.)

It looks like I still have IE10, and apparently "install new versions automatically" was checked:

Should I just update IE from the software, even though I don't use it? (I don't want to cause more problems.) Or can/should I just uninstall IE, since I don't use it.

So, whatever updated today is still unclear, since it wasn't IE right? (Since it's still showing IE10.)

ThrashZone, thank you for your help!

I used the offline installer and IE shows version 11 now. The update doesn't show in Windows Update history though. (I'm not sure if it's supposed to.)

The only other difference is, that now my CPU Meter gadget no longer shows the meter.

I don't remember if that was a built in Windows 7 gadget or one that I added. (I've had it so long, and like the simple interface.)

The first photo is a small capture of what it's supposed to look like, and the second is what displays since I updated IE to version 11: