How to remove Windows 10 upgrade updates in Windows 7 and 8

Brds7t7,
It is fine if you wish to add your list to this thread. I was simply attempting to highlight the potential problem with removing all of those Windows Update Clients AND depending on that GPO setting. As you mentioned, there have been posts where people had various registry settings* and yet they had W10 ready to install. I'm wondering if that was caused by removing the very Windows Update Clients that were designed to read those registry settings.

*that GPO is just another registry setting.

Point taken. People just mentioned they wanted updated lists that's all.
I'm not an I.T tech, so I can't really explain all the workings of group policy objects, etc.
Just wanted to help with an updated list which has worked so far for me and any other friends, relatives systems that I've used the GP workaround on.
I can't say 100% whether it will work in future with the way MS is trying to push 10.
I'm just going by my own list which has worked for me.
I've removed it now anyway, so won't cause anyone any issues.

Brds7t7 said:

Problem solved. List removed.
I'll keep them for my own personal use.

Personally, I really liked how your list was organized and contained both the function and reference link for the updates. I for one will miss it.

UsernameIssues said:

Brds7t7,
It is fine if you wish to add your list to this thread. I was simply attempting to highlight the potential problem with removing all of those Windows Update Clients AND depending on that GPO setting. As you mentioned, there have been posts where people had various registry settings* and yet they had W10 ready to install. I'm wondering if that was caused by removing the very Windows Update Clients that were designed to read those registry settings.

*that GPO is just another registry setting.

I concur... the "DisableOSUpgrade = 1" registry setting is only functional if the Window Update Client KB3050265 (Aug '15) or newer has been installed. As I understand it, the primary reason for suggesting people setting that registry key is because their editions of W7 (Home eds.) lack the Group Policy Editor.

In my case, that registry setting would do no good at all since I haven't installed any of the recent WUC updates --- starting with KB2990214 (Apr '15). And that means, I don't have the "Turn off the upgrade to the latest version of Windows through Windows Update" showing up in pertinent "Windows Update" section of the GPE on my machine.

The underlying issue with the W10 being "ready to install" is KB3035583 which installs the "Get Windows 10" app. And that's the whole point of suggesting people take a look at GWX Control Panel -- it does address the results of installating of the GWX app and the WUC updates.

And that brings up the central issue upon which Microsoft's aggressive push the W10 upgrade relies: the technical comfort level and expertise of W7/W8 users. Most of them have WU set to "Automatic" with the "Recommended" updates set to installed along with "Important."

That's why I recently alerted all my friends and family to uncheck the box under "Recommended updates" in WU settings. It's the first thing they need to do given MS plans to offer the Install W10 patch in 2016 as a recommended update. Second thing is to make use of GWX Control Panel.

OTOH, there's those who're more tech savy... comfortable with registry settings... and being selective with the updates they install or uninstall. (And some of us really dislike the telemetry updates.)

And I believe that Brds7t7's posts and list were meant for the latter group instead of the former for whose sake you raised your well-considered concerns.

BTW, "DisableOSUpgrade = 1" registry setting (for those who have any of the WUC updates installed) does have the added advantage of restoring the "Windows Update" notifications in the system tray. There's a good thread on this issue and GWX Control Panel in another forum: link

jelson said:

Brds7t7 said:

Problem solved. List removed.
I'll keep them for my own personal use.

Personally, I really liked how your list was organized and contained both the function and reference link for the updates. I for one will miss it.

Thanks Jelson, appreciated. I put a fair amount of time into those lists. Gathering the info, testing wherever I could in VM's. But I'll no longer be posting in any Windows 10 Upgrade related threads.
They were never intended as a "fix all" for everyone, just a collated reference for anyone wanting an updated list with some extra info/links thrown in. But I can't fix Microsoft's BS, I don't have that expertise.

I'll keep testing and keep my list updated every month for my own personal use. If anybody wants it, they can send me a message. I can't speak of the reliability of the lists for everyone, but they've certainly worked for my own usage so far.

Who knows what MS will do in the future though, they're trying everything they can to get people to install Windows 10. Unfortunately, they can't take "NO" for an answer!

ThrashZone said:

Thanks for the link :)
Yep it's been a fun month or two but a couple of those updates have morphed at least for me Now showing a couple as Important instead of optional as originally did,
A couple even disappeared from the hide list and reappeared as Important is how I spotted them :/
Namely KB2990214 the other morphed to Recommended KB2952664

Originally the only recommended I ever showed was KB3035583 and I suppose ....1917 ?

These are my "Hidden Updates" attached:

Here is some of what I have hidden.
KB3087039,KB2952664, KB2999226, KB3013531, KB3021917, KB3035583, KB3068708, KB3075249, KB3080079, KB3080149, KB3102810, KB3107998

I don't know if these are all of them.

You can use windows powershell to see if you have anyone of those updates installed.

Code:

Get-HotFix -id KB3087039, KB2952664, KB2999226, KB3013531, KB3021917, KB3035583, KB3068708, KB3075249, KB3080079, KB3080149, KB3102810, KB3107998

If you need to add more just add a coma, space and KB article number. If you want to make sure you are doing it correctly you can add KB article that already been installed on your system.

thelma said:

Jelson thanks for you're thoughts:)

You are explaining things here in a very simple way that I understand.

If it's true what you state here, then it underlines my idea that all updates, that are offered in a general way to the big public on certain dates, ( usually patch Tuesday), are not the same for each PC, and should therefore always be treated as a personal matter. Install, hide or (delete is not offered).

Now as far as I know, you can really only uninstall one completely from the list if you first would install it and that is wrong and dangerous.

It can simply not be true that we all need the same updates as our interests in things offered are different and what is important or even crucial for one is of no use to the other.

The words force feed, in general, come to my mind.

Does everybody, what works with a Windows 7 program ( no matter what state your PC is in at that moment ) gets the same updates on their plate every Tuesday, I wonder or is it somehow individually monitored?
Perhaps I have it completely wrong, I am only learning at the moment

We're all learning... I don't think it ever stops. And you're welcome thelma. Glad I helped.

My understanding is that everyone gets the pertinent updates for their version/edition of Windows and their machine as determined by the Windows Update mechanisms.

For instance, since I've been paying closer and closer attention over the last 6 months and scrutinizing the updates I've being offered... I've found I'm getting the pretty much same updates as everyone else. But at times, I've noticed one or two not showing up. (Some updates have prerequisites.) And of course, I get offered drivers that are specific for my hardware.

Someone else will have to address what the actual processes are and how WU determines which updates to offer.

I don't fully understand why you say uninstalling an update "is wrong and dangerous"... But, I do considering installing them "hazardous" enough to take the precaution of taking a system image before installing MS Updates and then afterwards. (Much easier to restore the system partition than trying to fix things if anything goes wrong.) And I also wait a bit and check to see if any updates are causing people problems beforehand.