# Windows Update



## ceresone (Oct 7, 2005)

It says I need 64 updated downloads--In 4 hours, it says 0 updated 0 downloaded--not doing anything, is it? Also says I need to reserve my Windows 10 upgrade--Do I?


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## HermitJohn (May 10, 2002)

No doubt your windows system will do updates when its good and ready, probably at a most inconvenient time. I thought the free win10 upgrade that M$ pushed on win7 and win8 people, that many REALLY didnt want it, was over. Supposed to end July 29 wasnt it? Now you would have to pay if you upgraded and wanted it activated. Unless they extended the offer??? From my experiments, not sure why anybody would activate. Win10 doesnt stop working or anything, and you still get updates while unactivated (not super easy to try and stop them as that option is gone from win10). You just get a watermark on screen and you cant "personalize" your desktop. I already figured out getting rid of the "activate windows" watermark (not rocket science), and no more than I use windows could care less about wallpaper on desktop, though I would preferred the default was a lighter color, the dark colors are hard for my old eyes to see. I remember reading there is even backdoor way to change the default wallpaper on unactivated win10, but I didnt investigate it further.


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## Declan (Jan 18, 2015)

I am assuming that they have not removed the win10 installer from the updates list. I am waiting until I have heard that it has been done before I turn my computer back to automatic updates regardless of what MS says they have or have not done.


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## ceresone (Oct 7, 2005)

mine isnt on automatic install either--it said i needed 64 updates--but it just sat there and spun for 4 hours--didnt download anything that i could tell. it did remind me to get my free windows 10--but dont think itsanything i want--at this time. soory for no capitals--this tablet does strange things


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## Shin (Mar 25, 2014)

It's too late to do the free Windows 10 update, the last day was yesterday, and you're better off for having missed it. 

Generally speaking, eventually Windows Update will update, these periods of many hours at 0% and then surprise the updates download are the new normal.


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## HermitJohn (May 10, 2002)

Shin said:


> It's too late to do the free Windows 10 update, the last day was yesterday, and you're better off for having missed it.


I seriously wasnt impressed with win10 as M$ intended it out of the box. More aptly described as "Cortana the Great, the Mother of Prostitutes and Abominations of the Earth." . But once put on a severe diet and builtin spy holes plugged in it, chastity belt installed, and correct options picked, and better third party software installed, it is actually rather perky friendly operating system, much like some of the older windows systems that had been nlite'd down to fighting weight. Alas far more people will experience it in its most evil bloated incarnation.


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## Declan (Jan 18, 2015)

Shin said:


> It's too late to do the free Windows 10 update, the last day was yesterday, and you're better off for having missed it.
> 
> Generally speaking, eventually Windows Update will update, these periods of many hours at 0% and then surprise the updates download are the new normal.


But if I do auto update it could still download that nagware that would nag and never go away and then fail if I tried to do it. I won't auto update again until the geeks say they removed those downloader updates from the queue.


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## po boy (Jul 12, 2010)

Declan said:


> But if I do auto update it could still download that nagware that would nag and never go away and then fail if I tried to do it. I won't auto update again until the geeks say they removed those downloader updates from the queue.


I don't do auto updates. The win 10 update showed up in my updates a couple days ago and I did not install that update. Got new updates over night and the Win 10 update was gone.

The best thing for the op to do is install important updates only and then look at the other ones, He might need to do in batches, since there are so many.


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## Nevada (Sep 9, 2004)

po boy said:


> I don't do auto updates.


I don't think Windows 10 provides a way to defer security updates. You can defer operating system enhancement updates, but not security updates.


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## HermitJohn (May 10, 2002)

Nevada said:


> I don't think Windows 10 provides a way to defer security updates. You can defer operating system enhancement updates, but not security updates.




You can use the firewall and hosts file to block contact with the Microsoft servers. I dont have the specific servers but you can download "Destroy Windows Spying", it will plug communication with every known Microsoft server so win10 cant phone home for any reason. It does this by installing bunch firewall settings and puts list of sites in your hosts file. This can be reversed, either manually or through the Destroy Windows Spying software script. 

There is another way at least on win10 pro a backdoor way to block ALL updates. Read down a ways, maybe half way down on this page: http://www.thewindowsclub.com/turn-off-windows-update-in-windows-10 This turns off the update SERVICE.

And if you want to block temporarily most updates, (it will still install any high priority security updates), you can set your wifi connection to "metered". Supposedly M$ wont try to upgrade on such a connection as it would cost the consumer lot data. This assumes you are using a wifi connection, even a home wifi router connection. This isnt an option with an ethernet connection. Not sure what win10 does with a dialup connection. I assume it doesnt try to update on dialup either. It would be pointless and make computer unusable for a very lengthy period of time if it tried.


So yes there are options, just not super easy, "check the box", kind of options. Microsoft didnt want you turning off or delaying updates, even if it does inconvenience you.


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## HermitJohn (May 10, 2002)

po boy said:


> I don't do auto updates. The win 10 update showed up in my updates a couple days ago and I did not install that update. Got new updates over night and the Win 10 update was gone.
> 
> The best thing for the op to do is install important updates only and then look at the other ones, He might need to do in batches, since there are so many.


Ok, think both Nevada and I misunderstood. You are trying to block the update to install win10 on a win7 or win8 computer. We both thought you were trying to defer updates on a win10 computer. Win10 no longer gives you an easy way to defer individual updates, any updates. You have to use the backdoor blanket method. But then when you lift the communication ban with M$, they will do ALL updates.

I take that back, think you can opt out of individual hardware driver updates. Some driver updates can break things so you can forbid driver update for particular piece of hardware.


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## Nevada (Sep 9, 2004)

HermitJohn said:


> There is a way at least on win10 pro a backdoor way to block ALL updates. Read down a ways, maybe third way down on this page: http://www.thewindowsclub.com/turn-off-windows-update-in-windows-10


Sure, you can always stop the Windows update service, but that's an advanced activity.


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## Nevada (Sep 9, 2004)

HermitJohn said:


> Ok, think both Nevada and I misunderstood. You are trying to block the update to install win10 on a win7 or win8 computer. We both thought you were trying to defer updates on a win10 computer.


I'm not sure what happens now. Windows 10 upgrade from Windows 7 & 8.1 stopped being free a few days ago. Logic would suggest that the automatic upgrade message will go away, but I haven't heard for sure.


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## Nevada (Sep 9, 2004)

Nevada said:


> I'm not sure what happens now. Windows 10 upgrade from Windows 7 & 8.1 stopped being free a few days ago. Logic would suggest that the automatic upgrade message will go away, but I haven't heard for sure.


Evidently the message is gone.

_If you choose to upgrade an old Windows PC, you'll now have to pay. *But good news: Those annoying GWX notifications are finally gone.*_
http://www.zdnet.com/article/what-happens-free-windows-10-upgrades-after-july-29-2016/


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## HermitJohn (May 10, 2002)

Nevada said:


> _If you choose to upgrade an old Windows PC, you'll now have to pay. _





Ok, am I missing something as to why you have to pay? 

Win10 apparently works and is updated forever even though you dont activate it. I found no mention anywhere of it ever shutting down after some evaluation period like older windows systems. Its slightly crippled, unactivated it puts a watermark on your screen that bleeds through any program you run. You also cant "personalize" your desktop. Far as I can tell or have read, there are no nag popups and no evaluation expiration date. 

Well I have now installed win10 unactivated on two computers. 

First one I already ran Destroy Windows Spying before ever letting it connect to internet. This blocks connection to the activation server among other M$ update and data collection servers. No watermark, no problem personalizing the desktop. I moved system clock ahead year, no change, moved it back a year, no change. I hasd wanted to see what it actually did as messing with system clock will usually trigger evaluation period software to stop working. Older Windows would shut down after like 30 days. 

Second install was on an old laptop. I used a third party script during install so resulting win10 would already be stripped down like I want it. I didnt run Destroy Windows Spying because all the cloud apps and Edge and Cortana were gone during installation. On second boot same day, I got the watermark and the locked personalization. I found a small freeware watermark editing program that easily got rid of the watermark. it actually will let you create and install your own custom watermark if you really want one. You can have "Joe Blow's copy of windows" or "Microsoft Sucks" emblazened across your screen forever. I didnt do that, but interesting that you could. And I didnt care about the personalization. Fine. 

But I noticed this win10 was trying to activate constantly. So I ran Destroy Windows Spying which blocked connection to M$ servers. Amazingly I could then customize my desktop. Apparently there is no internal evaluation period timer, its all through regular hidden communication with the activation servers. When it cant connect to them, it reverts to way it was after installation but before ever going online. So yea if you got to the activation area in win10, it says unactivated, also says cant connect to servers whether online or not.

Now this is all recent activity on my part, so not absolutely sure there isnt some default evaluation timer built into win10 though nobody mentions anything beyond the watermark and personalization lock ever happening on unactivated installations. but since the personalization became available after I blocked the activation servers, I assume thats pretty much the end of any crippling due to non-activation.

Also I dont think M$ is too troubled as long as win10 remains widely used. They make their money now collecting and selling data, selling people a piece of the cloud for storage, and renting out cloud based software for a small monthly fee. Sure they'd like to get some money for the operating system itself, heck they even now want rent money for their old solitaire games, but more important to them is that people use it instead of Android or Mac or Chrome or Linux. Or older windows systems. And that people are directed to their cloud apps and storage rather than Googles or some third party. Also Cortana is linking into BING and that brings them money and data. 

Right now more people connect daily with Android than Windows. This scares them mightily.


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## Nevada (Sep 9, 2004)

HermitJohn said:


> Ok, am I missing something as to why you have to pay?
> 
> Win10 apparently works and is updated forever even though you dont activate it. I found no mention anywhere of it ever shutting down after some evaluation period like older windows systems.


Windows 10 was free until July 29th for anyone with Windows 7 or 8.1, even if it was a pirated version. It's not an evaluation or crippled version, it's the full version and fully licensed. It will not expire, and updates can be applied for the life of the product. It might be that some future enhancement updates will by by subscription, but that hasn't happened yet. In fact there's a new major enhancement released today.

https://news.microsoft.com/2016/06/...lable-aug-2/#sm.00001hyy8ycrzwf34yadoj8kh1xox

Get it or be a square. LOL

Activation of Windows 10 before July 29th was free & automatic. A new install of Windows 10 after July 29th it will cost you.


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## HermitJohn (May 10, 2002)

It was free download from the M$ website to install on any computer you wanted. If you had win7 or win8, it would activate for free until July 29. But unactivated it continues to work and update if you so allow. They didnt put in any timer or any contractual limit on how long you could use it. Its a perfectly legit way to run it. the only crippling for not activating is the watermark and the locking down of personalizing the desktop. Thats worth $199 to you? Not to me. I didnt have win7 or win8 so didnt qualify for the "free" activated upgrade anyhow.

And since I didnt try to crack the activation or use a key generator, its not warez or pirated. Its simply unactivated. I simply blocked it from phoning home. Sorry M$, but you want to phone home, you have to pay for your own connection. No freeloaders allowed. This blocking of their hidden web communication defeated the minor crippling. 

So tell me again how my copy is illegitimate. I didnt steal it, I didnt try to use an activation crack or fake key. I am just using what M$ offered for free. I mean yea they certainly like you to give them money, encouraged it, but they dont require it to use win10 legitamately. It doesnt expire.

I really only got win10 out of curiosity and to run offline tax software for the foreseeable future since the tax software people did something so it no longer runs on xP. I tried last springs 2015 tax software, runs fine on win10. Assume it probably will continue to work for tax software for next ten years or so. If it stops, I will let a copy online to update, then that copy never goes online again cause by that time sure they will have further perfected their spyware.

Activated or not, I am not stupid enough to use win10 online for any serious private information. One can never be 100% certain all holes are plugged, the whole system was built to be spyware and adware. like a swiss cheese.


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## HermitJohn (May 10, 2002)

Nevada said:


> https://news.microsoft.com/2016/06/...lable-aug-2/#sm.00001hyy8ycrzwf34yadoj8kh1xox
> 
> Get it or be a square. LOL
> .


All that spyware they are improving is what I went to great lengths to strip out of win10, Yea, wont be getting that update. Or any others until my copy win10 stops running the tax software.


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## ceresone (Oct 7, 2005)

mine isnt win 10--i just told it to ask me before updating--and now itsway behind. i tell it to update-and hours later, it still says 0 updated


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