How To Stop Windows 7 From Downloading Windows 10

Microsoft hasn't exactly been endearing themselves to tech geeks everywhere lately, with all the privacy concerns and other issues. And now they are automatically downloading all of Windows 10 to your Windows 7 or 8 PC, whether you asked for it or not.

RELATED: xxx Ways Your Windows 10 Computer Phones Home to Microsoft

To be clear, they aren't automatically installing Windows 10, simply they are downloading the entire installer, which is at to the lowest degree 3 GB, which takes up a lot of bulldoze space, and also wastes your network bandwidth. For people who don't have unlimited bandwidth, this tin seriously toll y'all a lot of money.

According to a statement provided to The Register by Microsoft, their explanation is that they think this is a better experience:

"For those who have chosen to receive automatic updates through Windows Update, nosotros assistance customers gear up their devices for Windows 10 by downloading the files necessary for future installation. This results in a better upgrade experience and ensures the customer's device has the latest software."

So this only affects people who have automated updates enabled, but that's well-nigh everybody since automatic updates are on past default and are rather of import for security reasons — the flood of critical security patches in the concluding year has shown that it'southward probably a adept idea to leave automatic updates enabled.

RELATED: Windows 10 Is Cracking, Except for the Parts That Are Terrible

Based on the comments in other news reports virtually this, a lot of fanboys are going to come up forth claiming that this isn't a large deal, it'due south just business as usual. But downloading an entire operating organisation "but in case" y'all might want to upgrade to it instead of only waiting for people to determine to opt in — that isn't the type of beliefs that nosotros desire.

This is a actually stupid move by Microsoft, and it won't be surprising if they reverse their decision and stop doing it.

Make Windows 10 Stop Downloading, the Like shooting fish in a barrel Fashion

If yous want a actually unproblematic and easy way to become rid of the "Go Windows 10" icon and stop your PC from downloading Windows 10, you can download a petty piece of freeware chosen Never10, from well-respected security researcher Steve Gibson.

Download it, run it, and then click the "Disable Win10 Upgrade" button. If your system has already downloaded the Windows ten update files, it will tell you, and you can click the "Remove Win10 Files" to delete them.

You'll have to reboot, but at the stop, the icon will be gone and your reckoner shouldn't become the upgrade. And luckily, you can click those buttons once more to put things dorsum the way they were.

In the past, we've recommended an app called GWX Control Panel–but Never10 is much simpler and more than straightforward. Y'all tin can still apply GWX Control Console if you if you want, but we recommend Never10. Cheque out our full commodity on getting rid of the GWX icon for more information on both.

RELATED: How to Remove the "Go Windows 10" Icon from Your System Tray (and Finish Those Upgrade Notifications)

Brand Windows 10 Stop Downloading, the Transmission Way

For almost users, we recommend using Never10. Information technology doesn't require any installation, and it ensures you lot won't get any updates. Merely if you'd like to know what hidden settings information technology's tweaking behind the scenes, here'south a manual manner to disable those updates.

There's no magic button to click to finish Windows 10 from downloading–you'll take to install a special patch from Microsoft to keep them from making you download something else. And that's if yous believe Microsoft's support documentation, which says that yous tin block the Windows 10 upgrade this way.

We haven't been able to absolutely bear witness that this will cease Windows ten from downloading because it's difficult to say that this is working simply because Microsoft hasn't forced us to download 3GB of files nosotros didn't ask for.

This is one of those instances where nosotros unremarkably would avoid writing on the topic, since too much is up in the air and we similar to be authentic at all times. And then please excuse us if this doesn't work for you.

Step 1

You'll need to install this patch from Microsoft's website (from what we tin tell you'll need to be on Windows 8.1 and not eight to install the patch), so choice the version for your Os, install information technology, and reboot.

• Windows 7
• Windows 8.1

Pace 2

Open up your registry editor using the Offset Menu search or by pressing WIN + R and typingregedit and striking enter, and then navigate down to the following cardinal:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\
Microsoft\Windows\WindowsUpdate

You lot'll probably take to create the WindowsUpdate cardinal on the left-hand side, which y'all tin do past right-clicking the Windows node. Click on that new cardinal, and then create a new 32-fleck DWORD called DisableOSUpgrade on the right-manus side, and give it a value of 1.

Don't desire to bother with all that? You can merely download our registry hack file, unzip, and double-click on the file to install it.

RELATED: What Is the $WINDOWS.~BT Folder, and Can You lot Delete It?

And yous should probably reboot later on you do this. If you already have the $WINDOWS.~BT binder, which is hidden on the root of your system drive, you're going to desire to follow these instructions to remove information technology.

Culling Option: Set Windows Update to Not Download Things

If you set up Windows Update to notify you but don't download annihilation, Microsoft won't automatically ship the updates down.

Please notation that this is a bad thought for security reasons, so unless yous accept a metered connection and don't have the bandwidth to download updates, you probably shouldn't do this.

Y'all tin only go into Windows Update and click on Modify settings, and then change the drop-downwards to "Cheque for updates just let me cull whether to download and install them".

If y'all practice this, please make certain that you lot keep up with installing updates.

When You Practice Desire to Upgrade in the Future

The ane side issue of going through all of this is that yous won't be able to upgrade to Windows 10 in the future until you remove that registry cardinal.

Luckily you can simply use the uninstall registry key provided in the download.

Source: https://www.howtogeek.com/228551/how-to-stop-windows-7-or-8-from-downloading-windows-10-automatically/

Posted by: perryhastannow.blogspot.com

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