Continually pausing windows updates

J_B

melbury said:

I keep pausing these because I don't want Windows 10 version 2004.  I am sure I read somewhere that pausing only blocks feature updates and that you still get security updates.  Is this correct?

Am I right in saying that if you have W10 *pro* you are able to pause updates?

If so, maybe an option to 'upgrade'?

wongataa

J_B said:

melbury said:

I keep pausing these because I don't want Windows 10 version 2004.  I am sure I read somewhere that pausing only blocks feature updates and that you still get security updates.  Is this correct?

Am I right in saying that if you have W10 *pro* you are able to pause updates?

You can't pause indefinitely in Win10 Pro.  Pausing security updates is a bad idea.

Jenni_D

With W10 Pro you used to be able to pause updates for an extended period (365 days?) whereas with home you could only pause for a shorter period (35 days?). I believe this changed in one of the releases - perhaps 2004 - so that Pro could only defer for the shorter period. (There may be a workaround if your PC is configured for a domain environment with a WSUS ... my work laptop running W10 Enterprise for example has only recently been updated to 1909 from 1809).

elle_may

melbury said:

I keep pausing these because I don't want Windows 10 version 2004.  I am sure I read somewhere that pausing only blocks feature updates and that you still get security updates.  Is this correct?

Also, if I end up having to just let version 2004 install, if it isn't okay can I revert to version 1909 easily?

I was olso a bit worried about 2004 so i kept pausing and because you had to update before pausing again i let it download but then paused again . This caused it to fail to be installed.  then it offered the new h addon did not download. I was on the 1903 version, yesterday it said new updates are downloaded. So was surprised it had downloaded the 1909 and was waiting to install, so i did, all okay. Don't know where the 2004 version went . 

Jenni_D

2004 or 20H2 will probably come along shortly.

Le_Kirk

I downloaded and installed 20H2 recently (couple of weeks ago) and my machine did not run faster, my typing speed did not increase, my typning errors still occurred and none of my purchases programs (apps) disappeared.  The only annoying thing was being pressured to use Edge again and wiping out all my downloaded games (soon replaced) and now I know about it, I shall save the zip file somewhere not accessible to the OS.

melbury

finalfantasist said:

melbury said:

finalfantasist said:

melbury said:

Neil_Jones said:

Yes on both cuonts.

That's good thank you.  I only appear to have got one in the past two months, does that sound about right?

You're wasting your time and putting yourself at risk by pausing these updates.

Feature updates are not installed automatically anymore so pausing has no effect on these anyway, they'll only install when you choose to install them.  And even if you pause, once the 35 days are up, you'll need to install any outstanding security patches before you can pause again anyway.

Have they changed that recently then? 
When I last tried resuming updates a couple of weeks ago, there was definitely no option for me to stop 2004 installing.  Please can you advise how to stop feature updates.  Thank you.

You have to manually download feature updates, they're not part of the normal Windows Update download and install process.

Just wish mine was like that, but unfortunately it is not and I have no control over when feature updates are downloaded and installed.  BTW it is Windows 10 Home, not the Pro version which obviously gives you more leeway. 

melbury

elle_may said:

melbury said:

I keep pausing these because I don't want Windows 10 version 2004.  I am sure I read somewhere that pausing only blocks feature updates and that you still get security updates.  Is this correct?

Also, if I end up having to just let version 2004 install, if it isn't okay can I revert to version 1909 easily?

I was olso a bit worried about 2004 so i kept pausing and because you had to update before pausing again i let it download but then paused again . This caused it to fail to be installed.  then it offered the new h addon did not download. I was on the 1903 version, yesterday it said new updates are downloaded. So was surprised it had downloaded the 1909 and was waiting to install, so i did, all okay. Don't know where the 2004 version went . 

That is exactly what has happened to me, in that it has downloaded and possibly started to install on a few occasions, but then I have panicked and paused it again, so on the updates history screen there are three failed to install notifications, so even if I did let it run now it may not install successfully. 

melbury

Is it quite easy to revert back to the old version as long as it is in the 10 day window?

CoastingHatbox

melbury said:

Is it quite easy to revert back to the old version as long as it is in the 10 day window?

By the time the updates are applied automatically, you are very unlikely to have a problem. Microsoft will hold them on defices on which there is a known compatibility problem. And the issues I have seen, have been easily circumventable or resolvable. If you hold back updates, the danger is that you end up skipping a few versions of Windows and you are, overall, one big change to your computer instead of one smaller change at a time. Dealing with the fallout from smaller changes is a lot easier than dealing with the fallout of one big change, as inevitably problems are getting stockpiled and the become harder to diagnose accurately. So, given the risks versus benefit of pausing feature updates, my advise would be not to pause them at all. Unless, you are at the time working on say a dissertation or final project for university etc. and you don't have access to another computer should the one you use fail to boot up one day.