Windows Updates are very important for your computer or laptop, but they can come at inconvenient times. If you’re in the middle of a workday, for example, you probably don’t want to waste an hour installing a security patch.
Previously, there was no way around this other than periodically postponing restarting the device. to prevent the device from restarting.
However, Microsoft has gradually given users more control over when and how they want updates installed.
First there was the active hours, which allowed you to specify fixed times of the day when you would use your PC and therefore could not be updated. For even more control, you can now also download a troubleshooter that will prevent any broken updates from causing problems on your device. Here’s how to get the most out of it in Windows 10.
How to configure active hours in Windows 10
Activity hours are another way to know how long you are using the device and you don’t want updates installed. For example, if you’re working 9 to 5, you can make sure you don’t get bombarded with notifications about the latest update.
Here is how it is defined:
- Go to ‘Settings> Update and security’
- Click on the ‘Windows Updates’ tab in the left pane if it is not already selected.
- Under “Check for Updates” you should see four options. Click on “Change activity hours”, which is second in the list
- From there, you can choose a specific start and end time (up to a maximum of 18 hours), or configure Windows to automatically adjust active hours based on your usage. The latter will improve over time, but can still be disturbed from time to time
How to hide and stop Windows 10 updates
Of course, it is not enough to configure the hours to prevent the installation of Windows updates. One of the issues with Windows 10 forced and automatic updates is that sometimes an interrupted update can be included and not installed.
When this happens, Windows will try to download and install it every time you shut down or restart your PC.
The good news is that you can download an optional tool for Windows 10 called “Show / hide update troubleshooter”. Under “Choose automatic updates”, click the link to download it.
It installs like any other program after downloading it, either by clicking on the downloaded file in the browser or by going to the downloads folder and double clicking on it.
The troubleshooter should start and display a welcome screen. Click “Next” to scan and find out if there are any updates that may temporarily prevent its installation.
If you find any, just click “Hide Updates” and you will see a list of updates that you can stop. Check the box next to each of them that you want to stop.
You better search online to see which update is problematic, instead of blocking them all. The updates not only bring bug fixes and new features, but also important security fixes to protect your device.
Click “Next” and after a few seconds you should see a screen like the one below, indicating that you have successfully removed the update (s).
It’s a good idea to keep an eye on when Microsoft fixed the broken update so that you can use the same tool to view the update so that it can be installed.
The process is the same, as you might expect. Just use the Show hidden updates option and click on the box next to the ones you want to “show”.
You might also want to know how to backup in Windows 10.
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