Updating your WAVE Sever is an important part of system maintenance. Windows updates often contain fixes for critical problems, and installing them can keep your WAVE Server running smoothly.
But there are times when you may not want to install an update, such as to avoid downtime or risk driver issues.
Here are several options to disable Windows Updates. Please use these options at your own risk, as it is recommended to keep your system up to date. Also note that Windows feature updates may remove these settings - please verify after any major update.
Solution 1. Disable Windows Update Service
Understand the limitations of this method. While disabling the automatic update service will temporarily halt any Windows 10 cumulative updates, the service will re-enable itself after a certain amount of time.
Here are the directions:
1. Press the Windows logo key + R at the same time to invoke the Run box.
2. Type services.msc and press Enter.
3. Scroll down to Windows Update, and double-click it.
4. In Startup type, select "Disabled". Then click "Apply" and "OK" to save the settings.
Solution 2. Change the Setting of the Group Policy Editor
The Group Policy feature is only available for Admin users. The group policy editor will notify you of new updates without automatically installing them.
- Press the Windows logo key + R then type gpedit.msc and click OK.
- Go to "Computer Configuration" > "Administrative Templates" > "Windows Components" > "Windows Update".
- Double-click "Configure Automatic Updates".
- Select "Disabled" in Configured Automatic Updates on the left, and click Apply and "OK" to disable the Windows automatic update feature.
Note: If you need to update your Windows version later, you can repeat the steps above, then select Enabled to turn on this feature, so that you can continue to download the updates.
Solution 3. Disable automatic driver updates
Step 1 - Open Control Panel.
Step 2- In the Control Panel, go to System and click Advanced system settings to open the System Properties window.
Step 3 - Open the Hardware tab and click Device Installation Settings.
Step 4 - When prompted with this message, click No and click Save Changes.
Solution 4. Change Windows 10 Updates Using Registry
Proceed at your own risk: Editing the registry is risky, and it can cause irreversible damage to your installation if you don't do it correctly. It's recommended that you make a full backup of your computer before proceeding.
Caution: Backup Windows Registry before proceeding to the next step!
1. Press Windows Key + R to open the Run dialogue. Type regedit and press Enter or click “OK” to open the Registry Editor.
2. Expand the entries on the left-hand pane to navigate to the following path:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows
3. Right click the Windows (folder) key, select New, and click on Key. Name the new key WindowsUpdate (no space between Windows and Update).
4. Right click the WindowsUpdate key, select New and then Key. Set the new key’s name as AU.
5. Click on the AU key, and right click on the empty space at the right-hand pane. Select New, and click on DWORD (32-bit) Value. Name the new DWORD NoAutoUpdate.
6. Double click on NoAutoUpdate and set its value data as 1. Click “OK” to apply the change.
Tips:
You can set two numbers here: 0 – to enable automatic updates, 1 – to turn off automatic updates.
7. Close Registry Editor and restart your computer.