For Windows 7, as well as for other operating systems of this family, updates come out with enviable regularity. It seems that there is nothing wrong with their installation, since they are designed to fix many bugs in the OS itself and strengthen the security of the system. But this is only at first glance. It is believed that disabling automatic updates in Windows 7 can be associated with many factors, including lack of free space on your hard drive, low bandwidth when downloading packages, etc. Yes, updates themselves are not always recommended to install, since many of them (especially intended for other Microsoft products) the ordinary user does not need at all.
Problems updating Windows 7 automatically
However, all of the above does not fully reflect the need to disable the automatic update or remove already installed service packs. The most serious problem is that some of the updates themselves are incomplete, which is why very often there is a malfunction of the operating system itself, even with the impossibility of its subsequent loading or the appearance of the so-called blue screens of death. Another reason is the presence on user computers of unlicensed versions of the OS, which, after installing the recommended packages in automatic mode, start to simply block. But to remove such updates, to cancel their installation or to completely disable the main service responsible for their search and installation, can be very simple.
How to cancel automatic updating of Windows 7 in the simplest way?
To begin with, suppose that the automatic update activated in the system default settings was not disabled by the user, and the updates were already installed. How to remove automatic updates of Windows 7 after all operations? Apparently, many users know that in the simplest case, you need to roll back the system to the state in which it was before installing the latest packages (as a rule, Windows itself creates a backup copy with a rollback point immediately before installation).
To do this, use the system recovery section in the "Control Panel" and start the recovery process with the choice of either the last or any other previous point.
Manual removal of unnecessary or failed update packages
If we talk about how to remove automatic updates to Windows 7 without using Windows rollback, which may affect the programs installed after they are integrated into the system, you can apply another method.
It consists in referring to the section of programs and components, after which select viewing the installed updates, sort them by installation date and delete manually. It seems to be simple. But here you need to clearly realize that if the "Update Center" itself and the service responsible for its work are in an active state, which, in fact, is true, all the same, after a certain period of time, a new search will be performed with the subsequent installation of the packages found. But more on that later.
Automated Uninstall Updates
Alternatively, you can use specialized uninstall programs like iObit Uninstaller to remove installed packages.
Their use is justified by the fact that they remove not only the update packages themselves, but also clean up the residual components after they are uninstalled in automatic mode (you will need to enable it yourself).
How to remove automatic updates in Windows 7 or another system once and for all?
Finally, we proceed to deactivate the search and install updates, because without this, whether you like it or not, attempts to search and install from the operating system will still be made. How to turn off automatic updating in Windows 7 in the simplest way?
To do this, go to the "Windows Update" section in the "Control Panel", and turn off automatic search in the settings, selecting the appropriate mode from the drop-down list, and also uncheck the line for automatic installation of recommended updates. Along the way, you can deactivate the installation of updates for other Microsoft products. In particular, this applies to the office suite. But that is not all.
Despite the actions taken, the main service is still in an active state.
Now you need to call the services section (services.msc in the Run console), find the “Update Center” there, double-click to edit the parameters, stop the services and select the disabled start type from the drop-down list.
Many users stop at this, but in vain. The fact is that in order to completely disable the search and install updates, it is similarly necessary to deactivate two more services: “Windows Installer” and “Windows Module Installer”. Only then can you restart the computer and make sure that the search and installation of updates are disabled in full.
Note: for the last two components it is also sometimes advisable to set a manual startup type to avoid incorrect operating system behavior.
Additional update management utilities
How to remove automatic updates of Windows 7 using available tools, a little figured out. As mentioned above, the search for updates even before the main service is turned off can be performed again. If there is no need to deactivate the receipt of updates upon completion of the removal of unnecessary or failed packages, you should immediately set a manual search for available updates, and then exclude those that cannot be installed from the list of found ones, remembering the numbers of the removed packages. But such a procedure looks very time-consuming, especially since updates can be installed immediately. In this situation, the best option is to use the tiny portable utility Show or hide updates, developed by specialists from Microsoft.
After starting the application, you just need to select the Hide updates item, after which the program will automatically hide the Windows 7 updates, instructing the operating system to ignore them during further search and installation.