Pausing Updates in Windows 10 version 1703...

[GabeU]

With the Creators Update came the ability to pause updates.  

All of the articles that I have read on this show them pausing their machines for 35 days.  My laptop can pause updates for 35 days.  My desktop can only pause them for 7 days.  I asked on the Microsoft Community and they have no clue as to why.  

How long are you able to pause yours?  If you are unfamiliar with this, when you go into Windows Update, click on Advanced Options.  Toward the bottom of the page you'll see the option to pause updates.  It will tell you how long you can pause them for.  

My desktop...

[maratsade]

I verified I have the creators update on Windows, but I don't have the ability to pause updates. 

[GabeU]

@maratsade

Hmm.  Do you have Window 10 Pro?  I can't remember if you've said whether you do or don't.  With that said, I can't find anything that says that there is any difference between Pro and non Pro regarding the ability to pause updates.  

Strange.  

[maratsade]

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@GabeU wrote:

@maratsade

Hmm.  Do you have Window 10 Pro?  I can't remember if you've said whether you do or don't.  With that said, I can't find anything that says that there is any difference between Pro and non Pro regarding the ability to pause updates.  

Strange.  

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I have Windows 10 home edition, but there shouldn't be much of a difference, like you say, between different types.  I have no idea why I don't have the ability to pause.  It's not a big deal -- if it becomes a big deal, I'll get on the Microsoft chat and see if they can figure out what's going on.

[wildcats198308 · Accepted solution]

I have the Creator Update on a few of my systems (it still wont work on my Laptop, which I am not happy about).   On the systems that are running Creator Update, I never noticed an option to Pause either.  I also have Home Edition.

I just did some searching and found that the Pause option is only available in Pro, Education, and Enterprise versions.  Link below to other features if you'll want to read em.

https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/insider/wiki/insider_wintp-insider_install/what-is-new-in-window...

[maratsade]

@wildcats198308

 I was just going to post about this; you beat me to it.  🙂 I ran a search too and found that the Home edition lacks the ability to pause updates. Does Microsoft think Home users are somewhat mentally slow?? Has Cortana been reporting me to her leaders?

[GabeU]

@wildcats198308

@maratsade

I guess I should have searched a little more thoroughly.  

With that said, and with the initial question asked, I doubt that I will ever use the ability to pause my updates.  It was only a question of curiosity as to why one of my computers would show a different ability than the other when they have the exact same version of Windows 10.  Well, not the EXACT same.  My laptop (a Dell) originally had Windows 8 Pro OEM preloaded and was upgraded to Windows 8.1 Pro, then Windows 10 Pro and then to the present version of Windows 10 Pro.  All of them were done with the free upgrades.  My desktop (built by me), on the other hand, started with a retail version of Windows 7 Pro, then upgraded with a retail version of Windows 8 Pro, then the free upgrades from that.  I wonder if the difference between the allowable days to pause is due to the one being OEM and the other being retail.

In the end, though, like I said, I'll probably never use that ability, anyway.  I've never used the ability to set my laptop to a metered connection with WiFi, nor have I done so with the new ability to do the same with my desktop and a direct LAN connection.  I've never been close enough in my data use and allotment to need to worry about it.   

[wildcats198308]

From what I have read the pauseing feature should be 35 days.  It didnt say anything about anything less.  It seams like a stupid feature to begin with,  WHY would someone pause updates for 35 days!!  From what it sounds after the set amount of days it will download the updates.  Just sounds stupid.  Maybe you should do a post on Microsoft's community to find why your one system is only 7 days.  I know I would probably never use the feature either but dont sound right for it to be different.   I would imagine it would count down the days if you pause the updates, but I dont believe you had them paused, plus you havent had 1703 installed 28 days. 

[GabeU]

@wildcats198308

Actually, I did just that, and, oddly enough, someone from Microsoft said it was strange that my laptop was showing 35 days as they should all show 7 days.  When I brought up the fact that just about every single article written on the ability to pause updates references the 35 day amount and that their 7 day claim was spurious, I never recevied a reply.  

I think the idea of it being 35 days is because most data capped services have 30 day data allotments.  One doesn't have to wait the 35 days, but can pause them and then choose to perform the updates at any time within that time period.   

With this said, something just dawned on me.  I haven't seen any distinction as to whether pausing updates pauses the download of the update, or just the installation of it.  If the latter, then the ability to do so wouldn't make any difference for someone on a capped service as it would use the data by downloading the updates and parking them for installation at a later date.  It would only be an advantage for people who want to wait to install an update for whatever reason, whether fear of the updates causing problems and they want to wait to see what they do for others, or wanting to wait so they can perform a full backup before installing the updates.  Or some other reason.   

[maratsade]

"someone from Microsoft said it was strange that my laptop was showing 35 days as they should all show 7 days.  When I brought up the fact that just about every single article written on the ability to pause updates references the 35 day amount and that their 7 day claim was spurious, I never recevied a reply.  "

You've baffled them, @GabeU. LOL

What I don't understand is WHY they don't just give everyone the ability to pause. Why is it included in Pro and Enterprise and not in Home?  It just seems silly.

It's also silly to not want to update the machine. These days you have to keep your computer up to date at all times, or disconnect it from the Internet.

[maratsade]

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@wildcats198308 wrote:

From what I have read the pauseing feature should be 35 days.  It didnt say anything about anything less.  It seams like a stupid feature to begin with,  WHY would someone pause updates for 35 days!!  From what it sounds after the set amount of days it will download the updates.  Just sounds stupid.  . 

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Exactly. What's the point of pausing? I wonder what Microsoft's reasoning was on this, and why they gave this only to some editions and not others. The whole thing makes little sense.

ETA: apparently, the point of pausing is to see how the update affects other people's machines.  If no one's machine melts down, then the user can unpause the update and it will be installed**. 

So it seems pausing just stops the installation of the update, but not its download.

**I guess this shows how little trust we have on Microsoft's programming skills.

[GabeU]

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@maratsade wrote:

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@wildcats198308 wrote:

From what I have read the pauseing feature should be 35 days.  It didnt say anything about anything less.  It seams like a stupid feature to begin with,  WHY would someone pause updates for 35 days!!  From what it sounds after the set amount of days it will download the updates.  Just sounds stupid.  . 

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Exactly. What's the point of pausing? I wonder what Microsoft's reasoning was on this, and why they gave this only to some editions and not others. The whole thing makes little sense.

ETA: apparently, the point of pausing is to see how the update affects other people's machines.  If no one's machine melts down, then the user can unpause the update and it will be installed**. 

So it seems pausing just stops the installation of the update, but not its download.

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I was thinking this was a possible reason, as well.  In all of the articles I've read about the ability to pause the updates I couldn't find anything that specified whether it paused the actual download or just the installation, and, knowing Microsoft, the latter would probably be the case.  And, with that, the only advantage I could see with pausing them was to see what the downloads do to other machines.  Sort of as a failsafe, but a poor one, as you can't pick and choose what to pause.  It's either all or none.  

With forced updates being introduced with Windows 10, I'm sure there has been a higher instance of machines being somewhat messed up, or even bricked.  At least with Windows 8.1 and prior you had the ability to safeguard your machine from that possibility.

Hopefully, with this pausing ability, it will cut down on the instance of bad things happening.  Still, again, I won't use it.  

[maratsade]

"I've never used the ability to set my laptop to a metered connection with WiFi, nor have I done so with the new ability to do the same with my desktop and a direct LAN connection."

I tried and it's an annoying feature, because many of the apps (including the antivirus app, for dog's sake), will pop up messages saying "we can't update this app because you're on a metered connection."  Well, gee, then let the malware assault begin. I'll get some rocks.

[wildcats198308]

I randomly check for updates and do the anti-virus updates when they show if no other updates are available.  If there are other updates, I open Windows Defender and download the updates from the program its self.  This only downloads the update for Defender and no others.  I am not sure if you are still able to do the update within the new Defender program in Creator Update (1703).

I also got details from someone where I can set a Scheduled Task to have ONLY Windows Defender update at a certain time each day.  Only thing with this is it only allowed me to do update at one specific time each day (I tried other settings but from what I noticed they didnt work)   So if there are multiple updates in a day or an update after the set Scheduled Task you wont get the update til the next day.  But this way at least Defender is being updated daily instead of not at all.  

[GabeU]

@wildcats198308

If Windows Defender is your main AV program for your computer, I would at the very least install the free version Malwarebytes to augment it, if you have not already.  Windows Defender is okay, but it's pretty much the bottom of the barrel when it comes to AV, giving you only the most basic of protection.  With that said, there are other free AV programs out there that will protect your machine considerably better.  

My personal preference is Avast.  It has very good ratings, even when compared to many of the paid AV programs.  And Malwarebytes is still good to augment that, too.     

[BirdDog]

Comodo has my vote and US based.

[GabeU]

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@BirdDog wrote:

Comodo has my vote and US based.

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I've never personally used Comodo, but I've read nothing but compliments about it from many people.  Most definitely one of the favorites and best rated.