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Should I upgrade from Windows 7 now? What are you using?


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  • 2 weeks later...
1 hour ago, Jim Hurley said:

I see a different policy page (Win 10 1903 {Version 10.0.18362.207}).

It seems to say that policy is no longer supported. (yellow highlight).

 

gp.png

gp-big.png

If you want to disable automatic updates then disable the entire policy, rather than select one of the options to enable it. That results in the automatic updates being completely disabled.

___Not Configured

___Enabled

_x_Disabled

 

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On 6/20/2019 at 3:11 PM, abacab said:

For the major feature updates I try to stay one Windows version behind the current version. If you get too far behind you can no longer receive security updates.

Like, never ever? So like if I forget or something I'm just SOL and can never get another security update? You're scaring me man

Edited by Christian Jones
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44 minutes ago, Christian Jones said:

Like, never ever? So like if I forget or something I'm just SOL and can never get another security update? You're scaring me man

My work laptop is still on 1709, and security updates are still being rolled out to that.

I think what abacab means is, if you stayed on say 1709 for several years, there would eventually be a time where they'd stop doing security updates for that version. So you'd have to upgrade to a later version (e.g. 1809 or 1903) before you could start getting security updates again.

FWIW I've upgraded to the latest pretty much as soon as its become available. 

Microsoft keep your old version on your hd for a month allowing you to rollback easily, but as I normally image my hard disk regularly (and especially before an upgrade), I've never had to use it.

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11 hours ago, Christian Jones said:

Like, never ever? So like if I forget or something I'm just SOL and can never get another security update? You're scaring me man

@msmcleodanswered this well. I wasn't very specific when I said "too far behind". There is a cutoff, but I'm not sure where it is. Microsoft will not support all versions of Win 10 forever, just the more recent ones.

Personally I stay one version behind, but that's just my approach.

To save a copy of an upgrade to a slightly older version, you will need to have downloaded the Media Creation Tool for the version you want to save, and burn the installer to a local copy such as a flash stick. Microsoft only offers the latest version of the MCT online, so you will need to archive any installers ahead of time that you plan to use later, when  they are only offering the most current release. Like I made sure to go and grab the 1809 installer before MS released 1903. I am still running 1809. I will download and archive  1903 sometime before 1909 or whatever is coming next is released. So then I will be ready to go for the next round, and hopefully 1903 will be nice and happy by then! :D

Alternatively, you could just defer Windows feature updates for 'x' months, and take the latest update through Windows automatic updates, but I just don't roll that way. ;)

 

Edited by abacab
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  • 2 months later...
On 6/20/2019 at 3:11 PM, abacab said:

But there is a free MS tool that lets you hide updates, and you need to use it to hide any updates you don't want before clicking "Check for updates".  Here is a tutorial for that in case you ever need it: https://www.tenforums.com/tutorials/8280-hide-show-windows-updates-windows-10-a.html
 

Just wanted to ask real quick and probably the answer is obvious, but how does one know what updates they'd want and wouldn't want? At that tenforums link they talk about sussing out a driver that came w/ an update that screwed up your system somehow, so it seems to me that you'd first have to let Windows update everything however it will, and if in that update a driver was installed that screwed things up then you would take reactive measures to address it - is that the idea? It seems so, because otherwise how else would you know that a particular update would hurt you unless it first hurts you? So it's about reacting and not necessarily preventing? And if there *is* a way to prevent it where do you go to see what updates should be hidden? Like, is there some forum where folks are saying this update component is cool, that update component isn't cool? Anyone who knows feel free to post and thank you!

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Folks!

Please be aware of the difference between support and updates.

If you never have the need to contact MS support why bother with the media hype?

Updates keep on coming when it have to do with security updates.

The only reason to upgrade to a newer os is if you need to have the absolute latest version of hardware and software. Then it's the drivers that's going to be the failure point.

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Just FYI if you are Windows 10,  the updates are all rolled up, and you cannot pick and choose the individual patches you want or don't want, like with Windows 7. Rolled up means when you install the latest one, it contains all of the previously released or revised Win 10 security and quality patches and updates for your version of Win 10.

So your choices now come down to how long you want to defer them, or perhaps never update ever.

The two main types of Win 10 updates are (1) quality and security (combined); and (2) feature updates (Win 10 version upgrades).

Feature updates are the major ones that come along twice a year or so, and they are essentially a Windows upgrade that puts a new version of Windows 10 (1709, 1803, 1809, etc) on your PC. Those updates sometimes cause trouble with certain hardware configurations, that are possibly not discovered until the early adopters install them.

A reasonable strategy is to install the feature updates eventually, but wait until the dust has settled and MS has fixes for any widespread errors. That way you are only following others pain, and hopefully not reacting to your own pain.

The downside to never installing the feature updates is that MS will eventually cut off your security updates. I believe that these are only issued for the 3 latest Win 10 versions. MS put 1709 into end-of-life earlier this year. https://www.computerworld.com/article/3386163/end-of-support-looms-for-windows-10-versions-1607-and-1709.html

A good site to follow for info on precautions to updating, and fallout from Windows updates is: https://www.askwoody.com/

Woody also writes a blog for Computer World, called "Woody on Windows".  https://www.computerworld.com/blog/woody-on-windows/

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