Even though Windows 10 is a great Operating system, it has a lot of flaws. Every single time Microsoft fixes an issue, new ones pop up. It's like, you never know when your pc component will stop working due to a buggy windows. The recent one that made the headlines is a wild bug that is defragging SSD's too often.
Defragging HDD's is a good idea, but doing so for SSD's? That's a real bad idea. Defragging SSD's can reduce their lifespan and affect performance. A bug in Windows 20, 2004 build caused the SSD to be defragged too often.
Personally, I hate it when windows is updating without my consent in the background. The only way for me to figure that out is to look at the netspeedmonitor and look at Task Manager to confirm that an Update is downloading (and bugs are making their way in the system). So I always try to keep automatic windows updates off. But even if you do so from settings > Updates, you will not be able to pause all the updates for more than a 2 months period. Also, in the worst-case scenario, windows will start updating, even if you have turned it off manually.
Fear not as I am bringing you a permanent solution today. Anyone who wants to turn off their Windows Update permanently can follow the following tips. I am utilizing this method on my own system, and so far, it's working like a charm.
Steps:
Windows usually download updates through a process called "BITS" (Background Intelligence Transfer Service). It is associated with the qmgr.dll in the sys32 folder.
If you are not logged in to the Admin account in your local PC, log in to the admin account. Navigate to the system drive, Windows > then Sys32 ( the file path is usually C\ > Windows > System32). Locate the qmgr.dll, and change its file extension to something else, like qmgr.file or whatever you'd like. Or, cut the file and paste it somewhere else.
Locate the wuaueng.dll within the same directory and change the file extension/cut-paste it somewhere else.
Performing the two above steps may prove troublesome and ask for permission from Trustedinstaller. Here's how to bypass that: https://www.windowscentral.com/how-take-ownership-files-and-folders-windows-10
If you want to update windows in the future, just revert the file extension to its original name/paste it in the sys32 directory again.
That's it, your windows update is permanently disabled and microsoft won't bother you with silent downloads again.😜