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Windows Update

Using W10 Home desktop PC at 21H1. Months ago, I read on several tech websites that I should not click on Windows Update “Check for updates” because it would show me or download both READY patches and patches that were maybe not ready for full release. In other words, some were released in a ‘not fully tested” condition. Is this still true?

Topic

Since the “true” can change daily.

In reply to Windows Update

My advice is to not to use/click that without good reason.

My advice for decades is to backup what you can’t lose as drives and computers fail without the owner doing a thing. Keep your stuff safe on at least two backup devices and places.

MS Answers different answer

In reply to Windows Update

@RPROFFITT I posted the same question to Microsoft Answers and got the opposite reply. He said to click on it and apply the patches to keep PC running great. Swell.

We don’t need to click on it.

In reply to MS Answers different answer

Necessary patches should automatically install.

-> What Microsoft and their crew rarely talk about is how Windows Update can auto-mess-up some PCs. Once in a while I’ll run into a PC that Microsoft’s automatic driver update (which is part of Windows Update) results in trouble. I’m going to skip finding priors on that issue but if you ever get a PC with that issue, Microsoft blames the maker or user. (natch!)

I am reluctant

In reply to We don’t need to click on it.

I agree but the MS Answer did not actually come from an MS person.
I am still waiting for MS to come up with anything that will allow me to get around the problem where Conexant Audio Driver keeps me from updating my W10 Lenovo laptop. Conexant is out of business and the company that bought some or all of Conexant (Synaptics?) is not interested in updating the Conexant audio driver. The Windows Update upgrade gets to 61% and hangs until timeout. Lots of MS users have this problem that MS will never fix.

Good example.

In reply to I am reluctant

For that issue we can disable the driver update and let the OS updates through. Here’s a tutorial on that:

https://www.tomshardware.com/news/how-to-stop-automatic-driver-updates-windows

Short version: “To stop Windows from doing automatic driver updates, navigate to Control Panel > System & Security > System > Advanced System Settings > Hardware > Device Installation Settings. Then choose “No (your device might not work as expected).” “

Not updating the driver

In reply to Good example.

As far as I can tell, the Update is not a driver update.
My laptop is at 1909 18363.1500.
Update is “Feature Update to Windows 10 version 20H2” which gets stuck at 61% and much later fails 0cx1900104.
I have the switch turned off to allow WU to update “other” MS products.
Some other updates continue to apply, like the malicious software remover thing.

Windows 10 version update failures.

In reply to Not updating the driver

Are well discussed. The most common reasons I run into are:
1. Insufficient disk space.
2. Malware damage.
3. Some antivirus or other protection suite.
4. A few hardware issues like bad HDDs.

At worst we have to clean install.

[Author]

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