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Justakiwi
Premium Member
join:2004-11-24
New Zealand

1 recommendation

Justakiwi

Premium Member

[WIN10] Forced Windows updates blowing my data cap

Microsoft needs to understand that not all of live in the US (where unlimited data caps appears to be the norm). I have been trying to figure out why I've blown my 40GB/month data cap for the past two months - Win 10 of course. Now that ALL updates are being automatically pushed whether I want them or not, they are chewing up my data.

I already pay $80/month for landline and broadband. If I go over my limit every additional GB costs me $2 extra.

I am seriously pissed about this. Has anybody by any remote chance found a way around this control freak feature?

XANAVirus
Premium Member
join:2012-03-03
Lavalette, WV

1 recommendation

XANAVirus

Premium Member

Have you considered downgrading your version of Windows to one with the ability to control updates through the UI?

Microsoft has decided to (even for Enterprise users) to remove the ability to control updates through the UI. Enterprise and Professional can both be controlled via a WSUS / WUB server, though even they have to accept all updates eventually. Otherwise, users who decide to stop updates for long enough stop getting them altogether until they acquiesce and take them.

Options for keeping Windows 10 include disabling the Windows Update service or blocking its access through your router, though it is only a matter of will and time before Microsoft decides to somehow sidestep that route for home and professional users.

They're already hardcoding IPs and host-names for telemetry features, only a matter of time before they decide to do the same for updates...

This is the problem IMO with Windows 10, no version purchasable by individuals can have the automatic updates stopped - it's even in the EULA - and some people have decided to boycott Windows 10 specifically for that reason. I'm one of those people.

Microsoft is offering a tool to manually control the blocking of updates in Windows 10, have you considered that?

Though all these methods are just temporarily since you'll have to accept all offered updates eventually if you're on the current branch / current branch for business tiers.

Funny, with the automatic updates of Windows 10 people have to be even more manually selective now as to when they accept them since it's harder to undo broken updates.

Justakiwi
Premium Member
join:2004-11-24
New Zealand

2 recommendations

Justakiwi

Premium Member

To be honest, I wish I'd never upgraded. I had major issues installing the upgrade and eventually talked MS into providing me with a free licence key so I could do a clean install (which worked). So going back to Win 7 (which is what I was running before) would mean another clean install - seriously reluctant to do that.

I just downloaded the tool you mentioned and ran it, but it ran for about 20 minutes with no progress so I killed it. No idea whether it's normal for it to take that long but it gave me the impression it was never going to do anything so I gave up.

Half the problem is, you have no real idea what it's downloading behind the scenes (or when).

Maybe I could block windows update with my firewall and just do a manual update now and then? Would that work?

dandelion
MVM
join:2003-04-29
Germantown, TN

2 recommendations

dandelion to Justakiwi

MVM

to Justakiwi
This might be helpful in talking of windows 10 update: »nakedsecurity.sophos.com ··· he-love/
Kerodo
join:2004-05-08

2 recommendations

Kerodo to Justakiwi

Member

to Justakiwi
You might seriously reconsider going back to 7. That's what I did. Sure, the clean install of 7 isn't fun, it took me 2 days, and I had several lists of the bad Win 10 and telemetry related updates to avoid, but once it was done, it felt good.

As you mentioned, in Win 10, one has no idea what's going on nor when... that network activity plus all the disk thrashing at times eventually turned me away from 10. The other nasty thing is, these updates in 10 are huge sometimes, since they are "cumulative" updates. That's not likely to get any better with time either.

7 is truly the way to go until 10 either changes policies, or else somehow improves in many regards.

Justakiwi
Premium Member
join:2004-11-24
New Zealand

1 recommendation

Justakiwi to dandelion

Premium Member

to dandelion
Yes disabling that was one of the first things I did post install.
Expand your moderator at work

Pjr
Don't Panic
join:2005-12-11
UK

1 recommendation

Pjr

Member

Re: [WIN10] Forced Windows updates blowing my data cap

I'm not a Windows user but am curious to know just how large Win10 updates are if they responsible for hitting the OPs cap when other versions of Windows weren't a problem.

Tursiops_G
Technoid
MVM
join:2002-02-06
Brooksville, FL
ARRIS TM1602

3 recommendations

Tursiops_G

MVM

Windows 10 will SHARE it's Updates with OTHER PCs ON THE INTERNET, Unless it's specifically told NOT to... Talk about P2P...

»windows.microsoft.com/en ··· tion-faq

(Edit: Tag-Teaming with dandelion See Profile )

Pjr
Don't Panic
join:2005-12-11
UK

1 edit

2 recommendations

Pjr

Member

Thanks for the explanation. If I was a Windows user that would be one of the to be disabled immediately.
psglaspie
Docscott
join:2003-12-19
Mount Pleasant, TX

3 recommendations

psglaspie to Justakiwi

Member

to Justakiwi
I have satellite internet (only thing I can get here) with a 10G/month data cap. Win10 updates are a problem. I have successfully used

»www.oo-software.com/en/shutup10

Once a month or so, I use the same tool to turn updates back on to get the updates during "free time" that doesn't go against my cap.

The MS tool stopped installation but didn't stop the download which is my problem with the data cap issue. The group policy method also works, but is rather a pain to turn on and off as is the registry hack and dealing with disabling services.

Tursiops_G
Technoid
MVM
join:2002-02-06
Brooksville, FL

1 recommendation

Tursiops_G

MVM

^^ This.

Also, O&O Shutup10 can shut down some of the MS 'Telemetry' ("Phone-Home") data... (Just HOW much is sent on a regular basis is yet to be determined)

Msradell
Premium Member
join:2008-12-25
Louisville, KY

1 recommendation

Msradell to Tursiops_G

Premium Member

to Tursiops_G
said by Tursiops_G:

Windows 10 will SHARE it's Updates with OTHER PCs ON THE INTERNET, Unless it's specifically told NOT to... Talk about P2P...

That can be turned off very easily in settings!

gwalk
Premium Member
join:2005-07-27
West Mich.

3 recommendations

gwalk

Premium Member

The Hughesnet user forums is filled with novice users complaining of data loss issues.
I have Win10 installed on a separate hard drive .... now disconnected.

MS is also installing Win10 on Win7/8/8.1 machines so it will be available "just in case" a user wish to upgrade to Win10.

With all the crappy updates coming from MS I have now disabled WU entirely.

Justakiwi
Premium Member
join:2004-11-24
New Zealand

1 recommendation

Justakiwi to Pjr

Premium Member

to Pjr
Well that's what I want to know too. I can't find a way to actually see what's downloading/being installed, so have no idea how big these updates are. The thing is, there will no doubt be updates being automatically installed that I don't want or need - under Win 7 I had a number of hidden updates (such as IE updates as I don't use MS browsers). Given that I had to do a clean install to get this installed in the first place, I'm assuming any updates I previously had hidden will no longer be.
Justakiwi

Justakiwi to psglaspie

Premium Member

to psglaspie
Thanks! Just ran this and turned off a heap of other stuff I didn't even know was happening (data wise). Haven't turned off Windows Updates yet - still thinking about that.

Tursiops_G
Technoid
MVM
join:2002-02-06
Brooksville, FL
ARRIS TM1602

2 recommendations

Tursiops_G

MVM

At a Minimum, I'd recommend disabling "Automatic DRIVER Updates through Windows Update"... Those can be fairly large downloads themselves...
(Plus, MS's drivers are usually Inferior to the Manufacturer-supplied drivers)...

Justakiwi
Premium Member
join:2004-11-24
New Zealand

Justakiwi

Premium Member

yep, did that

Dustyn
Premium Member
join:2003-02-26
Ontario, CAN
·Carry Telecom
·TekSavvy Cable
Asus GT-AX11000
Technicolor TC4400

2 recommendations

Dustyn to Justakiwi

Premium Member

to Justakiwi
What about if you tried enabling a Metered Connection?
Assuming you are on a wireless connection of course.
»www.tenforums.com/tutori ··· 0-a.html

Justakiwi
Premium Member
join:2004-11-24
New Zealand

2 edits

1 recommendation

Justakiwi

Premium Member

I generally use ethernet but have just disconnected that and switched to my USB wireless adapter. Have changed the setting as you suggested.

Apparently this will now mean that Windows Update will only download and install priority updates. Having said that, that could still amount to a significant amount of data.

Will see how this works over the next month.

kfsutops
Premium Member
join:2002-08-19
Lutz, FL

kfsutops to Tursiops_G

Premium Member

to Tursiops_G
I thought this function is only for local network computer, not the internet?

Tursiops_G
Technoid
MVM
join:2002-02-06
Brooksville, FL
ARRIS TM1602

2 recommendations

Tursiops_G

MVM

From the Windows 10 FAQ link I posted earlier:
quote:
PCs on your local network and PCs on the Internet. Windows uses the same process as when getting updates and apps from PCs on your local network, and also looks for PCs on the Internet that can be used as a source to download parts of updates and apps.

Dustyn
Premium Member
join:2003-02-26
Ontario, CAN
·Carry Telecom
·TekSavvy Cable
Asus GT-AX11000
Technicolor TC4400

1 edit

4 recommendations

Dustyn to Justakiwi

Premium Member

to Justakiwi
I know that this is an older thread, but I just saw an article on how to now enable a Metered Connection on wired Ethernet.
»winaero.com/blog/set-eth ··· dows-10/