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Which Windows 10 Updates should be avoided?

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BGM:
Hi, all my techie Friends,

I am worried about upgrading my Windows OS.  When Win7 came out, I waited until it completely expired before upgrading to Windows 10 - and I only did it because I had to in order to accomodate my motherboard + processor combination.  (long story; I made it work, but apparently, there should have been very little chance it should have worked - I'll spare you that story, though).

Anyway, I am always afraid of upgrading my Windows OS because I don't want things to change without my approval.

I am running Windows 10 N Pro x64 version 1909, build 10.0.18363.

Now, I am willing to install updates that make improvements that I like.

So, this thread is about which Windows Updates a person should not install.

For example, version 20H2 from last October completely removes the old Win7 style control panel.  I don't want to get rid of that panel because I prefer it to the metro panels, so I don't want to install the update.

Can anyone add their knowledge here?

ConstanceJill:
Hi.
For example, version 20H2 from last October completely removes the old Win7 style control panel.-BGM (June 09, 2021, 09:20 AM)
--- End quote ---

Actually it doesn't. It's still present in 21H1 even (just run control.exe), though some options certainly have disappeared from it compared with Windows 7.

Anyway you don't have much of a choice but to "upgrade" to newer versions after a while if you want your Windows 10 computer to stay secure, because Microsoft stops providing security updates for each Windows 10 version after either 18 or 30 months, unless you somehow get your hands on a Long Term Servicing license. See https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/lifecycle/faq/windows

Shades:
Any Windows update has a certain set of required updates that must have ran before this particular update even can be executed. While you may be able to skip a few for the time being, rest assured that there will be a future update that requires the installation of an update you deemed problematic for your system/setup.

Till now Microsoft provides downloads of updates for manual installation, which might extend the period your system can be without a problematic update. Best case scenario: that will be postponing the inevitable.

You won't "escape" from having these problematic updates on your system. Or, to quote the Borg from Star Trek: "Resistance is futile."

If you care for it, an example:
People bring me computers and laptops for maintenance/repair. I have now had several laptops already that stopped working with Windows 10. Even though most of the hardware inside these laptops was more than adequate for Windows 10 to run on, there was usually 1 piece of hardware for which support has dropped. Took long enough looking around, but for two laptops it was a specific model of panel that is used as screen. After Microsoft updated Windows 10, no more video. Rolling back was no problem. Letting Windows update look for updated drivers, resulted in Windows 10 updating itself again and the problem returned. Looking for the most recent driver (on a different computer), rolling back the laptops, installing that driver and connecting the laptop back onto the internet, Windows 10 updated itself again and no more video.

Researching for exact hardware specs of laptop models, finding out the brand and model of panel they were using and looking on the websites from the manufacturers I finally got some info about that panel not being supported anymore for a specific version of Windows 10. If not the panel then it was the networking chips, which caused problems in the laptops I encountered. For one laptop the owner didn't mind switching to Linux, for others I got the request to disable Windows update completely. While that is not the way to go at this problem, those people didn't have enough money to buy a new laptop and they still needed their laptops for their job. Getting something else than Windows 10 Home edition is not that simple here in Paraguay. And pretty expensive as well. Through my dealings here I have gotten the impression that Microsoft treats markets that are not US/Europe differently.

BGM:
Wow, Shades, I never would have thunk that you were in Paraguay! 

I use WAU Manager to disable Windows Updates completely, and only run updates I think I want.  I know M$ wants to "keep your system up to date and secure" but that comes at the price of change in workflow and the hassle of things changing out from under you - AND - it always gives them more power and control over your system.  Also, as you have shown, updates are not always good and quite often (I have read about lots of this stuff) updates may cause the machine to stop working.  So I try to avoid them unless I have to.

My idea is to avoid any Windows Update until there is no way to continue without it - or to use an update to try and fix something that you know isn't working.  If it's not broken, you don't update.

With Windows 7, you could get along fine by picking and choosing the updates you installed.  You can do that a little bit with Windows 10, but admittedly, you don't get the same control.  Hence WAU Manager.

wraith808:
I formerly tried to do that. But as you go on, the updates depend on each other. And not having certain ones will take your version of windows out of support until you install them. It became a byzantine array of dependent updates and was more trouble than it was worth in the end. I just use the tactic of delaying until there's a critical mass, and letting it update at that point.

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