I have had several people email recently who had issues after a Windows 10 update. I have had a couple of small issues too; however, they went away after an extra reboot. So the old tech query remains when you have problems, "Did you restart your system?"
In previous versions of Windows OS you could tell Windows to let you decide when to download and install updates; however, not so with 10. If you are a home user you are at the mercy of Microsoft when you get system updates.
It could be when you are in the middle of writing a column (like I am now) and everything slows down…to a crawl which just happened to me. I type and letters appear a few beats after I press the keys. I open my browser to check something on the internet and the browser takes forever to open, well at least 30 seconds or more. You know what I mean, you have experienced it also.
This slowdown is sometimes caused by the download of the files for the update. They will be downloaded to your computer when MS says they are ready. MS and the geeks that are "Windows Insiders" test the new updates and say all is well and you get them, ready or not. So the sometimes massive updates start and your computer slows downs. Once they are downloaded they are installed.
Some people like to wait for a while to make sure the updates are not causing complications for others before they install them. Some advanced users only want to install specific updates. But users other than Enterprise users (corporately licensed with Microsoft) have no option…or do you?
There are actually several geeky ways to get around this. But MS has provided a way which is not advertised too much. Keep in mind before we start, I do not suggest you stop Windows Updates. If you do you will have major problems. WARNING: This is manual meaning that you have to do things for yourself – it is not automated too much.
It is a standalone "trouble shooting" package from MS appropriately named, "Show or hide updates." The shortened link is rd.dblclx.com/1XpVqHN. The download will be named, "wushowhide.diagcab" or "wushowhide" depending on your system. Double click it and it will start with nothing being installed. That is the standalone part. It just runs and nothing is added to your system.
Follow along with the instructions and it will search for current updates, then list the ones it finds. Click the ones you do not want to install even if it is all of them. You then click next and they are hidden and not installed.
When you are ready to install them, run the app again and unhide the ones you hid before. Finish it, run Windows update and all is well.
Several words of warning here. You should be aware that if you go too long between updates you could be opening your system up to problems. So unhide them and run them at least a month or so after you hide them.
